Day 28

We rode 126 miles today out of Louisiana and into Mississippi. It helps that it was flat and we had calm winds. Forecast was calling for rain but we had sun all day long. We kept a decent pace, 16.5 mph, for the day and spent 7 1/2 hours in the saddle. Brads navigation skills have paid off again. He found a rails to trails route (paved) that we followed for 30 miles. It was a great break from riding next to traffic all day. We finished around six and walked to the only real restaurant within walking distance, which was a Mexican restaurant, which was fine but that was our only real choice at lunch too. Both places, the food was outstanding.


Brad was to arrive in Baton Rouge Thursday night but he was snowed in , in Denver. So he came in on Friday. That resulted in me having a second day off, which was fine. I spent a fair amount of time tuning both bikes up and getting ready for the final push to the end. I shipped the tent, sleeping bag and therma pad home. That took a good 6 to 7 pounds of weight off which I clearly noticed and appreciated during todays ride. Those items were really emergency provisions. Riding in the west is so different than the east. There are huge gaps of space without any civilization. So, if I got stuck and couldn't make it to a hotel or couldn't find a hotel with vacancies, I would have a plan B. The other reason for bringing that stuff along was in case the weather turned against us. This time of year, particularly at elevation, the weather can get pretty lousy in a hurry so that would have also provided some "shelter from the storm". But the density of towns and population is so different here and the weather isn't as extreme ( at least from a temp standpoint)that I think I can do without the extra weight. It does bother me that we carried that stuff 3/4's of the way across the country and never used it. I almost slept in it two nights ago just to satisfy my regret for bringing it along but the Holiday Inn seemed like a better choice.

Tomorrow should be another good day for riding. Cold in the morning but sunny all day. Depending on how far we get we will connect with Hutch either Sunday night or Monday mid morning. He arrives into Pensacola Sunday late afternoon.


OK, I just posted the above and saw that Brad simultaneously put up a few choice photos. So, I am going to edit this post and add some clarification and self defense. For those that don't know Brad, there is still a fair amount of little kid left in him. He was hell bent to stop at a store and buy Batman and Robin costumes. He thought that would make for a fun Halloween day. He finally found a Walgreens and started shopping. He got his batman costume, as you can see. I wasn't in quite the same festive mood that he was in but he insisted that I have a costume as well. After telling him that we were burning valuable riding time, I was reminded that sometimes with him it's just easier and quicker to go a long with his nonsense. So, 30 minutes later, off we went with those ridiculous costumes and candy in our pumpkins mounted on the back of the bikes. I guess after a while on the road, you get amused easily. The costumes didn't last too much longer than the photo op. Thanks Brad for those photos.