After the initial disappointment of having biked "clear across" Texas and not seeing a "Welcome to Louisiana" sign, I quickly perked up once I started to see that in addition to the general litter on the side of the road (beer bottles, beer cans, dirty diapers, bungy cords, pennies, etc.), the roads of Louisiana are also littered with Mardi Gras beads. I'm not kidding, the colorful beads are strewn about in all directions.
This particular day was another epic 100+ mile day. We started our day in Silsbee, TX at a not-so-lovely RV park where our tent was conveniently nestled in between some frequently crossed train tracks and the freeway. We both awoke feeling a bit crispy. However, it was Valentine's day and my spirits were lifted when my Dad presented me with a box of conversation hearts. On behalf of Dale, my Dad also gave me a teeny tiny box of chocolates that seemed wonderfully appropriate for light travel and a high calorie diet.
After persevering through a mighty headwind, we made it to Oberlin, LA just before dark and had two options for dinner: the cafe in town that was going to close in an hour (we still had to shower and rid ourselves from road grime) or a casino dinner (the hotel offered a free shuttle). Needless to say, we chose the latter and indulged in their all-you-can-eat buffet. To drown away the sorrow of not being with my valentine, I finished my meal with an entire plate full of desserts and a big bowl of ice cream. In essence, we paid homage to the holiday by turning ourselves into fat cupids.
The next morning we awoke and ate more food. We headed down the road and encountered many, many dogs who felt the need to chase us. Additionally, we muscled through some muddy road construction that was quite jarring to my body. However, the rides are always better when we know where we're going to stay for the night. For this night, we had made arrangements to stay with Dr. Henry Moreau, a state veterinarian who lives in Simmesport, LA. Being that he's officially Cajun, he gave us a history lesson about the French-Catholic influence and explained that since it's Lent, one cannot eat meat on Fridays. My Dad and I decided to take on this penance and we ate a feast of boiled crawfish and very well-seasoned corn, mushrooms, garlic, potatoes, etc. Spicy and delicious. While the crawfish were boiling, we sat around and laughed with the Moreau family and their friends. Through their thick accents, we heard stories about getting "snake bit" and adventures in Cajun country. So much fun.
A thunderstorm hit during the night and we were extremely thankful to be safe and dry inside their camper. At one point I peered out the window to make sure that we weren't going to float down into the Gulf of Mexico.
Today, we took a day off from cycling and Henry took us crawfish harvesting. We hopped in his truck and he took us down many sinuous roads to 7,000 acres of crawfish ponds. My Dad and I took turns riding in a small boat with two men who scooped up the crawfish as we traversed the murky waters.
I love their accents and the Cajun culture they enabled us to experience. Go LSU!
I can't believe that I forgot to mention the rum cake that Geralyn made for dessert. It was amazing. I think I ate three rotund pieces.
As for tomorrow, I'd best get back on my bike.
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