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!