Day From My Diary II… 19th January
Thanks to Susie’s never ending enthusiasm for writing blogs and my laziness, my blog is certainly well overdue (sorry everyone, especially Susie). To be fair it’s been overdue for a couple of weeks now… cue the slap on the wrist.
Normally, I’d have a reasonable excuse. Something along the lines of cycling for a hundred miles and then going out to find dinner, preparing it and needing to get some sleep before the next days cycle. Recently however the only real excuse would involve either being out and having too much fun or recovering from being out and having too much fun, neither are reasonable excuses.
As such, I’ve spend all day pondering, trying to find a really interesting aspect of our trip to amuse and amaze. Perhaps a photo blog of all the wonderful sights we’ve passed, or how dramatically different one day can be from the next, maybe the astonishing hospitality of strangers, an historical overview of where we are now, a night out in Houston or New Orleans, or even an account of the things Susie’s too scared to put in a blog. In the end I decided to copy the idea from one of my previous blogs and put in another day from my diary.
Before you jump to the conclusion that I wimped out or went for the easy option I should point out that I’ve already said how lazy I am so, you should expect me to go for the easy option. As it happens, it’s all true and I went for the easy option so I could get some sleep!
Actually, the “Day From My Diary II” is today’s diary. Thinking about what has happened to us since this morning encompasses a number of the above mentioned potential topics and some more. As before, I’ve added explanation where it’s needed in [square brackets].
Diary 19th January, 2010
Woke up after a great nights sleep, if not a little too short on hours. [Bed time was 12.50] As usual woke up an irritating 30 seconds before my alarm sounded at 6.40. I was hoping I had an extra 30 minutes or so. 2 snoozes later and I was glad I could hear Susie in the shower next door as it was an excuse to stay in bed an extra ten minutes. As it turn’s out Susie wasn’t in the shower, it was the heating fan. She knocked on my door so I got up, showered, then repacked my bags while drinking coffee and eating toast. I was nearly totally packed when I realised Susie was still on the computer, yet again without the power lead in. So spent the next half hour or so chatting with Lee and Maite [pronounced 'mitre'] and having more of their great coffee. Maite left to walk the dog. I asked Lee if I could borrow ’Catcher in the Rye’ as I was only a little way through and hoping I’d get time to finish before returning. [Maite and Lee had shown us such a great time in and around New Orleans we jumped at the chance to come back for Mardi Gras at the end of our trip!].
[I'll quickly explain how we came to stay with Maite and Lee. Susie had writen to various solar people in the southern states and Jeff Shaw got in contact and we met him at Gulf South Solar in Baton Rouge (two days cycle from New Orleans). Jeff and the staff welcomed us with open arms. The next morning when we went back to the offices, Ann (from Gulf South Solar) informed us that her brother Lee and his wife Maite lived just outside New Orleans, she'd given them a call and we could stay with them. Brilliant!]
Susie eventually got ready and we set out on the road about 9am. The sun was shining and as soon as I got to the levy [The Mississippi river levy protects the low level housing in and around New Orleans] I took off my trousers. First time in a few weeks i had been able to cycle in just my shorts. Chatted with Susie about paying too much tax for a while as we wound round the river. Chatted to another cyclist on our way. She shot off on her racer after a bit. Got to the Zoo and stopped to check directions.
I thought Susie knew where we were heading as she’d been talking with Lee the previous evening. She thought I’d looked at the map and worked out the route. How she thought I knew what they were talking about the previous evening I don’t know but that didn’t make much difference especially as the woman cyclist we’d chatted to on the levy appeared out of nowhere offering us assistance.
The very nice lady, Courtney, not only phoned her husband to get the best route but actually took her bike off the car and showed us the way. She told me about some of the buildings and history en-route and that she’s training for a half ironman in three months. Her husband has a marathon in a couple of weeks. By the time we got to our road she’d offered us the use of their condo in Orange, near Florida. Unbelievable! The southern hospitality stereotype is certainly all true, and more.
The next 15km out of town wasn’t so nice, the trafic was ‘big’ [massive vehicles] and some roadworks. Then the bridge was closed so we had to go over to the freeway bridge [the freeways in Louisianna are illegal for bikes, but there was no other route]. There was lots of debris collected at the edge and little or no shoulder. I realised that Susie had dopped back so slowed down. I was getting a bit wobbly at that speed and an 18 wheeler passes a little too close so I kept on. I took the first exit ramp and when I turned round to see Susie she wasn’t in sight. I pulled up and stopped. She came into sight before I got too worried about there being no shoulder and big lorries. We rejoined the 90 [highway] and the road was much better. [Hard] Shoulder for pretty much the rest of the day. Terrain was predictably flat all day too.
We stopped at supermarket and got some painkillers, lemonade and bread. Stupid layout of store. Sat in the scorching sun and made sandwhiches. Susie wasn’t feeling too well and didn’t eat much. Her funny tummy together with the fact she claims her boobs are bigger [too much food and drink since Christmas, and not too much cycling] prompted me to make some morning sickness jokes. Took a couple of painkillers for my knee. Took off my thermal which I havn’t done since China.
Back on the road and then realised I’d lost my sunglasses by leaving them on top of my panier when I cycled off. Finally out of town and the ride got much nicer. There was swamp either side and lots of buildings on stilts and raised. Boats all over the place. Lots of old and broken boats, probably from Katrina, I thought Dad would like it here. [My Dad seems to collect boats, even though he can't sail, the boats are generally beyond repair and he can't swim]. Nice houses, all seemed new. I was expecting to see a load of hurricane and water damaged houses but there weren’t any really, only some wonky stilts and foundations in place. Great looking dead tree trunks and grasses, plus really wide trunks at the base of the tree’s that grow directly into the water.
Stopped at Fort Pike. We talked to guy in office and got a leaflet, wrote in the guest book, payed our $4 and went in. Clouds came over and it become cold. The fort was quite quaint but seemed a little short for the purposes of a fort. Lots of gun emplacements though, a few cannons dotted about. Very wet. Susie had left her shoes back at the bike and went off to get them and her jacket. I wandered round investigating the rooms and different bits. Cool weapons cases and ammo and one room renovated to show how it would have been.
Fort Pike
Back to the office and Susie was chatting to the guy in the office. He’d been on the internet after reading our website I’d marked in the visitors book and looked us up. He said he wouldn’t have charged us the $4 if he’d known we were on this big trip. I said he could give us a refund if he liked and he thought I was being serious. He told us that the centre courtyard was built on wooden rafters that make it move up and down with the water level but that it was attached to the walls so it ended up pushing them out. Plus, during Katrina, the fort was under 38feet of water and they’d only recently got it reopened. Plus the old sewage system that used the tide to wash away everything means that the whole thing floods every time they have a high tide and so is constantly wet inside. He took a photo of us outside the fort for the office and said they may use it with the local press. Nice chap, rides an Indian [motorbike, not the native]. Also said that all the houses between New Orleans and the Fort had been built since Katrina, only one house was left standing on the 60mile stretch of road. It amazed me as there were a good few thousand houses there and loads of spaces where there used to be more places. This area really got annihalated. Susie was feeling worse and didn’t have anything to eat at all. One guy chatted to us after seeing us on the road, walking back to his mate shouted “these guys have cycled across europe and asia on those bast#%ds”. Brought a smile to our faces.
Swampy
Back on the road and over a bridge. Cool sky, very blue with fluffy clouds. Susie was markedly slow, I took the lead after 10km as usual and she didn’t keep up. Soon apparent she wasn’t well at all. We stopped and she lay down for a bit.
A Little Nap!
A nice chap turned round to see if we were alright. I looked up how far it was to the nearest motel, 30km. Town in 8km though. We were thinking of flagging one of the trucks [one of the seemingly infinite humungous pick-ups that constantly pass by] down and getting a lift. She decided to try to get to town and see how it went. Stopped again and she spewed up. Missed the photo opp. Felt better afterwards and we got to a garage. She bought some coke for the sugar and rehydration. Very cold now, thermal and jacket. Nothing at all in Pearlington but Susie felt she may be able to make it the next 25km so we headed off.
The causeway near the Fort now turned back to marshland with tall pine forests. We made ot into town as it was getting dark. Just before 6pm. Checked out a couple of motels and after some negotiation with the manager managed to get the tax off. I checked out a room but said we had to change as it smelt of smoke and thought it was the last thing Susie needed. Got a different room, but changed that one as it also smelt of smoke. Showered, changed and went straight back out to find food as I was starving. Went to Family Dollar to get susie some pretzels and gummy bears. Ended up getting ingredients to make burrito’s.
Got back and set up the computer to do blog. Susie was already in bed and dozing. Not surprised after managing to cycle 80 miles feeling like sh#t. Still managed to wake up a bit and eat gummy bears though! Made dinner and checked e-mails. Dinner took ages as the rice I’d bought took 25 minutes to cook even using the microwave, rubbish. Got some photo’s from Ann and was nice to hear from Charles [our co-cyclist throughout China] who will be able to make it to our return party.
Seems as though I’m now up to date. I have only to sign off, brush my teeth and do a couple of emails before I can get to bed too. It’s gone 12.30am so I’ll probably hit the sack around 1am.
I hope Susie can get some sleep and feels better in the morning. We’ve got about 85 miles to cover before meeting up with Jeff’s brother and then hopefully doing a presentation for his son’s class at school the next morning. Should be fun.
Night Y’all!
January 21st, 2010 at 1:12 am
Don’t believe everything that Jamie says, I can swim and my boats aren’t rubbish. Really proud of the pair of you and looking forward to seeing you when you get back home. Love dad…..XX
January 21st, 2010 at 11:05 am
Don’t believe everything that Jamie says I can swim and my boats aren’t rubbish. Very proud of the two of you and can’t wait to see you when you get back home. Love Dad and Doris.XX
January 23rd, 2010 at 2:39 pm
Hope you have made it out of Biloxi, Mississippi safely. Any chance you’ll head over to the coast to go down to Florida that way? It’s an amazing ride. Take care, and Jan and I will check back on your blog to see where you are!