Team Awesome check in from New Orleans... check, check...
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| At 2000 miles ` We enjoy celebrating our milestones! |
I write this blog entry from the beautiful and vibrant Garden District in New Orleans LA. We arrived here last Thursday via the 100 or so miles we cycled along the SW Mississippi Levees and River Road. Since reuniting and leaving Carthage Texas on May 29th we have seen amazing places, met some awesome people, eaten some terrific food, and experienced some crazy awesome weather! We leave tomorrow and will be trying out a route that will take us along the coast and take us through Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and then to the Georgia Coast. With the "Coast to Coast" portion of our trip having been completed by that point, we have decided to end the cycling portion of our trip in Savannah and will be picked up for our ride to Richmond Virginia and then to Amelia for Momma Bs Salad Fest. At this point we have less than a month before Shogan and I return home to Eugene, Dave will stay in Virginia for a minute or two and then fly back to the west coast where he will get his car and his belongings and say goodbye to us for a while as he plans to return to the east coast for a bit.
We have about 900 miles to go and are relishing every day of it. The tropical summer weather is upon us! Hot and humid we have all become experts at outdoor spigot (faucet for you northerners) showers, old school style, but oh so refreshing after a sweaty, sunscreen filled, dirty day of riding!. What a treat to be staying at Carrie Clouse's home here in New Orleans where we have been treated to fabulous meals, air-conditioning, ceiling fans, comfortable beds, amazing hospitality and finally twice daily showers which I personally have enjoyed since arriving.
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| Off for another outing in New Orleans |
. This city teams with life and culture and affluence and poverty... it has it all! Contrary to all of the warnings we received, our favorite so far,"All they got there is whores and killers"... New Orleans is a magical place with a deep history and enough music and tasty food to last a lifetime! A beat cop said it best when I asked how safe was it here for people in New Orleans, he gave me such a perfect response. "If you are a Black male between the ages of 15 and 35, have no education and are poor, then New Orleans is a very dangerous place for you"! (Aside from that just hold onto your wallets as petty theft is rampant)
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| Beignet and Lattes, a New Orleans Tradition at Cafe Du Monde. Oh my, you know I love my donuts:) |
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| Tiffany and Dave preparing breakfast |
and...enjoying another AWESOME meal with Matt and Tiffany (Carrie is out of town so her house mates have been hosting us) Tiffany is an amazing cook and Matt has been a great resource for info about this place and the roads that lie ahead.
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| Bear or Dog? This is Pish, Carrie's very large boy dog! |
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| PEOPLE are AWESOME everywhere! |
Pictured here with Shogan and Dave is our Awesome Good Samaritan Ken Burns of Carthage Texas. Ken drove 200 miles directly south to Houston and back to pick up Dave so Team Awesome could be united once again. Also a biker, Ken pedaled 4000 miles throughout the south and northeast for 6 months last year. We are so appreciative of his generosity and kindness! Oh yeah, while I'm thinking about it, he also drove 30 miles to bring us COLD (yipee) water and offering to drive our bags before arriving at his house. Freaked me out for a second when Mike and Ken are standing at the roadside gesturing, (had my ipod in) mouthing my name. Gold Star Treatment! Okay and lastly then, since I am bragging on Ken, he's on a 15 day juice fast and he prepares FOR US, chicken breast in a creamy sun-dried tomato shallot awesomeness sauce, mixed vegetables, and a salad... Thank you Ken!
With Ken and Mike, this Awesome across the street neighbor drove me back to rescue my phone which I had left the day before at our last roadside stop:) Thanks Mike!
Our East Texas swampy paradise! One lady told us, "When you go back home you all can tell people that you came next door to heaven cause this is the closest you gonna get on earth"! The wildlife, topography and plant diversity make this a very special place that we relished on our ride!
Another Awesome dinner! This included fresh white bass caught for us that day by fishermen at the lake. We estimate our caloric needs to be between 3500 and 4500 calories per day which translates into, we basically eat all of the time. We are all excellent cooks and enjoy special meals even under the sometimes rustic conditions we find ourselves in. Since leaving California we have opted for an omnivore diet and have eaten chicken and lamb and fish and beef and pork and sausage and cracklins and.... we also eat veggies and grains and beans and fruits and nuts and my personal fave junk foods which include pastries and donuts and cheetos... We weighed ourselves back in Carthage, Shogan had lost 12 pounds, Dave had lost 9 and I 6 since starting our ride.
Camping has given me a new appreciation for nature and the outdoors. I am personally grateful to awake in my tent and soak up the sights and sounds and smells of the nature around me! We usually wake with the sunrise and start out early in an attempt to beat the ever increasing heat of the days.
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| Pictured here with Jude and his staff. This Prairie Pine store/meat market owner offered his back lot as a campground and filled us up with Boudin (regional stuffed sausage) and Jalapeno Garlic Sausage. We appreciated the lazy evening, cold beers, boudin and hospitality! |
Swimming in the Sabine Lake in Louisiana. Dave and I especially enjoy our swims! Shogan has been joining and although he still gasps upon entering extremely warm and comfortable rivers/lakes, never much of a water guy, I think he is digging our hydration stations!
Oh so True! I get this one... reflection is a natural benefit to a long ride, sign posts along the way also assist!
Another amazing sunset with Shogs and Dave!
Our Mississippi riverboat! The closer we came to the Mississippi we all began creating a "Huck Finn" riverboat fantasy. It was agreed that if a riverboat ride became available we would take it, even if it was going to Panama. It then proceeded to talk of us building our own raft and floating the remaining miles to New Orleans. Either way we all feel taken back in time as we ride through the endless swamps and along the majestic waterways that are so prevalent here in Louisiana!
Tony the Tiger lives here in a metal box inside a cage at this Truck Stop in Grosse Tete LA. The locals and travelers alike adore the opportunity to view this Tiger and are petitioning to keep him here to the chagrin and dismay of animal rights activists, namely Big Cat Rescue out of Tampa FL. I am sorry to say but Tony has got to go. It is inhumane and completely undignified to keep such a beautiful and majestic animal under these conditions...(in my humble opinion)...
Mr and Mrs Loubiere pictured here with their son Steele. These folks live in Plaquemine LA, a quaint historic town on the banks of the Mississippi. Married nearly 60 years, this beautiful couple still looked at one another with a twinkle in their eyes!
Steele and his Dad buy up old properties in the neighborhood and convert them to their original condition.
I can imagine retiring someday to a place like this, as I have come to realize I have a soft spot for quiet historic neighborhoods.
Sunrise through my tent on the banks of the Mississippi River.
Team Awesome rode along the "River Road" for our own personal plantation tour. These plantation homes epitomize the conspicuous consumption that was a hallmark of their time. Built in Greek revival fashion, many of these homes have been restored to their original condition, many have fallen to time and weather and are awaiting new ownership. The plantations served as factories and communities for the slaves and landowners. The goal of course was to harvest, process and sell their crops (mostly sugar and cotton) as efficiently and with as much profit as possible.
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Giant oaks and Cypress and Cedar abound across the plantation landscape.
St John the Baptist Church in Saint John the Baptist Parish LA. We were about to be trapped in a huge storm. Lightning, thunder, wind and rain, we ran for the church and sought shelter for the night. They housed us in the parish hall, drenched, we were so grateful for the roof over our heads, the kitchen, the bathroom, and the historic 240 year old church which we visited in the morning after things had dried out a bit.
Parts of our ride have included traversing the industrial urban complex that makes up many towns in America. This Dow Chemical plant was one of many we passed before entering New Orleans. The Mississippi is actually the most polluted waterway in the US. Such a bummer because I was ready to dive in when my daughter reminded me that perhaps that was not the best plan. Dave could not resist and is still glowing in the dark from his riverside dip. (just joking he's fine)
Nathan, owner of the "No plans Bar" saved our asses by opening an hour early and rescuing us from the pouring rain and lightning and thunder. Our first bar since New Mexico we stayed and waited out the storm, played some pool and enjoyed cocktails prior to taking the ferry across the river to New Orleans
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Thanks again to everyone who has been so kind and supportive of Our Great American Bike Ride! We appreciate all of your well wishes and encouragement and continue to be grateful for this AWESOME experience! For this last portion of the ride we expect thunder storms, heat and humidity and a continued awesomeness as we near the end of our journey.
Oh, and for those of you who might think we're dragging on the blog front, we have been camping for weeks and have had very little internet connectivity... we are all safe and fed and happy and well you get the picture!
Team Awesome Loves You!
`Michelle
