So our idea last year to ride from Pensacola to New Orleans was cancelled, but it was for the best because now the plan is to continue on to Austin. Neither of us have been to the south, hopefully we find some good vegan food. Should be about 900 miles, so at 50 miles per day on average we should get there in about 18 rides. Catching up with friends in Pensacola then we start pedaling in a few days. Check back for some periodic updates.
Bikes are all boxed up. We'll see how United does dealing with them.UPDATE: Bikes made it. Set them up outside the airport and we're on our way. 4.5 miles to where we are staying with a friend.
After spending a few days in Pensacola with our friend Dan, we started riding.
The roads were great. Wide shoulders and a stretch of maybe 15 miles of bike path. Spotting a small alligator was definitely a highlight.
This is our first visit to Alabama.
The day ended with a ferry ride across mobile bay to camp on Dauphin Island.
Tough getting back on the bikes today as it always is on the second day. We knew the biggest climbs on this tour would be over bridges, but these are doozies.
Made a new friend.
Another new state.
Camping in Shepherd State Park.
Another smooth day with our fair share or bike paths.
Passing through Biloxi we stopped at Good Karma Cafe for some amazing Indian food. Everyone we meet is super friendly and someone even picked up our tab for us!
Maybe a few too many mosquitos at night but aside from that we can't complain.
Did a bit of stealth camping before we began our final push to New Orleans. Headed out early which is good because we had a few set backs during the day, like this dirt (sand) road, and our first flat.
Bonjour Louisiana, another new state for us.
Saw this guy trying to cross the road and had to save him from certain doom.
Finally rolled into NOLA where we will stay with a friend for a few days before we move on.
Well New Orleans was a binge fest. Lots of great food including vegan versions of poboys, gumbo and beignets! Can't thank Sarah and Callie enough for putting us up and showing us around.
We expected rain today, so we basically rode the 65mi without stopping. Pretty exhausted but made it to our next stop without a drop. Enjoyed some pretty nice paths along the way as well.
Camping at Poche Platation was really nice. They had a kitchen we could use and AC for us to lounge in all night. A little pricey but would recommend.
The road into Baton Rouge was less than ideal. When we were lucky enough to have a shoulder there was a lot of debris.
Nowhere to camp in Baton Rouge so we are splurging for a hotel, which will be enjoyed.
It was a tough start getting out of Baton Rouge in the morning but when we did the roads improved and it was smooth riding the rest of the day.
Morale also improved as we crossed the Mighty Mississippi.
Stopped in an RV park for the night but we have finally joined the real Adventure Cycling Southern Tier.
These guys were just chillin behind the camp. We tried to tell them we were friendly but they ran away anyway.
Thanks to some construction, we had our own lane crossing a bridge that would otherwise have been a little tricky.
And tonight we're sleeping IN A FIREHOUSE!
This was meant to be a short day to camp in Chicot State Park.
We made it early, then when we called ahead to our next campground,we found out they'd be closed, which meant our next day was going to be big. On top of that our water boiler kicked it and all the food we had needed hot water.
So, instead we pushed on and are in a hotel, no-cheese pizza and less miles for tomorrow.
Not much to say today. Hopefully our longest ride of the trip. Roads were good. It's getting cooler thankfully. Even riding with jackets in the mornings.
