An 82 mile day. Louisiana this morning. Mississippi tonight. Alabama tomorrow. Florida Wednesday. Came upon a road closure today. Had to hoist the bike over a barricade to continue today. Once over I was treated to a 5 mile stretch of abandoned highway and unobstructed views of southern Mississippi swamp lands.
A scant 49 miles today. A short day to refresh, relax and recharge. Weather is still holding up, smooth shouldered roads with a mild tail wind.
Another crisp 72.5 miles of mostly smooth interstate 190 shoulder. My good friend was with me the entire ride again today. His, or her for all you ladies, was Mr or Mrs Tailwind. Sugar cane fields were the predominant features of todays ride, along with 2 major river crossings.
80 wind assisted miles on super smooth interstate shoulder. Staying off route for the next 3 days to avoid both Baton Rouge and New Orleans. The adventure cycling route takes riders right through downtown for both. I prefer to avoid, especially on the weekends, as these routes can be extremely crowded and difficult to manage.
71.5 mile day into Louisiana. Finally out of Texas. The ride today started out absolutely beautiful. Clear skies, 65 degrees, smooth roads and a light breeze. Things quickly changed as I headed north into Louisiana. The winds shifted from the north, leaving me to battle a heavy head wind for the last 20 mile leg. Tomorrows ride is primarily south east so a northerly wind will be beneficial. Let's all hope.
82.5 miles. Feeling good and strong. Nearly pancake flat roadways. Skirted around a little road construction leaving a mile of traffic behind me as the site foreman ushered me around the equipment. Muddled through a couple of mild rain showers as well. Needed to put the pedal down to beat the now pouring rain. Finally bidding farewell to Texas as Lou
A quick 68 miles through some beautiful countryside. Passed through 2 small town preparing for a huge antique festival lasting the first 3 weeks of October. I am officially through 4 of 7 maps. The final 3 maps show no change in elevation meaning no more significant hill. Hooray. Now my biggest concern is the weather forecast and the threat of hurricane.
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53 miles to a small sub division of Austin. Staying in a shared space Airbnb. Stopped to get some chow prior to arrival as there are no food options within 5 miles of this place and with it being 95 degrees already I am in for the duration. The owner is not home yet so I took the opportunity to dry all of the towels along with my cycling gear. I also tightened up the front door knob. Austin must be one bike friendly city with paths everywhere.
80 miles of uninterrupted bliss as I headed off route in search of better road conditions. I short chat with a fellow diner this morning led me on a mission to do just that. Yes indeed there are smooth roads in Texas. The difference was immeasurable. Even the few uphill grades were a comparative breeze comparable to previous days rides. Texas will soon be in my rear view mirror in it's entirely.
Another fun day in central Texas hill country. Another 70 miles in my rear view mirror. A strange phenomenon has occurred. Green. Yes, grasses, leaves on trees and shrubbery. Reminding me of a trip to skyline drive. Towards the end of the ride, and I knew that it was coming, an extremely steep uphill climb. Treated by a fun and fast downhill into the town of Leaky. The elevation map indicates 3 additional climbs tomorrow. The hotel owners husband has helped east bound riders "me" avoid these hills using an alternative route. I will catch up with him later today.
63 miles today. Not a whole lot to report on. Map 3 of 7 complete. Still warm but not as much wind, thankfully. Serious chip seal added to the struggle. Moving off of route 90 for the first time in 5 days. Hopefully the chip seal issue goes away.
Left another 90 miles of rolling Texas hillside behind. Although to do it ,while eliminating the bulk of wind, I did get on the road at 5am. Not a whole lot of varying scenery, I must say. No services along the entire route today forcing me to carry 5 additional 28oz. bottles of liquid. The weight was a bit of a burden but I needed every bit of it.
Yes still in Texas, as I will be for at least another 10 or 11 days. 105 miles of which I had to hitch a ride for the last 35 due to tire failure. All tubes are repaired and ready for tomorrow's ride. Starting out early again to beat the winds. Here are more pictures from yesterday.
75 tough miles, mostly uphill and into a steady wind. My hopes are that the winds will at least subside a little or maybe just change direction a little. Not happening. I am also experiencing lighter winds earlier in the day. So for now it's predawn starting to bet the winds a bit.
93 miles . Mostly flat to start ,turning upward at the 75 mile mark. Still quite a bit of heat and wind. It was a challenge to consume enough liquid to keep from becoming dehydrated and I believe towards the completion of the ride heat exhaustion was setting in. Tomorrow is a short day to Van Horn to recover fully.
55 miles ride along the Rio Grande river following off road paths and city streets. The riding conditions have improved considerably with cooling temperatures and more favorable winds.
