We loved getting up today and being so organized, and we especially loved getting up in such beautiful surroundings. We did have our breakfast right when they opened (I got beignets again!), and we were on the road before 9:30 – our best yet.
The road was pretty, and the ride was uneventful, except for my getting a pinch flat from our slime liners. The slime liners are supposed to prevent flats, but apparently they pinch the tubes and can cause flats if the tires are under inflated. That’s exactly what happened to me – the tires were inflated within the right range, but I guess the slime liners need them to be really inflated. The repair went quickly – Chelsea is really getting good at all this – but it was still hot and dirty work. We had a tail wind, so we went a lot faster, and made it the outskirts of Donaldsonville. We were hot and tired, and made our way into a gas station convenience store.
I should mention that the weather report was threatening rain, and we were hoping like mad to outrun it, and make it to some kind of home or shelter before we got caught. We are prepared for lots of things, but rain is not one of them. When we arrived at the Exxon station store, a guy next to us starting chatting with us, and we got a lot of information from him about our route. He (Kenneth) and his buddy (John) were just great, and when he offered to buy us water, we agreed instantly. He bought us two really big high quality waters – the kind with electrolyte replacements in them. Check out our photo gallery to see Kenneth and John.
We didn’t manage to outrun the rain. While we waited for some chicken to go, the skies opened up on us. We ran like mad for our bikes and trailers, and pulled them up on the sidewalks, but not before we got very wet, and our things got very damp. We quickly threw tarps over them, and after dithering for about a half hour, we finally decided to make a break for a Best Western we spotted about a half mile down the road.
We asked for the employee rate, but we only got a discount, not the employee rate. Oh well, everything helps, especially since our budget doesn’t include hotel stays. Since we are here, we decided to take advantage of the laundry and showers, and we’ve washed off two hot and sweaty days worth of grime. We are totally enjoying being inside, warm and dry, while it rains and thunders outside! The rain is expected to go hard all night, and we are hoping to get a few hours of clear skies in the morning to make a break for Pierre Part on Hwy 70.
We’ve gotten all caught up on some tasks we needed to do, and the laundry is almost done, and we are really, really sleepy, so I’ll sign off for now. Be sure to check the photo albums.