Day 30 (Jackson to Bogalusa,LA)

This morning was the latest start ever, about 9:15 this morning. We slept in a few minutes late, then when we got ready to go, I noticed that Karen's bike had a flat rear tire. I took the time to patch her tube, then I patched the tube that I had changed out yesterday when my rear tire went flat. Once I had everything together, father drove us from St Francisville to Jackson, where we took of from the same parking lot (yea dollar general) where we ended yesterday.

While we were unloading the bikes I started talking to the guy standing next to our truck. His name is Darren Smith, and he works High Steel. He is currently contracted to build Cell towers, 200 ft off the ground. These cell towers out here are Very Tall. He pointed out the one he is currently working on and told us it was quite a bit of fun,but nothing like some of the 1,000 ft structures he has worked on. Cool Guy.

Darren The High Iron worker (54 years old)

Our Tree Lined Ride

We started out fine, everything going well, then about an hour into the ride we see father driving toward us going the wrong direction. He stopped and told us that there was no road where we were supposed to turn. I sat down with the map and figured out an alternate route that would only add about a mile to our scheduled mileage. We got started again and two miles down the road, Lo and Behold, there was the missing road. Karen and I turned down that road, and it was a real treat. A little narrow, but no traffic, and the trees arching over the road to make a shaded tunnel for us to ride through.


We continued and I missed the final turn to Tangipahoa, but we met a couple of guys at the convenience store where we were going to ask directions, and they put us back on track and only added a mile or two to our ride without backtracking. And it was actually a nice, smooth, scenic ride.

Then things got weird, like sometimes when I was working weird. As we pull into Tangipahoa, there is father parked in front of what looks to me to be a drug house. The first words ot of father's mouth were, " I think I found the county distribution center.". NO JOKE. When I asked why he parked there, he said that there weren't that many places in town to park. ( What that meant was that the crack house had the only tree that cast shade on the shoulder of the road.)  We all three watched people come up to the house, make hand-to-hand exchanges, and leave as we were eating.We both grabbed a very quick bite, and as we did, father walked up to the runners on the porch of the house and asked to go to the bathroom. They told him to go around the side of the house, not allowing him inside. When he got back to the car, we told him to get in and go, that we would follow. Well, he finally got rolling a minute or two after we did. A couple of miles down the road we saw him pull on past one of the scheduled turns. We just turned down the proper road and kept going.

I had three flats (all rear tire) on today's ride. They seemed to take forever to change, and I was very tired (probably from  riding on under inflated tires). We finally got into Bogalusa about sunset. I was running short on tubes and patches, so I went in Wal Mart and got a patch kit and a couple of tubes that I hope I can make work, as there are no bike shops anywhere near our route for the next couple of days.

101+ or 102+miles today, depending on which computer you believe. Numbers and map at :

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/236281296#.UIYcyrAOzVY.blogger