Day 24: LaGrange to Austin...again...kind of

Woo hoo! The biking sick/(kind of) dead has triumphed over a cold and headwind today. 75 miles, take that rhino virus!

I can't say I felt much better today as far as the actual cold symptoms go. But I did have a ton more energy. Three cheers for sleep. Speaking of which, so tired.

It was nice and warm starting out in LaGrange this morning. I closed the door on the "hotel rooms that look like my grandmother's house in 1957" chapter of my life around 9 this morning and headed out into a beautiful and sunny morning.

I rode through rolling hills and ranch country for most of the morning until I reached Bastrop around 1. Fixated on the thought of a delicious lunch, I didn't even think to check the location of the bike shop and unknowingly rode a mile past it....downhill. A really steep one. Oops! But I got that delicious lunch.
I ate at Bastrop BBQ, where I feasted on a brisket sandwich with a side of Cole slaw and an ice cold coke. Yum! I was surprised by how courteous everyone is there. A young man, probably 13 or 14, was outside polishing a saddle when I rode up. As I was getting my things together, I saw him rush over to open the door for a man who had a tray full of bread. The man said, "thank you, sir." and the boy replied, "you're very welcome, sir." it was awesome. I remember thinking, "wow, that's just great. You sure don't see that from kids anymore." and then I felt old. Next thing I knew, the boy was still there holding the door and asking, "excuse me ma'am, will you be needin the door now?"
"yes sir,"I said. "thank you very much."
And then he asked me how long I had been riding. I said about a month. He said, "well, that's just great." and he meant it.

What a great little town. Bastrop, TX. Visit if you get a chance.

After lunch I made my way back up to the bike shop and tried to find myself a new pump and cleats. Scored on a pump. No luck on the cleats. Thus, the return to Austin. My cleats were so worn down they were starting to pop out on the pull. It only takes a few times of hitting your unmentionables on the seat with the full force of gravity before you start actively seeking out new ones.

I took the busy highway 71 all the way to Austin instead of following the adventure cycling alternate out of Bastrop. Today I decided I would rather ride with more traffic on a smooth surface in a shoulder two of me could span than take back roads with no shoulder and a super rough surface for five miles longer. Plus, the highway is graded so the hills were cake.

I made it into Austin right around rush hour, which wasn't actually that bad. I checked into the hostel and then headed downtown for bike parts and food.


"doing your dishes is metal"

Mellow Johnny's had just what I needed. The new cleats looked so thick I was sure they weren't the same ones. But they fit like a glove in my pedals. The old ones were SO thin. I still can't believe they were functioning even a little. I also got some of those powder drink packets the racers use to boost endurance. I figure it will at least make me drink more water cause they taste so darn good. On the way back to the hostel I saw a man dressed up in a pig costume holding a sign saying "lawyers are pigs." I laughed and waved. He thanked me. Then I wondered if he was a lawyer. I do love Austin.

After I came back to the hostel I was able to have a great shower and do laundry. Finally! I installed the new cleats and organized gear again, something I have to do pretty much every day because I am messy. I chatted with a kid from Australia who is basically wandering around the country trying to find reptile farms. Killer accent.
Annnnnd then I got hungry again so I went out in search of food. On the way I saw a nighttime critical mass with probably 300 riders. Sweet! I ended up eating some fabulous Mexican food at Al Pastor. I had four tacos with al pastor, onions, cilantro, lemon, and a spicy guacamole sauce, all washed down with the biggest glass of horchata I have ever seen in my life. So cheap. So good. So full.

Ok kids, I gotta get some sleep. Haven't yet decided if I'm moseying on tomorrow. I think I could kick it here another day. My cold seems to agree. Plus Steve and Amy are in town! And it would be way, way cool to see those guys.
I'm out!

Good night,
Jess

Day 23: Round Top to LaGrange, TX

I must really like Texas. I sure am stretching it out. Only 17 miles today. This illness is really starting to hit me hard.

Last night it stormed on me all night. The wind was blowing so hard I thought my tent was going to sail away. It sounded like what I imagine a skydiver hears coming from his suit as he whips through the atmosphere. It was raining so hard I thought it was hailing. Needless to say, I didn't sleep much. Every time I dozed off another gale force wind would wake me with a start.

When I "woke" up this morning I felt like I hadn't slept at all (close to the truth) and there were horrible noises coming from my chest as I struggled to breathe through the maze of phlegm in my lungs. Cough, cough. "I'm not getting up. No, siree." so I laid there for another hour before I forced myself into action. I figured it would be alright if I just got going. Nah. This bug is here to stay.

Devoid of all energy, I struggled to ride the 2 miles into town, dodging antique show traffic on what I imagine is normally not a busy road. I ate delicious biscuits and gravy at the tavern and forced myself back on the road by 10. I soon realized I wasn't going get very far today.

Traffic finally thinned out just as a shoulder magically appeared and the road surface became smooth. Go figure.

Finally! I was so happy to see LaGrange. A cool older dude stopped to chat with me outside the bank where I was sitting, kind of out of it. You wouldn't know it by looking at him, but he used to race for Schwinn back when they used to make bikes that were actually good. He told me about a mountain, kind of the last big one you climb on this trip, where you can see San Diego on a clear day even though you're still about 100 miles out. I got real excited. I've been needing those little motivational kicks in the butt in the last few days since I've been moving at a snail's pace.


Some government building in downtown LaGrange.

After that I checked into the Oak Motel and I've been in bed pretty much ever since. So awesome.

I came to the realization today (reluctantly) with a little help from Brennan McIrishman (ok a lot of help) that it would be best if I just lay low for a couple of days and wait for this to pass instead of miserably cranking along and being frustrated by my lack of progress. I don't wannna! But I probably should. (But I probably won't). I'll split the difference and play it by ear in the morning.

Ah, morning. It will be here so soon. Sleep....ah, yes. I remember what you are like. Let's do this. Love to you all.

Cheers,
Jess

Day 22: Navasota to Round Top, TX

Distance: 55 miles
Weather: 100% chance it has misted all day
Terrain: rolling and so beautiful
Roads: rough surface, little to no shoulder. Come ON, Texas! You're so cool in many other ways.
Rainy day music of choice: Crooked Jades and Huckleberry Flint
Number of times I wanted to ride to the airport and board a plane home: just once today. Don't even inquire about yesterday

Hey there. Waking up today was hard. Real hard. All I wanted to do was sleep all day again but I dragged my heavy feet down to the continental breakfast at 7:20, where I downed as much orange juice as I could hold while the voodoo box told me more than I wanted to know about people bombing each other in various locations around the world. And then I went back to bed ("just five more minutes!"). After a few pep talks, I did it. I started packing up! I was on the road by a little after 8:30.

I made my way to downtown Navasota and found the post office, where I finally (and this is a big deal for me and my pack rat tendencies) mailed some stuff home, including my golden anvil, the broken stove! Don't worry, I have a new one now. My pump broke this morning.

Ok, now I actually hit the road. It was almost 9. As I wound my way through ranches and up and down and around small hills, a very fine mist began to fall. It was actually really nice. I'll take misty Texas over oppressively hot Texas any day. But that's probably just the Humboldt in me talking.




I rode right through Washington, the birthplace of Texas. It's where they declared independence from Mexico in 1836. I tried to stop in the visitors center but it didn't open for another 30 minutes and, you know me, I hate waiting around when there's still a lot of riding to be done.

Pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal. I started thinking about some funny things, for example, what it would be like if George W. Bush suddenly pulled up along side me and offered to house me on his ranch for a night. I was imagining a lot of mesquite trees for some reason and maybe a bobble head Jesus doll on the dashboard of his truck, and some very poor explanations of how ranching works. I'm not gonna lie to you, I secretly wanted it to happen. There's still a lot more Texas to ride through. Fingers crossed!
About that same time I realized I spend a lot of time smiling when cars pass me going the opposite direction. I decided this probably elicits one of two responses: One, these motorists see me grinning like I've just won the lottery and think to themselves, "oh jeeze, look at that nice girl and how happy she is on that bicycle. Maybe I should get a bike, too!" or, more likely, they think, "that girl is absolutely out of her mind." then they scream at me inside to get a job and get off the road. I prefer the former. But to each his own.

It was getting about that time and granola bars, yet again, were failing to properly fuel me for more than 30 minutes at a time. I stopped to eat at a real cool place called the Pig 'n Whistle in Burton.


I had some fancy chicken and pasta I can't remember the name of and a Bass Ale. It was delicious. There I met Nolan. He's been working there for two months and was nice enough to keep me company while I ate and ask me questions about my tour. He even went outside to meet Ida. (She said he's very handsome!). Thanks for the company, Mr. Nolan! Also, apologies if I spelled your name wrong. Well, it's always hard to leave those kind of places and get back on the road. But I finally pried myself away and got motivated to finish up the day.

I didn't make it too much farther before I started looking for some place to camp. Since I'm still under the weather, I figured I ought not push it. My original plan was a campground in Carmine (pronounced car-mean) but I lacked the proper paper money and the ATM I found didn't like my card. I stopped to look up nearby banks but didn't really find any that weren't far away. While I was stopped, a woodcarver came up and talked to me. His name is Nathan and he did a huge bike tour back in 1981 from Missouri to Nashville and on down through Texas, where he's been ever since. He gave me his card and told me to call him if I got into any trouble and he'd come get me no matter how far. What a nice guy! It's these encounters that have been restoring my faith in mankind throughout this whole trip. He also pointed me toward some camping on down the road. So I pedaled on and ended up in the middle of a gigantic antique fair, which has stretched on for a few miles now. Nolan said it's the largest in the US. Well, there were some RVs behind just about every building I passed and I figured there's no harm in asking, so.....
Yeah, I'm camped out in a field with some RVs behind a building full of old junk for the nominal fee of my driver's license number (in case I leave trash behind). Score! I need quite a few nights of this kind of lodging to make up for last night and my trip to California. But it's supposed to storm kinda hard tonight so we'll see how it works out.


Some old bikes at the antique fair

In other news, aside from being sick, I felt pretty good riding today. I've already gotten used to being alone all day again and am enjoying it. All in all, it was a great day on the bike, even with the steady mist. Texas is great. I'm glad I don't have to worry about it changing on me. Haha. Welp, my battree (say it with an English accent - it's fun!) is low and I'm not sure I can charge it tonight so i best be moving along. Take care!

Stay classy,
Jess

Day 21: College Station to....Navasota, TX

Hello everyone! It's been a while. The busy, busy week off in San Jose/Austin was fun but probably not really what my body needed. Judging/timing those competitions is much harder work than actually competing. I basically worked 14 hour days with no breaks. By the time we left the field, found somewhere to eat, and showered it was about 11 or even later and we had to be up by 5:30 to do it all over again. Did I mention it poured the rain the entire time? Don't be mislead- it was really fun! But exhausting.
Traveling to and from Austin was pretty exhausting too. But on my 3 hour greyhoun layover in Waco i was able to visit the Texas Ranger museum. It was awesome!!








Colt Walker repeating pistol, ca 1846






Texas had way cooler money than the confederacy.




Austin the first time around was pretty cool too. I ate some delicious pizza at the Jackalope on 6th street. And then slept at the airport, which was not very fun.


This kind of looks like a Banksy.

My flight to San Jose was delayed an hour because the pilot somehow discharged the fire extinguisher into one of the engines so we had to switch planes. I was hoping that meant we got a new pilot, too. No such luck. But c'est la vie.

AWFC 2011 rocked. I had a lot of fun and saw some really great competitors.


Men's pole climb



HSU and Berkeley warming up for the double buck. They are about to RAGE!!

Karl Franci from Humboldt State placed 3rd in the Stihl series. He now has the opportunity to be chosen for the wild card pick and move on to the national finals in August and compete for a chance to become a professional. Way to go, Karl!!!

Flying back into Austin on Saturday night was pretty sweet. I was able to meet up with my friend Mike Tozzo's brother, Nick, and his cousin, Zack, and some of their friends. We went downtown to 6th street and checked out the nightlife. Really fun. I can assure you it is alive and well. Thanks guys!

Well, I guess I am still recovering from the vacation from my vacation, as I only made it 20 miles today before I had to stop. Last night I stayed with the Edgar family again. Sara's brother and his family were in town visiting from Minnesota and it was very nice to meet them and hear their funny stories. I was feeling fine when I left their house this morning, though admittedly pretty tired, but that's not really anything new on this tour.
It wasn't until about five miles in that it really started to hit me. I suddenly felt as if I'd been riding for 8 hours. My legs were so heavy every turn of the crank was a struggle and I could've easily fallen asleep at the handlebars, a biking zombie. On top of the fatigue I've also developed a nice little, croupy cough. So I checked into a motel room in Navasota at 10:30, where I promptly fell asleep and slept until....3:45. I don't think I'll have any trouble sleeping through the night, either.
I just ate some delicious Mexican food for supper.


I wanted something super spicy to try and burn this bug out of me. I hope it works. The plan for now is to forge ahead tomorrow and see how far I get. Shucks. The wind was even out of the east today. A tailwind is a terrible thing to waste.

Here's to good health.

Cheers,
Jess

Day 20: Coldspring, TX to College Station, TX

Miles today: 85
Total miles: 1,380
Weather: Sunny hotness - Must've been in the 90s on the road. Feisty wind out of the south.
Hills: check
Headwind: check
Tailwind: check
Christ of east Texas: check




"The time for resting is upon you, my child."

Yes! It is! Looks like I'm going to have a week off including travel days. It couldn't come sooner. I did a lot of climbing today and I think my legs are the most tired they've been yet.

I hit the road earlyish, leaving camp around 7:40. My route took me along winding roads and rolling hills, a mere taste of what is to come in hill country. I wondered fairly early on if my tired legs would be able to push on for the 85 miles I needed to cover today. I'll never doubt them again. Each time I crested a hill they burned like they were on fire. But they were ready and willing to go by the time I coasted down and hit the next one.

By 9:30 I could see granola bars for breakfast just weren't gonna cut it. I had to eat real food. I stopped in New Waverly and had an order of biscuits and gravy, bacon, a large bowl of grits, and a big glass of milk. Milk was probably a bad choice. But I didn't feel hungry again until about 3.

Soon after I crossed Lake Conroe




And then I climbed for pretty much the rest of the day, up and down, passing one ranch after another.

One cool thing about today is the number of cyclists I saw. Not touring cyclists, but normal people just out riding on a beautiful Texas Sunday. Not that touring cyclists aren't normal, but....well, actually we are kind of a little crazy. I mean, riding across the country is sort of a crazy thing to do. But also awesome. Anyway, I haven't seen many bikers at all until today.

As I passed all these day riders heading east, I was reminded of how nice people in the biking community are. At one point, I was stopped on the side of the road to see how far away from the next turn I was and a passing cyclist stopped to ask if I was okay. Then, a couple of hours later, I was taking a rest and another one stopped to again ask if I needed help.

There were also a lot of bikers out today, as in motorcycles. I probably saw more motorcycles and bicycles than cars today. Awesome! I've always felt a certain solidarity with bikers. Maybe it's because we are both experiencing the landscape in a similar fashion, or maybe because we are both pretty likely to get creamed by a car without a moment's notice, but every time one passes I give a wave. Sometimes they wave back, most of the time they don't. But I enjoy seeing them on the road, nonetheless.

One thing I've always wanted to do is have someone follow me with a camera and perfectly capture the moment when I'm riding along giving a motorcycle the motorcycle wave (you know the one - kind of like a low-five) and the guy on the bike is motorcycle waving back. I would blow that picture up and put it over my fire place.

Well, overall the ride today was good. Tough, but good. I had no tiny dog pursuers (TDPs) and the nice cross breeze kept me somewhat cool. I did have to ride directly into the wind for the 10 miles between Anderson and Navasota, during which time I unwisely taunted it (you would think I'd have learned my lesson by now), saying things such as, "you can't beat gravity, wind!!" as I began my descents and picked up speed. I also often reminded it that it would be pushing me for the last 25 miles - which was totally great, by the way - and, thus, there was no way it could possibly rain on my parade today.

Finally, Finally!! that joyous moment arrived when I pulled into the driveway of my wonderful hosts and dismounted Ida for the last time for a week!! Oh, legs, have your cake and eat it too, cause after this rest it's a long haul and we are in it to win it. It just may have been the best cold shower I've ever had in my life.
Chris and Sara cooked a delicious meal of steak, risotto, and collard greens from their garden (the maiden harvest!). Mmm! And berry crisp with ice cream for dessert. As we ate I answered questions from the little ones, Madeline and Maeve, two very adorable blond haired and blue eyed little ladies. Then I showed them Ida after dinner. They've been following along on the blog and are very excited about my visit. Thanks for reading, girls!

Okie dokie artichokies, I reckon it's about time to retire. Tomorrow I catch the bus to Austin to do some exploring and then board a plane on Tuesday morn to keep some lumberjacks in line. Can't wait.

Much love,
Jess

Day 19: Silsbee, TX to Coldspring, TX

Miles today: 77.8
Total miles: 1294.9
Ride time: 5:34:17
Weather: hot again, cyclometer once read 94, south wind got more feisty in afternoon
Water consumption: better but less than ideal
Number of cars driven past my camp site blaring country music: 4, but it is still early
Neighbors that look like members of ZZ Top: 1
Joints malfunctioning: 1
Tendons malfunctioning: 1
Ready for a break: hell yeah!

Greetings Earthlings.

I write to you this evening from a primitive camp site in Double Lake Recreation Area just west of Coldspring, Texas. The lone star state is treating me well so far.
I woke early this morning per the usual. I sure wish my body would stop waking up when it's still dark. Can't do anything with that except be tired all day. And tired I was. I'm really starting to feel these 14 straight days of riding in many parts of my body, especially my legs. My left achilles is starting to hurt a little too. And the terrain has become more hilly. So today was a little tough. I'm hoping these five days of rest will cure all that ails me.

I met Dae a little after 8 and we set off, slowly, into the morning. As soon as we warmed up our tired engines we were sailing smooth. By noon we had covered 55 miles. Yee haw. It soon became apparent we had left the comforting womb of the flat lands and were beginning to hit the fringe of the famous Texas hill country. But it was all downhill. And that made me nervous.

The last 20 miles were spent rolling up and down gentle slopes as we gradually climbed to the town of Coldspring. It's a real cute and old timey place. The buildings on main street still have wooden sidewalks.






Here I said goodbye to Dae. He was heading off to see Lake Livingston and I to....be surrounded by hundreds of screaming children on spring break.





See ya later, ridin buddy!

Before I made my way to this here campground I feasted on a Philly dip at Elaine's Family Restaurant, where I was charged $1.50 for a giant glass of ice water. But the sandwich was delicious. Then I mounted my trusty stead and rode the last three miles to where I now sit.

Speaking of trusty steeds, I have big news!!!






Meet Ida (full name Ida Kent) named after Ida Kent Road, the backest of back roads in Louisiana, which I passed while pedaling through a downpour four days ago. Ida, turns out, is of German origin (like me!!) and means hardworking, prosperous, and happy, the full embodiment of this trip so far. The gods have chosen her name well. It was about time.

Friends, friends. I cannot tell you how excited I am to take a few days off and show off my beautiful new tan lines. Oh me oh my, it's gonna be great to give my legs a rest and let my liver do all the work for a change.

But first, one last long day. 87 miles to College Station, where one of my old professors, Chris Edgar, and his family have offered to house me for a night and keep an eye on Ida while I go to California to keep those whippersnappers in line.Thanks guys, I really appreciate it!

I guess that means I best be getting back in the habit of going to bed at 8 real quick. It's a good thing I got ear plugs in my care package. These kids have some lungs on them. Until tomorrow, take care, everyone. In the meantime I will dream of beautiful bottles of IPA.

Cheers,
Jess

Day 18: DeRidder, LA to Silsbee, TX

Woo hoo! Texas. I opted for the cool smaller sign for the self portrait. So did Dae.

Ok, really gonna keep this one short and sweet, promise.

I hit the road around ten til 8 this morning and was feeling fine. The 25 miles to the Texas state line went by quickly. I screamed one last proclamation of love to louisiana at the top of my lungs just before crossing the Sabine river in Texas. It was an eventful border crossing. After a short snack break, I was getting ready to take off into the biggest state of the trip, when a man pulled over to basically ask me what I was doing because he had seen so many cyclists passing through. About that same time, Dae, my riding buddy from yesterday caught up with me. We took each other's photo by the smaller Texas sign and decided we would ride together again today, taking turns drafting. Yes!

50 miles and 3 hours later we had arrived in Silsbee. What a great but grueling ride. And Hot, hot, hot! We were really pushing ourselves. Whoever was in front was really working hard in a strong headwind to keep the speed up around 14 mph. We did 15-20 minute shifts. I thought I was going to pass out at one point during the last ten miles (can you guess why?? Me no
Drink water almost all day). It was around 90 degrees on the road.





Dae pulling as I fell behind, a victim of the wind fiddling with my phone.

I got to this campground around 2:30, where I met some great folks and got to swim in this awesomely cold pool to cool down:





It is the personal pool of the owners but they graciously let menus it for a few precious moments. They they invited me over for this:





A table full of crawfish, potatoes, and corn on the cob, and a garage blues/rock band who are actually really good. My new friend Rita gave me three delicious beers which I savored immensely.

I have another crazy story about this day to tell, but I shall wait for now. I'm tired and a new day shall rise in no time. Texas is awesome. Dae and I are riding together again tomorrow. Supposed to be another scorcher. Take care, y'all.

Love,
Jess

Day 17: Mamou, LA to DeRidder, LA

Miles today: 65.7
Total miles: 1143.1
Ride time: 4:57:29
Avg speed: 13.2
Max: 21.2
Weather: sunny, hot (83), windy from the south southwest.
Terrain: flat until the last 25 miles when rolling hills appeared
Dogs maced: 1
Food: oh my gawwwd
Roadkill: increasing exponentially with western travel
Ready for Texas: somewhat

Today was the best day ever!!! I left the sketch of the sketch campgrounds (wasn't really that bad), where I had camped out between a storage unit and a motel where all the TVs had been stolen, around 7:50 this morning. On my way out of town I spied a sign telling me I had just obliviously missed out on the Cajun music capital of the world. Nooooooo!

Sulking aside, I rode a beautiful 25 miles, during which I maced dog # 2, to Oberlin where I stopped for an early lunch at Main Street Diner. I fueled up with the lunch special: fried pork chop, rice and gravy, corn, a roll, and a piece of coconut cake. YUM!! The diner was owned by a friendly man who is also a pastor. He told me of his travels in life and the lessons he had learned by moving around a lot in his troubled youth. He said his principles are the same as when he was selling drugs but his values have changed. I found his story very uplifting and his spirit wise. He and one of his employees were traveling to DeRidder as well this afternoon for a dentist appointment. I looked forward to seeing them on the road.

After lunch I again headed west. The winds were helping periodically, and at times I was able to maintain speeds of 16-17 mph. Woo! Not too far outside of town I encountered these three lovely souls:


Meet Jenny, Andy, and John. They started in San Diego and are heading to St. Augustine. They Said they pass someone heading west nearly every day. Yeah! Maybe I will catch one after all. While we were talking, this old fellow moseyed on over, tail wagging, to say hi:


He's eaten a few too many truffles.

Onward! Not five miles down the road another cyclist comes up on my left. On my left!! It took me a second to realize he was going the same direction as me! His name is Dae and he is from Maryland. He recently became sick of his job as a web designer and quit to set out on the road for a while. He is traveling ultra light, meaning no camping gear, meaning he sleeps in hotels every night. We rode the last 30 miles into DeRidder together and boy did they go by fast! Having a companion is pretty sweet. But it also made me realize how much I enjoy riding solo. We might try to ride together again tomorrow but it might not work since we are touring in two very different styles. We'll see.

Once we hit DeRidder, Dae and I parted ways as he went off in search of his hotel and I went off to find the post office where I had goods waiting. Woo hoo! What glorious packages there were to claim! Super thanks to Anna Morgante for the tiny shampoos and larabars. She also gave me a pinwheel to distract the wind. Haha. Nice one. Christy and Lucas sent me some spending money. Thanks a bunch you two!!! And thanks to Janna, Karl, and Kyle for the big box of chocolate, candy, fruit leather, smoked salmon, bear claws, stickers, ear plugs, etc. Much appreciated and I've already made a dent in the chocolate!

Now that I had my goods, it was time to celebrate Saint Patrick properly. I asked a man on the street where I could get a beer around here and he directed mento a restaurant called Prestley's. There I was able to watch most of the second half of the UK game (go Cats!) and witness their glorious last second shot victory over Princeton in the first round of the NCAA tournament. And, of course, drink beer. Lots.

Well, I couldn't just sit there among whispers of fried okra and not order anything. It would be a crime. So I got myself a crawfish Po'boy:


Mmmm!

And then this guy walked in:


This is Louis. He is probably the feistiest man in Louisiana. He had me laughing for about two hours straight. Amid stories of him getting stuck in a dumpster while diving for salvage wood behind a cabinet shop and his sassy back and forth with the owner,bartender, and wait staff (all good friends of his),I gleaned a few things about this very awesome person. He is 65, a Vietnam veteran and used to build motorcycles. Killer! He also makes beautiful crosses out of salvaged wood which are decorated with the fleur de lis. He gave me a signed photo of one to carry with me and keep me safe. They call him Big Lou, though he stands a couple inches shorter than myself. And he is one of the most kind-hearted people I've ever met. He is also the main reason this has been my favorite day of the tour yet. Thanks for your company, Louis! You made my day.

Well, now I am home sweet home, back in my tent at pine grove estates on the east side of town. Things are finally starting to settle in, both physically and mentally. My knees are great, my energy level at the end of the day is awesome, and I just generally feel good most all the time. My pants are also starting to fall off. But it's also been a while since they were washed.

Texas tomorrow morning. Hill country in the next few days. Austin on Monday!! So excited for what is to come and by what has come to pass. Louisiana, you have been good to me. I will be coming back to visit for sure. Happy Saint Patrick's Day, everyone!

Love,
Jess

Day 16: Simmesport, LA to Mamou, LA or the buggy day

Miles today: 90
Total miles: 1,076
Weather: Hot! My cyclometer said 87, but I'd say it was more like 83. Sunny, calm wind out of the east
Terrain: flat
Dogs: aplenty
Average size of dogs: human baby size

Boy, sleeping in a hotel room was nice. For being so cheap, it was actually not that crappy. Now I am in my tent again. Hello, old friend. It's been a while.

I set out on the road this morning around 8:15. With a belly full of granola bars I rode....14 miles before I had to stop in Plaucheville and snack. Unbeknownst to me, I celebrated my thousandth mile on this trip with an oatmeal cream pie, a childhood favorite. I didn't realize until about 3:30 this afternoon that this had actually happened. Today was funny like that.

I rode on into the midday heat where the plethora of tiny dogs had their brains fried which made them want to chase me. All of them. I don't mind it so much. The little ones are easy to get away from. But there was one that pretty much made my day.

There I was, an innocent cyclist just pedaling along and minding my own business. When, all of a sudden, I detected a certain high-pitched yap indicative of a tiny dog pursuer. As always, I freeze momentarily as I decide on my course of action. Do I make a run for it or do I stand up and fight?! I decided to run. So did the dog. He was what looked like a chihuaua/basenji mix and pretty fast for having such short legs. He took off across the yard after me and as he hit the gravel driveway, in the most graceful way I've ever seen, he executed a perfect front flip, perfect in every way because he landed directly in his head, which stopped him cold. He got up and gave another yap to remind me I barely escaped with my right shoe intact. I laughed for about two miles straight.

In a similar fashion, I spent much of the day avoiding the close cousin of the tiny human baby sized dogs, flying insects (Check the cladogram. They are basically the same organisms).
I was hit in the face by more bugs today than all other days combined. I'm still trying to figure out how one of them bit me on the back of my leg under my shorts when I never once sat down on the grass today. They've got crafty bugs in Louisiana.

Shortly before lunch I ran across this beautiful sight:


Cypress trees, I believe. They sure have nice buttresses.

Around 1 I stopped and ate in Lebeau at a place just off the road. I can't remember the name of it. It was a little hole in the wall mom and pop restaurant. I had turkey and sausage gumbo and lots of sweet tea. Yum!

Onward! The last 40 miles went by pretty quickly. At one point a white truck passed me and the passenger flipped me off. Immediately afterward, a nice old church lady passed in the other direction and gave a nice and friendly wave to make up for it. Louisiana, I still love you. But you do really need to work on your roads, cause most of them suck.

Biking biking biking. It is all I do. It's funny to just ride your bike all day. Also fun. Also good exercise. Where am I going with this? Hmm, not sure. But this is sort of how my brain works while I am riding. If I had gone on for another ten seconds, I would've ended up at something like Donald trump's hair piece. How does he get it to do that, anyway?

Well, clearly I am out of interesting things to say. Bike touring is fun. I think I have found my rhythm. And that is comforting. Good night!

Love,
Jess




Cajun, oh yeah!

Day 15: Jackson, LA to Simmesport, LA

Miles today: 68
Total miles: 986.9
Ride time: 5:52:39
Avg speed: 11.6
Max speed: 25.3
Weather: 68, not a cloud in the sky, wind out of the NW, 5-10 mph
Flats: 1
Dog chases: 2
Terrain: hilly until after crossing the Mississippi.

I woke to a chilly Louisiana morning after a great night's rest in Perry and Lep's camper. Super comfy! Dragging myself out of bed was tough but I managed the feat by around 7. I had some oatmeal, yum, and started packing up.

I had my entire bike loaded and ready to go. The only thing left to do was put some more air in the tires.....only, the rear one had a hole in it. My first flat. How cute. The culprit: A small but very sharp rock had embedded itself in my tire.

Got that all fixed up and finally hit the road by 9:30 and what a beautiful day it turned out to be! Tire held up just fine and within about 20 miles I was boarding a ferry across the mighty Mississippi.


It was a quick ride of only about 5 minutes. A nice couple from Baton Rouge chatted with me about my ride and were delighted to tell me I would be arriving in hill country just in time for the famous wildflower bloom. I'm real excited about that.

Once I crossed the river the terrain went from rolling hills to completely flat. My route for the rest of the day wound by farms along the river on state highways that I had almost to myself. Cars were few and far between.

I stopped for lunch in Morganza where I met an old man named Solar. Dressed in flannel an suspenders and having coffee and a cigarette outside the local gas station, he told me about his time in the marine corps in Okinawa. He was really pleased to hear I am doing this ride and worried about the effect of all that head time. I said I was doing ok so far. He told me, "well, we love you and we'll be prayin for you." I went inside to use the restroom and he was gone when I came back.

The rest of the day was kind of magical. I had Mason Jennings in my ear and yellow blossoms covered the levee as the moon began to rise over top.



I made it into Simmesport around 5:30 and made a beeline to a restaurant called Cajun Chicken where I had the biggest plate of food I've ever seen and a giant glass of sweet tea. Three big pieces of catfish, shrimp, fries, coleslaw, potato salad, and a roll. I'm not sure if my arteries will ever recover.


I'm in a hotel tonight. I got here too late to check in at the town hall for camping in the park. But I don't mind all that much. If you twist my arm real good, I'll sleep in a real bed any day.

Speaking of which, it's about that time. I leave you with a few more images from the day.

Cheers,
Jess



Louisiana has the coolest road signs.


Obligatory dangerous self-portrait on the move.

Day 14: Franklinton, LA to Jackson, LA

Well, I've done it again. I forgot to write down the mileage. I do know I rode 83 miles today and you can do the math for total. I think it's about 900 and change. It's hard to believe I have come that far. It doesn't seem like I have been on the road long enough to have covered that distance. Wow. But today marks the second week, all but one of those days spent on the bike.

You know, I have noticed recently that bike touring is a big metaphor for life. Some days it's nice, the sun is shining, the wind is at your back. Some days you get dumped on, sideways, and the wind is trying, maybe even succeeding in pushing you over, and somedays you get a little of both, all mixed together. Today was one of the latter.

This morning started out beautiful and after a great night's rest, I hit the road by about 8. It started to warm up fast. Too fast. By 10 it was already nearing 80, and boy, was it muggy. I did the usual lunch routine of picking a comfy-looking spot on the side of the road and slowly-but not gracefully-letting gravity win (I'll get you next time!). Some beef jerky, a banana, and some peanut butter fueled me for the remaining 50 miles....barely. While I was snacking, a magenta pick-up carrying a nice couple heading east slowed to make sure I was alright. I love Louisiana! But I had been laying there too long. Time to get back on my trusty stead!

Onward I rode towards the great American west, the sun slowly disappearing behind clouds more often, its absences growing longer and longer until the sky darkened and threatened to burst with every turn of the crank.

Then, I felt it. The first raindrop. Oh no! Pedal faster, I thought. But then my lazy shoulder demon appeared. "Hey, for being lazy you are pretty punctual about these sort of things," I said. She replied, "Don't you worry your pretty little head over that. The important thing here is you are still 40 miles out and you're not going to outrun a thunderstorm. Conserve your energy. Take it easy! Live life on the medium-paced side. No one ever does that."

Good point. She might be lazy but at least she is practical about it. It was hot anyway and the rain felt nice. But then the wind kicked up pretty horribly so I took shelter under a church awning for about 20 minutes. Then I got restless and went for it anyway. I must say, riding in the rain is sweet as long as it's not cold out. The last miles went by very quickly.

And now I have landed at the home of Perry and Lep in Jackson. They are both carpenters and are currently finishing up their own home. They have a really neat set up for bikers, as they host about 100 per year. The coolest thing so far is their outdoor shower. Ohhhh man, yes. That's all I have to say. Supper was delicious: baked chicken thighs seasoned only with salt and pepper (so tender, so juicy), spinach and strawberry salad, and steamed broccoli. And two big tall glasses of milk. If my muscles don't get what they need from that meal they don't deserve to exist.

I don have too much else to add. The network is still slow so pictures probably won't work again so I'm not even going to try. But I can edit those in later. I'm still carrying that golden anvil, an anvil now for sure. I took the whole thing apart yesterday and cleaned it and I broke the check valve on the pump for the fuel bottle. It now shoots out of the end of that thing, unexpectedly. The stove did run after all that, even with the check valve. But it's like Russian roulette- you never know when your stove might blow up! So I haven't been using it but I'm not quite ready to send it home just yet.

Oh yeah! I almost forgot. I got chased by two very small dogs today for a very long distance. They spotted me from waaaaay off the road. I heard them barking and it took me about 20 seconds to find them they were so far away. Then, I saw them sprinting full speed toward me. Yeah, I was a little scared. But when I realized one was a tiny terrier mix and the other a dachshund, I relaxed a little and started smiling. Mistake. They are fast and relentless, those tiny dogs. I geared up and started sprinting myself and the dachshund followed....and followed and..... really, you're not tired yet? Watch out for that truck! I couldn't help it, I was laughing so hard, even as I prepared to unclip my foot to kick it in the face. But it finally gave up. Best dog chase ever.

Well folks, it is way later than it ought to be, which is to say that daylight savings time is dumb, which is to really say that I ought not be among those who burn the candle at both ends.

Cheers to Louisiana. You rock.

Until tomorrow,
Jess

Day 13: Poplarville, MS to Franklinton, LA

Note: My connection is slow so some of the photos are missing.

Miles today: 53
Total miles: 834.6
Ride time: 4:16:52
Avg speed: 12.3
Max speed: 26.9
It was a foggy morning in Poplarville as I left the home of Steve and Tanya Panella, my great warmshowers hosts that I totally forgot to mention in last night's post. Sorry, guys! Their hospitality was great and I got to take a shower in one of the most beautiful bathrooms I've ever seen. But that's not the best part. Steve makes really good pizza and super delicious homebrew!!!! It was fantastic. They really have a great place there with lots of animals running around. I was served four farm fresh eggs this morning courtesy of their many hens. I don't think I've ever eaten that many eggs at once before. But I'd do it again. Yum yum!
Two bridges on my route out of Poplarville are out so I had to go around on the normally very busy highway 26, which has a tiny shoulder that is completely filled with the most heavy duty rumble strip you will ever see, continuous until the Louisiana border where they don't take driving on the shoulder as seriously I guess. But luckily, being a Sunday, traffic was light. Along the way I rescued a turtle who was chilling (or warming) in the middle of the road and at one point I thought I was at the crossroads where Robert Johnson famously sold his soul to the devil for his fantastic blues guitar skills, but I was wrong. That is much farther north in Mississippi.
18 miles later, this:

Yay! Louisiana does the state line up proper.
I pedaled on through the town of Bogalusa, where I got turned around at one point and thought I was going north when I was really going south (the right direction, as it were), and turned around and unnecessarily backtracked five blocks before I realized I was a big dummy and should better learn to read maps.

After I made it out of town I stopped for a break next to a storage facility. There was a coke machine and I just couldn't resist. This little guy was there to keep me company:

He was camera shy.

20 miles to go and feeling good. Highway 60 took me farther into rural Louisiana through private timberland, almost all of which had been clearcut in the last five to ten years. But the road was nice and the hills were kind, gentle rollers spaced almost perfectly so I could roll down one and maintain enough momentum to make it almost all the way up the next with little effort.
My map showed a campground in Franklinton but it gave no address, said to call ahead and listed a number for a guy named Hunter. I'll admit, it did seem odd and I was a little sketched out for a sec but it has turned out beautifully. Hunter and his brother own this "campground" together. Here's the thing: it only gets used one time a year during the annual Washington parish fair in October and sits empty the other 51 weeks. I have the whole thing to myself. Best part: there's a little cabin shack (very nice for what it is) with bunk beds and a bathroom. And yeah, that's where I'm sleeping and yeah, for free. It really is amazing how kind people are to total strangers down here. Southern hospitality is not a myth. Thanks, Hunter!
Here's the view from the porch:

Not too shabby.

And now, as the sun sets and the breeze dies down, the Mosquitos have found me so I have been forced to close the door on this balmy Louisiana dusk. Those bunk beds are looking ever more inviting anyway.

Tomorrow's destination is another warmshowers host named Perry in Jackson, LA. I heard of her hospitality from Steve and Tracy yesterday on the road. They insisted I didn't miss out on that spot. And it cuts off about 14 miles of an otherwise 81 mile day. Fine by me! Those will get added on to my trip to Simmesport on the 15th, which was supposed to be a 55 miler. 70 miles a day average, holding strong even with the rearranging. Four more days and I'll be in Texas. One week and I'll be in Austin! Which means I fly to AWFC in 9 days. So exciting!! I really can't wait. And then hill country will kick my ass. But I'll blog across that bridge when I get there.
Some more photos and then I must go do something else a little less digital.

Fun with rain fly in the wind/tiny glimpse of killer tan bicep tan line

Tiny dinosaur cousin

Oh yes, before I forget. Thanks to donators Tory DeAngelis, Brian and Nancy Loeppky, and Alex McAuliffe. Rock on, guys!

Ciao!
Jess

Day 12: Vancleave, MS to Poplarville, MS or "the secret animal society"

Miles today: 73
Total miles: 780ish (yeah, didn't write down stats again and I'm already laying down)
Dog chases: 4
Dogs maced: 0. Could you mace a chihuahua?
Cyclists met: 4! All heading east...
Wildlife: bee to the face, butterflies, 3 deer, one tiny turtle
Hills: larger rollers, super fun
Potholes: my cup runneth over



I woke up to this beautiful sunrise this morning. Yeah! And it was warmer so I was able to comfortably break down camp and hit the road by a little after 7. I went off route into town looking for a giant breakfast but the only restaurant in town, a delicious, mouthwatering soul food joint, is closed on Saturdays and Sundays. Who does that?! Well, I found a donut place, Lou-Joe's donut hut. Pretty tasty and cheap, but it held me over for about twenty seconds. Until tonight, I hadn't eaten a real meal since lunch in Pensacola on Thursday, and peanut butter and granola bars were starting to make me ornery.

Speaking of which, I realized this morning that I now have my first golden anvil of the trip since I've been carrying around a broken stove and all it's accessories for two days now. But it's too valuable to throw into a ditch with all the other appliances I have seen by the roadside. Not that I would ever do that (hey, Bobby Jo, go throw a tarp over that sink hole!).

I was feeling considerably fresh after a 97 mile day and the morning started off great. But it got hot fast. High of 81 today and the sun was a blazin. But some way cool stuff happened. Here's how it went down:
I wound my way 20 or so miles down the road through some beautiful pine forests, like this one:



When I ran into a couple cycling east. Adam and Christy (forgive me if I misspelled that) are doing a 50 states tour. When they get to the east coast of Florida they are going north and then back west again to Seattle! They will be on the road for 10 months and make me feel like a pansy. Way to go guys!
After that spirit-lifting encounter, not 15 miles down the road I met another couple who are doing a two week tour starting in New Orleans. Meet Steve and Tracy:



Steve is an engineer and Tracy does metabolism research using worms. Very neat. And very nice chatting with them. Tracy even gave me some of her water because there were no services for the next 40 or so miles. Super nice of her and I really appreciated it. Thanks again!

The last 40 or so miles were, well, testing. I miscounted the miles again, now clearly an error I made five days ago when planning my stops that has carried over into every day since. Really gotta start double checking that. Morale suffers mightily when you realize late in the day you have to go 17 miles farther than you originally thought. Bummer!

But it could've been much worse. Butterflies were my companions for most of the day. About ten miles outside of Poplarville, I spotted a pug type dog on the side of the road pacing and looking a little nervous. When I got right next to her I happened to glance into the bushes and saw there was a beagle and a cat sitting in there just hanging out. It was almost as if I had stumbled upon a top secret animal conference and the pug was on high alert at the impending intruder. I laughed out loud at that for a few miles and it still brings a smile to my face.

Lastly, but certainly not least, I want to thank everyone who has donated money. I certainly wasn't expecting it and I really appreciate it a lot. So big thanks to Gene Roberts, Steve Peeples, Michelle Leonard, Suzanne Fuqua, and Lisa McAuliffe. Really sorry if I forgot anyone but I think that's all. It's hard to keep track with all these town names in my head all day, plus I have a terrible memory anyway. But thanks again.




Nice and green



Clydesdale statue in front of a very wealthy ranch

Must say adios. Sleepy time!

Much love,
Jess

Day 11(?): Gulf Shores, AL to Vancleave, MS

Hello blogaroos.

Ugh, long day. I've already laid down and the stats are outside and it is cold. But there's really only one you need to know: 97 miles. Seems a shame to come so close to the century mark twice now and not conquer it. I thought about riding another 3 to get it but my stomach disagrees. And it was all an accident. Kinda, sorta.

When I left this morning I thought I was going 87 miles, a long day in it's own right. But I had miscounted somewhere. Yesterday I was trying to get to Dauphin island but fell short by 20 miles because I didn't think I could ride that distance quickly enough to make it onto the last ferry across Mobile Bay. I guess it was more than 20 miles.

Some big stuff happened today. Mostly good. I woke to the coldest temperatures yet, right around freezing I imagine since there was ice on the tarp covering my bike. Packing up camp was nothing short of miserable. Cold, wet things everywhere to be folded and rolled and put away. But whyyyyy. Well, it took some doing, so long, in fact, I had to skip breakfast to get on the road for the ferry, once again racing the clock. I left camp at 6:30ish and the first ferry ran at 8:45, and the next an hour and a half later. I really needed to make the first one if I was going to get 87 miles in today. Well, I thought I had plenty of time. 20 miles in a little over 2 hours? No problem. So I started off slowish cause it was cold and my legs were protesting. After about 11 miles I realized I had about an hour to finish out the last 9 miles. Wrong again. It was 15 miles! Gah! I "sprinted" at 17 mph for the next 15 miles and barely made it onto the ferry. Lucky. And tiring.

Even after a 45 minute ferry ride where I chatted with a man who charters dolphin tours out of Orange Beach, AL, I still hadn't fully recovered. I also hadn't eaten. But there were miles and miles to cover! And I'd only ridden 26.
Well, by mile 36 I was ready to pass out so I pulled over by a power station to eat some peanut butter and lay on the ground for a while. Whilst snacking, I look up at the car heading towards me that was furiously honking to see some guy's bare ass hanging out the back window. I'll admit it. I laughed. And then laid down.
A few minutes later I heard voices calling to me, real voices! There were four cyclists standing on the side of the road, heading east! We chatted and exchanged info about the roads ahead and behind for each of us. Two of the riders had started in California and were almost done. I'd be lying if I didn't say I envied them. None of them were from Kentucky.
On and on I pedaled. Over the next 20 miles or so I found so many reasons to stop. I mailed a postcard in Coden, AL. The postman was thrilled by what I'm doing so he paid for my stamp. Killer! I got ice cream in Grand Ridge. Awesome! I took pictures of signs, like this one:


Best sign yet. Alabama is great.

But the miles rolled on. Finally, I crossed into Mississippi but my moment of human-powered glory slipped painfully from my grasp when, to my utter horror, I realized there was no "hey, welcome to Mississippi," sign. There wasn't even a sign that said state line. Really? That's how you're gonna live your life, Mississippi?! Well, I settled for the county sign:


Yeah. That's Jackson County, Mississippi!

20 miles to go yet. Passin through wildlife refuges in swampland, but first, three giant great Pyrenees type dogs come viciously chasing after me on a state highway (responsible dog ownership, these people don't get it) One was nipping, and yeah, I maced it. And yeah, it was pretty awesome how effective it was. I love dogs but I hate them when biking. Look out dogs, I will mace you and not even feel bad about it. Ok, maybe a little.

Around about mile 92 something strange happened. It mightve been the fact that I knew I was so close, or that the music I was listening to was totally killer, or that the sun was setting and i needed to get off the road, but I felt the best I had felt all day and I cranked out those last five miles real quick.
Well, now I'm in Vancleave at White Sands Campground. My tent is still wet from last night and my stove decided to quit working on the 97 mile day and not any other, when large amounts of food are less necessary in preserving my sanity. Sardines in a tortilla is quite possibly the most disgusting thing I've ever eaten. But you do what you must and, gotta say, right now that is to sleep deeply. 60 miles to Poplarville tomorrow. Oh yeah, Mississippi, let's do this.

Adios Amigos,
Jess

Day 10: Milton, FL to Gulf Shores, AL

Triumph!

Miles today: 58.2
Total miles: 611.6
Ride time: 4:49:41
Avg Speed: 12.0
Max Speed: 28.9
Weather: 64ish, sunny, cold breeze from the north northwest

Today was good. Although it was a little chilly with the breeze, the weather was far nicer than yesterday, almost solely due to the absence of tornados and 50,000 lightning strikes per hour. Almost.

I woke at the usual time, about 5 am, but stayed in bed until a little after 5:30, when the delicious scent of fried ham finally lured me to the kitchen. Al had begun cooking us a breakfast of locally milled grits, eggs, ham, and toast. YUM! I was feeling it. I had seconds.

I had planned on hitting the road by 7, but soon realized I had forgotten to take care of the fingerprinting portion of my background check for the Forest Service. So Al drove me over to the sheriff's office and we got it all squared away and mailed out, 2 weeks late but at least they'll get there. Then we loaded up my bike and headed to radio shack to get an adapter for the solar charger. Al insisted on buying that, despite my assurances that he had gone above and beyond already. Thanks, Al!

I finally got moving around 9 and felt pretty sluggish all day despite my good night's rest. I would normally complain about the wind here but I gave that up for Lint. I've slowly realized the earlier I start the better I feel at the end of the day.

I was seemingly making good time until I saw Georgio's Pizza in Pensacola and just absolutely had to stop because I've been craving pizza for three days or more. It was decent and served its purpose, which is to say it was kind of disappointing. But onward! The scenery kept improving but my legs did not. By the time I reached the state line I didn't think I would have enough time to make it to the last ferry across Mobile Bay to Dauphin Island and since my mind was tired too I decided to stop at my present location: Gulf State Park.

When I was picking this camp spot I imagined a quaint little state park with 20 or 30 campsites. But when I arrived I found the most gigantic campground I have ever seen. Apparently, I have found the destination of the great snowbird migration. All 496 campsites: full. 496!! I still can't believe it.

After I got set up and started cooking red beans and rice, George and Karen from across the street came over to say hi. They are in their 60s or 70s, have been married 50 years, and are from New Jersey. They spend the winter months down here. They like to bike, too. And Karen's dream is to ride cross-country like me. George is originally from Germany. Super neat folks. It was very nice talking with them.

Not too many notable features today. But I will say the gulf shores are beautiful and it's a shame BP mucked them all up. Seems like I passed a discarded set of Mardis Gras beads about once every ten minutes for a while there, especially around Perdido Key. Looks like I missed a heck of a party. Spring breakers seem to be slowly trickling in but, thank goodness, I am early. The last couple of hours riding today were filled with giant condo-skyscraper-hotel-looking buildings. The typical kind of development you see on beautiful beaches. Kind of depressing. But what can you do.

Tomorrow's destination is Vancleave, MS. Yeah, two state lines in two days. I'm getting spoiled. But let me eat my cake while I'm not in Texas, where I will be for close to three weeks. OH, speaking of which, once I get to Austin I'm taking a break for a few days and flying to the Western United States conclave (AWFC) at Cal Poly to be a judge. That's timbersports (yes, like you see on ESPN!) for those of you who don't know what a conclave is. It will be nice, though somewhat sad, to be on the judging side instead of competing this year. I very much look forward to it.

I keep forgetting to do this but I really want to thank Cycle Analyst in Denver for hooking me up with my bike. I put it off until the last second, like I do with most things, but they are awesome and were able to get me a bike just a few days before I left. A little embarrassing on my part but I'm glad it all worked out. Super awesome bike shop and very nice mechanics. Stop by if you are ever in the area and check out ryan's mustache. It's killer.Thanks guys!

Sleep is coming, I can't stop it. Must go. But first, pictures.



Crazy house in Pensacola



Hoorah



I was feeling patriotic

Take care of yourselves.

Love,
Jess

Day 9: Ponce De Leon to Milton or "Oh, this storm really was supposed to be bad, huh?"

Hi all,

I have just awoken from the couch and a short preview of the night's rest and remembered I have not yet blogged about this eventful day. But this time it really will be short and sweet because I am up past my bedtime. Ok, maybe not. I'm always so wordy.

No stats today. They are in the garage and maybe possibly don't count anyway. More on that in a bit.

I woke early this morning while it was still dark in the city park in Ponce De Leon, packed up camp, cheated on my oatmeal with a fancy granola bar, and hit the road by 6 am, where I was greeted by this:






No idea.

I was making good time and had high hopes of beating the storm, which, unbeknownst to me, was traveling my direction at 45 mph. I even took time to break on the side of the road at mile 36, enough time to be attacked by a few fire ants. Ouchgers! They really have a knack for biting on sunburns.

Around mile 46 or so, I crested a hill just outside of Holt and was greeted with the most ominous looking sky I've seen in quite sometime. Ruh Roh, I said to myself. The storm has arrived. Still 30 miles out and kind of sort of in the middle of nowhere, I wasn't really sure what to do, so I kept going.....until I saw the first lightning bolt. Yikes! I gotta get off this road!! Luckily, there was an opening just down the road on the left and, to my delight, there was a big shop and a man was running around trying to finish up his work outside before the rain started pouring from the heavens. I made it to the shop door just as the downpour began, knocked, and asked if I might seek shelter with him until the storm passed. He was more than willing to accommodate me. This is David Smith, my saving grace for the day. Well, one of them:






And this is his pup, Rosco. My new best friend after I shared my beef jerky:







Both of these boys are very likeable. After some chatting it turns out David is also from Kentucky. So many Kentuckians are appearing in my touring life an it is awesome. Keep em comin. David has been building houses since he was 17 but now spends more time racing cars in the late model series since the housing market has slowed. Super neat. He aspires to hike the Appalachian trail someday. Go, David, go!

My warmshowers hosts for the night were immediately awesome. Al and Sally Melvin of Milton, FL. Al was worried about me so he came and picked me up at David's place and brought me back here where I have been treated like family. That's when I found out the storm had actually been producing tornadoes near the town I had just come through. WHOA! Al is from Alaska, is a Vietnam veteran and aviation enthusiast. He most recently flew helicopters for wildland firefighting purposes. Sally is from Canada and teaches elementary school, and has self-published three novels. Way to go! Their hospitality has been amazing. Al even gave me a solar charger for my phone. Now I don't have to worry about it dying on me when I can't charge it at night. Right on!

Well, early day tomorrow and a big one at that. Tomorrow I leave Florida, a state that has been quite good to me, and cross over to Alabama. I'm excited. Are you?

Nighty night!
Jess

P.S. I added a PayPal button on the side for those of you who were interested in contributing to my sweet tea/beer habits. Got one donation already. Thanks, Gene!