Business riding. I had talked to a guy named Mark Martin, who I am currently staying with in Baton Rouge, about routes into town. He mentioned I should stay off the highway and ride along the river instead to avoid some bad conditions. I googled it and what looked like a similar route was 100 miles so I thought it was possible in a day, long day but possible.
Set off a little late and a little hungry which was a bad omen. The terrible new Orleans streets were the other bad omen. Getting lost on these streets was another bad omen. Having trouble finding my breakfast restaurant was another bad omen. Construction on the levy bike path was the last straw. No more straws.
Needless to say I was not in the greatest of moods until I ran into Bert and Holly along the road. They were in their last day of a 2.5 month 2200 mile trip. Very nice people, have me a sticker and just told me not to worry about things. The sticker says, "make art, be happy". True words and cured me almost immediately, felt like I was riding lighter after that one.
The ride was nice after that, a big tail wind along a lightly used road. Huge industrial area, saw loads of coal and refineries and construction materials. Crazy. It got crazier when people were left off their shift and just blasting it home. Also it gets dark early now so I was riding in the dark for a little bit. Not great but not bad, wide shoulder.
As mentioned, staying with Mark and talked about geology a little bit which was nice. Good guy who has set me up with a bed and everything. Awesome. He also has a sweet beard.
Trip stats
Hours riding: 8:29.04
Day miles: 119.43
Total miles west: 915.57
Average speed: 14.0 mph
Max speed: 28.5 mph
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