David Trip

By David Freeze

Gathering information ahead of Hurricane Ida!

  I had a friend years ago who wanted to be in a real hurricane, but probably just once. My only personal experience was with Hurricane Hugo. No one believed what destruction it caused.

      Looks like I will get at least a version of being in a very powerful hurricane. Hurricane Ida is heading quickly to the New Orleans area. And it has places like Hammond squarely in its suggested track. Hammond is where I got my bike fixed yesterday morning. Hurricane warnings extend to the Pearl River, Mississippi area where I crossed into Mississippi this morning.

      The good thing is that I am now 95 miles east of New Orleans, after a 63 mile day today. Thinking I needed to push east as far as I could was on my mind today. I am in Wiggins, Mississippi,  about five miles north from Perkinston where I intended to spend the night.

      Now it is likely that I will spend more than one night here. Maybe several, depending on how the storm tracks and the timing. I just called the motel that likely would have been my next stop in Gautier, Mississippi. The owner says they are shutting down and will reopen on Sunday night or Monday for power workers only. So, my trip, at least in that direction is on hold.

    I just saw pictures of massive evacuations from New Orleans, expecting as much as 140mph winds. And no one wants to be inside the levee system because of the storm surge. Tonight and almost assuredly Saturday night, I will be in the Western Motel in Wiggins. Possibly Sunday night too.

      Here is what has already gone through my mind. I have seen the Mobile, Alabama gulf as part of the Underground Railroad ride. I am just a long day’s ride from Alabama. The next state, just a day or day and a half more east, is Florida. I have been contemplating skirting north of any Mississippi and Alabama damage and rejoining the projected route somewhere in panhandle Florida.

  On one hand, it is exciting to be this close. I am on higher ground, in a solid building and well east of the projected landfall. I have two convenience stores in walking distance and I think also a Dollar General too.

    People were getting gasoline all day today. I left Franklinton, Louisiana at first light today, following SR 20 to Bogalusa and the Mississippi border. Then the same road became shoulderless in Mississippi and changed its name to SR 28. It ended at Wiggins this afternoon after lots of rain and some wind. Oddly when the rain started, the headwind stopped. I got two great grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato and onion as soon as I arrived.

    Therefore, I am in a good place that seems safe as far as I can tell. I will visit the Dollar General for a few things and get some kind of good breakfast, while at least I know I have a good roof over my head.

  Sunday, August 29 is the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Late Saturday or early Sunday is the projected landfall of Ida. I am about to ponder some important decisions, maybe eat and sleep a little more over the next day or two. But you can bet I will move forward as soon as possible. In fact, I think I will ride down to Dollar General now and check the convenience stores for an area map.

      This trip has plenty of drama and is certainly interesting. Check back tomorrow for the latest!

By David Freeze

  Not all about the miles!

  I went to bed last night in Amite City, thinking I might have to wait for Eric from Skinny Wheels to overnight me a couple of things by UPS. Things didn’t come together early, but they did by 9am. I was soon on the way with the bike to Hammond, just 18 miles away. A complete recap is in today’s Gotta’ Run.

    I got the bike repaired and even got directions from the owner of GrayCat Cycleworx. One culprit was a piece of glass in the rear tire. Following some bike adjustments, I left around noon with a plan to get to Franklinton by late afternoon. I used SR’s 1065, 442, 40, 1062, 45 and 16. The only real town was Loranger, the home of Texas Rangers baseball player Wade Miley.

    Just 40 miles for the afternoon, but plenty of rolling hills and off and on rain. One really heavy shower pretty much soaked me, but then my dri-fit stuff dried quickly. Then several more times, the same cycle was repeated. Rain was falling pretty well when I got to Franklinton.  Not once did the rain jacket come out.  I am in the Liberty Inn tonight, next door to a low price grocery store and Dollar General. A nice room with another couch, hard to beat as a way to relax at night while writing and planning.

      Today, much of the talk was about the hurricane and when it will arrive. Most say the heavy rain will likely be Sunday, so my plan is to get farther east tomorrow and then figure out what to do based on later weather forecasts. I hope to cross into Mississippi late morning on Friday, then into Alabama late Saturday depending on the track of the hurricane. Altogether, I should spend about two days along the gulf in Mississippi and Alabama.

      Jason Ritchie asked me a couple months ago if I didn’t realize that hurricane season in the gulf was when I would pass through. I didn’t think much of it, but I don’t mind it at all if am safe and dry. There seems to be just one more challenge after another.

  With that said, uncertainty and challenge together make things interesting. bet it happens again. Come back tomorrow for more fun, possibly with some rain and maybe some wind too. See you then!

By David Freeze

A mixed bag with a nice ending

    Some days are just crammed full, and this was one of them. My room at the All Star Inn in Bunkie was perfect, all except for the lacking convenience store. Imagine my surprise when I left out and spotted another one only a quarter mile away. Still a whole bag of chocolate chip cookies and two pints of ice cream did OK. 

    One of the readers asked if I was worried about my weight getting too low on these trips. My weight had gotten too low prior to the trip and I think was probably the lowest at the start of any of my trips. I don’t worry as long as I feel strong, and I do feel great at the present time.

      I started on SR 29 and rode through Evergreen first and then on to Cottonport. I stopped at the Bayou Express and met a couple of customers and staff members Debra and Vanessa. All were amazed at what I was doing and Debra made a couple breakfast biscuits to order. They got my day off to a good start, right before I made a wrong turn. I somehow lost 29 and got on SR 107 by mistake. A guy mowing his yard helped me connect by using SR 1185 on the way Moreauville. Next came Hamburg and an even worse road on Old Highway 1.

    On this pothole packed road, the highlight was seeing two crop duster planes being readied for work, propellers running and nobody in them while the pilots were loading chemicals and water.

    I crossed over the Atchafalaya River, a big bridge over a big river. I was low on water and it was hot, so I stopped at a crab shack in hopes of getting ice and water. Lots of trucks were there but no one came to the door.

  I started riding on SR 417 and stopped by two churches to get outside water that didn’t taste the best. Then I was surprised to find Burns Stop N’ Shop, just as I needed something cold. Tanisha took my card and plans to start a memory board of all the cyclists who stop by.

    Next came SR 418 to Batchelor, one of the prettiest roads of the trip and multiple dog chases. I was dragging some by the time I turned onto SR 1 and the long trip through a Morganza and into New Roads, where I am spending the night. I found Port Breeze Motel which is on a huge lake called the False River. The suite of rooms and four beds came at a great price and all the good food stores were within a couple tenths of a mile.

    Total mileage today was 75, and it does end the fifth series of maps. Series 6 looks challenging to start, but I will get my first sighting of the Mississippi River in the morning. I saw several levees blocking sight of the mighty river from a distance, but plan to ride over it early. Then I have to be creative to get a full day in with lodging at the end. I will report on how the day develops tomorrow.

    Thanks to Luann and Gary Fesperman for supporting my trips the last few years. And David Post as well.

    The heat was on today, topping out again near 100 but a big storm that missed me cooled things off pretty well here at New Roads. The forecast calls for cooler days after tomorrow. Hope you all will keeping riding along!

By David Freeze

Roads of all types!

  I’m not going to say much about yesterday’s motel experience, except to say it was one of the most challenging ever. No one should stop at the Crossroads Inn in Oberlin if you come this way. More about this night in my next book.

    I left even earlier than usual this morning, and had to wake up the guy in the office to get the key deposit back. He never said a word even though it took him 10 minutes to do it. Tacos seem to be in the past. All the breakfast convenience stores are back to offering regular breakfast biscuits, which would be OK if they put potatoes right on the egg and cheese.

  Using State Roads 26 and 104, I pedaled across two parishes and into Mamon. Just in those first 25 miles, I ran the gamut between smooth roads to terrible ones, so bumpy and rough that I could pedal only about half speed. As an example, I entered Evangeline parish and the riding was so rough that the bike was bucking like an upset horse. About 10 miles into that parish, the road suddenly got better.

    Then it was on to Ville Platte on 104, 1181 and 29. Nothing unusual to this point, but that changed when I followed directions from the Adventure Cycling map while trying to ride through Chicot State Park. I stopped at the entry to the park and the girl there first told me that I couldn’t ride through the park because of COVID. Then she said they closed that part of the park about a year ago and she advised me to go back out the way I came in.

  Next came the worst two roads of the day. State Roads 106 and 115 had deep holes and sections that were depressed as much as 6-8 inches below where the road should be. Very rough and no fun to ride, all as the day got close to 100 degrees, again with the only breeze generated by the bike.

  Two interesting things happened on the way into Bunkie, my home for the night. First, I saw two wagon loads of cane stalks, just after I heard the farm market report that sugar prices were jumping.

    Next came one of the most humorous events of the trip. SR 115 was the worst road of the day, and I was painfully counting down the miles. Then just ahead, I saw a dump track with asphalt repair material and two shovels on it. Both the dump truck and pickup truck following were driving along at 3mph and the drivers had their windows up. I wanted to take a photo so bad, especially since there were thousands of opportunities for road repair but the drivers wanted to stay cool and keep riding. It was probably close to quitting time anyway.

    I am in Bunkie at the All Star Inn, apply named because each room has a different baseball theme. The motel is wonderful, but the neighboring convenience store is not. none of the advertised pizza or sandwiches. Just ice cream and chocolate ship cookies for tonight after 73 very hot riding with shaken innards.

  Bunkie is known for its agricultural efforts, especially for the corn that the town celebrates each year with a festival and has for about the last 40 years.

    One of the fun things for me when traveling by bike is the motel experience, all except for last night. I always like to dicker for a good price and want some kind of food within walking distance. Today I got the great motel but failed he convenience store/ restaurant part. The restaurant is closed on Mondays. Tomorrow night, I can do it all over again.

    A question from a reader might be interesting to most readers. Why do I always ride a Surly Long Haul Trucker bike? It is my second one, after the first was totaled on the ride to Key West several years ago. I think Surly is the best because it is built to take a beating and haul a load. Heavier than a regular bike, it easily hauls me plus 40-50 pounds of gear and supplies. Plus I have been able to work on it most times and get it going again. Most distance riders count Surly as the best on the market.

    I didn’t get much in the way of pictures today, but hope to tomorrow as I see the Mississippi River and hope to close out the 5th series of maps. And I might have a special motel location.

    Thanks again to continuing sponsors Skinny Wheels Bike Shop and Leonard Wood. And thanks to the readers for being involved. I love your questions and comments, so keep them coming. See you tomorrow!

By David Freeze

  A good day with a strange ending!

  I found the town of Kirbyville, Texas to be friendly just like the rest of the state. But it was also time to get started into Louisiana. I left the Gateway Motel early, with only an egg and cheese biscuit. The roads were mostly flat as I headed east on SR 383 to Bleakwood and then Bon Wier, where the only convenience store had recently been burned out. The Louisiana border once again didn’t have a Louisiana sign. Not surprising because the last time I was in the state, there was no entry sign then either. Texas didn’t have one either but did have a Texas shaped rock.

    The roads were great in Louisiana, especially since I was on US 190 with wide and smoother shoulders. Next came DeRidder, famous for the lumber industry and a booming WWll Army Air Corps base for bombers and fighters to use for bombing and straffing runs. DeRidder had an unusual town with those going west one block away from those going east. US 190 came back together just as I turned left to take an even better road east on SR 26. About two hours of that ride got hilly and hot, topping out at 97 humid degrees. The map writers called the area the hilly Louisiana upland. I found it easy riding after the mountains and hills of earlier states. SR  26 was one of the prettiest roads I have seen with a mix of well kept older farm homes and varied agricultural production.

    On the last 33 miles was where the hills came in, but then it leveled out just ahead of Oberlin, my home for the evening. Oberlin has less than 2,000 residents and it has a motel that I chose because of being right on the route. I found out that the motel was recently purchased and was undergoing a remodeling of sorts. A husband and wife were here working today, both nice, but the motel still has a long way to go. I actually helped to clean my room, which I found out was one of the first to be remodeled.

    I will say more about it in the book on this trip, but the price is right and the room is squared away. With the super warm and humid day, I was ready to get off the bike after 81 steamy miles. The only breeze all day was what I generated on the bike.

    I promised an update on the remaining mileage for the journey, and as of this afternoon the total remaining miles are 980, meaning that more than 2/3rds of the miles are complete. If all goes well, I will finish off the fifth map series on Tuesday, leaving two more to go.

    The map writers talk about dangerous roads, gravel shoulders and plenty of dogs ahead to chase me. A few did today. There is no radio reception and only a little better for the cell phone. I saw signs for Shreveport and hurricane evacuation routes. There are lots of towns but most don’t have services. I will especially have to be on my toes the next few days and won’t be surprised with anything the roads do.

    So join me back here tomorrow when I am hoping to reach Bunkie, which sounds like a casino town. Bunkie is the only town with lodging for 30-40 miles in either direction.

    More regular sponsors helping financially with the ride are Accelerate Therapy and Performance, Vac and Dash and Gear for Races. Thank you! See you tomorrow!

By David Freeze

A long hot ride with no real hills!

    For some reason, as I go farther east, I get the first signs of daylight earlier. This morning, I left the wonderful motel in Shepherd and had two breakfast tacos by 7am. The forecast called for mid 90s and very humid. After about 9am, I never stopped sweating and my shirt and shorts were soaked.

    More towns are showing up, with most of them offering a store. Leaving Shepherd, I rode Farm Road (yes, it was actually labeled that way) 223 to Dolen, then turned east on State Road 787, followed by Romayor, Rye, Votaw and Thicket. Then it was east again on SR 1283 for Honey Island and Koutze. The star of the day was mostly flat and fast US 90 for Evadale, Buna and Kirbyville where I am spending the night.

    All the towns were small but the roads and shoulders for the most part were really good. Drivers were courteous even when I had to ride in the road because rumble strips were taking up most of the shoulder. Much of the day’s ride was through woods, sometimes with the bigger trees shading the road. Part of a long straight segment in the middle of the day was through a portion of the Big Thicket National Preserve.

  Today wasn’t the best scenery or people day, but it was strong mileage day at 91. As I mentioned, tonight should be my last in Texas as I plan to pass into Louisiana about mid morning tomorrow. Towns and stores still look frequent.

    Humidity and heat will hang around for a few days. Counties In Louisiana are called parishes. Lots of water coming up, even a few sightings of the mighty Mississippi River. I saw the headwaters of the Mississippi in Minnesota a few years ago, but this time it should be wide and deep.

  My motel is the Gateway in Kirbyville, a town started because of the lumber business. I got another big break when I hit town. I didn’t have to look for the motel, nor the main convenience store. Both were on the main road and with only one business in between. How do I tell the best convenience store? It is the one with the Hunt Brother’s Pizza sign! Always! And I bet I can get breakfast tacos there in the morning.

    Depending on how things go tomorrow, I should have an important mileage update. I am going to do some planning now and of course, eat my second ice cream. My total calorie intake is huge right now. Seems I am eating constantly.

    Remember the sponsors of the ride! Frank and Janis Ramsey, Father and Son Produce and Dick and Jean Richards are some of them. Join me tomorrow for the latest on my Louisiana entry! And keep sending those all important prayers!

By David Freeze

Another good and important day!

  I got more sleep last night than I usually do at the Budget Motel in Bastrop. Really happy with the room, I was up and out at first light with a plan. I wanted to finish off the current segment, but knew that there would be challenges. Already at 80 degrees for a low, the humidity was high and close to 100 degrees was predicted. I needed close to 90 miles to reach Navasota, the last town on map segment four.

    I took State Road 21 out of Bastrop and battled no bike shoulder and heavy early traffic until the shoulder widened just enough to keep the bike on it. Next came a 45 mile segment on US 290, starting with about 15 miles of brand new pavement. I stopped in Giddings for a couple of breakfast tacos and home made chocolate chip cookies I had a wonderful talk with Toni Cook, who said, “I’ve often wondered if I could even ride a bike to the next town.”

  Then it was on to Carmine, where my credit card got cut off again. Once again, they emailed me and asked if the purchase at the Village Market was legitimate. Of course it was! A super large cold drink and two bakery brownies! I got a picture of the bike right behind a large elephant waiting in the parking lot. So far, I don’t miss many convenience stores with towns still spread out.

    Then, after a short segment on State Road 36, I took the very challenging 24 mile ride on State Road 105 into Navasota. Navasota had big Civil War history and was named the blues capital of Texas.

    I had talked with a young desk clerk at the Navasota Inn a couple of times over the last two days. I’m here and very happy with the room. When I rode in, the clerk had a big smile on her face. She had the air going in my room, and a big easy chair and foot stool waiting for me. Plus she gave me a cold water, a bag of chips and cookies! I was so excited about all of this.

    With map segment four done, I now have about 1,230 miles to go. Of course, that figure won’t be exact by the time I am done, but is very close. I will come close to 2,000 miles completed in the next day or two. Today’s ride was 88 miles and I still have probably two more days left in Texas. I plan to spend tomorrow night in Shepherd, Texas.

    It was hot today, 97 was the highest I heard and my shirt was wet all day. But 97 is still nothing like the 114 of the bad day! A nice side breeze made it seem less hot. It was another good day and I’m excited again about tomorrow.

    Join me back here for Friday’s ride and start to finish off Texas. I’m about to start my second pint of Blue Bell ice cream. See you tomorrow!

By David Freeze

  The most fun day of the whole trip!

  Last night, I really needed to sleep and the girl in the next room had different guys in with a lot of loud talking, plus dog barking in a motel with no pets allowed. I finally got to sleep at close to 2am this morning. The best things about the Hill Country Inn were the  big screen TV and Dairy Queen across the road, and not much else.

    I still left out early this morning in the drizzle headed toward Henly and Dripping Springs. There was lots of doable climbing early, then oddly the road shoulder decreased and the climbing lessened as I neared Austin. Adventure Cycling always wants to avoid any central route through town and had this elaborate round the world plan that I didn’t follow. I went right through town rather easily in a city with 800,000. Drivers were courteous and oddly the city gave me two options. The route was on US 290/71 East and you could do it on the freeway or on a frontage road next to it. I did some of both.

    The routes split and I stayed with US 71 through Montopolis, Garfield and on into Bastrop, my home for the evening. Bastrop has about a half dozen motels and I called them all. Last night they all had high prices, but I checked again when I got near the town and the Google Assistant found the Budget Inn. I called and got a price of $72, tax included while all the others were over $100. The Budget Inn is perfect, with all the comfortable things I need. A great convenience store at a long block away in a historic neighborhood. The motel has great WiFi and ice, two of my big needs and it is very quiet here. I’ll make up that sleep tonight if that holds.

    Now for the highlight of the day. Just before I reached Garfield, I spotted a Sheriff’s Department car and stopped to confirm my directions. I have met some great officers so far, but Senior Deputy Jonathan Barrientes had the best conversation yet. There was no real human contact until that point and we hit it off. I promised to keep him updated, especially because he knew a lot about the areas I have traveled so far. Later in the afternoon, he beeped his siren to me as he also headed home to Bastrop.

    I got to the motel at about 5:30pm, intent on finding food and getting my daily update in. The owner showed me where to find the best convenience store and another resident here struck up a conversation about my trip. Mark is from Fresno, and asked about everything. He mentioned that he didn’t have anything to eat, so while I was gone, I picked him up a few things too. Mark seems a good guy, and at least for this evening isn’t hungry. Also, I keep finding good prices on bananas at the convenience stores. Remember that I am trying to visit them all across America.

    In another highlight of the day, the Y Service Club at the South Y donated $50 toward my ice cream fund. I bought two pints of Cherry Vanilla and Strawberry Blue Bell ice cream to get started on their contribution.
    And finally, I got 77 good miles in today on another mostly cloudy day. Very pleasant riding. I’m not sure of my goal for tomorrow yet but will work on it as the ice cream gets eaten. At this point, I will be happy with another productive day!

  Keep the questions and comments coming. I love them all! See you tomorrow!