Day 28

We rode from Kountze, Tx to Oberlin, LA. We set a new record of biking 123 miles and 1311 feet of elevation gain.

Before we left at sunrise, at the Super8, Tisha made sure we had everything we needed for breakfast and accomplished a printout and much needed scan for me.

So, we rode through the last of East Texas and the thicket, and crossed the Sabine River into Louisiana. The first town we arrived at was Merryville; we spoke with a police officer who was directing traffic for a homecoming parade. The officer recommended the only restaurant in town for lunch- Stu’s Burgers- cousin Duffy and I went and had burgers; my bacon cheeseburger was delicious. Stu was genuinely interested in our biking adventures too. Merryville claims it is known as the Eucalyptus village for all of its natural Eucalyptus. The town of DeRidder was next on our ride; we stopped in at American Legion Post 27, chatted with the operations manager Brooke who told us all about hunting and castrating wild boar. We also had the opportunity to meet with commander Heather McWilliams who shared some of her work and struggles with veteran support programs. We hope to share more. Duffy and I made the decision to ride on to Oberlin; we arrived after sundown with a bike that lost a couple parts. With the help of a fine Oberlin Police officer, we negotiated a ride with Mr. Curly and his wife Mary and their pickup and our bikes to the nearest hotel in the Town of Kinder -5 miles down the road. We are thankful for their help.

In the morning we plan to ride to New Roads.