Today I rode from Mandeville, LA to Pascagula, MS (10 miles from the Alabama border)--107 miles. From Mandeville to Slidell I rode 16 miles on the Tammany Trace, a bike and jogging trail. The best riding I've had in Louisiana. Then just a few miles later I crossed into Mississippi, after crossing the honey creek swamp. However, it was difficult to get above 14 mph average because of riding against a headwind all day from 15-25 mph. I think it must be from the approaching hurrican Ida, now cat. 2 in the southern gulf of Mexico. Right now we are under a hurricane watch. Tomorrow and Tues it is going to be heavy wind and rain. So will take off the next two days from riding. Will proabably ride again Wed. Fortunately, I'm ahead of schedule, and was planning to take off a couple of days anyways. I rode along the gulf for most of the day. Saw a lot of windsurfers taking advantage of a very windy day.
The roads in Mississippi are so much better, and all the bridges I crossed today have shoulders, or some even had a separate bike route. And all the roads had shoulders. What a difference!
Rode through several areas hit hard by hurricane Katrina, like Waveland, Ms, Pass Christian, Long Beach, Gulfport, and Biloxi. But a lot has been done to repair the damage and rebuild.
David and Faith are a great support team. Couldn't have done this trip without them. But I'm sure they are getting tired of staying in different motels every night, and having pack and unpack everyday, and cook out of boxes and on a small stove. It'll be nice for us all to get back. This experience will definitely make us much more appreciative of the comforts of home.
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