DAYS 31-34: 10/20-10/23 Coldspring, TX to Kountze, TX to DeRidder, LA to Ville Platte, LA to Baton Rouge, LA
Day 31-34:
10/20 Coldspring, TX 68 miles to Kountze, TX
10/21 Kountze, TX 85 miles to DeRidder, LA
10/22 DeRidder, LA 77 miles to Ville Platte, LA
10/23 Ville Platte, LA 82 miles to Baton Rouge, LA –
Day 31 to Kountze was the least eventful day of the trip. (Notice how I try to lower your expectations of this blog.)
We were eager to leave our unwelcoming room in Coldspring and after 5 miles of riding, treated ourselves to warm cheese, egg and croissant sandwiches followed by blueberry muffin chasers to help put last night behind us. Food sets the mood!
On a morning dog chase, I developed a new defense. Instead of my standard shout of 3 brief staccato NO NO NO, I found myself using two drawn out yells followed by the 3 short blasts. More like NOOOOOO NOOOOOO, NO NO NO. It was very effective.
With 10 miles to go, I was feeling tired so visited a general store to buy a Gatorade and for the first time saw a civilian shopping with a visible firearm on his hip. I felt like I was in the old west. I sat down with my drink on their porch swing and dozed off for a short nap in the middle of a place where people go shopping wearing their guns. I guess I felt safe but wonder now about it. (Heather was ahead of me and we said we would meet at the hotel.)
Before eating at Subway for dinner, I managed to finally try my first Sonic shake and must say it might be 3rd or 4th best of my many samples. (Taylor Freeze still holding down 1st and Dateland 2nd place.) To parody an old marketing phrase, I may be hooked on Sonics.
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| Really good, might earn the bronze medal |
The next day (Day 32) to DeRidder was off to a very foggy start. Definitely some visibility concerns. We came to a big downhill, where normally I go first as I’m faster down hills. The road had no shoulder in this spot. On account of the fog, I told Heather she should go first as the car from behind should hit me not her. She replied instantly “Ok sounds good.” Any wife demerit points for that?
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| A very foggy start |
Near Silsbee, one of the last towns in EAST Texas, I was at struck by how they market themselves in both a non-PC way and at the expense of the women of WEST Texas.
Our weeks in Texas concluded with 2 more dog chases. In both I used my new “5 NO” defense. 2 long yells and 3 short. Success. I think my record with the dogs is 7-0-1.
We crossed from Texas to Louisiana which was not nearly as exciting as expected. Most Southern Tier blogs express great relief and excitement leaving Texas after over two weeks. I confess to missing Texas.
Day 33 to Ville Platte started poorly. Heather had her 3rd flat just 5 minutes after leaving the hotel. Fortunately, we were near each other and had a safe residential area to work in rather than a foggy highway.
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| Mark being put to work |
It was funny that at the end of the day we both expressed the same feeling that today was one of the hardest days mentally as the ride had a boring feel to it. It was really flat! (Only 805’ elevation gain spread over 77 miles!)
We had 2 more minor dog chases that were no match for us, but helped run my record to 9-0-1.
The highlight of the day was walking into the hotel meeting a couple and their high school senior daughter. After both checking in, we found ourselves together on the second floor with rooms almost across from each other. Upon learning what we were doing, the dad Kip asked if he could bless us. The 5 of us stood in a circle in the hallway, on the second floor of a Best Western in the middle of small town Louisiana, and Kip placed his hand on my shoulder and asked God to protect us and keep us safe. Amen!
On Day 34, we left Ville Platte in our thickest fog yet.
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| Another thick foggy start |
We passed a small cemetery where most of the surnames we saw on tombstones would have been perfectly at home in our native Montreal, but here had English first names. Over the next few days, I found street names that would remind me of the historical common roots and connection between Quebec and Louisiana.
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| The French Connection |
At a lunchtime stop at a gas station in Krotz Springs, we were talking with two fellow riders, Tom and John, brothers in their 60’s from NY and PA. They asked if we were riding across the bridge to the other side of the Atchafalaya River as it was supposedly quite a dangerous ride for 4 miles with no shoulder per their local friends. They had arranged for their friends to pick them up and to drive them across. We had not given it any advance thought, so replied yes we were riding across. As we prepared to leave, a local woman seeing us and maybe overhearing us said they call the police to escort cyclist and funerals. I didn’t like the sound of combining those two words in the same sentence. Heather and I cycled on. After a minute or two, just before the bridge where the shoulder ended, a police SUV passed us with lights flashing and stopped in front of us. An officer exited the vehicle and stood in front of us.
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| Detective Amy from Krotz Springs |
I asked are we being pulled over (automatic teenager reflex is I’m in trouble) or are we getting a police escort? (I have an old fantasy of me being pulled over by the police while driving Heather pregnant to the hospital and speeding and then them escorting me. And I had just told this to a pregnant woman Sarah in Austin mere days ago). The detective explained there was another half mile of shoulder, and then 4 miles without one. She said she will drive behind us and asked us to bike as fast as we can. She can only escort us to the limits of town so she already called to the next town’s police to take over midway. Then she asked is that fellow coming with you. We turned and one of the brothers did indeed ride after us. So off we all went. It was exhilarating. As I pedaled furiously, I wondered was this just a woman at the lunch diner looking out for us, or was it Kip’s hallway blessing from yesterday?
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| Heather and another rider at escort ending |
We soon arrived at the Louisiana State Capitol building. After Texas’ beautiful domed building, I was underwhelmed here. The building looked like it needed a good power wash on both sides.
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| Heather at Capitol in need of a cleaning |
We enjoyed watching several groups of high school students dressed formally as if for a prom, but we learned it was homecoming tradition to pose for photos here. There was a bride taking photos.
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| Becoming wedding crashers |
After some fun, reality set in. 1) Heather’s tire needed pumping and was slowly leaking, nearly flat. It was the third time of the day and a hand pump could only inflate it so much. I tried using a CO2 cartridge. That didn’t work. We googled bike shops nearby and all were closed. 2) We had nowhere to stay. Every hotel nearby was sold out. Heather was as sad as I’ve seen. I thought she may cry. I was down, but love a good travel crisis to solve. There were 3 nice hotels within half a mile. I pumped her tire and said let’s go there in person and let me try “my thing”.
On the same block as the first hotel, there was a bike rental shop actually opened so we pumped up all tires to full PSI.
At the first hotel, we were turned away. Onto the second, at the front desk I explained our cross country ride, that we know they are sold out online but as a tour operator in hospitality partnering with hotels for 30 years, I know there are often rooms out of the inventory due to repair needs. We will take a room even if the toilet is broken. The woman says no we are sold out. Another employee behind the counter then asked how he could help us. I repeated my story and he said sorry, we are sold out every room is taken. We stood there contemplating our next move and preparing to go to the third hotel. The first employee said and you don’t even have a car to sleep in. Heather in desperation thinks wow, that’s a great idea, let’s rent a car and sleep in it. Then a third employee appeared and we again tell our story. He also said every room is taken. After more of our pleading, he said hold on, and went off to check something. After several minutes, he returned with news that he had a room but needed to charge us full price - which was very high. A normal person would say thank you, we will take it. Of course I’m far from normal so I thanked him profusely, and after a satisfying negotiation we had our room! Once again, the heroes escaped a dilemma.
We showered and enjoyed an incredible dinner at Cecilia’s Creole Bistro. When we called them, they said we are all booked up, but we walked over and in person got a table.
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| Cecilia Creole Bistro maple bourbon glaze on cornbread is a must! |
We walked over to the old state Capitol which lit up at night is impressive.
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| Old state capital much smaller but more impressive |
I went to bed marveling about how we go from such extremes of high and low within minutes in the same day. And this happens on most of our days.
© Copyright Mark Segal 2021
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