I am now using my AAA maps to get me down to the Gulf Coast of Mississippi and Alabama. My Adventure Cycling maps had me biking more north through farm and country roads. I am sure they have less traffic and nice scenery, but for some reason I just wanted to ride along the gulf. I am going into this blind. Meaning, I don't know the roads, the condition, the width of the shoulder, or the amount of traffic. I must admit, this makes me nervous. Reason being, some roads can look great on paper but can be horrible to bike on. Never mind down right dangerous. I have asked a few locals, about the roads I will be traveling and received mixed reviews. Unless its a bicyclist I am talking to, it is hard for me to take advise from your local motorist. No offense, but most motorists don't think about the roads, and especially how the roads would be for cycling.
This morning got off to a great start. I took Route 22, which was an absolute pleasure to cycle on. I was cruising on smooth, wide shoulders, thinking to myself how smart I was to pick such a great route. I cycled happily into the town of Madisonville. Madisonville is a beautiful small town on Lake Pontchartrain. I got chatty with a local who was interested in my trip. He gave me a local history lesson about his town, and proud to call it that. Apparently I just miss a huge boat race on the lake that brought thousands of people to this small town. I wasn't to disappointed that I missed the races.
After leaving Madisonville, my luck ran out. I turned onto Route 190, and instantly knew I was in trouble. You guessed it, zero shoulder. My heart sank, and my mind wondered what to do. I was stuck. I just had to go forward and hope for the best. It was 20 miles of white knuckle biking. I hated it. I felt like I was in a lemon squeezer for those 20 painfully miles. I will say that most drivers were as kind as they could be. A few closer calls then I would have liked also. As I was biking along this route a woman pulls up next to me and slows down to my speed, yelling something out the window. I really couldn't make out what she was saying, but I had a feeling that she was yelling at me to get off the road. She pulled ahead and off to the gravel shoulder and stopped. Now I'am going to get yelled at I thought. "What are you doing biking on this road" she says to me. Before I could respond, she pointed towards the side of the road and informed me that a brand new rail-to-trails bike path is just a hundred yards away. My heart skipped a beat, maybe more. I was in shock, just couldn't believe it. "Are you kidding me" I nearly cried. I have almost been killed out here and there is a bike path I could have been on all this time. Needless to say, I was so mad at myself. I was thankful for this kind woman to stop and tell me. The bad thing was that there was only one mile left of paved path. My heart sank again. I think she saw my distress, and said to me " how would you like to come to my house for lunch and you can rest". I didn't even have to think about it. "That sounds great", I said. I introduced myself, and as did she. Her name is Johanna, and is from the Netherlands. Of course, now it's making sense. The Dutch a huge fans of cycling. Johanna pointed me in the direction of the path and said she would wait for me at the end of it, and that she lived just around the corner from the paths end. Sure enough, she was there waiting for me, and I followed her on a loose gravel road to her house.
I pull into her driveway and I see her talking to her son before she even got out of the car. I think I knew what she was telling him. I introduced myself to Rene' and his wife Sapora who were both young and had just moved back here from Washington DC. Johanna and Sapora are heating me up red beans and rice, while Rene' and I are going over the maps and the route I should take from here. The lunch was delicious and the the company outstanding. I just couldn't believe that I had gone from total hell on that Route 190 to total heaven sitting in Johanna's kitchen all within minutes of each other.
I overheard them talking about having to moved a couch into storage that was just down the street. I insisted that I help Rene'. Sapora, is expecting a baby in September and of course doesn't what to lift anything heavy. I was more than happy to help. The plans got drawn up. Johanna wants to cycle with me for a few miles to get me on track out of the busy area. So Rene' and Sapora drive the U-haul to the storage unit and Johanna and I bike to it. It took a total of 10 minute to move these two couches into the storage unit, and I was so happy to be of some use to someone else for once. Cycling across the country is pretty self-centering, and it feels good to help others. Plus, I have been helped countless times since leaving San Diego.
Johanna and I hop on our bikes and we are off on all kinds of backroads that I would have no idea existed if it wasn't for her. We zig zagged our way across the town of Slidell, until we ended up the towns park. We jumped off our bikes as Johanna wanted to show me something. We walked across the parks grass to a large metal structure with a white line drawn on it about 12 feet above the ground. Johanna went on to tell me that, that line is how high the water came during the Katrina storm in 2005. It was extremely hard to believe that the water could have rose that high, and gave me a sense of just how bad it was. Johanna pointed me in the right direction from there, and I hugged my newest friend, and thank her as much as words would allow. I cycled away waving good-bye. This confirmed what I already knew. That the world is full of kind people who are just there to help others. I also thought back to when I left Nimblewill a few days ago. I remembered that poem he read to me and the 2 angels he put on my shoulders that morning, that he said would be with me all the way to St. Augustine. I believe in angels now, I just left one. Johanna, I am so thankful for you stopping me along the road and the rest goes without saying. Thank you, my friend, thank you.
I still had 30 miles to get to my planned destination for today. It's later in the afternoon and the sun is burning bright. I pumped into a strong headwind and made good progress. Before I knew it, I was pedaling into my 6th state, Mississippi. I am always happy to see and new state sign and Mississippi was no exception. I rode about 15 more miles into the town of Waveland and called it a day, an amazing day.
Photos: The town of Ponchatoula, LA - Beautiful Madisonville, LA and the Fairview Riverside State Park - Road construction drainage pipes - Fontainebleau State Park - The Rails-to-Trails path Johanna told me about - Rene', Sapora, and Johanna outside their home in Slidell, LA - Myself and Johanna getting ready to bike together - Welcome to Mississippi, my 6th State
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