Chicot State Park - Morganza, LA
Last night was the warmest night we have had since this trip started. I don’t think the temperature went below the 50s. This made for a pleasant 61 degrees when we started out at 9:15 AM this morning.
Today is another pretty easy route with no climbs and under 70 miles. With the route being flat, we decided to take the first break at mile 23, although a couple of people did use a bathroom at mile 14 because it was available. After the 23 mile break, we went another 19 mile in Simmesport. This was a very needed break since the road we were on (Louisiana State Route 1) was extremely bumpy. There were cracks on the shoulder as well as the road with grass growing though them. We rode 8 miles on this road and it was exhausting. By the time I made it to Simmesport my shoulders ached from all the bumps.
The remaining 23 miles is on this same road, so we considered alternate routes. When I asked the worker at the gas station he said that the road changes for the better as soon as we cross the bridge over the Atchfalaya RIver. Awesome deal. After a 35 minute break we were back on the bumpy road and crossed the river. The bridge was the only hill we had to climb all day.
The remaining 23 miles is on this same road, so we considered alternate routes. When I asked the worker at the gas station he said that the road changes for the better as soon as we cross the bridge over the Atchfalaya RIver. Awesome deal. After a 35 minute break we were back on the bumpy road and crossed the river. The bridge was the only hill we had to climb all day.
After the crossing the shoulder and road improved, as promised, and we felt like we were home free. There was a bit of a cross / head wind to deal with, but it wasn’t too bad.
We stopped one more time in Batchelor at an Exxon station that had a very cool taxidermy alligator inside that made for a cool picture:
We stopped one more time in Batchelor at an Exxon station that had a very cool taxidermy alligator inside that made for a cool picture:
We now had only 8 miles to the RV park. Most of the ride was over a levee that was interesting since to the left of us it was completely flooded. This was expected after all the rain in the midwest lately. We made it to the RV park around 3 PM. A pretty short day all-in-all.
I walked to the nearby store and was delighted to see that they sold margaritas and daiquiris to go. This is definitely a Louisiana-only specialty. I chose the margarita and after having a shower and getting dressed I returned for the mango daiquiri. I was glad I did. The daiquiri was delicious. We had a great dinner of spaghetti and meatballs/black beans with Jackie’s famous fresh baked bread. Oh, Mary had a friend visit and take her out to dinner, so she missed out on this wonderful meal, but there are leftovers.
Tomorrow’s ride is 84 miles, so we are planning on starting at 8:30 AM. That means an alarm is going off at 6:45 AM. Luckily we are in the tent just after 8 PM, so we have plenty of time to get a good night sleep. Until tomorrow…
I walked to the nearby store and was delighted to see that they sold margaritas and daiquiris to go. This is definitely a Louisiana-only specialty. I chose the margarita and after having a shower and getting dressed I returned for the mango daiquiri. I was glad I did. The daiquiri was delicious. We had a great dinner of spaghetti and meatballs/black beans with Jackie’s famous fresh baked bread. Oh, Mary had a friend visit and take her out to dinner, so she missed out on this wonderful meal, but there are leftovers.
Tomorrow’s ride is 84 miles, so we are planning on starting at 8:30 AM. That means an alarm is going off at 6:45 AM. Luckily we are in the tent just after 8 PM, so we have plenty of time to get a good night sleep. Until tomorrow…