I got a pretty late start on my ride today. I woke up around 9 and lollygagged for a while. I had to do some laundry and kill some time because the person I was staying with tonight wouldn't be back from a trip he had taken to Canada until after 7pm. I made a couple updates in this here blog and, you guessed it, watched some Bones. I said goodbye to Stephen which was not my favorite part of the day, and sent him off to work.
Stephen and I took some pictures before he left.
At around 12:30, I finally made it out of the house. It was a beautiful day in Baton Rouge!
After rolling up into the downtown area of baton Rouge, I found a road called Scenic Hwy and turned north for Simmesport. The road is not what I would refer to as "scenic." It was pretty awful. Maybe the worst road I had biked on yet. The traffic was bad, there was constant threat of getting a flat from the debris all over the road and the roads had no shoulder. It also smelled bad. Did I mention it was through the sketchiest area of the country I had been through so far.
There were a ton of oil refineries along the way. Water treatment places too.
I was really wandering why they called it a "scenic" hwy. I did not enjoy it. Once I got out of town, and after talking to some other bikers, I finally found some scenery.
This is what it looks like when you cross the Mississippi River. Pretty awesome.
The grandfather of all rivers: the Mr. 'Ssippii.
Shortly after I cross the bridge I stopped for a coke to help with a headache I had from my cold. I also needed some napkins to blow my nose like a fat kid needs and insulin shot. When I stepped out of the convenience store, I noticed my tire was flat. What a surprise! I checked the tire for a puncture and noticed something disturbing:
The bareness was not the result of the flat - it was a staple. If I were smart, I would have checked my tires before I left Baton Rouge and purchased some Schwalbe Marathons in town. I wasn't about to head back south, so I had to change my course for the next couple of days to stop at what must be the only bike shop in northern LA.
After I got the flat fixed, I got back on the road. Finally, it started to look pretty.
Even prettier when the sun started going down.
I was just hoping that the glare wouldn't cause a car to hit me.
Just after 7, I found myself at the gates of the Crescent "o" Cattle Company.
There was a house in the back that I was to stay in for the night. The guy there told me to help myself to anything in the fridge. Great! I was starving! I opened the fridge and found nothing but beer. Not the worst thing at all, but I was so hungry and my head was in so much pain from the cold that I just wanted to eat and collapse on the couch. I walked across the street to the dollar general and got myself some burritos for dinner and milk and cereal for breakfast. After eating, I pulled out my sleeping bag and fell fast asleep on a very comfortable couch, despite the pain in my sinuses.
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