today but smile…”
Well, we can’t all live the Paul Simon life, so smiling and pedaling at this point.
This may come as no surprise, but Lousiana does not play when it comes to rain and thunderstorms.
After spending a little too much time in Bogalusa, I went straight for the great unknown. A lot of my day yesterday was spent looking for things that “weren’t never there…?” or that have since closed. To make it that much more exciting, I was heading to a campsite that I thought may be closed as well – they wouldn’t answer the phone.
While the day before was rough, yesterday was more of what I expected of the trip – a ton of pedaling, with no specific place lined up to stay for the evening.
Right around 5pm I ended up in Easlyville – Luchenbach, Texas may be bigger (see Todd Snider.) Anyway, the campsite was open and for the first time since being out here, I ran into someone on a bike – Jeff. He had come from mid-Texas, en route to Florida. Jeff was good enough to give me the run on the route heading west, and even better – he cooked me a steak – I kid you not. Honestly, for someone who had planned to dirt-bag it all the way across the country, I shouldn’t be allowed to eat this well.
Super good conversation, many thanks Jeff.
Not long after zipping the tent closed (I got back to tent-life in full-force; nothing wrong with Hotels/B&B – nice to know I can survive in a hotel if i had to…), all hell broke loose – RAIN!, WIND!, and mother nature’s strobe light show* (all rights reserved…) At this point it may be a bit premature to sing the praises of my tent. Though I expected to be woken up by the sound of my rain-fly being sent to MS. For anyone not able to sleep during a thunderstorm, I suggest heading outside, setting up a tent, and counting the lightening strikes – or better yet, try and guess which one may have your name on it.
Since it was so hot yesterday, and with the nasty storm last night, it made sense that I’d wake up to 50 degree temps. CHILLY – for the first time in about 2 weeks. I made record time getting to Jackson, LA (which is where I am now) which was nice. The roads are still questionable in spots, but with the exception of the alligator by the side of the road, I didn’t really see anyone.
Not sure where today will end. I’m feeling good about the number of miles clicked off the last two days, so it’s tough to think of stopping any time soon.
Banana King, out.
j
