65.5 miles averaging 13.7 mph
Route from Baton Rouge to Indian Creek Campground, Independence, LA
Best Moment – Finding Pedal Play, having the bottom bracket re-tooled and re-packed and ready to go by 11 this morning. I first went to Capitol Bicycle Shop – a huge place with an amazing selection of bicycles. The guy there told me that he probably couldn’t look at my noisy bicycle and suggested that I try Pedal Play – about three miles further along.
I got to the store just as they were opening and Chris put my bicycle on the bike stand right away, check things out and get me back on the road. Thanks Chris!
Worst Moment - These ill repaired Louisiana roads are killing me. There are giant pot-holes big enough to swallow a Novara touring bicycle and its rider whole. I’m certain that there are. Then there are the non-existent shoulders along or so much junk along the side of the road, if there is a shoulder to ride it is un-rideable. I don’t know what happened for highway funding here, but they need some. The campground hostess mentioned that the road construction that Neita went through is much needed. I couldn’t agree more.
This is not one of the roads I rode, but where I stopped for lunch
One of the things that occurred to me was just how much the road kill has changed. In Texas it was mainly deer. Here in LA there are all kinds of critters. The most prevalent are the armadillos followed by possums, raccoons, and foxes. Interesting that there should be so many armadillos since one of the first days in Texas, there was a ranch founded by an individual that found ways to make baskets, purses and other items from the armadillo. He raised them and built a network of tunnels for them – yet I didn’t see a single dead armadillo in Texas.
Here are some interesting signs from around the Baton Rouge area. There apparently are still Blue Laws that prohibit selling alcohol by some establishments, yet (and I didn’t get the photo) there are signs advertising daiquiris and even daiquiris at two for the price of one. It also seems to be a very patriotic and religious area with churches of all kind all over the place. I saw church signboards indicating that “Christ paid for our sins, and we still get the Gift,” and “Christ paid for our sins, keep the change.”
Indian Creek Campground is lovely. There are a lot of RV’s parked but there don’t seem to be many campers. We’re thinking that some folks may leave the RV and just come here on weekends or holidays. Sort of like a semi permanent second home.
Just finished listening to The Solitude of Prime Numbers. It was an entertaining novel by an Italian author - Paolo Giodano
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