Kountze, Tx to Franklinton, LA, Nov 15

We are taking a day off in Franklinton to wait out the rain storm that moved through the area yesterday and last night.  Not since the Appalachian Trail hike have we seen such torrential rain.  We are glad to be in a hotel where we are warm and dry.

 So much has happen since our last posting but the best news is that we MADE IT OUT OF TEXAS.  That was a big day for us as we had been traversing the state for a 1000 miles.  We celebrated Veterans Day with a parade in Mamou, LA by riding along with the horses and three fire trucks.  In Morganza, LA there were motorcycles everywhere and people milling around a plaque in the sidewalk. Turns out it was a 40 year celebration of the filming of "Easy Rider" in that town.  We were interviewed by a local reporter who took an interest in our bike ride.  The next event we were looking forward to was crossing the Mississippi River which we did two days ago.  The crossing was on a small ferry that held about 20 cars.  During the trip across we talking to a local fellow who had been junior duck hunting with his two young daughters (10 and 12 years old).  He explained it's a special hunt just for young hunters.  They both had their own 20 gage shotguns.  Hunting is a big sport in this area, especially water game, as there are bayous and ponds everywhere.  He also explained that we were lucky to experience the ferry crossing as a bridge across the river is almost completed and the ferry will be discontinued.

The terrain for the last few days has been mostly flat with large fields of rice, sugar cane, wheat, or soybeans.  This is the time for the harvest of the sugar cane which means trucks carrying large loads of chopped cane to the factories.  Along the road we are constantly dodging the pieces as they fall off the trucks, but we like the sweet smell from the load.   After crossing the Mississippi, we started encountering hills again as this area is at the end of an alluvial plain from a glacier.  They are not nearly as steep as those in the Texas Hill Country but they are definitely hills.  There are many historical homes here from the plantation past when cotton was a big crop.

We have met people along the way including a Warm Showers couple, Perry and Lep, who hosted us recently.  They took us in Baton Rouge for a visit to Whole Foods which included a meal there.  We also picked up a much needed fuel container for our cooking stove.

In two to three more days we should be in Florida which will be another milestone for us.  That will include another ferry trip to Daulpin Island and rides along the coast. 

Here are some photos from the past few days to review our journey.

 Once we crossed the Texas/Louisiana state line, there was no more Spanish.  Now we see French influence.

 Rice fields are all along our route.  They have enough water for flooding the fields and growing lovely green rice.

 Veteran's Day in Mamou, LA.  We arrived just in time to join the parade.  We came up in the rear and were told by the few spectators that they liked us the best.  The parade was made up of 3 fire trucks and about 25 horse and riders.  This was our favorite.

 Lunch on the Bayou des Glaises in Moreauville, LA.  We enjoyed watching the local HS girls doing a photo shoot while we ate.

 Cypress trees in the waters of the bayou in Simmesport, LA, as the sun is setting.

 Lots of sugar cane is grown in these parts.  We see it growing and being harvested, as well as in the trucks passing us on the roads.

 Ferry crossing the Mississippi River at St. Francisville.  They load from the side.  Notice the clouds.  They were the beginning to the rain we are currently having.

We love seeing the Live Oak Trees with the Spanish Moss hanging from the limbs.