On the road again...

Wednesday April 19th. Day 45. Deridder to Bunkie 72 miles or 117 km.

Pastor Laraine had promised me to give me a ride in her truck to Oberlin. A group from the church were planning to help a native community further south that had been hit hard by a hurricane in 2021. This ride would hopefully bring me past the roughest part of the road. Not only cyclists, but also cars and trucks are having to deal with flat tires in this area. There was a big trailer loaded with tools but with enough space left for bike and bags.

At 8 am we took off to arrive in Oberlin at 8.45 am. I loaded Annie and said my goodbyes. Such wonderful and giving people. Susan in particular. And once again I am on my own. The weather is already warm and the wind makes its presence known. Time to get going.

I had to pay close attention to my map as there are quite a few turns. And once you miss one... well let's not go there. The scenery slowly had changed to mature green trees, tall grass and many fields with corn but also with cows. However,  there was very little time to look around as the Louisiana roads are horrible. Nothing but thumping till your entire body hurts. At times I had difficulty seeing as my eyeballs were fibrating or so it felt. No fun at all.

I stopped for lunch just past Ville Platte at the Chicot State Park. A beautiful and peaceful place. There weren't many campers so the road was mine. Unfortunately,  there was a mistake in the map which lead to 5 extra miles of cycling. And that's never fun. The wind had become very strong and a sort of head to side wind. It wasn't an easy ride.

At 3.30 pm I rode into Bunkie in search of a grocery store. The only one found was the Dollar Tree and a sort of a market. Luckily they had a yogurt for me and directions to the fire station where I planned to stay for the night.

Ron welcomed me and gave me the tour. Bathroom, shower, full kitchen (including a meal), laundry and a comfortable couch to sit on. Not bad at all. And an outlet for Annie. It is a small station with 1 person on the premises at all times. Ron told me that for some reason Sunday nights are the busiest. Thus far not much action is happening and hopefully it will stay that way.

All in all a very good day with no flats. Just the way I like it. 

Jij hebt wel een hele avontuurlijke reis zo samen met Annie geniet er van Rieky en de groetjes van ons samen uit Holland.(Rieky en Wim)