What a variety of experiences we had today. First, we woke up to a low dense fog. The air was laden with moisture and we cycled through the thickening mist that stuck around for the first part of our morning. We left as early as we could after sunrise to get out of the busy traffic in the city of Lafayette and be on our way. We headed out past more farms, some big and some small ones, some with sugar cane plants and many fields that lay ready for the planting of rice.
Our route today took us on curvy back roads, past shacks as well as homes and estates that looked like they came out of Architecture Magazines. We went on country roadways, busy highways ,over several railroad tracks, up a Louisiana hill, over a high arched bridge over the Atchafalaya River, over a 3.5 bridge with no shoulder on US90, across the Mississippi River by ferry and into the town of St. Francisville 86 miles later. Barking and chasing dogs certainly got our adrenaline going as well as a merge for construction going on a single lane highway bridge with a Jersey barrier on one side and a railing on the other side.
Probably the most frightening part was riding on a 3.5 mile bridge called the Morganza Spillway that had no shoulder on a four lane highway. Ten of us went across in a cluster in a 2 by 5 array followed by the SAG vehicle Subaru that escorted us with her flashers on. We stayed in the middle and to the right of the right hand lane. The bridge was flat and straight but it seemed like it took forever to get across that spillway.
We stopped and talked to two men that were in the ditch looking for crawdads. They showed us what they had in their buckets. Today they were just looking for little ones for bait to go fishing but he told us that he can catch up to 125 sacks of crayfish every day to sell to restaurants for his living. Susan held one and we had a nice chat with those fellas before we went on our way. Further down the road, we saw two boys playing in the rain swollen ditch/pool in the front of their home. The water was mud colored, just perfect for two boys to muck around in.
At about mile 50, the sky started to darken again, and it looked like rain was a coming again. At that point, we were out in the country and there was little shelter or homes to be found. We thought about going back to a little church that had a little vestry for protection, but decided to go on ahead instead of backwards, and hoped something was around the next corner. There wasn't. Nor was there anything around the next corner, or the one after that.
But, several corners and another mile or so later, we saw Mary Jo at the side of a road, waving us on in to a farm that had an overhang, just in the time before it started to pour. The farmer was one of four brothers who owned over 2,000 acres. They harvested mostly crawdads, but also grew sugar cane, rice, and some other crops. A BIG thankyou to the farmer at Four Oaks in Morganza for chatting with us and letting us hang out there until the rain passed by!
At about mile 67, we ate at a restaurant called “Not Your Mama's Cafe” which featured a variety of Po'Boy sandwiches which were delicious. Of course, by that time, I was so hungry, but it was worth the wait and the ride to get there. After that we went about 10 plus more miles to get on the ferry. Bicyclist can ride for free so we scooted to the front of the line and I sat down in the gravel waiting for the ferry that runs every ½ hour to pull in from the other side of the muddy Mississippi River.
We rode the last 5 miles or so to our place that we will be staying for two nights at the Butler Greenwood B & B. It's one of the plantations that was built in the late 1700's. We are staying in one of the homes on the property that has a pull out sleep sofa, a bedroom with a king sized bed and a room upstairs with a separate entrance with a queen bed and private bath. Guess where I am, on the sleep sofa. It was a little frustration as there are no blankets for this bed and it was too late to go up to the main house. Liz loaned me her comforter that was on her bed so I should have been plenty warm. We did not turn on the heat so by about 4 am, it was below 50 inside and quite chilly. We had two lovely porches, one that overlooked the ducks and the mini pond. There is a resident male peacock named Humphrey, who thinks he owns this house and comes right up on the porch with his feathers regally behind him. It really was quite peaceful here.
On the day off, I walked into town, about three miles away and walked toward the part of the town that we came in on. I stopped at the tourist information and museum. We also went on a tour of the bed and breakfast we stayed at earlier in the day. Ann Butler is the 8Th generation of that particular plantation that was built in the 1790's and resides in the home. Hundreds of ancient moss-draped oak trees are on the property and you instantly get a feeling of peace and tranquility just entering the long gravel driveway. There is an original formal Victorian parlor with hundreds of antiques. Ann Butler is also a writer and I found a book downtown that she has written about how her husband tried to kill her. I can't wait to read that after meeting her and her daughter.
I had some guacamole for lunch and later stopped in a coffee shop for some tea and the best banana cake I've ever had in my life. Later on I walked 3 miles back to the plantation where we were staying. I purposefully did not ride my bike as I wanted to give my bottom a break. The flat ride is actually hurting me a bit more because we are constantly in the same position on the saddle. On the way back I bought a sandwich for supper, and my friends brought back some things to make for supper. So we combined everything in our little cottage and had wine, cheese, chef salad, and some fruit for dinner. It was nice to have a quiet dinner with four people in a very cozy little cottage.
I will post this when I can as there is no Internet connection out here.
Hugs,
Robin
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