I added conditional formatting on
the mileage and elevation columns in the Excel spreadsheet of this ride to flag
the top 20% in red and the bottom 20% in green. Tuesday’s 91 miles, yesterday’s
90 miles, and today’s 85 miles from Livonia to Amite City were all 3 “red” in
terms of mileage; the only 3-day stretch for either mileage or elevation on the
trip. So it was a BIG 3 days and I’m thrilled to have it behind us. To applaud
our efforts, Mother Nature is dishing up Hurricane Nate to welcome us to (and
keep us on) the Gulf Coast with likely a 2-3 day delay.
Today’s ride was one of my
favorites. The first 30-mile stretch was a beautiful, quiet route, taking us
through New Roads, LA. What we saw of New Roads was as picture-perfect as it
comes – big southern homes with wrap-around porches, flawless landscaping, and
huge yards extending to False River Lake. Out of New Roads, we crossed the
Mississippi River over a pretty impressive bridge and, coming off the bridge, caught
a glimpse into a little inlet shrouded in trees with, maybe, a hundred swans floating
quietly. I couldn’t help but think of that scene from the Notebook, so,
naturally, my mind wandered to Rachel McAdams, to Mean Girls, to this:
We capped off those first 30
miles with the best egg & cheese
biscuit I’ve ever eaten. And it was from a gas station which made it all the
more impressive. I mean, really, the best. From there, we basically rode our
bikes through Bon Temps, the road winding us through dense trees, noisy with
bugs and the frequent clamor of unseen animals in the brush, and passed a smattering
of little houses, complete with their big porches and beater cars, and a
disproportionate number of churches. When we rode through the town of
Slaughter, LA, I got to thinking that may have been a more apt setting for the
series.
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| New Roads, LA |
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| A shot of Georgie crossing the Mississippi |
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| Headed to Slaughter, LA |
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