Day 40: New Roads to Simmesport

February 13, 2014

Across the stŕeet from the motel was McDonalds, so we made that our fìrst stop. Their $1 yogurt parfaìt is a good deal, though we usually also end up with an Egg McMuffin, which is a bad deal. Outside the McDonalds a cyclist pulled up. This is already an unusual event but as I glanced up the first thing I saw was an Ortlieb front handlebar mount. Wow! The next glance revealed the cyclist, who turned out to be Bob Taylor. Bob is from Amarillo, Texas and is following the ACS Southern Tier route Eastbound.

Dodie and Bob, kindred spirits - or at least they dress the same

Even before really starting to exchange UQs, we could (pretty much instantly - which happens when you are in to this stuff) see a British bike with Rohloff hub, Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires, etc. Bob himself was wearing a Patagonia rain parka (same as ours!), yellow helmet cover, black rain pants, etc. In short, a real long distance cyclist, like us.

The culture here in the South is so far from what underlies cycling and advanced cycling gear that we feel kind of a drain on our motivation and resolve. CGOAB and the blog's Guestbook are a big help. But the chance to compare notes in person with a like minded individual is really great. Since Bob was coming directly from where we are going, his comments and advice were especially valuable.

We also learned from Bob some of the recent things that have happened to him. First, he was clipped by a car a few days ago. He came out with only a bruised hand, but one of his rear panniers was badly damaged, as was his european style wheel lock. He ended up having to stay two days in Simmesport, at the Sportsman's Motel - where we are now. Bob was waiting for an overnight shipment from Arkel, his pannier maker.The relatively cheap part he ordered cost $60 for the fast shipping. Before the car incident, Bob was chased by two pit bulls. One clamped on to his rear fender, which now boasts at least one tooth mark. This is great material for boosting a hit count. Bob has a blog, though we don't really know if he counts hits. You could have a look at it here

After a reluctant goodbye to Bob, we set off toward Simmesport. Immediately the landscape, which truly was boring yesterday, took on a lot more interest for us. The route for the day basically followed the levees by the Mississippi, Atchafalaya, and Red rivers. On the non levee side we had sugar, cotton, and hay fields, which though they had no crops at present, still made for an open and fairly dramatic view. On the levee, at points there were cattle and horses to look at, and we also found some small farms, which had sheep. Though not heart stopping, it was a very pleasant area to ride through.

Enjoying the nice surroundings was helped a lot by the fact that the temperature rose from its 4 degree starting point up over 20 by afternoon. Even better, the ACA route took us off busy shoulderless LA 1 and on to a set of super quiet roads by the levees. Super quiet meant only seeing one or two vehicles per hour. What a relief and vacation from traffic.

At the same time, we could not help but notice the number of dwellings that were really poor quality. As tent users, we could appreciate the shelter offered by a mobile home set under a shed roof. But we are only tent users when on vacation. A real home, we say, should not be a mobile home in a shed.

Despite the pleasant and interesting ride, we still spent our quota of time looking at the litter by the roadside, of which our favourite is the beer cans. Despite the lack of cars, we still averaged 75 cans per km per side! We see that tastes are changing a bit, among littering drinking drivers. Natural Light is losing out to Bud Light, and there are now intruders, like the Coors Silver Bullet. The bullet attempts to attract customers with a can that shows how cold the beer is. It also comes with a double wide opening tab, so you can guzzle the contents at double speed. Later grocery store research, though, showed that you can get a Natural Light for 53 cents (on special for a 30 pack). That's cheaper than water often is, and here in Simmesport, it's way cheaper than a single tangerine (79 cents at Piggly Wiggly).

Only in Louisiana will you see a sign like this at a gas station

We follow the Mississippi River Trail along quiet roads

Good idea, shelter your home in a shelter

Beer cans still abound. We will read anything, including them. Look at all the gimmicks on the Silver Bullet

Despite or because of having this poor house...

the residents are sure to keep everyone out.

The story of the church in the next shots

No doubt about it, this is the leaning tower of Louisiana

At the church, a Confederate memorial to the patriotism of our comrades.

The plantation house had great gardens - unusal for this region

In this photo, the Sportsman's Inn looks pretty good - very deceptive

Another couple of km brought us to the Sportsman's Inn, the only motel in town, and described as a "dump" by Bob. We have to agree, based on lots of problems with the plumbing and lights, plus old miscellaneous furniture and dirty carpet. Still, it is clean enough, has a microwave and fridge, and at $45 is not so much more costly than $25 camping.

From our motel headquarters we walked down the highway to Piggly Wiggly. That's where we did our beer research. While we don't drink beer, we did need to research fruits and veggies, for which we are desperate. Fruit and veggie is the second smallest department in the store. Smallest is for the so called baked goods. It must be hard for people here to maintain good health on what is offered.

Despite focussing on deficiencies at Piggly Wiggly, we could also see a lot of regional specialities. Have a look for them in the photos.

Finally, also at Piggly Wiggly there was what I took to be a request from Little Debbie to "Be My Valentine". No, Little Debbie, you are not even my friend!

Today's ride: 70 km (43 miles)
Total: 2,296 km (1,426 miles)

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