4500 Mile Ride for Charity...Ridin across the South! AL, MS and LA

When I wrote last, I had just completed riding the second most popular motorcycle ride in the U.S., The Cherohala Skyway. That was simply AMAZING! If you ever get the chance to take that ride, on a motorcycle preferably, or in a car if you have to...take it! the views from 5300 ft on top of the Great Smokey Mountains are worth the time. Last piece of advice for anyone taking either The Dragon or The Cherohala Skyway...STAY IN YOUR LANE and don't try to set any speed records! People die up there every week. The turns were so sharp in some places I wished I had a 1/2 gear...LOL!

After having a sandwich, some water and coffee, I mounted up again and headed for the nearest Interestate that would take me South. I was still considering a rip to Seven Bridges Road, which Wikipedia says is actually a road outside Montgomery, AL. Later I decided not to detour that far east, rather head across the northern portion of AL, MS and LA into TX. When I entered AL, after catching just a smidgen of GA, I took a nap at a rest stop when I could ride no further...by then it was like 3am in the morning. A power nap and I headed farther south into AL past Tuscaloosa (also the name of a ship I lived on for 6 mo when I was 21) and into Mississippi, where I met Mike, a welder who owns a shop in New Iberia, LA.

Mike was riding a bike he made himself, and had some advice for me about a better route to take than the Interstates. Mike suggested I take the new El Camino route through The South. It was brand new road according to Mike, and I would "fill up my camera" with shots if I took that route.

As I was trying to let the path unfold for me rather than try to plan it so closely, I decided to take Mike's recommendation and headed farther south where I could catch US 84 across the remaining states. That would take me right into TX near Houston. I was tired after chatting with Mike for a while, having had only a power nap since I left NC the morning before. I ran down the road from the rest stop, grabbed some coffee at the next gas station and continued riding. Oh, Mike has offered to give me and my son free welding lessons. All I have to do is call ahead and go visit Mike in New Iberia. Very cool. I always wanted to learn to weld, and Mike has about 5 bike projects in various stages of completion. Should be interesting.

Riding all day down the El Camino route (US84W) was nice. It wasn't raining, but here were some ominous clouds in the distance. I kept riding, pulling over to take pictures, waiting to see where the storm was going, letting it stay ahead of me. I had nothing to prove at this point, having ridden in the rain for many days during he past two months riding. I just wanted to get home safely at this point. When you are tired, interesting things enter your mind. I was beginning to believe that I was being chased by a storm that was out to get me.

My tires were getting bald, so rain riding was pretty much out of the question anyway. I soon passed into Lawrence County. Pretty cool. I stopped just past the sign and walked around a bit, snacking on some burger and more coffee I had strapped to my bike. Soon I would come head to head with the "Dragon Storm" that was hunting me...it nearly blew me over, with strong gusts actually scooting my bike to the left or right 6 inches, then blowing hard from the other direction.

As the water started to be added to the equation, I made a hasty exit into the nearest tiny town...skidded through the exit and almost ate it trying to make the corner with slick tires on wet pavement. It was the closest I had come to wiping out on the entire trip. A few blocks into town I saw some refuge...a church with a large porch. I headed across what I thought was the gravel parkin lot (it was actually the church lawn) towards the porch as the rain poured down.

I took shelter there, ate a little lunch and started to fall asleep on the porch. Soon the pastor came out to see who this biker was at his church. We had a very nice conversation for about an hour, then I mounted up and headed out, rain having stopped for now. I rode very slowly though, as the streets were still wet.

By the time I decided to start looking for a campsite, I was in Vidalia, Louisiana, having just crossed the Mississippi River, my destination for that day's end. I drove around Vidalia looking for a place to camp, but no one allowed tent camping, so I soon blew that town and headed west for the next town. Just outside of Jonesville, I stopped at a little gas station to inquire about camping. One young man told me about a truck stop down the road that might let me pitch a tent. I was getting really tired at this point, having been riding for over 36 hours with only a 1 hour nap. It was getting critical that I find a place to rest. After a long conversation with a beautiful young lady and her daughter in Jonesville, I set out to find the T-Towne truck stop "about 10 miles down the road". I was riding in the dark down a two-lane highway with a million mosquitos to contend with. It was like being in a bug video game...soon my windshield was getting so full I couldn't see much through it. Luckily the T-Town truck stop appeared. My request for a tent spot was not exactly welcome, but I convinced the two ladies there that I REALLY couldn't go any farther and needed to borrow that small patch of grass outside. They agreed, and one of the ladies even gave me a couple Nachitez Meat Pies (a local delicacy) to add to my two cold beers.

I set up my bike tent/fly and laid down to eat the pies and drink a couple beers, listening to music on my headphones. I passed out before finishing either the beer or the food...laying on top of my sleeping bag with a nice breeze filling the tent. I took off my socks to air out my feet, sprayed lots of OFF on me and was just resting. Well, I fell asleep that way, feet hanging out in the open air...of course the mosquitos had a blast with that once the wind died down. I woke in the morning with feet, face and hands covered in mosquito bites. Gotta love Louisiana!!

In the morning I left a box of Great Smokey Mountain Taffy for Joyce at the truck stop with a note telling her to thank the owner for her hospitality and her for the meat pies (even though the ants got most of the second one). I bought some coffee, packed, and cleaned up the site so no one could even tell I had been there. That is the secret to camping...always leave the place better than you found it.

I was happy, thinking this would be my last day riding. I would head across 84W to some road that cut south, which would take me right in by Houston. Done deal...or so I thought!

Feeling good, I cruised at a nice pace across Louisiana, stopping frequently to take pictures. Next thing I knew, I was in Clarence, LA. Clarence? That was not on the route I was taking? After checking my GPS and such, I realized that I had accidently turned north somewhere along the way, and had ridden about a half day's ride out of the way! Oh well, I figured God had some reason for sending me north...wasn't sure what it was, but I really felt at this point that I wasn't directing my own steps, and was fine with that.

After resting and getting coffee at this little store, talking to the local patrons hanging out drinking on the curb, I bought some boudin, one spicy and one mild, and tied it to Pandora. I quickly figured out how to keep moving towards my destination, still relatively sure I would make home by dark, even though I was a bit out of the way.

I zoomed out of Clarence, LA...ok, for about another 15 miles before the rain came and stopped me under a bridge near this lake outside Clarence. I paused under the bridge and ate my boudin. Wow that was good boudin! For the uninitiated, Boudin is a Cajun sausage, typically made with a rice filler...spices, meat etc. Yessirree chile!