Barking and chasing dogs

Thursday April 20th. Day 46 Bunkie to Morganza. 67 miles or 107 km

I slept very good on the couch at the fire station. Ron told me yesterday that it isn't a busy station and that held true for the night as well. 4 volunteer fire fighters came by and all wanted coffee. I'm not sure what coffee they use but it was very good. It was interesting to listen to their stories. They are a great bunch of guys keeping all of us safe.

I was on the road by 7.30 am. It was cloudy with a misty rain and very humid.  The route and the scenery were basically the same as yesterday.  Rough roads, lots of barking and chasing dogs, and not much else. I am not complaining as trying to get away from those aggressive mean dogs takes a lot of energy.  I yelled at them, I blew my whistle while I sped up. I must have encountered at least 20 today. It's exhausting work. 

Today I biked over the first bridge. I could see it from the distance.  It crosses the Atchafalaya River which is located just outside Simmersport. It didn't have a shoulder so taking a picture was out of the question. I was happy once I got to the other side. The sun had appeared and so did the wind. A strong headwind most of the way with 35 degrees Celcius to make it even more challenging. I can't wait for my shower.

Grocery stores are also difficult to find as all these villages are becoming ghost towns.  Lots of boarded up houses and what once used to be a store is now no more. Louisiana experiences lots of poverty. Luckily I still have one meal of rice and beans with tortilla wraps so I won't be hungry tonight.

The camping is simple but with a hot shower. Always a bonus. The manager told me to put my tent up on a slab of concrete behind the bathroom facilities.

This hopefully will give me some protection from the wind and rain that is in the forecast. 90% chance of thunderstorms all day tomorrow as well. I might be here for 2 days. I will assess in the morning. At least I can go inside the building when it becomes too intense.

For now the sky is getting darker but still windy and hot. Time for me to cook some supper.

                                                               

I'm enjoying following your journey. If you can find boudin (sort of like a sausage) at gas stations or stores in your area, I found that it's a good meal, and if wrapped in foil, will keep all day in your pack. No guarantees that it's safe food practice, but I never got sick, myself. And boiled peanuts should be in the area, too.(Roderick Young)