DeRidder - Chicot State Park, LA
As expected, I had a great night sleep in the hotel room. The alarm went off at 7:15 AM which made me mad since I was sleeping so well. Patrick wasn’t going until 8:30 AM, so it seemed that we had plenty of time since we didn’t have to break camp.
Bill and Mel decided to take today off. Bill needs a day for his back to heal and Mel needs one more day after fighting this crazy virus that has attacked us all. It is kind of sad since after all this time, this is the first day that Bill has missed, but he has to listen to his body and allow it to heal.
Patrick picked up our gear from the hotel at 8:30 AM and we arrived at the RV park shortly after. We were all fed, sunscreened, butt-buttered, and ready to ride before 9:30 AM. It was a beautiful morning with partly sunny skies and a perfect temperature right in the mid 50’s.
Bill and Mel decided to take today off. Bill needs a day for his back to heal and Mel needs one more day after fighting this crazy virus that has attacked us all. It is kind of sad since after all this time, this is the first day that Bill has missed, but he has to listen to his body and allow it to heal.
Patrick picked up our gear from the hotel at 8:30 AM and we arrived at the RV park shortly after. We were all fed, sunscreened, butt-buttered, and ready to ride before 9:30 AM. It was a beautiful morning with partly sunny skies and a perfect temperature right in the mid 50’s.
Today’s route seems pretty easy with under 70 miles and pretty flat. The first town is around 30 miles, so we have to take a roadside stop around 16 miles. I found a closed fruit stand that had some benches, so it was a perfect place to get off the bicycle and have a quick snack.
16 miles later we were in Elizabeth, LA at a gas station / restaurant / gun shop / hardware store. As Jackie said, “All they need is an alter for church and you would never have to leave this place.” The next stop was another quick on the side of the road.
We now had only 20 miles to go, but since we hadn’t had a water or bathroom for 17 miles, we stopped at a store only 10 miles from the end. This store wound up being a gas station / butcher shop / hardware store. It is amazing how many different things they can put under one roof out here. We now had only 10 miles to go and were quite motivated since a friend of Mary’s had arrived at the campsite and had promised to bring some good beer with him.
45 minuets later we arrived at the campsite and as promised, James had arrived. He brought some really good local beer, so we all hung out, drinking great beer, eating snacks, and having great conversation. A few hours later, leftovers were served. We did a pretty good job at cleaning out the fridge.
Tomorrow is a day similar to today. We plan on leaving around 9 AM, so alarm is set for 7:15 AM. Not too bad considering it is now only 9:30 PM and I am ready for bed after this blog is done. With that said…goodnight.
16 miles later we were in Elizabeth, LA at a gas station / restaurant / gun shop / hardware store. As Jackie said, “All they need is an alter for church and you would never have to leave this place.” The next stop was another quick on the side of the road.
We now had only 20 miles to go, but since we hadn’t had a water or bathroom for 17 miles, we stopped at a store only 10 miles from the end. This store wound up being a gas station / butcher shop / hardware store. It is amazing how many different things they can put under one roof out here. We now had only 10 miles to go and were quite motivated since a friend of Mary’s had arrived at the campsite and had promised to bring some good beer with him.
45 minuets later we arrived at the campsite and as promised, James had arrived. He brought some really good local beer, so we all hung out, drinking great beer, eating snacks, and having great conversation. A few hours later, leftovers were served. We did a pretty good job at cleaning out the fridge.
Tomorrow is a day similar to today. We plan on leaving around 9 AM, so alarm is set for 7:15 AM. Not too bad considering it is now only 9:30 PM and I am ready for bed after this blog is done. With that said…goodnight.