well, today (12/9) was much better. despite being 23 degrees (my new coldest night in a tent) it was also my most comfortable. I had on 3 socks, 3 pants, 4 shirts and 2 jackets, all in addition to my 3 sleeping bag setup. smaller, thinner layers are much easier to pack and more versatile when traveling. the coldest part was getting out in the morning. my small stove has been great for making hot chocolate, tea and oatmeal but ive been using it a lot and I need to find more fuel in baton rouge.
anyway, the road I took today followed water, and in louisiana that means it followed a levee. after yesterday I made sure to take my time today, and my pace was quite leisurely. I passed by several old plantation homes, with rows of huge oak trees lining their long dirt drives. I felt a little conflicted oohing and aahing at the remnants of such an opressive system, knowing that the grandeur and aesthetic beauty probably wouldnt have happened without slavery. Its amazing the profit you can make when you dont have to pay for labor. Cotton is still big business though, and little puffs of it were everywhere on the side of the road. presumably it had blown off of the truck after the recent harvest. I passed by a couple cotton gins as well, all reminders im now in the deep south. I stopped and took lots of pictures, and otherwise enjoyed myself.
I had heard from a few people in towns i passed through that there was another couple from austin on bikes about a day ahead of me. after lunch, about 10 miles from the ferry, I caught up with them. Katharine and reid (sp?) left south austin on nov 3rd and are meandering their way to st. augustine fl. it was great to see some friendly riders and we rode together and chatted the rest of the way to the ferry. there is no bridge across the mississippi near st francisville. the two that go to baton rouge directly are i10 and hwy 190, both impassable on bike. So, it meant a boat ride! They are building a bridge (the largest single span suspension bridge in n. america one worker told me), but it wont be done for a year. After that i think the ferry operator might need a new job, which is too bad because he could drive that thing sideways.
We disembarked and headed into st francisville. Its one of the oldest towns in the area and has been very well preserved. 200 year old houses and churches line the main street, with 300 year old live oaks dripping spanish moss everywhere. It really looks like a movie set. I thought I had taken pictures on this camera but I guess not, so ill go back in the morning and get some. Its definitely the nicest town ive been in for a while. A very nice woman from the methodist church had heard about my ride and arranged a room at a hotel, free of charge. I rode an hour out of my way trying to find it, but I did. People down here would give you the shirt off their back and are just so nice. Ive got an easy ride tomorrow into baton rouge. I might go with the austin duo, who are headed there also. Im looking forward to a rest day after pedaling almost 600 miles. I think im almost halfway there!
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