Opelousas to Jackson LA April 15 2012

A beautiful lake side ride

Me riding the Mississippi River Bridge

Welcome to our campsite

A table full of Crawdads

To day was billed as a short day even though it was really 68 miles. The big thing for the day was that there was a six mile section where there was a very dangerous causeway which was un-ride-able. This was due to very bad road surface and debris on the causeway surface. So Bubba was going to transport people across the causeway with the sag vehicles. His task is complicated by the fact that one couple insist upon leaving camp 30-45 minutes before sun up. This puts them 2 -3 hours in front of everyone else and puts a huge strain on the entire system and all of the other riders as well.

Ken and I rode out together at 8:00 and headed for the causeway where we were to be transported. It was a great morning with not very much traffic on the Sunday morning. At the 20 mile mark we hit the SAG and jumped on the van and were driven to the other side of the causeway. After unloading we rode on towards the Mississippi River. There was a huge bridge over the wind was just howling as we were a long way up in the air. We stopped and took some pictures and had some fun before continuing on.

The route turned north and for only the second time this trip we had a tail wind. It was absolutely great. Ken and I were just flying along with out even pedaling. We rode past a beautiful lake which had magnificent cottages and mansions all along its shore. The final 48 miles just flew by. The road was smooth and beautiful and the tail wind made riding just great. In no time flat we at our camp ground which was in the yard of a person who had ridden the coast to coast with Bubba in 2010.

The sign on the driveway said welcome however as events later showed we were not. When I got there they were cooking crawdads and had laded out two tables full of cooked crawdads. So you had to just sit down and shell your supper. You broke the head off and peeled the tail. Even the largest crawdad tail had but a couple of grams of meat in the tail. However after about 3 hours of shelling of crawdads I was finally full.

The people who had been cooking the crawdads were some people from the local high school. They had huge pots and propane burners for boiling the crawdads in. They had music playing and the party was started. At about 6:00 pm they had cooked the last of the crawdads and packed up and left. We carried on until about 6:30 when the host came over and told us to shut it down. Some people were still eating and a few people were dancing, I don’t think it was taken seriously at that point. An hour later at 7:30 she is back over yelling and screaming that she is phoning the police. It was hardly what you would call loud. The trucks passing by on the highway which was right there were twice as loud as we were. Bubba shooed us all to bed and tried to calm her down.

Terry

De Ridder to Opelousas LA April 14 2012

I wanted to get an early start today as it was 92.7 miles according to the route sheet and the forecast was for wind out of the SE at 20 mph. We are headed SE so it was looking like it was going to a tough day. Bubba had warned the group last night about conditions and was offering to sag people to any of the sag stops or all day. He even booked us into the Comfort Inn tonight as he thought we would need a good spot to stay after such a hard day.

My goal was to leave by 7:00 Am and as I rolled out of the parking lot with Ken it was 6:51. Ken was joking that we had 9 minutes to hit a Starbucks. There were no Starbucks so we kept rolling. There was no wind so I was pressing Ken hard and by time we were getting close to the first sag stop at the 20 mile mark Ken said that I was wearing him out and I should leave him at the sag. I knew that he was right and if I stayed with him I would wear him out and he needed to pace himself.

By the time we got to the first sag the wind was howling down at us and I knew it was going to be a tough day. The things going for us were that the road was almost dead flat and was relatively smooth. Although there were sections which had a lot of perpendicular cracks which made for a bumpy ride. The wind was just coming almost straight into our face most of the time. It would vary from about the 10:00 o’clock to the 3:00 o’clock position. If there were trees along the road side it would really help.

There is some thing new along the way and that is crawfish ponds. They look like huge muddy lakes which stretch out and cover entire fields. There are lots of pumps which pump the water into the fields which are surrounded by dikes. It looks like the crawfish are harvested with these flat bottom boats. I am sure we will see more of this as we go.

As we sitting at the last sag stop Pat who is this tiny little lady pulled out and was shouted at by three rednecks in a pick up truck. She shouted right back at them and the truck jammed on its brakes and started to back up. We were out of seats and on the run. Pat stood her ground and the rednecks backed off and sped away. Good work Pat!

At any rate I spent most of the day in the drops grinding away and didn’t see much of what should have been a very nice ride. However I did make it in!! Yahoo!

Terry

Silsbee to Deridder LA April 13 2012

A nice fixer upper

Self portrate while riding

Don (lead) and Wallace (second) battle for cycling supremacy

Welcome to Louisiana sign

To day the ride took us out of Texas and into Louisiana. We were in Texas for 19 days out of 51 on this trip. The country side has changed again. There are lots of causeways over low areas which have bayous in them. There is also a lot more humidity in the air now. The humidity has been steadily increasing as well.

This morning when I got up it was nice and clear, however as the sun came up it boiled the dew off and turned it to a haze which I called fog but Ken corrected me calling it a haze. At any rate I turned on my rear red blinking light for the morning ride. The first 30 miles were down a four lane divided highway which was made of grooved concrete. There was a tremendous amount of tire debris and you had to keep a sharp eye out to avoid it. At the 30 mile marker was a donut shop and sag so we stopped for a donut which was a very nice treat. A couple of miles further down the road we turned onto a secondary road which was quite smooth and only slightly rolling. However there was a lot of logging trucks and the associated bark and wood debris along the road. In some spots there was so much you just had to roll over it as you could no longer steer around it.

Don, Wallace, and myself (the three Canadians) all stopped together for lunch and had a very nice fried catfish and hush puppy dinner. Is that southern or what? A few miles further down the road we crossed into Louisiana where we stopped for photos under the welcome to sign.

It was a pretty nice ride of 73 miles to day. Even better we found that the hotel we are staying in is a very nice place. In fact this might be the nicest accommodations of the trip.
Internet, hot water, nice beds, flat screen TV,air conditioning; WOW this is unbelievable. Bubba is taking us out for supper at some café he has found which he says is very nice. Eat off real plates with real metal cutlery, no paper plates and plastic cutlery. Holy smoke what will happen next??

Terry

Coldspring to Silsbee April 12 2012-04-12

Last night Bruce B drove up from Woodlands and took Ken and I out to supper. Ken and I both worked for Bruce back in the 1980’s before Union Pacific got taken out. Bruce lives but 20 minutes south of where we were camped. It was a great reunion having the three of us together. We had fun talking but what had happened since we left UP and all of the things which have happened to each of us. Thanks Bruce!!

Last nights camp ground which was really an RV park was right beside the main road through town and traffic started at about 5:30 Am so I was awake early but lay in bed until 6:30 before rolling out.

Today’s ride was some 72 miles plus 3 Bubba miles. When I got up there was a stiff breeze out of the NE which meant another day of head winds for us. The sky was heavily overcast and it was a bit cool but it was great riding, wind notwithstanding. I was out of camp at 7:30 sharp as I wanted to make some miles in case the wind turned nasty or the colds turned to rain. There isn’t much to tell about the ride as it was pretty boring. There was a few little ups and downs but the road was basically dead straight. On one side the forest had been clear cut and there were a lot of logging trucks which seemed to be going both ways.

Wallace and I rode in to camp first today as we have been staying in these incredibly dumpy RV parks where there are only 2 showers (one men’s and one women’s), and I wanted to get a hot shower for once. With 35 riders and 10 staff the facilities are totally overwhelmed. The first 5 or 6 get a hot shower. So we got showered, I grabbed a two quart bottle of milk which Wallace and I drank and then the clouds opened up and the rain started to hammer down. It is so good to be in first.

Terry

Mexican Hill Richards to Coldspings April 11 2012

To day was a really short day at 44.3 miles plus 5 Bubba miles. So I got up at 7:00 am and went for a 5 mile run. It was a lot of fun to stretch my legs out and just run. There were a few hills along the way and it just made it more fun.

Breakfast was at 8:00 Am so I was a little surprised to see a lot of the riders leaving camp as I returned from my run. However breakfast had come out a little early and there was some fresh grapes. Luckily I got Don to save me a few, while I ran through the shower. There has been very little fresh fruit on this trip so I am sure everyone gobbled it up.

With everyone pulling out early I had to hurray to get on the road. Ken and I pulled out together and rode along together all day. It was a very nice ride as the road was very smooth and had low rolling hills. We went though the Sam Houston National Forest which was very beautiful. There were tall stands of pine forest which gave the road a very nice shade. We crossed Lake Conroy on a viaduct. Ken said they have a time share on Lake Conroy. I know I have looked at the time share along this lake many times.

Lunch was at this café called the Waverly Café but Ken and I sat there for 20 minutes and never got served so we left and went to the Valero as station and got a couple of hot dogs. They were great. We shared a gallon of ice cold bottled water which cost $1.09. Perfect!

Ken has contacted our old boss Bruce who lives only 20 minutes away and he is coming to pick us up for supper. I am really looking forward to having supper out and seeing Bruce as he is such a good uy.

Tonight’s camp ground is less than 50 feet from the highway and has only 2 showers (men & women) and two toilets. Hardly adequate for a tour group of 35 riders and 10 staff plus however other many people are in the campground. Needless to say that there is no hot water. At least there is internet and it is for only one night.

Terry

Mexican Hill Ranch Day Off April 10 2012-04-10

Our camp ground


Campground sign showing distance to San Diego and Florida



It is the Tavelocity gnome sitting in the empty pool


I had my tent moved to a quiet corner behind some of the ranch buildings yesterday. This had the advantage of no lights and no early risers. I was able to sleep until 7:00 Am when the birds were making such a racket that woke up. I still did not get up as breakfast and coffee wasn’t until 8:00 and there was no where to go and nothing to do.

Breakfast was late so we sat around until it showed up.

There was a shuttle going into the bike shop in College. It is the home of Texas A &M university. The people who are riding the tandem are having mechanical problems so they had ordered some parts a few days ago and they were in. I jumped in the van and we were off. It was about 30 miles to town and a nice drive it was a good bike shop and I bought a new pair of shoes. The pair I had were wearing out the SPD clips and causing the clicking in my drive train. They are a very nice pair of Specialized shoes and were only $150. I know they would be over $200 back home. After the bike shop we hit a pizza place and had a great pizza. I have been craving pizza for the last two weeks.

In the afternoon I cleaned my bike and changed my rear tire as it was worn out.

I believe that tomorrow we ride through Sam Houston National Forest. It is suppose to be a short day.

Terry

La Grange to Richards (Mexico Hill Ranch) April 9 2012

He must be a pet as I walked over to take a picture of the longhorn and he came right over to be petted


The original Baylon University



A field of wild flowers

Breakfast was at the home of a friend of Bubba’s who lives in La Grange. It was at 6:30 Am as today was an 88 mile day plus a few bubba miles. Naturally the early risers were up at 4:30 Am opening and closing their zippers talking and tramping around shining their head lamps on your tent. My alarm was set for 6:10, but I was awake long before it went off.

I was actually on the road by 7:04 Am. It was perfect cycling temperature and there wasn’t a breath of wind. Unbelievably the road was quite smooth for the majority of the day. The first sag was in this very cute little town where the mayor and some other people came out and made us coffee and sweet rolls. I had a slice of pineapple upside down cake. It was really delicious. I was cruising most of the day with Liam who is our Irish rider. We had a lot of fun riding together. Lunch was in a town called Liberty and was in a park which had been the original site of Baylor University. There isn’t much left just some old columns. After lunch Liam and I caught up with another group of riders and we rode along together for quite a while, unfortunately I got a flat and they rode off. It must have taken me thirty minutes to fix the flat as it was one of those can’t find the cause flats so I took extra time looking for it. I still had about 28 miles to go so I rode on and skipped the last sag stop.

Tonight we are camped in a place called Mexico Hill Ranch. It is at least 20 miles from the nearest town. Not that is so bad but tomorrow is our day off. There is no shade what so ever, the tents are all jammed together into a tiny little space which was a cow pasture and is full of cow pies, the pool which was supposed to be the big attraction has been drained. I asked Bubba three times to move my tent to another area but was ignored. So finally I blew up at him. Then he got the boys to move my tent to another spot which isn’t in the cow pasture and isn’t on top of the early risers. What a dump to be stuck in for your day off!

Terry

Lockhart to La Grange April 8 2012

To day’s ride was only 59.7 miles so I set my alarm for 6:30 so that I could get a little run in before coffee which was set for 7:00 Am. When I crawled out and started down the road I was shocked as probably 80% of the tents had lights on in them. I guess you have to be up early so you can stand in line for that Folger’s coffee. As I started down the road my ankles were screaming in complaint about being treated this way. However after a half mile everything straightened out and I was cruising along enjoying the early morning mist. I did a 30 minute run and covered three miles including a good sided hill. I just felt great after my run. I grabbed a shower and felt like a million bucks.

After breakfast I was on the road by 8:40 and most of the other riders had already left camp so I cruised along enjoying the early morning. The mist had lifted and the sun was nice and bright but the temperature was just about perfect riding temperature. I rolled right along enjoying the rolling hills and even though the road was kind of rough chip seal it was great not having the wind howling into your face. The wild flowers are in full bloom and the colour is just stunning. There are huge patches of the Texas Blue Bells, purple and white Morning Glories, as well as huge patches of daisies in every combination of yellow orange and white, and broad bands of red Indian Paint Brush. There are also a lot of flowers I cannot identify.

At the 43 mile marker was the lunch stop at a cross roads. It was pita bread with some sort of tuna salad. It was kind of weird as chick peas had been added to the tuna salad. I was only in the lunch stop 15 minutes but before I could get out a wind came up out of the east so the last 17 miles were into the wind. One of the riders was talking about this other type of wind condition where the wind blows on your back rather than into your face. I think he called it a “Tail Pipe Wind” but I don’t think we have seen anything like that on this tour.

Strangely enough there were no Bubba miles to day as my odometer matched the cue sheet.

On the subject of Texas Barbeque we went out last night to Black’s barbeque in Lockhart. It is the oldest continuously family run place I Texas. When you went in you took a plate and choose your sides off a buffet. Then you came to the meat counter where you choose your cut. You could have brisket, back ribs, baby back ribs, turkey, or sausage. It was then cut and weighed and you were charged based on weight. I had a slice of brisket, a sausage and to baby back ribs. It was a great meal. A carnivore’s dream come true.

Well I have to go find the bike mechanic as my bike has developed a nasty click when my right pedal is at the 2:00 o’clock position. Oh by the way La Grange was made famous by the ZZ Top song La Grange from their Tres Hombres album.

Terry

Blanco to Lockhart April 7 2012

My tent was set up quite close to the kitchen last night so I was awaken by the banging of pots at 5:30 AM. As I lay there I thought about getting up and going for a run. I have not been able to get myself motivated to go for a run for quite a few days. I did not have any shred of an excuse but I lay in my bed until 6:30 when coffee was being served and everyone was up. I guess I just don’t get this fascination with being up 2 hours before first light.

Today’s ride was 65 miles from Blanco down to Lockhart. The road was the smoothest road we have had since we go to Texas. There was very little chip seal and what there was was so worn that it was not rough. The first 25 miles were quite hilly and there was very little in the way of traffic. What there was of traffic was exceedingly polite stoping behind the bike until they were waved on or they could see. After that we were on much busier roads and the traffic got increasingly less polite. We passed through a couple of towns and traffic was down right heavy. After about 40 miles we were out of the hills and we were sailing along through farms and the ranch country seems to behind us. Although there was a significance wind out of the SE and we are heading East it did not seem to be a factor as there was lots of trees to break the wind.

The high light was having a pie in the Texas Pie Café. You get your own pie in bowel which has a scoop of ice cream on it. There are a lot of different kinds but I had to have apple which is by far my favourite.

Tonight we are headed out to Blacks Barbeque which is a very highly rated Texas barbeque. I am really looking forward to this.

Terry

Blogspot cannot load pictures so I will add them later