We rode from Bogalusa, LA to Biloxi, MS for 82 miles and 2188 feet of bicycling elevation gain. LA gasoline as low as 2.03 near border of MS. When approaching downtown Biloxi, I saw the Waffle House for the first time on this journey. We got a great price at the Hard Rock Hotel, so we stayed there. At around 1700 we went

To the Hotel buffet, Julian granted us free vouchers for it; Jolee attended to us during this 1.5 hour extravaganza, letting us know the ins and outs of the buffet, and outdoor walkways around the hotel; she also brought us all the beverages we wanted. Ironically, this night cousin Duffy and I spent most of our time listening to Dian Diaz and her band, a live rock in roll band, at the hotel next to ours called the Beau Rivage.

Our next day we plan to make it to Florida.

We decided to make some progress before the storm, so we rode to Bogalusa to settle in for the storm, 26 miles and 700 feet elevation gain. It rained during our ride; a surprise because it was not supposed to start until 10:00. When we arrived at Bogalusa, Cousin Duffy ventured to find us a motel; he decided on the last one that was 2.3 miles off our trail, as the others were less than adequate. While cousin Duffy was riding through the rain; I rode to see the Johnny Dominguez, house manager for American Legion Post 24. We discussed how his post is involved with helping the liaison to the courthouse, and sponsoring a “Paper Queen” scholarship for school, among the many other things that the Post does. The pulp and paper industry seems to be a major industry in the area; every other tractor trailer that passed us was loaded with pine logs.

We waited out the storm; I tried crawfish boudin, and Duffy and tried a Cajun egg for the first time from a local restaurateur- in the form of a sausage like wrap. It was tasty.

The plan is to leave at sunrise for Biloxi, MS.

We rode for 112 miles and 3180 feet of bicycling elevation gain from Livonia to Franklinton. On the way we crossed the great Mississippi River; rode through Jackson est. 1815, and coincidently the next town after Jackson was Clinton. Jackson was a quaint town of brick and white; and Clinton was a town of mixed boarded up businesses, homes, and revitalized large homes. I saw my first “ice to go” kiosk on the side of the road. I also saw a fair amount of snake roadkill.

The plan for the next day is to avoid the incoming storm coming with lightening and 58 mph winds.

We cut our ride short because of a flat tire. We left Kinder, through New Roads, by water front, over the Mississippi River in Jarreau, then on to our final stop in Livonia. Because we ran out of sunlight, we ended the ride with 85 miles and 570 feet of bicycling elevation gain. This ride I saw the first ads to sell crawfish; we found nearly all roadkill made of frogs and turtles; saw my first margarita “to go” stand; and ate a cajan burger at Joe’s sandwich shop in Opelousas. Then, in the afternoon, my rear tire went flat, not because of a puncture, but because the seal between the rim and the tire broke on my run-flat tire. With cousin Duffy’s help I installed a tube in the rear tire.

The plan is to ride to Franklinton next.

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.

We rode from Navasota to Kountze and set a new distance record of 119 miles and bicycling elevation gain of 2116 feet. This is the area known as east Texas. The forest was so thick around us that it created a solid shadow on the south side of the street, where we were riding. This provided great relief from the heat of the sun mid-day on. The general area with this thick forest is known as the “thicket.” We ended at dusk with a stay at the Super8 where Lisa was accommodating with a good first floor room.

We rode from La Grange to Navasota; 69 miles with bicycling elevation gain of 3534 feet. The countryside had some nice views; cousin Duffy had a battle with a diesel truck not moving over for us while we had no shoulder; he put his arm out and looked to push the truck toward the center of the road. There was a lot of yelling too. Cousin Duffy is a tough guy! We stopped for lunch in the small town of Independence, and we ate at the independence general store. We both had the special: hamburger steak with gravy and fries. The eating area is claimed to be the social center of the town; we were lucky to be arriving at 1330, just as the kitchen was closing, to find one empty table. The proprietor, Mike, came out from the kitchen to speak with us and have us sign his notebook that he keeps for all the bicycle riders that stop.

Next planned stop is Kountze, TX.

We rode 60 miles from Del Valle outside Austin to LaGrange and over 549 feet of bicycling elevation. The goal this day was to have some uninterrupted time at a computer. Our target was the town of Bastrop. While at Bastrop I visited the Law Office of Derek R Van Gilder on Main Street. Derek, Bradley, Sherry, Amanda, Holly, and Deedee were great hosts for half a day. We found that a part of the attorney wellness mix includes great staff, good time management, and time off to regenerate. Many thanks to Derek and his team. Just on the City limits of La Grange was a McDonald’s; as I approached I was exhausted, almost out of cell phone power, and thirsty and hungry for a snack. After I leaned, my bike against the building, I went to the door at 6pm and found it locked. Thinking that this town closes up even earlier than 7pm, I started to get on my bike. At that moment, the manager came to the door and said they needed to close the lobby, due to lack of employees available. She said that she saw me bicycling in and said that she had a space for me if I was patient with service; of course being a patient person, I accepted the invite. When inside, I met Lloyd Chapman, and his daughter Kelly of Houston, both veterans. Lloyd told me about his time in Germany as a driver for the base commander. Both were supportive and encouraging about the undertaking of bicycling across the United States; Kelly assured me that the hills would be non- existent east of Houston. I was appreciative and encouraged them both to get involved in a Legion post near them.

The plan for our next ride is to go to Navasota.

So on Day 23 we stayed the night at the Best Western in Johnson City; front desk clerk Emma set me up with access to a computer and gave cousin Duffy and I a good recommendation for dinner across from the Blanco County Courthouse. Emma arrived at work today to set up breakfast with a bruised “racoon” eye; she told us that last night she had got out of bed to go to the bathroom and tripped over her dog and fell into the edge of her door, eye first. Ouch! But this 19 plus year old, made sure she was at work to help get breakfast started a 0600; a very dedicated and hard worker for Best Western. I forgot to mention too, the clerks at the Best Western in Del Rio, sisters Lexi and Madi, were also excellent representatives; Madi doubles as the manager for a race horse training ranch – and her husband is a bull rider in Mexico and the USA.

We rode from Johnson City, through Austin, and Montopolis, finally staying in Del Valle. We rode over 71 miles and bicycled 4049 feet of elevation gain. We rode through an area south of Austin proper called Barton Creek, which has a golf resort and the steepest climb we made yet. We were fortunate to make some more veteran friends at American Legion Post 83; the manager of the social facility, Ted, told us about the services offered by his post, we met John who donated $20 toward the Travis Mills Foundation; I met Antonio who told me about his journey since his service in the Marines. All members at the post were very friendly.

We rode 62 relatively easy miles through Kerrville and Fredericksburg on way to Johnson City. Bicycling elevation gain was 1935 feet. We took busier routes than the ACA had planned for us, cutting 20 miles off our planned course. We went by the LBJ state and national park on route 290 and more than a dozen wineries and vineyards. Economic strength is more visible the further east we travel; the prices for food and food service have increased too. Tomorrow our destination is Austin, TX.