Louisiana is a beautiful state, both the people and the landscape. The people were the kindest ever! If I stopped on the side of the road to even read a map, someone invariably turned around to come back and ask if I was all right. It got so I was uncomfortable stopping because I didn’t want folks to go out of their way when I was okay. And Louisiana was the state where people gave me money. Really, I don’t need it. Please take it. Ok. Thank you. How kind! Even a cop when I was sitting outside a Dollar General charging my devices. I got the feeling that it wasn’t because they thought I was poor, but that they wanted to support my endeavor. I also got a lot of little gifts: a crystal, a cross, and a turquoise inlaid knife. These things all bring me good karma and I’m sure have helped in assuring my safety on my way. So thank you to all the kind and caring people I met often for only a brief passing, a short conversation, and and exchange of smiles. Such treasures!
But, I must say Louisiana is the state where I saw the most trash
A day or so after I arrived in Louisiana I had the sensation of pain in my eye when I removed my contact. I’m new to contacts and my hygiene is lacking. When I researched what might be happening to my eye, I got that it might be a parasite from water and if not treated early could lead to blindness. Yikes! I need an ophthalmologist and soon. And if I’m right, I’ll need to get off the road for a couple of months treatment so I’d like to get to a city with an airport. Monroe, Louisiana met my criteria and was only 2 days away. And a bonus was a state park on the way with laundry facilities and a shower so I could be presentable when I arrived. So I googled and found the Eye Clinic of Monroe. I called and they were so helpful. Sure we can see you! I’ll be there in a couple of days. I camped outside of Monroe the night before and cycled in the next day for my 2 pm appt. The doc saw me and didn’t believe I had that parasite but he wasn’t sure what was going on. He kindly gave me a write up of what he saw and he put me on some antibiotics. On my way out, the staff had a ton of questions about my travels and of course I answered them all. By the time I got on my way it was after 4 pm and with a sunset of 5:00 I didn’t think I could get out of the city before dark…not to mention rush hour traffic. Across the street fromt the clinic was a field, so I camped there for the night. In the morning, a nurse from the clinic whom I had not met the day before came over to meet me and invited me to their holiday luncheon later. Yes…I’d love to come. LIttle did I know I was the guest speaker:) It was the first holiday party I’ve attended in years. And such fun getting to know everyone! I had such a fabulous time…thank you! That was the best holiday gift ever!!
I hit the road around 2 pm in order to get out of town and find a place to camp for a couple of days due to a rainstorm coming. I got to the Russell Sage Wildlife Refuge and found a place in the woods to camp. Later that evening one of the ladies from the clinic texted me to say a girlfriend of hers wanted to meet me…that evening. This is a first, but what the hey! Sure. So I gave them directions and they found me in the woods. Pajama party! After they left, the rain started. And it rained, and rained, and rained. By 4 the next afternoon, the woods were puddling, and I was laying plastic bags under my air mattress trying to keep the water at bay. But I felt I was managing. I’m a tough cookie. I can persevere through most anything. Shortly after I committed myself to coping through, my phone rings. Just a number comes up and I don’t realize that it’s a local number because I never know what area code I’m in. But I answer it. What the hey. What else have I got to do:) And it’s the Dr’s wife, Charlotte. We’re in Russell Sage trying to find you. You need to get out of here because it can flood. No, that’s ok, I respond. I’m sure I’ll be all right. You don’t have to rescue me. And then I think to myself, what are you doing? The Universe is sending you people to help and you’re turning them away?!? Are you crazy?!? Yes, you can come get me. Here are my GPS coordinates (a trick I’d just learned earlier that day). So Joe and Charlotte Barron plucked me and my drenched and dripping things from the swamp and took me home to their beautiful house on a bayou. And there I stayed while it rained for days. And there I stayed while my eye healed. And there I stayed while a cold front came through. And we had fun. Charlotte and I ran errands together. I picked up litter around the office while she worked. I helped prepare gift bags for referring doctors. I made myself a menace distracting the ladies in the office with my stories. I shopped for warmer gear. We baked holiday treats…and then ate them! I got to meet their neice and her daughter. I felt like a member of the family…right at home…and that always feels good. Thank you guys so much for a rich, rewarding, and restful week off the bike.
But alas, I always have to say goodbye to new friends and move on down the road. Kindly, Charlotte offered to return me to near where they plucked me up. And after about 16 miles I found a sweet camping spot, as I often do.
The next day brought some excitement which I don’t often have. I got a flat just as I started out that morning. I fixed it. Then just a couple of miles down the road, I got another one. No! Not that kind of day! I had one of these days in Oklahoma and I never want another one. As I’m changing this flat, I notice that the bead is ripped and the wires are exposed. I put it back together and it looks okay but within less than a mile it’s bulging. (This was the point at which I was suppose to remember the dollar bill trick…putting it inside the tire to prevent the bulging. But, of course, I didn’t.) So now I need to get somewhere to have a new tire shipped to me. I guess I’ll go to a motel in Natchez, Mississippi, the new big town. And I’ll hitch. Before I’ve even put my thumb out, these guys stop to see if I need help. But they have a small car. I told them, that’s okay, I’ll get a ride. Plenty of trucks going my way. And I do. With Clyde. He wasn’t going all the way I needed, but he said he would take me. Thanks! And he knew of a campground down on the Mississippi near Natchez. Perfect…and much cheaper than a motel. So I settle in to staying a couple of days while I await 3 new tires. I’ve wanted to try a tire that’s faster than what I have on there and still fairly puncture resistant. (For those in the know, I went from Marathon Pluses to Marathons with Greenguard. They’re tested to have less rolling resistence than Marathon Racers.) The weather was pretty rainy while I was resting, but when I got a dry day, though not warm, I rode into Natchez to tour around. First I got to cross the mighty Mississippi River.
The town of Natchez was quite sweet but for some reason I didn’t take any pictures. It was my Xmas shopping day. I have to do that in one day and get the presents mailed as I can’t carry them on the bike. So first I had to shop. Then I went to a thrift store for wrapping paper and cards. I bought them used what I needed and gave them back the extra. She even supplied the tape and I wrapped right on her counter:)
Getting back across the Mississippi was a bit exciting. The bridge had shoulders going east, but not going west. And I was going across in rush hour traffic at dusk…yup, a bit nervous…but I had to go. Put on my lights and pull into traffic. Everyone was so accommodating. They just pulled into the other lane to get around me. No worries.
I would have liked a bit more time in Natchez, but during my down time in the campground I did some planning for New Orleans. I wasn’t able to find a Warmshowers host for four nights so I decided to do my first Air Bnb. I was booked in and needed to pedal to arrive on a particular day. Not my favorite style of travel…deadlines, yikes! So off I pedaled with new tires and choosing to travel down the Louisiana side of the river as suggested by a park ranger. Turns out it was the Mississippi River Trail, a bike trail from Minnesota to New Orleans. Long stretches of quiet road are just delightful.
There's a lot of water in Louisiana....that's all I gotta say!
Next stop was Baton Rouge. I was having major issues with my new iPhone and was told that it needed to be seen in an Apple store. That was a month ago. Took me awhile to get to a store. So a few days out, I made a Genius Bar appt. Now I had to get to downtown Baton Rouge, find a place to camp for the night and then get to the mall for my appt. And remember it's cold. Freezing. Rainy. So first, while I'm checking Google maps for a place for lunch, an older black man in a nice car pulls up on my right in a dead parking lot to ask me if I needed help. Nope. Just looking for a place to eat. Do you need any money? That's sweet, but I'm good. Thank you for your kindness. Found a good cafe. Got my devices charging. Got something to eat. And watched it rain. The rain was forecasted to break in the afternoon so I found the Magnolia Plantation to tour when I could break away from the cafe. On the way there, I had scoped out the City Park nearby and it looked quite promising as a place to camp. Mind you, water was everywhere. But I found a good spot under a tree that seemed fairly protected. I also didn't see any trash so I figured there weren't many people around there. And that's where I went back to to camp for the night. This was a first, camping in a big city park.
What I didn't notice was on the other side of the ravine off to my right were railroad tracks. So it was like sleeping 100 ft from the railroad and a train crossing was nearby, so when they hit that whistle during the night I practically jumped out of my skin it was so loud. OMG! After the second time I was awakened, I put in earplugs. I don't think another train went by.
I got Blaze's derailleur aligned...again...and then off to the mall for my Apple appt. I love walking my bike through the mall. So funny! And Apple gave me a new phone. And said I couldn't upload my backup because there was also a software issue. So I was starting with a brand new, clean phone. Not a good thing. I had to sit in the Apple store for 3 hours downloading all my apps and getting the phone back to what I entered the store with. Hopefully this one will not black screen on me although it did do this screen flashing thing with the first call I made on it. By that time I was miles down the road so I wasn't going back. The lovely techie at Apple did give me a suggestion of someplace I had to see on my way to New Orleans, The Whitney Plantation, the Story of Slavery. Beside showing slave housing they built memorials to honor the slaves.
"When a slave die, Martin makes the coffin hisself and send a couple of slaves to bury the body and say, 'Don't be too long. ' No singin' or prayin' allowed. Just put them in the ground and cover them up and hurry on back to that field."
And there were drawings to depict the struggles and torture that slaves endured.
And there were drawings to depict the struggles and torture that slaves endured.
This is the slave jail used to hold slaves during slave auctions.
They had an artists rendition of the heads of slaves caught after capture and put on poles along the Mississippi River, but many thought that was too gruesome. Slavery was gruesome. It doesn't need to be made pretty. They hope to be able to put the poles back up when they can figure out how to walk that fine line between telling an horrific tale of torture and the sensibilities of the tourist. This museum is privately owned by a white lawyer from New Orleans. He's done an amazing job with it in a few years. The quotes on the memorial walls are from books published from interviews with former slaves that were children during that time. The writing project was done a long time ago and their stories are just now being published. Very moving.
I pedaled on down beside the levee where often my view of the water was blocked by the massive berm. But one night, to camp, I crossed over the levee and dropped down by the water. Trash. Everywhere. Felt not so pleasant to be thinking of camping there. Then the land owner drives up on his quad and we chat. He tells me I should go down this dirt road a bit and get up by the water's edge. He'd come down looking for trespassers:/ I smiled. He said I was fine. Thanks!! So that's how I got to camp right on the banks of the Mississippi watching massive barges going up and down the river. And I mean massive! Humongous!!
And in the morning I awoke to gunshots. Hunting season! All I could do was hope they were further away, perhaps across the road from me. Many mornings I awoke to the sound of gunshots. I gave up worrying about it. They like to hunt in Louisiana. I gotta hope they're really not nearby. Why worry about something you can do nothing about. That's a motto of mine. The shots often start at first light but die down about an hour or so later.
Moving closer to New Orleans. Pedaling the top of the levee now as it's a paved bike path. Sweet! The night before I enter NOLA (as locals call New Orleans), I'm looking for a place to camp on the levee. Normally it's just the path with it dropping off down both sides, but just when I need it, a little camping spot on the top of the levee appears. Yea! How perfect is that? (That's the levee bike path and not a road.)
Just after I set up, this older guy stops by to chat...asking me lots of questions about my travels. Then he asks if he can stop by later. Sorry, no. I go to sleep early, I reply. Then I wondered a bit if he would be stopping back by anyways. No, he didn't.
So today is the day I cycle into New Orleans and I have little idea what to expect. A friend who cycled in last year on a trike said the bridge is terrible and that the city was not bike friendly...so I'm a bit apprehensive. I get to the bridge and there are lane closures and places where the shoulder is closed and places where I have to cut across an on ramp. Oh, what fun! But there was a wide shoulder so I was happy. And I had a plan to get off the busy road as soon as I crossed over. I like to find neighborhood streets to ride preferably. Found a place to have lunch and met a local who gave me a suggestion of an interesting route to take across the town to the Bywater area where my Air Bnb was. He suggested I cycle down Magazine Street. Mind you, this is just days before Christmas and Magazine Street is the quaint shopping district. No bike lanes. But the cars didn't seem to be upset with me. Since I wasn't shopping, I didn't stop but did enjoy seeing the hustle and bustle of the holiday.
Then I proceeded to cycle through the busy French Quarter and again, all the drivers were kind to me. No problem. And on to the Bywater district where the houses just got cuter and cuter!
And then to my Air Bnb.
The inside was much quainter than the outside.
After settling in, I decided I needed to get dinner before it got dark. I wasn't sure how comfortable I was roaming the streets at night. This neighborhood was sketchy. So on Google Maps I found a place called the Sneaky Pickle and I wandered down there. And there I met Antsy (Olivia), a young woman from California who had hiked the Appalachian Trail last year. Of course, a connection was made. She invited me to Christmas dinner at the Sneaky Pickle hosted by the owners for employees and stragglers. How kind. Yes! And she said her mom was in town and that we should hook up. I'd love to. Back in my room, friends were posting on Facebook that I needed to do a tour of the cemetery. Really??? Yes. Okay. So I signed up for one. Then I let Antsy and her mom know and then both wanted to join me. How nice! They didn't usually do tours either.
So here I was, only hours after arriving in a new city and I had Christmas dinner plans and people to tour and play with. I love it!
So the next day I wandered the French Quarter. The architecture is so European and the people so eclectic.
Those are dread locks down to his knees
Famous Antoine's Restaurant, the oldest here.
That I love to see. For many Americans this is as close to Europe as they will get. Susan, the mom, and Antsy and I met for our tour of the French Quarter, the cemetery, and voodoo.
And it was well done. I learned a lot, but promptly forgot most of it. (A memory is a terrible thing to lose.) But I do recommend taking the tour. In Europe I often do the Sandman Free Tours when I arrive in a new city because it gives me an overview of the city's history and important buildings done in an artistic, anecdotal way. Love them. Done for tips only!
Those are dread locks down to his knees
Famous Antoine's Restaurant, the oldest here.
That I love to see. For many Americans this is as close to Europe as they will get. Susan, the mom, and Antsy and I met for our tour of the French Quarter, the cemetery, and voodoo.
We followed the tour with drinks at one bar, and dinner at Angeline's where Antsy had once worked. Then on to Frenchmen St. to hear music and tour an art market. And then we walked back to Bywater. It was nice to be out walking around at night...I don't often get to do that. And with fun company...all the better!!!
Susan and "Antsy" (her trail name)
Christmas day I decided was a good day to cycle around New Orleans, thinking everyone would be off the streets and home with their families. Nope. This is a tourist town. And like New York City...it never sleeps. Everything in the French Quarter was open and bustling. But I decided to go back to the Garden District which was quieter and where the elegant old homes are. There is a magic to this city. The homes are just so regal in the Garden District. There was some money here. Was fun to just enjoy the quiet streets, seeing all the Christmas decorations.
On to Christmas dinner in the evening at the Sneaky Pickle where the owners put on quite a feast. And later I pitched in in the kitchen...a girl's gotta "sing for her supper":)
The morning was time to depart. Off to see more of the Gulf Coast and on to new adventures.
