Wish I could say that I woke up with the world spinning around me after a wild New Year’s bash, but the fact is that while the rest of Baton Rouge was still splayed out in bed, I was climbing the Mississippi. I say climbing because the Sunshine bridge (US 70) is in fact a mountain. The tailwind that delivered me out of town was a fierce crosswind all across, and I was buffetted back and forth even to the brink of the shoulder. Damned dangerous… Would’ve taken a ferry if I had to do it again.
Landed on the other side with a flat. Again. This time, glass. The rear tire needs to be replaced; it’s not threadbare yet but there are strings coming out of the sidewall.
The patch held on the oversized tube and I rolled on against a cross/headwind through farmland and bayou. Beautiful bayou. Had a great shoulder but I lost it running into Pierre Part. Also encountered no bicycling signs at two small bridges abd one pontoon bridge. It was the only way across, so I crossed. Not sure why the sidns are there, but I didn’t have any trouble.
Doesn’t feel like cajun country yet.
The wind became my friend again and it was a fast and easy shouldered ride all the way here to Morgan City. Skirted a giant levee on my right, crick on my left the whole way. Made it to a city park with a campground.
Freaking cold. 27 right now at 7am. Toe warmers are spent and it’s time to emerge from my coccoon and find some grub. Strong 30mph headwinds today will probably limit my progress going northwest on US 90.
