Today is the 2nd rest day. I was desperately looking forward to it. My rear end hurt so much at the end of yesterday's ride that I took a couple of ibuprofen to help with the last 20 miles. I was also just generally exhausted.

We are in Slidel at an RV Resort that is a lot better than the last one. It is not a KOA, but has a bunch of new washers. The worst thing is that there are only 2 showers shared shared between men and women and one toilet in the men's room. Also, we don't have water on the site and electricity is a few sites away. The plumbing problem is partly or own fault as a friend of BW was picking him up and clipped a plumbing fixture.

I was on breakfast duty but it wasn't served until 8:00. I went to bed about 10:30 and woke up at 6:30, so got a good nights sleep. it was cooler than it was last night, which made for better sleeping. By the time I was up at 7:00, others had already started the water boiling and set out breakfast things. So, there wasn't much to do. I ate oatmeal with raisins and walnuts, an apple, and yogurt with blueberries. I was still hungry, but figured I shouldn't over eat since I wasn't riding. It was nice to put away breakfast at a relaxed pace without worrying about needing to get out on the road.

I spent some time doing work stuff, including a grant coordination meeting. it is really impossible to do that stuff on normal days. A group went into New Orleans at 10:30, but I decided not to go last they won't get back until 2:30. AH, PB, JF and I stayed. We ate lunch together and had a generally leisurely day. After lunch I did laundry. Unfortunately, I realized I missed a bag so am doing a 2nd load. The washer uses an app to pay, and it is nice not to worry a quarters. I will let the jerseys and the shorts dry in the sun and dray the other stuff on delicate. 

Thinking about the last week, one mistake I made was not hydrating well enough. I am going to start drinking a whole water bottle when I get up and some more before I get on the bike. I hasn't been hot (60s and 70s), so I guess it will get worse later. Also, on Wednesday I didn't get enough calories in the evening. I woke up hungry and ate as much a could for breakfast, but I still felt kind of weak early in the ride. I am going to make it a point to stop every 20 miles, get off the bike, and eat and drink. I am also going to make myself drink every 30 minutes. Because of the arthritis in my hands it is a little hard drink a lot on the bike, so I will make myself drink when I take pictures. it is not a race (except if I am on dinner duty).

This next week we go through Louisiana. I am told it is very beautiful country with rolling hills and farm country. I think one night a group makes a dinner for us. I cook again on Monday (with AH after 58 miles) and then on Friday the day of our rest day. The weather looks mostly good except that there is some showers forecast on Tuesday and Wednesday. I will change my chain after that.

Last week I talked about gear that has worked well, so I will do the same now. It has been really nice to have a big battery pack for my phone. That way I can fully charge it in the tent even if I am far from the power. The Karoo has continued to be great. I am getting a little inured to the tone, but the battery life has been fantastic. It had 50% charge after yesterday's ride (6:48 elapsed time). Guys using Ride with GPS on their phone struggle with battery life and/or missing turns if they turn off the screen. I wish I had a bigger tent, though that would of course be more stuff to carry. Still, I think it would have been worth it for another pound. That way I could have all my stuff inside the tent. Now I keep one bag under the vestibule. The Big Agnes Ranger 3N1 system is great. The last few nights I have been using it without the inner bag. Last night I used it with it unzipped. It was also great when it was colder. I think it is more flexible than a single bag. The Varia is nice, but I wish it had longer battery life. It does not make it through the 6 hour rides, and it is hard to remember to turn it off at stops. I think on my Garmin there were options for intensity, but I don't have those on my Karoo 3. That would perhaps extend the battery life. I haven't needed that many pairs of street cloths. I think a couple pair of underwear, shorts, and t-shirts and one long pair of pants would have been enough, at least to date. I just don't spend that much time in the tent and don't get those clothes that dirty (or care that they are dirty). The tubeless tires have been great. I had some kind of big hit yesterday (I think a rock) as I was saying hi to another bicyclist. I don't see any damage. The Di2 shifters still register full. My chain is getting dirty. It doesn't sound too noisy, however. I will oil it once more and change it after the rain on Tuesday. It is good to have something to hang things in bathrooms. Sometimes there aren't shelves to put things on in showers or bathrooms, or the ones that are there are wet or dirty. I am glad I brought the plastic slides as the bathroom floors can be kind of nasty. The Anker power supply with 3x30 W USB-C and 3xUSB-A ports has been great for charging stuff. It has a cord, which is more versatile than plugging things in directly. Having the Air has been great. I need it for work stuff, and it makes writing these easier. The battery life is also great. My Verizon cell service vicehas also been great. Campground and hotel wifi has been crappy, and it is nice not to worry about that. So far I have had decent service almost everywhere. I am glad I didn't bring a real camera. Taking the phone in and out of my pocket is easy, which makes me take more pictures. However, I did almost lose it twice. That would be a real disaster. I wish I had a way bag on my bike that it would fit in easily. Having an actual ATM card seems to be important. I couldn't use my phone as an ATM card except at my bank. It is also a nice backup. I really like the Canari long-sleeve jerseys. The have been good for sun protection on warmer days, as a layer on colder days, and on by themselves on cool ones. We will see if I continue to like them in the desert. I did Goo shots a couple times when I was feeling bonked. Maybe it is just psychological, but they seemed to provide a quick lift. Again, I am glad I went with mountain cleats/shoes instead of SPD/SL. I do a lot of walking in the shoes. The aero bar has been important for me. It helps save my wrists/hands and is a nice place to bury myself in headwinds. I can still look around on it. My helmet is not the best. It constantly falls in my eyes and the liner is coming separated from the foam backing. I might get a new one if I ever go to a good bike store. I am adding a 3rd water bottle cage on the bottom on downtime. I might need that later, and even on the 60 mile rides it will mean that I don't have to rely on stopping to get water. That hasn't usually been an issue, but yesterday I did go off-route to find a convenience store.