ZYDECO & CAJUN COUNTRY

Saturday, 10-9-10. Getting across the state of Louisiana is beginning to feel like a version of the movie Groundhog Day. But, instead of being stuck in one location, we seem to be stuck with repeatedly having to ride busy highways with crummy shoulders. Today the ferry we hoped would take us across the Mississippi River from St. Francisville, and on to some quiet backroads, is broken. Now the only way across the big river is to ride back over much of the noisy route we have already biked and take the old narrrow-lengthy-no shouldered Huey Long Bridge on Hwy190. Big trucks rule this bridge. We hang out drinking coffee and talking with a neat couple, Kathy and Warren, who are riding Harleys. We hope the ferry can get repaired by mid morning. A call to the ferry offered no hope that it would be operational today or even tomorrow. Without any prompting by us, B & B owner Laurie arranged for her dad to drive us over the bridge. We gladly accepted since we had already ridden this section yesterday. On 190 we pedal hard toward Opelousas, the Zydeco music capital of the world. Once again we are a little off route but an extra 8 miles tomorrow will square that. We pass sugar cane fields and cross several long narrow bridges, one being four miles long. Ann sets a fast pace and Norb stays eight feet behind with his flashing red light. We pedal hard and arrive after 54 miles, somewhat deaf from the traffic noise but happy to be in the heart of Cajun Country. We ate some good Cajun food tonight which cleared our sinuses and watered our eyes. (Those of you familiar with Cajun cuisine will recognize the boudin above right) Norb said if there was a Zydeco concert in the lobby of our motel, he would be too tired to go unless Jesus was playing the accordion.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES

We had a late start on Friday, 10-8-10. It felt great sleeping in a bit later. We rode through a somewhat depressing area on the outskirts of Baton Rouge. Seeing the world from a bike seat provides a close encounter with the realities of life many people live each & every day. It seems the gap between the haves and have nots continues to widen. We take Hwy 61N, referred to as Scenic Byway, which is a major misnomer. We passed rusty oil refineries and a series of chemical plants. Some refer to this road as cancer alley. It was not until 20 miles into the day that we experienced any decent shoulders. The traffic was heavy and extremely noisy. We stopped for a quick lunch at a roadside food shack where we spoke with 2 guys on their way to compete in a kayak race on the MS River. They apologized, as do many Louisiana residents we have met, for the rudeness of their drivers and for the poor conditions of the roads in their state. We arrived in St. Francisville at 2pm and took a room at the St. Francisville Inn B & B. It was built in the mid 1800s and has a rustic charm. Owners Pat and Laurie Walsh moved here from New Orleans 20 years ago. Pat is a web designer who works primarily on his front porch with 2 huge screens. This town is often referred to as "The town 2 miles long and 2 yards wide". The town is built on the crest of a ridge that slopes on both sides to steep wooded gullies. During the 1730's, Spanish monks moved their burial ground across the river to the higher bluffs. The settlement that grew around the graveyard took its' name from their patron, St. Francis. This is a beautiful town of 1300 people, decorated with enormous live oaks draped with Spanish moss, & accented with homes and cottages reminiscent of a time when cotton was king. One of our favorite sites was Grace Episcopal Church that was built in the mid 1800's. This Gothic structure is shaded by huge trees and surrounded by a large cemetery with unique headstones. The church was severely damaged by shelling from Federal gunboats during the Civil War. A casualty of battle, John Hart, a gunboat captain, had always desired a Masonic burial. Fighting stopped for a day while Confederate and Union Masons honored his request and his body rests in the cemetery here. A local resident we met on our walking tour stated that, at times, small circles of light can be seen floating gently through the air near the church, which some believe are the spirits of those who found this place too beautiful to leave. We warned you earlier, southerners love their ghost stories.

CATCHING UP ON PHOTOS

Do you remember we were having a glitch. We think it is resolved?
Old Capital Building - Louisiana's Capital City
Le Baton Rouge (See that Red Stick, that's it!)

Mississippi River Bridge in Baton Rouge from the levee
Global Wildlife Center mentioned a few days ago

CAPITAL CITY

Thursday 10-7-10 is a rest day in Baton Rouge. We rise early and clean our bikes before breakfast. We then ride to a bike shop to get spare tubes for Shirley. She has encountered 3 flats since we began. We then rode to downtown Baton Rouge. Louisiana's state capital, which has an interesting mix of old and new architecture. We cycled the trail on top of the levee which separates parts of BR from the Mississippi River. The trail also took us to the campus of LSU. In 1699, French explorers saw a red cypress pole that marked the boundary between the Houma and Bayou Goula Indian tribes. The French called this tree "Le Baton Rouge", the red stick. One of the state's most colorful governors was the infamous Huey Long, "The Kingfish", who ruled every corner of the state like a banana republic dictator from 1935 to 1945. He even shamefully appointed his brother as the State Treasurer. Huey was shot to death on the steps of the capital building in 1945. Apparently there is no clear understanding about whether the shooting was an assassination or an accidental shooting by his trigger-happy body guard. Huey Long was the inspiration for a book titled, "All The King's Men." Some believe that his ghost now inhabits the old capital building which resembles a castle. This area is cajun country with the mysterious swamps of the Atchafalaya Basin nearby. Many believe these swamps are also haunted. The South does love its ghost stories.
We are having some photo glitches and are really tired so we will try to add them later. Sorry!

NO KODACHROME IN HEAVY TRAFFIC

Wednesday, 10-6-10, Hammond to Baton Rouge, LA. Once again, we ride Hwy 190 toward Baton Rouge. In Albany, we took a brief respite from the traffic and met Elizabeth Buckner who made a donation to CMN. Thank you Elizabeth! Near the town of Holden, we were greeted by Lloyd Stewart, who interestingly enough, lives on Lloyd Stewart Road nearby. Because Lloyd has done some bicycling, he was concerned about our safety while riding in such heavy traffic. He offered us a ride that we kindly declined. He then said he would call ahead to his brother, Raymond, who would intercept us down the road on his return from a meeting. He could then provide advice about the best routes into Baton Rouge. What a nice guy! Several miles later, we met brother Raymond who gave us good info about bike shops and routes. He too offered to give us a ride which we again declined. We arrived at Best Western Chateau Louisianne at 3:30. The owner, Mary, upgraded us to a suite for the same price as a standard room. Wow! For 2 people who are happy as clams when we find a motel with 2 bars of soap, the Marquis de Lafayette Suite was like entering a French Quarter Dream. Ann called the Stewart brothers to let them know we made it without incident.

RURAL LOUISIANA

On Tuesday, 10-5-10 we rode from Franklinton LA to Hammond LA. It was another chilly morning. Once again we deviated from the planned route in order to find lodging for the night. Whenever we call a place that is listed and a recording says, "No longer a working number", it does not inspire confidence that the place will mysteriously reopen by the time we arrive. So, we head a bit south and then west on Hwy 190 toward Hammond. Along the way, we pass the Global Wildlife Center which looks more like the plains of Africa. Although it is a short 44 mile ride, we have to hold a straight line on the white line due to heavy traffic that includes logging trucks. The blast of air these trucks create while passing us does have a nice pine scent. We anticipated Hammond being a quiet little town, but found it to be a bustling berg as a result of folks moving inland post-Katrina.

OVER BROWN WATERS

On Monday, 10-4-10, after a great breakfast prepared by the Gilmores and changing a flat tire, we headed out wearing jackets to keep the chill off. We meandered through quiet backroads where sumac was starting to show fall color. Highway 43 to Hwy 26 that becomes Hwy 10 as we cross the Pearl River near Bogalusa and enter the state of Louisiana. The terrain is rolling hills that cross a series of creeks which are tributaries of Bogue Chitto. The waters are a chocolate brown with emerging cypress trees. Highway 1072 takes us to Franklinton, LA for the night after a 57 mile day. Adventure Cycling listed 3 places for lodging, but only one was still operational. The recession, and then the BP oil spill have devastated the rural economy to the extent that many
B & B's and motels are now shuttered. Thankfully for us, the Liberty Inn was still open even though we counted only 2 vehicles in the parking lot.

COUNTRY ROADS TAKE ME HOME

On Sunday 10-3-10 we rode from Biloxi to Poplarville, MS. A trifecta that no cyclist wants on a ride is a combination of hills/a strong headwind/big mean dogs. We, at least, did not have to contend with big mean dogs. The wind and hills on Highway 53 N toward Poplarville made this a challenging ride. 10 mph on the flats and 6 mph on the hills made for a long 62 mile day. It was, however, a bright sunny day with roadside black-eyed susans and an array of other wildflowers. At mile 35 we stopped for a banana & bagel picnic in the shade of tall pine trees near a small cemetery. Although Highway 53 had narrow shoulders, they were gouged with deep divots 6 inches apart apparently to wake up drivers who fall asleep so they would know whether they hit a tree or a utility pole. Straying onto these loaf-panned size divots can be a bone-jarring experience. After we arrive in Poplarville, Karen & Bill Gilmore picked us up and drove us 7 miles to their neat place in the country. Karen & Bill have 9 children ranging in age from 25 to 6 years. 8 of the children were home when we arrived. What a delightful crew of young people! They helped us with a computer glitch, played instruments and sang for us, put dinner together, did the dishes, and along with their parents, made us feel welcome into their family home. Bill works as an electrical technician for a rural co-op while Karen home schools their children. This is a hard-working, self reliant family. They have 30 chickens, a small heard of cattle, a huge garden, and a sawmill they built so they could harvest trees on their property that were used to build a house for their eldest son. One of our favorite stories of the evening was about how the kids raised the money for a family vacation to Colorado. They sold produce, picked blueberries to sell, put up hay, and even stripped copper out of discarded wire to sell. How many kids do you know out there who are hustling up bucks to take mom and dad on vacation? Neighbors Don & Mary Malley also joined us for dinner and it was interesting hearing their stories about the area. It was a great evening with a great group of people and worth every inch of ground we covered that day.

CROSSING OVER (AL to MS)

Englishman John Moffit (we like Lorna too!)
Norb at Audubon Sanctuary-Dauphin Island



On Saturday, October 2, we had a true southern breakfast at Dauphin (pronounced Dolphin) Inn prepared by owners George and Carol. Eggs, bacon, sausage, bacon, grits, homemade jam. More than enough to get a couple of bikers well down the road. We were slow to leave as we so enjoyed the interesting conversation with these two B & B owners. Carol is quite the historian, and informed us that Dauphin Island was the first capital of the Louisiana Territory. She also stated that at one time, women from interior Indian tribes would travel to this island to plant seeds. Once the seedlings sprouted, the women would carry them back to their villages to plant. Early French explorers would follow the women making their explorations into the interior much easier. We crossed a 4 1/2 mile bridge spanning the Mississippi Sound as we left the island. Far below, we could see brown pelicans diving for fish, and in the distance were numerous platforms in the water drilling for gas. Until you actually see all the derricks, it is impossible to fathom how much drilling transpires in these waters. We biked into a headwind to Bayou la Batre, AL. The movie Forrest Gump was filmed in this small town. Evidently this Hollywood notoriety hasn't done much to attract tourists since the only motel in town was closed. Our options for lodging took us off route via Hwy 90 to Biloxi, MS. During our ride we met 2 nice couples who were on motorcycles, Don & Mary Malley and Bill & Karen Gilmore. We crossed paths about 3 times and then they pulled over to invite us to visit them in their hometown. We rode to the top of an enormous bridge that connected the town of Ocean Spring to Biloxi. Below we could see the high rise hotels and casinos as we descended with our computers registering 35 mph. Sugarland sings, "Down in Mississippi, Up to No Good" We rode 65 miles today and are excited to make it to Mississippi, state #3!

WHAT A WONDERFUL (small) WORLD

On Friday 10/1/10, we left our motel and met John Moffit who, with his wife Lorna are from England and vacationing in the southern U.S. During their vacation they will also drive to Springfield, Mo. to visit friends. Is it a small world or what? John wears a colorful crocheted hat and totes about a suitcase that harkens back to the 1930's. We met 2 riders in Ft. Morgan on a day trip who reported that the beach where they were staying was littered with tar balls. We took the ferry to Dauphin Island which appears rustic but has a laid back charm. After dropping our bags at the Dauphin Inn, we cycled to an Audubon bird sanctuary. During our hike, biting flies that some locals call dog flies, hastened our visit. We met 2 sisters ages 9 and 11 riding their bikes. They offered to go home, break open their piggy banks, and make a donation to CMN. We convinced them to save their money for college. We biked to a local Friday night seafood buffet for dinner. Pictures to follow as we are having trouble loading them. Bear with us.