april 29th, 2013 0nly two more days!

A lovely flower filled ride in Florida to make my total over 2,000 miles!

Today to my surprise I rode 76 miles from Perry to High Springs Florida along beautiful flower-lined roadways with brilliant scarlet, yellow and white wildflowers in full bloom and dazzling the eye with their colors. This must be the season for wildflowers, before the heat of summer. Every one of the roads I rode on had some purple, pink, scarlet or red flowers blowing in the breeze and petals at the ready for photographs. It was refreshing and inspiring to ride and look at the flowers everywhere.
      I began as always wondering how far I could ride. At 45 miles I was hungry and tired BUT our sag driver pointed out that five miles ahead was a town and restaurants - in short supply on these country roads. So I rode on with Carla and Judy R and we ended up at an excellent McDonalds with iced coffee, a chicken-burger with salad, and air conditioning which is always a good thing since the temperature has moved into the 80s.
      The next 7 miles of the ride was along a lovely bicycle path, with no traffic, but with ups and downs along the way and shade from the many trees along the way. That was a nice change from the traffic, and then we turned on to quiet road to a state park.  When I reached mile 58, in the Ichetucknee Springs State Park - isn't that a wonderful name? - I decided I could do another 20 to get to the hotel in High Springs. So I did, riding along rolling roads between fields with horses and cows and occasional goats, and good roads and very little traffic. Arriving at 3:30 p.m. after an 8 a.m. start was very satisfying and completing the whole 76 miles too! The last part of the road was in the park and then we came out on to US 41, a highway but not too busy, and rode along the 8 miles to the High Springs Country Inn on the left. Yay! Definitely feeling of accomplishment and this has pushed my total mileage to well over 2,000 miles - which is amazing. I always knew I wasn't a candidate for EFI - every fricking inch - or even close to 3,100 miles, but to get to 2,000 is really great for me. And there are two more rides to come with extra miles.
     Today was Wendy's birthday. At the picnic dinner in the parking, which she chose, we had a picnic meal: hot dogs, buns with all the fixin/s, potato salad, and beans.  On a hot evening, it was delicious. AND then there were two cakes - a rich chocolate concoction and a fruit decorated white cake. I went for the chocolate which was superb and rich and all the things birthday cakes are supposed to be. And we had wine, beer, soft drinks and water as we chose to wash it down and talk about the day's riding and joke about who had the biggest icecream sundae. I went and had one at the diner opposite when I came in with an iced coffee - yummy.
      Keith, the English guy who is riding cross country with all his gear tied on his bike, reappeared after we hadn't seen him for weeks. We met him at the beginning and then again, a couple of times, and now he hopes to get to St. Augustine at the same time we do, spend a week recovering and then fly back to England. He seems to fit in well with our motley group and he's just one of the gals now.
     Tomorrow we have breakfast at 7:15 and will set out early for Palatka, FL our last stop before St. Augustine.

A Monday morning in Florida

Riding 54 miles on a flat straight highway

     Today we bicycled 54 miles east, towards St. Augustine. I left the Inn at 8 a.m. with Carla and we biked steadily along, covering the miles along Highway 98 which runs through the middle of Florida's swampland, where somewhere out there are alligators and turtles and fish and other swamp animals.
     We saw one turtle resting along the highway, undecided about which way to go and a later visitor moved him on to the grassy bank off the bike path. We saw a large dead animal on the road, which a ranger with flashing lights on his truck realized was too big for him to lift on the truck so I'm not sure what happened to it. And we saw birds flitting around, and lots of swampy water, trees and bushes.
The highway was designed by someone who likes straight lines, and that's what I rode today with a couple of low bridges along the way over the Wakulla River and the Aucilla River. One part of the road was being fixed and they had left us a rattling metal bridge to ride over which was quite scary. But the rest of the time it was just pedalingpedaliingpedaling to rack up the miles so that we could get to the Sag Stops at 20 miles, and the town of Perry at 54 miles.
     Everyone did it today at their own speed, which was good. The Hampton Inn is excellent and has a pool with warm water in it because it's so much warmer here. Carla found a small scorpion like insect/animal in the water trying to bite here so he had to be dealt with using screams and shoes. And then I sat and read and basked in the sun.. 
      Today was an orgy of superb Italian food at Mamma Mia's, an Italian restaurant that could have been transplanted from Fort Lee, New Jersey, where I used to go to an identical Italian restaurant where the music was Frank Sinatra ("Do it my way") and "La Donna e Mobile" sung by an Italian tenor with great emotion. At lunchtime I had a shrimp salad and almost focaccia bread.  For dinner I had grouper piccata, with the wine and lemon sauce over fresh fish, which was delicious. And wine in glasses - not plastic ones which we always have on our picnics. We filled the place up and the maître d' greeted us rapturously and was most impressed with our trip. There is something about old-fashioned Italian restaurants rooted in the 1960s that is really amazing with booths and small tables and good food and Frank Sinatra, the impeccable.
      The Hampton Inn also provided Happy Hour at 5 p.m. with large wine glasses of white or red wine, chocolate melted to cover strawberries, and cookies to keep us going at 5:30 p.m. That was distinctly a great way to start the evening. Then we walked the five minutes to the Italian restaurant. More wine, and great food, and lots of interesting conversations made it a lovely evening
     Tomorrow we have 74 miles, a longer day, and start at 7:30 a.m. I hope the rain that came down this evening means the storms will blow over for tomorrow - no fun riding in a thunderstorm at all.
So another perfect day - breakfast, ride a bike, arrive a hotel, swim, drink, eat and bed. Sounds great to me..

Quincy To Crawfordville FL

A good ride and a day off in Crawfordville

     Today was the last ride before our last free day in Crawfordville, and then we have four more days before we set off for our Final Ride into St. Augustine in procession to our picnic. Judy S. today received a package of a teeshirt signed by about 50 of her friends and supporters which her husband put together saying: "Ride Today, Heal Tomorrow" which is a good message for us all since we're definitely getting aches and pains and feeling tired.
      My daughter and her husband and daughter sent me a little packet of dark chocolate chocolates which the Front Desk called to tell me about.. I opened them and they were already a leetle soft in the heat - so I shared them with the four riders standing in the lobby and yummyyummy. There was also an encouraging card which I shall take with me on Monday.
        Friday morning I set off for a lovely ride with 18 miles along a quiet road to Wakulla along a tree lined street, with green grass and wildflowers edging the quiet road which had a good shoulder to ride on so it was fun to ride. Pleasantly sunny and warm with a light breeze and I was wonderfully happy to be riding Ricardo, my True Friend Bicycle, for the 47 miles to Crawfordville. We were all riding along at a steady pace - though the front-speedies were still way ahead - so we met at the Sag Wagon stops and agreed it was lovely day to be out on a bicycle.
       I didn't take a lunch stop, but ate my PBJ sandwich at a quiet spot along the highway. Judy R and I were more or less in tandem - I passed her, she passed me, and we'd meet now and then to take a drink of water and a break. As we got nearer Crawfordville and Wakulla, the traffic increased so there was the whoosh of trucks and cars and vans going by, but there was a bike lane at the side so it wasn't too bad.
     A group took off about mile 34 for a trip to Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park which had a pool and walks and time for a break. I preferred to keep going once I started pedaling and not take a long break - because for me it's hard to get going again especially if it means adding another 10 miles. So I continued on, and finally turned on to Highway 319 which went on for a long time until I hit the left turn on to Highway 98 which led me past some hotels and open land to the impressive golf course and the three-storey  building of the Inn at Wildwood on Coastal Highway.
       It's set back from the road and is an older style resort with big rooms, a welcoming lobby, coffee available, and pleasant décor. Apparently it's about to be taken over by another company called Sandy Oaks, so the gift shop had been closed, and there was an air of expectation for change. I found my room on the third floor with a lovely view outside of the green golf course and old trees. For reasons known only to bathroom designers, the bathroom light was behind the door so in order to put it on, you had to open the heavy wooden door wide, go into the dark bathroom, feel on the wall behind the door and find the switch which turned on the noisy fan as well as the light. Every day a new discovery...I met Ann, who'd just arrived and we were both hungry so we went next door to the Bistro attached to the golf course, and I had an excellent chicken quesadilla and she had a sandwich. Then I went to get my stuff.
      I'd already I set my bike against the wall so I collected my case and backpack from the van. I found my swimsuit and went down to the pool behind the hotel, which has a pool house next to it. The water was cool but refreshing and the sun was hot and sunny and warm.  I went into the water and it felt wonderful to be swimming and in the pool and splashing and swimming and feeling refreshed. When I came out, I organized my chair partly in the shade, and read the book by Shirley McClaine about getting older which did not seem particularly perceptive or interesting except for who she was. A couple of other riders came out and got into the pool and sat in the sun and relaxed without wanting to pedal anywhere at all. It is lovely to find a pool - though no hot tub - and relax.
      During the afternoon, the other riders drifted in. At 6:30 p.m., we had our dinner out on the patio and swatted at the no-see-ums who are voracious and persistent, and so far they'd avoided me until tonight. The map meeting will be tomorrow, after our day off, for the ride on Monday morning. There was some talk about the last day, about what people had bought at the Walmart stop, and about bike cleaning. Manana manana for me.

Beautiful countryside and Chattahoochee too

Sunshine, green fields, spring flowers and a great ride

      Today I bicycled from Marianna to Quincy FL, a total of 54 miles with lunch at the end in Quincy in a Subway store run by black people and frequented by both black and white people, which is a rare occurrence in Boulder CO but quite normal in the Florida Panhandle.
      I was drinking some water from my waterbottle after getting to the top of a steep hill when a young black man, about 20 I'd say, stopped beside me on his mountain bike and asked me what I was doing. So I told him I was bicycling across the country - not sure he believed me! - and pointed back to the other riders at the bottom of the hill. He pointed to my odometer and asked me what it was. I said it showed how many miles I'd ridden and he should get one for his bike. He nodded. He was wearing a T-Shirt that said "Vote for Lawson" so I asked if Lawson was a Democrat and he said yes, and pointed out that it said "for the Democrats" underneath. He said he rode his bike around all day - "That's what I do." I said that was why he was in such good shape. He nodded and rode off. Bicycles make friends of us all. The Reddoch Road neighborhood which I was riding through had mostly black people sitting outside in the yard or talking together, or bicycling, or driving cars. This is Florida not Colorado, with its palm trees, green grass and spring green leaves opening on the tall Spanish moss-hung trees.
        We went through Sneads, a small town, and then went over a big curving bridge that replaced the bridge that stopped halfway across the river, which I thought was the Chattahoochee but apparently was not though it was in the town of Chattahoochee - great name - and it was called the Victory Bridge. This correction comes courtesy of Dolly who actually rides back doing extra miles to check her facts - I love it.
       At the next Sag stop, I had to change my watch and move it forward an hour because we are  now on Eastern Daylight Savings Time and two hours ahead of Colorado, and three hours ahead of Portland, Oregon, the two places I keep in touch with regularly.
      It was a perfect sunny blue sky 70 degree day with a light wind to keep me cool and rolling hills and dales along roads edged with fields and gardens and houses and trees casting shadows over the roads which were mostly smooth and wonderful to ride. There was very little traffic though I accidently video taped my stop on the bridge and there is the sight and sounds of two huge trucks going by, which I am so used to now I hardly noticed them. I don't know how to transfer them to Facebook or my blog but I'll try later.
     I rode through the quiet town of Gretna, which had preserved a rambling old building with two steep staircases up the front to the second floor, with a sign announcing: "First Gretna School House." I could just imagine the rows of boys on the left and girls on the right going up and down the stairs each day as they went to their classrooms. There were some other older buildings and newer houses and the town had an interesting feeling of history preserved and not forgotten.
     As I came into Quincy, I remembered I had to eat lunch because the Holiday Inn Express was way outside the shopping area. I saw some bikes outside the Subway and decided to eat there, and not join the Burger King group who wanted icecream. I had a great sandwich and cookie with Linda S. and Ann, and we gossiped about the way things were going and what we were going to do next with our riding and what we liked to eat. We talk about food A Lot because we are hungry because we are doing so much exercise. Then we rode together into Quincy, with Linda S. in front, me in the middle and Ann bringing up the rear, which was a big honor for me because these are two of the Hotshot Wild Wolves Zippedeedoodah Speedy Gonzales Riders, and I could keep up with them for the 2.5 miles to the hotel. Wow! I loved it as we swung across the highway to take the left turn on to Spooner Road and into the Holiday Inn Express.
     The Inn provides nice rooms, an excellent pool where I swam and sunbathed, fresh baked chocolate chip cookies every now and then and constant hot coffee. We had a great Linda dinner picnic outside of pasta, salmon and salad in the parking lot, got our Cue Sheets for tomorrow, and are now ready for another day of riding to Crawfordville, where we'll have a day off.
Schedule: Saturday & Sunday in Crawfordville, Monday to Perry, Tuesday to High Springs, Wednesday to Palatka. On Thursday we have our procession with a police escort into St. Augustine for the Final Picnic at a park at 11 a.m. AND in the evening we have our Final Banquet.
Friday: Our bikes go to Jacksonville FL to be shipped home, and it's all over. Amazing to realize that and to think of going home, after such an extraordinary adventure to celebrate my 75th birthday year.

Next week at this time....

Just keep it calm and quiet from now on....

    The trouble with the tour winding down is that I don't really want anything too dramatic to happen because I want to make sure I get to the end safely as do all the other riders. So I'm looking for a Really Boring Week to make sure all goes well, which won't make for a really interesting blog.
     Today we are in Mariana FL, a nice little town in the middle of nowhere, and tomorrow we ride 54 miles on to Quince, another place on the way across the middle of Central Florida. Today was a long 94 miles ride along Route 90 east which I decided was way too much for me after two 65 mile riding days. I felt really tired in the morning so I opted for a Day of Rest, and sat in the van with three of the other riders, speeding along the road. We stopped at Winn Dixie, where Carol and Linda shopped for the last week so we had lunch at the Subway opposite. Then we drove on to the Days Inn in Mariana which has a pool, but no hot tub, and I found my room and decided to go for a swim and read in the sun - it's about 80 degrees though the pool water is still cool.
      Before that, Judy and Pat and  I had icecream at the closest place, the PoFolks Café next door where I had a peach cobbler with vanilla icecream and pink lemonade. Then  we checked out the Super WalMart which is amazingly full of stuff that is so cheap it's almost sinful not to buy it. I got some Bandaids, and a chocolate bar, and that was about it.
      When I came back, I put on the Dauphin Island swimsuit and went for a swim - cool and refreshing but so nice to be in the water. The pool chairs invited me to sit in the sun reading the autobiography of Rosanne, Johnny Cash's daughter, which is a great story of a complicated life of singing and song-writing as the daughter of someone famous. About 3 the others started coming in after their long ride. The only excitement was a baby goat getting caught in a fence so one rider went and rescued it and the mother goat and baby goat bleated in excitement. And two riders who stopped for lunch along the way had their meal paid for by an older couple who admired them. Such are the joys of cross-country biking.
       I felt as if I'd been on vacation for a day, which was delightful, and was quite ready for dinner with everyone else. Tomorrow's ride is only 54 miles  - as I can now say quite calmly- so I plan to ride out with everyone at 8 a.m. tomorrow morning..

Eerie ride in the Florida Panhandle

Riding, pedaling and sweating to cover 65 miles

     Two of the faster riders ended up way ahead of the rest of us on the ride and found themselves winding along deserted farm roads in the Florida Panhandle with rundown trailer homes, piles of garbage, and miles of trees and bushes and grass around them and even saw a town sign for the community of Bagdad in the middle of nowhere which gave them pause.
     "It just felt eerie" one of them said discussing it afterwards, "as if I might just disappear and some one show up out of nowhere and kidnap me." The other added: "I didn't see anyone for miles and it looked like that movie "Deliverance" when I stopped and looked around."
      These are the joys of riding on quiet roads instead of busy highways where the trucks zip by far too close and the traffic feels like the enemy.
       For me, it began as a pleasant ride winding our way out of downtown Pensacola on side streets and quiet residential roads in neighborhoods with both black and white residents though the houses in the white areas were significantly larger than the ones in the black areas. Then we came to the farm roads. I was riding with Carla the Zingy Brazilian and we have developed a good pattern of taking the lead when we feel energetic, and following when we don't. The roads stretched for miles between the fields and the trees casting their shade on the road, between green grass and occasional barking dogs who like to chase bicycles, as if they were trained for it. My technique is to ring my bicycle bell constantly and shout "Go home! Bad dog! Bad dog!" assuming that most dogs know "Bad dog" is not a good thing to hear. It works most times, though one dog did try running after me which got me pedaling harder than I've done in a while. Nothing like adrenaline to get your speed up.
       There were some bridges to cross that went up and down, and after a metal bridge there was a distinct hill, which we haven't seen in a while, and lots of rolling roads going down and up in a nice pattern so you could get up enough speed and momentum to coast the up part. Always fun to do. It was a cloudy warm day, and a light breeze instead of the demoralizing wind we had yesterday.
       At one point we crossed a long bridge, and looking to the right, saw  a huge lake spreading out in the distance and the waves rippling on the shore. This is not what we have seen before and it reminded me that Florida, even the Panhandle, is watery not mountainy. There are also palm trees and beautiful flowers in bloom and leaves on the all the trees, and it is so green.
       At mile 27.5 we turned right at a bike shop called "Truly Spokin' " - great name - and found a real bike path, just like the ones in Boulder, which we rode for 6.5 miles. We met a woman walking a baby in a stroller, four people on recumbent bikes taking a nature tour, one man on a bike going the other way, and a woman walking a small dog. Otherwise we had the path to ourselves and I had a wave of nostalgia for the Boulder Bike Paths which I have been riding for several years and know so well, and decided I would be very happy to come back and ride them again without the traffic and the highways and the hills.
      From there we turned on to Munson Highway which wound into the deserted roads alongside trees and grass and occasional houses - but often there was nothing to look for except the hard-to=see road signs. I follow the mileage on the Cue Sheet but sometimes it's a bit off so I've learned to be creative when looking for the turns and stops.  There was not a lot to see, though it was peaceful and the occasional bird cheeped, and there were small black squirrels, much smaller than Colorado squirrels, that would dart across the road, consider committing hari-kari under our bike wheels, and then dart back as we swerved to avoid them. A few horses stood grazing here and there, and that was about it.
       We passed through small towns with names like Pace and Milligan and Holt, which would be hard to find on any map, which had auto shops and pawn shops and second hand shops and gas stations and realtors and lawyers and not much more I could see pedaling past.
       The 20-mile Sag Stops are always welcome when we check up on how we're doing and what is going on with the other riders. Carla and I decided to ride in the full 65 miles, and not stop for lunch, so we got back about 2:30 p.m., the first ones this time, while other people stopped at different restaurants for lunch and came in a bit later. I had my PBJ sandwiches and snacks and fruit and lots of water and that was fine for me.
     This evening we had chicken curry and salad dinner. As it was raining, we sat outside under the shelter of the Hampton Inn in Crestview FL and a beautiful rainbow appeared on the dark storm clouds which was a good omen for tomorrow.  It will be a 94-mile day and I shall do as much as I can but will see how hot and tired I get before we reach Marianna, FL about which I know as much as I know about Crestview.
      On the map on the trailer door, the last Florida stops have been circled and there is a sense of everything coming to an end. We go to Marianna, Quincy, Crawfordville for two days, Perry, High Spring, Palatka, and St. Augustine on May 2nd, and then it's all over. It will be hard to adjust to a new rhythm because this one is very satisfying. I get up early, have breakfast, get my luggage out and into the trailer, check my bike tires, make sure my bike is ready, make snacks for the trip, and then ride out on to the highway for a day of adventure. Then it's simply pedaling and riding and taking care on the bike until finally I come to a new town and a new hotel and a new bedroom with the light switches in different places and a new bed and dinner and a map meeting to talk about the next day's ride, and then to bed. And that's it..
      It is physically tiring and my brain is definitely turning to mush. But it is an amazingly simple way of life where someone else takes care of the food, and the schedule, and the hotels, and the vans, and the support systems that in my own life, I have to provide. We joked that when we get to St. Augustine, we will simply stay at the hotel for ever and let Linda cook dinner every night so that we don't have to cook for ourselves ever again.
      

A ferry ride, a windy day, and Florida!

April 23, 2013 Leaving Dauphin Island and arriving in Florida

    Today was warm and a bit breezy. My back wheel has been losing air, so today Carol The Guide looked at it, and May discovered a leak in the seam, and so Carol expertly replaced my inner tube so I could ride out of the condo complex and the 2.5 miles down to the ferry station joining the 27 of us with our bicycles and our helmets and our gear. The ferry takes 45 minutes to chug across the bay to Fort Morgan AL, where we found Route 180 and rode for 20 miles. It should have been a delightful ride along a quiet country road near the ocean with glimpses of waves and sea. Instead a vicious east wind erupted, blowing in our faces and at our bodies, and we all struggled to keep pedaling steadily and to cover the mileage without getting exhausted. It was tough pedaling and my speed sank to about 8 mph as the wind tugged at my body to stop it moving forward.
     At the first Sag stop, we were all tired but we pedaled on, eager to cross the Florida Bridge and leave Alabama for the last state on this cross country trip. When I reached the bridge, I pedaled hard and panted my way over the huge curve and came down by Perdido Keys State Park, where I had another six miles to pedal. There was no sign so I wasn't sure this was really Florida. Finally I saw the group of four riders who keep just ahead of me by a modest sign saying "Welcome to Perdido Florida" and we all took the iconic photos. Later on there was another sign - but I missed it as I was keeping my head down to battle the wind. When I stopped at one point to eat my sandwich and have some water, a local came by and said "Taking a break?" and I said "Yes, and please cancel this wind." She smiled and said: "We all hate it but it's here today." Which was true.
        I went over a bayou bridge, another big curve over a water way, and turned right to find the second Sag stop, thinking I might call it day. But I had ridden 41 miles, and there were only another 19 to go. So Carla and I rode together for the last section, and the wind dropped a bit, and the roads were good, and there wasn't too much traffic.
      Carla came from Brazil to ride across America, a dream of hers for years since she is a good cyclist in Rio. She arrived , pedaled, has served as a Sag Driver too, and is stronger riding every day. Today she confessed she cried as she came over the bridge to Florida: "This is the last state and then this tour will end," she said sadly, "and I don't want it to finish."
       I feel a sense of surprise that we have actually made it to Florida, and that there are only about eight days of riding left before we arrive in St. Augustine for our procession, the picnic with friends and our final dinner. And then it's over. How could it have happened so quickly?
        Today we are at Sole Inn and Suites, a fancy redone old hotel which now has snazzy black toilets and black basins in the bathroom, and a jazzy black and white décor in the rooms, and wooden slat shutters on the windows. There seem to be a lot of men staying here who watched bemused as we set out our circle of plastic chairs, enjoyed jambalaya and salad for our outside picnic, plus cake for dessert, and then had a map meeting for tomorrow.
       On the way in, we knew there was a bike shop right next door to the hotel and several riders went in to meet the helpful staff. I bought two more inner tubes and a couple of bolts to give to Judy who'd given me hers. Then we got our rooms and were settling in. I really wanted some coffee and the owner said there was a shop about three blocks down the road. So May, Linda and I wandered down into the shopping street with bars and restaurants and found a fabulous bakery that made excellent coffee. They each had a Napoleon which I helped finish up, and I bought a strawberry chocolate ball, which turned out to have cake in it. I had an iced latte, which was delicious, and Linda got her espresso in a Real Cup, and we sat at one of the tables in the sunshine pouring in the window and enjoyed the experience. I do wish we had time to explore more or that we stayed in town, like this, s  we could wander around for an hour or so. 
     When we strolled back, we found that the hotel had set up a Happy Hour with wine and snacks for us which was very nice. Then at 6 p.m. we had our traditional Margaritas for crossing a state line - our last state line - and dinner outside.
       Tomorrow we leave around 7:45 a.am. for another good day of riding - with less wind I hope. The daughter of a friend of mine lives in town and she called me but said she had just finished work so we couldn't meet. We had a nice talk. She is the daughter of Jean Alexander, one of my good friends in Boulder who will be coming out next month for her grand-daughter's high school graduation. Her daughters also lived in Boulder for a time but she said she'd had enough of snow. I understand the feeling and think a winter somewhere warmer would be the ideal.
      I also did the booking to send my bike back from Jacksonville FL to University Bicycles in Boulder CO which is all done online through ShipBikes.com and all our bikes will be taken to Jacksonville FL after the tour ends to a bike shop who will pack them up. I hope it works out OK.

Day Off at the Beach on Dauphin Island, Alabama

April 22, 2013 enjoying the sun without a bike

    Today I woke up in my bedroom with the floor to ceiling window overlooking the ocean, where some gas or oil rigs are sticking up in the distance and the only other things to see are the sand and the sky. The schedule for today: clean the bike, walk the beach, find food, and relax. Sounded good. I'm sharing the condo with three Bicycle Babes and we all did whatever we felt like.
     I had leftovers for breakfast - some garlic bread from dinner last night, an orange from the snack pack and some apricots, and some coffee made in the apartment  using the microwave. I ate it sitting on the deck and looking at the view. Then I took Ricardo the Bike down for his weekly cleaning, which was not too complicated. I realized he'd lost a bike screw  on the rack. While I wondered about that, Judy R. magically produced a spare bolt AND the correct tool to screw it in with - and now my bike rack for the bag is in perfect shape. Tomorrow we're near a bike store and I will buy her a new one to replace it.
       Then I went for a lovely long walk along the deserted beach on the soft white sands. The water curves round and comes to a peninsula with lots of birds. I saw two giant big blue herons standing on their spindly legs with their striped faces watching the water intently for any passing fish. There were lots of white-headed and black-winged gulls standing around, flying, watching, standing. And there were seagulls flying in the air, swooping over the water.  As I walked along, a young woman was walking along behind and when she caught up, I said "Hello - do you live here?" She said: "Yes, I work for the Coastal Service and someone reported seeing a dead loggerhead turtle that had washed up on the shore so I'm checking but I haven't found it yet."
      She told me that the turtles lay their eggs on the beach in May but last year's big storms destroyed all the nests so they hope that turtles will come back this year. She waded through the water to get to the far side of the inlet and looked along the shore. I paddled through to the other side and walked almost to the end. The water was definitely cold - nice on the feet but chilly on the legs.
      The waves rippled on to the smooth sand. Birds flew in the air or stood on the sand. A big blue heron eyed me suspiciously as I went by and then flapped its enormous wings and settled in the water away from me. Two others left the water as I approached, and flew low over the sand to the dunes and scrub.
      For lunch, Judy and I went over the road to the Bienville Bar and Café and I had an excellent chicken and cheese Panini.  Then I wandered into the three stores along the road. There was a surf store but not a lot I wanted to take back to Colorado. In the souvenirs and art store, I bought some postcards. Then I went into Marita's dress store, and started to look at fun summer clothes. So I ended up buying the first swimsuit I tried on which fit persfectlyy, and a teeshirt with no message at all. Imagine that.
      I came back to the condo opposite, put on the swimsuit, and went down to the pool and swam - briefly - in the somewhat cold water of the pool (the ocean was even colder) for a few lengths. Then I sat in the sun and read the beginning of the biography of Roseanne Cash, which was a fascinating story of a life as the daughter of someone famous trying to find her own voice and her own path.
     There was a group outing to a restaurant but Our Peaceful Condo decided we'd rather get some food and eat here without all the hassle of being part of a big crowd in the restaurant. So we went back to the Bienville Bar and I got an excellent chicken salad and some chips and salsa, and each of us had something we took back and ate at the big table. A couple of other people came in to join us - and it was relaxing, friendly and fun.
       .Around 8 p.m. we read the condo owner's list of things we have to do to clear this place up tomorrow. I'm in charge of getting the towels in the washing machine and turning it on. Breakfast is in Linda and Carol's apartment at 6:45 .a.m., snacks at 7:15 and then we leave to ride to the ferry at 7:30 a.m. for the 8 a.m. ferry and on to Pensacola, Florida. Only 68 miles I think - piece of cake.
       

An evening at the beach

Bicycling, exploring and eating

     Today began in Wiggins cold enough at 50 degrees for four layers - all I have - plus long tights to keep my knees warm as we set off along highways and byways to Moss Point, just north of Pascagoula. I was anxious to get back by 4 p.m. because my son and his wife were coming to visit for the weekend and I wanted to be showered and relaxed when they arrived.
      The ride was fun - some hills and ups and downs, some barking dogs, some decisions about turns - but altogether a lovely ride along quiet roads with trees and squished armadillos and a few trucks and some beautiful vistas of farms and cows and horses and foals. One of the barking dogs was a beagle who ran out eagerly barking. I assured the others that beagles do not attack because it's not in their nature - and this one ran around barking and then went back to the trailer park where it lived.
     It was a lot of cycling for one day - and as the day wore on, and it got warmer, we were all shedding layers of clothing to deal with the sunshine. We stopped for about half an hour at a gas station and had a meal of fried chicken, smoked chicken legs, mashed potatoes, vegetables or salad, and some Blue Bell Icecream afterwards. When we reached the 60 mile Sag at 2:30 p.m. I said I'd like a ride because I wanted to be back in time. This worked out fine and I had a shower and dressed in time to meet David and Lisa about 4 p.m.who drove over from the Hampton Inn opposite, and I introduced them to Carol and Dolly, a couple of other people.
      We decided to go to Shaggys, an authentic fish restaurant right on the beach at Biloxi Beach, which meant driving across the bridges again. We drove along the beautiful Biloxi waterfront with rambling old Victorian mansions, charming ante-bellum style houses, and the Visitor Center which seemed to be holding a wedding, and other lovely places to live.  Shaggys is a happening lively fish restaurant and we got a table on the deck outside so we could look at the peaceful ocean and the miles of white sand beach. While we were waiting we took off our shoes and walked on the beach but decided the ocean looked a funny color so didn't go in. I had a glass of Chardonnay - in fact two - and David and Lisa had a beer. Then we ordered fish - David had oysters, I had shrimp on eggplant and we had a plate of mixed fried fish which were all delicious. And key lime pie for dessert.
      It was warm, sunny, wonderful and the first beach I've seen since I started bicycling along the Southern Route. When I read about the trip I thought there'd be lots of beaches, but instead this is my first but not, I hope, the last.
      Inspired by the good food, I bought the tie-dyed Shaggy's teeshirt and will try to get a goo photo of it soon.  We ride tomorrow a mere 40 miles to Dauhpin Island, where we're staying two nights for a day off by the beach in a luxury condo complex. How hard can that be????

ALabama here I come!

Bicycling to Alabama on Sunday April 19^th, 2013

Sunshine, Bridges and Barnacle Bill’s

     Today I pedaled out of Moss Point MS and to Dauphin Island, Alabama. David and Lisa, my son and his wife, came over from their hotel at 8 a.m. to see what the Morning Take-off was like, and took some photos of the early morning snacks, map meeting when we got our cue sheets, and the exodus from the hotel in the uneven line of helmeted Lycra ladies taking off on their bikes to pedal a mere 44 miles.

      It was cool at first along Highway 63, but not too much traffic since it was Sunday.  There was an early bridge over a highway with nasty Rumble Strips I zigzagged round as I pedaled over it. Then it was on the highway shoulder, past the alligator farm which I skipped since I have seen alligator farms before. The one in Cuba was horrendous – hundreds of alligators in different sized pools tearing at the raw meat that was delivered to them twice a week, ripping it with giant teeth and fighting in the bloodied water for the best pieces. Then there were the Really Huge Old Alligators who lived in a crowded fenced off area behind rickety barbed wire. In reply to a question, one guard admitted they sometimes get out at night “but they don’t get far and we catch them in the morning.” WHY does Cuba keep hundreds of alligators with nowhere to go? Apparently the idea was to introduce them to the wild again – but now it seems much too late. So I skipped the Mississippi Alligators.

       After 10 miles I saw the “Welcome to Alabama” sign on the side of the road. The Sag, Carla, had thoughtfully parked there so she and everyone else could get an official photo by the sign to show we’d achieved another state line to cross. She took two photos of me, and then I cycled on to turn right on SR 188, which was a long country-roads Scenic Route to Dauphin Island. It was along quiet roads and lovely houses with green lawns and barking dogs kept behind fences and some places had just been resurfaced, so it was a great ride. The highway had had a chipseal bike lane – yuk.

       At the Sag stop at 20 miles, we exchanged notes on the wind that had come up, and on the lovely green views along the way, and used the “green room”, our euphemism for peeing outside on the grass or a bush or anywhere that’s available. We have become pretty unconcerned about it now since there are no alternatives and it makes bicycling easier. I biked on, staying on 188, and finally turning at the “blinking red light” to 193, which led to the bridge over the open water on to Dauphin Island. Beth, who refuses to ride on bridges, was waiting for a ride over but I rode along the slow approach and began up the step peak steadily, but stopped just before the top to walk. Mel was at the top and came down to encourage me to keep going, as I walked. I got on my bike again just before the peak, and then coasted down the long descent on to Dauphin Island.

        Here it was a couple of miles to Barnacle Bills, a recommended restaurant stop. The Zippety Doo Dah riders had been and gone, but the rest of us – about 20 of us – filled a couple of tables, and flummoxed the waitress, who’d been hired three days ago, with our various orders for shrimp and soft shell crabs and sandwiches and salads, unsweetened tea (apparently all tea is automatically sweetened in the South which is where we are) and French fries. The food was delicious when it came – I had a shrimp club sandwich was had fresh shrimp, lettuce and tomato on a roll. There was a black and white tile floor and we all took photos of the group, and I did some individual shots. Finally, it was time to pay – another major event for the staff with so many of us- and we were out on our bikes to look for coffee at the Lighthouse Coffee Shop and Bakery. Which we found on Chaumont Street, charming little house which closed at 3 and it was 2:30 p.m. I had a medium iced coffee and sat outside on an iron chair on the big porch sipping it, and enjoying the warmth and relaxation after a ride.

       Finally I set off to find the condos but bicycled the wrong way and ended up at the Ferry at the other end of Bienville Road. I turned round and found the imposing condo buildings, used the code to get in, and found the beautifully furnished condo number 303 which is on the third floor and has an elevator. I’m sharing with Wendy, Gale and Judy Rozelle. I have the Master Bedroom (all pre-assigned by the WT office). The balcony and the windows overlook the sky, the ocean, the sweeping white sand beaches and the two blue swimming pools. Wendy and Gale took their bikes down to clean, but I had a shower and decided to relax. I called Katrina and talked to Michael who is fine. I called David and Lisa who were just returning their car to the New Orleans airport and said they’d had a lovely weekend away. And I called Barbara D. and talked about her successful first week at her new job.

         THOUGHT: I am ready to go home, which surprises me. I like the riding and the challenge, but I think going out on the Boulder bike paths two or three times a week on rides will be fine. I don’t feel I want to take on more and more biking challenges – I know what I can do, and what I found too challenging, like large hills. So that’s what I shall do, though I may do one more Womantours shorter tour.

        Margaritas to start the evening, because we crossed another state line. Texas went on so long it’s amazing to have two margaritas in a week since we’ve been in Louisiana and now Alabama. Dinner was pumpkin lasagna with turkey or sausage, and a big salad, and delicious garlic bread, in Linda and Carol’s condo where we all sat round the living room and talked. There was banana pudding for dessert.

        Today is Sunday and tomorrow we have a day off at the beach and the pool and these lovely rooms. I plan to eat out. There’s a washing machine in the apartment which is busy working right now – or is that the dryer that’s on? Because we’re sharing the condo, Gale is watching TV, Wendy is sitting on the deck, and Judy was reading in her room.

         In two weeks it will be May 5^th, and the Sunday I fly back to Boulder CO. Amazing. I’ll have Sunday, Monday and Tuesday at home and then go and stay at my cousins, the Johnsons, who have been taking care of Sammy the Beagle as well as Scooter the Beagle and Stanley the thinks-he’s-a=beagle. They are off to their daughter’s graduation from college in Indianapolis.

 

Cold, wet, rainy in Mississsippi

A non-riding day

     Mississippi welcomed me from the warmth of the Van today because five of us decided we didn't want to ride in cold (50 degree) rainy windy weather and opted out to sit and be tourists. The rest of them braved the elements, mostly with success though a few were rescued by the Sag Subaru, Little Bo Peep as it declares on the side, and rode back to the warmth of the hotel in Wiggins, MS. Riders came in cold and wet and expressed varying degrees of enthusiasm for the experience. I don't ride in the rain in Colorado, or when it's around 50 or below so that was not an issue for me.
     When we got here, four of us went to the Mexican restaurant next door for hot coffee and excellent quesadillas. As we left, one local woman warned us: "It may even snow!" but assured me she was joking. I've just been sent photos of the Flatirons in Boulder CO with more snow than I've seen for a long time, and a picture of the Johnson Dog Family, where Scooter, Stanley and Sammy stand in the snow looking hopefully for a treat from Scott, just outside their door.
      Everywhere we go, people tell us it's not this hot or cold usually. We are all prepared for a hurricane when we get to Florida and rain unlike we've ever seen before, instead of the blissful warm sunshine we hoped for at this end of the trip.  Weather is weather whether you like it or not.
      The region round here is bursting into spring with new leaves on trees and calves in the fields with cows, and horses grazing the new grass, and blossoms appearing on bare trees. The specter of the outside world and the tragedy in Boston has reached us all and we can do no more than shake our heads in despair at the violence and cruelty as we read and watch and absorb. I lived in Boston from 1964 to 1978, and my children grew up there, and I remember going to cheer on a friend who ran the Boston Marathon way back when, and going out to watch the happy and celebratory event when it came through Newton Mass every year.
       I have no great thoughts on evil or violence except to believe that good people outnumber the bad and that we have to stand up and be counted and speak out for what is right, and not what is wrong. I just read Tony Horwitz's excellent account on traveling through the Arab countries some 20 years ago, "Baghdad Without A Map and other misadventures in Arabia" which gives a sobering and personal view of what life is like on the other side of the globe, where women have no say in their lives and where centuries old traditions are in place that will never change. His account is witty, critical, funny, and evocative of his own experiences, in a style that is readable and fascinating.
       Tonight we drink margaritas again because we have cross another state line. Then we have Alabama, and then we reach Florida, and ride across the state to St. Augustine arriving May 2nd. We're already discussing shipping bicycles home and catching airplanes and meeting family and going back to our lives before the trip - which is hard to imagine!

Just a good ride from Hammond to Bogalusa, LA

Warm spring day through country farms and lanes

    This was how I imagined this trip would be, except we had a slight glitch on the mileage on the Cue Sheet so I was four miles over - but that was fine. We had breakfast at the Comfort Inn, which scores a 5 because they have hot eggs, potatoes and cut up ham as well as toast, coffee, cereal and waffles - which I will never touch again. Then we packed our daily snacks - pbj sandwiches, fruit, nuts and cranberries and raisins, string cheese which I love, and a couple of sports energy bars which seem less and less like food the longer you eat them.
    Then we set off from the hotel on to the highway and turned off on to a Frontage Road and then a quiet country road. Today we set off together because it was only 56 miles to Bogalusa - how did it ever get that name I wonder? - and even doing 10 miles or so an hour, which is about my rate, it will take only five hours. So from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. to ride means a short day, now that I'm a biker.
    We segregated into groups with the Speed Racers moving ahead, and then taking a break at a pastry shop, and then for lunch, and still managing to pass all the rest of us pedaling away in the middle. The event of the day was passing a Global Wildlife Center where there are lions and giraffes and other Exotic Beasts. But all I saw through the high wire fence as we rode by were some large deer-like animals and some sleeping animals on the grass that were definitely not zebras and were a long way away from the highway. This is a big deal for school tour groups and they come out in droves every week.
     We turned on to side roads with names like Chappapeela and Undeedus and Knapp Thomas and  White Williams and  E Thomas. The last one our cue sheet warned we should "watch for it - easy to miss." We all made it. There were cows and calves browsing in the green fields, and a large black bull lumbered to his feet as we pedaled by in case we planned to cause trouble. I saw a few sheep and a goat, and lots of beautiful horses grazing in fields by houses. These are not farm houses but many of them are elegant mansions with pillars or spacious homes surrounded by grass. It was cloudy and a bit windy, but warm and humid, the way Louisiana is supposed to be. It was also very quiet - only a few large trucks to threaten as they passed on the narrow two-lane highways, and most cars understood that we needed extra space if they wanted to pass.
      We are at the Travelers Rest Motel, which has no pool and no laundry. Yesterday the hotel had a heated pool and a beautiful hot tub indoors which was a wonderful day to end the day of riding. My room wasn't even ready so I had to wait until I could shower and cool off. Tomorrow we are off to ride across another state line and reach Mississippi, and the town of Wiggins.
    When everything falls into place, and the Sag wagon is there with water every 20 miles, and the terrain has some ups and downs but nothing too dramatic, and there are lovely views and fresh air and the warmth of spring, this is a beautiful way to spend a day, bicycling along the road and enjoying the sudden downhills which are always followed by an uphill - funny how that works. And then to arrive at a clean pleasant hotel with a shower and comfortable bed, to know dinner will be served at 6 p.m. and that there is nothing else to do but to pack up, and prepare for the bicycle ride tomorrow.

Hidden Secrets of a Peaceful Plantation

A day off in St. Francisville and amazing stories

   Yesterday I spent in a beautiful Treehouse on the Butler Greenwood Plantation grounds, where tall old trees hung with feather-light Spanish moss stand amid the green grass and a showy peacock calls loudly to announce he is opening his tail to show off his magnificent feathers. Built in the 1790s, the Plantation is now looked after by the eighth generation of the family, Anne Butler, and the ninth younger generation lives in town. Anne is an author, and her "Tourists' guide to West Feliciana Parish" is a must have for anyone visiting the area.
      Half of us stayed here, and the rest were at the St. Francisville inn. The plantation now has a pool, and a spacious pool house where all the bicyclists met for dinner the night before. The climbing wisteria has not opened yet but the branches twine up the poles and to the ceiling. Each one of us had a room in one of the lovely small cottages and houses on the plantation, where I saw a red cardinal flitting among the leaves and saw countless small birds darting among the trees. As we biked in, I saw signs for other plantations that offer tours of the grounds and houses.
       However, for all its bucolic charm, there are surprising stories about the plantation and about what there is to see in town. Anne herself has written an account of her horrendous shooting by her husband, then the director of Angola prison, who left her for dead never believing she would recover. But she did, and made a new life for herself. . She has created the beautiful Butler Greenwood Bed and Breakfast and gives a tour of the houses on the plantation. Her book, "Weep for the Living" is an account of the shooting and how her husband was sent to prison. It is available on Amazon.com if you want to read the whole story.
      St. Francisville looks like a charming Arcadian village with antique shops, and a few restaurants, and hotels, old plantations to tour and B&Bs.  However, it is also home to Angola, an 18,000 acre former cotton plantation which has become known as one of the bloodiest and most violent prisons in America. It was featured in movies such as "Dead Man Walking" and "Dying to Tell", and a number of award-winning documentaries. Every year there is an Angola Prison Rodeo which is sold out so people are urged to buy tickets in advance. It's been described as the "wildest show in the south." There is also an Angola Arts & Crafts Festival of work done by inmates.You can also tour Louisiana State Penitentiary Museum which has "Old Sparky," the infamous electric chair, which has now been replaced by lethal injections on the gurney.
   Another unusual tour is of River Bend Energy Center, which is next to the multi-million dollar nuclear generating station, which describes how the nuclear power plant was built and set up when it opened in 1985.Who knew that there was nuclear energy in Louisiana?

     I didn't have the energy to follow up on any of these unexpected sights, because I slept most of the morning, cleaned my bicycle, Ricardo, so he was clean and ready to go out again, and played a game of Bananagrams with Susan, who plays a good game, and then we all went out to dinner to the best Italian restaurant in town with the most delicious bread and food I've had in a long time

    My inexpensive watch decided to run out and so I went to a Dollar Store, Fred's, next door after I ordered my food, and bought a $10 watch to see me through the next few weeks. I wear it when I ride to give me an idea of how far and how long I've been riding each day.

    TODAY, which is only TWO WEEKS till our last ride into St. Augustine, Florida, I rode from St. Francisville almost to Hammond, but skipped the last 20 miles when it got up to about 85 degrees and very humid. So I did 63 miles, and enjoyed them biking along farm roads and country roads, and occasional traffic and trucks, to reach the Comfort Inn. This one has a heated pool and a hot tub, so I spent an hour enjoying them before our picnic dinner outside, with a gift of fresh-picked strawberries for dessert - delicious..

A personal best of 96.5 miles today!

And I pedaled on and on and on...

Today we left Lafayette LA to reach St. Francisville  and because I and some others were in a B&B and not in the Francisville Inn, we had another 3 miles or so, which my friend Flo went and added her four miles up and down the road outside to hit a century. For me, 96.5 miles was quite long enough and it's 21.5 miles more than my age, and close enough to 100 to feel it was a Fricking Long Ride

    I began from the Ramada Inn and pedaled to the first Sag Stop at 20, and then wen on to the big event of the day at 45.3. There is a 3.5 miles Morganza Spillway bridge with no shoulder, on the main highway and very busy. In order not to lose riders to passing 80 mph trucks or vans or even cars, Linda and Carol organized us all to meet and cross the bridge over the Atchafalaya River beforehand, and then arranged us in formation, two by two, with the van in back, so we could pedal across together with an escort. Three men who were doing the same trip organized a police escort, which would have been fun, but with at least 20 of us out there, the van was excellent protection as we took over the right hand lane by the concrete wall, and pedaled at a steady 6 to 8 mph behind each other in pairs, while the trucks zoomed by in the lefthand lane and then swung over into our lane in front of us. Three and a half miles can feel like a long time in that situation but we all got over safely, and then rode to the right and the shoulder that the road designers had kindly provided. You'd think they might have wondered what would happen to the cyclists on the causeway before the built the thing - but no. I have learned that many cars, trucks and other road users dislike cyclists, shout rude things as they zoom past, and are not as kind and friendly as I feel they ought to be to us Amazon Women riding across country. So Crossing the Causeway Together was a big event.

    The next place was the Morganza Lunch stop at "Not Yo Mama's Café" where I had my first - and maybe my last - Poboy, and water and decided whether to go on. After an hour in air conditioning, I decided better to ride than sit, and this time I rode off with a group so that we wouldn't get lost in the maze of turns and twists that the Cue Sheet promised, including a change of road at mile 76.5 That was so confusing that we all grouped at the corner, and the local sheriff, a large friendly man in a big van, came by to ask what we were doing, and directed us on to the Second Stop light, not the first one so we could turn right into New Roads, a local name that lacks a certain romance I felt.

    From the distance, we could see tall spires which I was assured was the new Mississippi River bridge which I wanted to cross, so I pedaled on. They turned out to be electricity pylons but the bridge did appear and we took photos before we pedaled up the long approach. There was no water at first, only the tops of tall trees. But at the very top, the river suddenly appeared below, its brown murky waters stretching from side to side. I read that the river is at an all-time low, and though it was large, it was not Hugely Wide. I've walked across the George Washington Bridge from New Jersey to New York, and the Hudson is a pretty good wide river too. Though I won't say that out loud to any Louisianian. There's a long descent from the bridge, which was fun to ride, and then another twenty miles or so to get to St. Francisville. The town looked charming - antiques and cafes and small streets - but Flo and I had to struggle on along the road to Highway 61 (no shoulder) and pedal our 3 extra miles to the Butler Greenwood B&B, off the highway. There was a long gravel path under drooping Spanish moss and tall trees, and lush green grass to the main house.

Anne Butler, the eight-generation owner of the property now, was there to greet me and I am in the Treehouse, which is a romantic big open room, with an outdoor deck,  and a mounted deer/elk head on the wall above the fireplace, its nose tilted upwards as if it doesn't want to know what's going on in the room. There is a Gigantic four-poster bed, definitely big enough for four, handmade it says on the plaque by a master woodcraftsman. Every room has a coffee maker, fridge with breakfast croissants and things to put on it, milk and juice, so we can make our own breakfast.

After my recordbreaking ride, I had a bath, dinner on the patio by the pool which was delicious, followed by icecream and dessert, and then I went to bed..

Water water everywhere...

Sunday I rested and looked at water...

Today was an 80 mile day and I hoped to try. But last night there was a huge thunderstorm which kept me awake, and this morning it was gray and drizzly and I come from Colorado, and I don't ride in the rain because I am used to dry riding. So eight of us filled the van, and set off to ride from Lake Charles in Louisiana to Lafayette, named after the French general who once marched through this state thinking that one day we'd all be speaking French and singing La Marseillaise.

It rained. Huge sodden fields of water spread out on either side where rice and other crops grow. Houses are built without basements but up off the ground. Acres of water stretch out and white egrets flit from place to place. The red bobbing tops of crayfish pots - like lobster pots - liven the grayness. It is extremely wet, damp, soggy, puddleful - everywhere. It is also flat as a Texas pancake after an elephant has sat on it. No low hills, no little rises, no hummocks, no slopes. Just flat like an ironing board.

As we drove along, the spray rose dramatically on either side of the van like a water-coaster ride at a water park. We sped through deep puddles. There was the quiet sloooshing of driving in rain, and I fell asleep in the van despite the conversation. We had a couple of stops, and then arrived at the Ramada Inn which is an excellent hotel, refurbished, and comfortable unlike the less than perfect place last night where I heard the rain beating on the roof above the ceiling - I was on the second floor - and this morning a chunk of ceiling had come loose and was hanging above the bed. Other people had problems getting into their rooms when keys didn't work, a lack of soap, and general careless housekeeping.

Lafayette is a much busier and livelier place than the other towns we've seen recently. It has modern buildings, a huge medical center, new hotels and stores and a bike store that didn't open until 1 p.m. so I didn't get there. Four of us walked to the nearby Starbucks where I had coffee and an egg sandwich, and then three of us went to Toons restaurant, an authentic local place, for fried catfish, French fries and soggy broccoli because we were hungry. We couldn't find beignets - the sugar-coated confections of Louisiana - but a man was eating two of them he'd bought from a pastry shop and said they were OK "but the best ones are in New Orleans." I'll have to wait.

I came back to the room and it was now hot and muggy - remember high humidity? I lay down on the bed to see what would happen,  and took a nap in the air-conditioning. It was great. When I woke up, I strolled over to Walgreens to buy new water bottles - I left mine in one of the hotels by accident! so I had to borrow spare ones on my last ride. I am now fully Prepared for Water. Riders are coming in - a couple got lost but everyone seems to be back. Tomorrow when we arrive in St. Francisville we are divided among two B&Bs and we'll hear how challenging the ride will be at the map meeting after dinner. A restful non-riding day for me and tomorrow I shall pedal on.

Animals mostly dead along the way

Saturday April 13th, 2013

     Today I rode out of Texas, across a bridge about 30 feet long, two lane, and arrived in Louisiana where there are potholes but no chipseal. The road surfaces in these places need attention, it seems to me and my bicycle, which I now call Ricardo. Linda, the zingy New Zealand woman, has decided all our bicycles need personal names and while I started with Binky, she felt that wasn't right so now my bicycle is Ricardo. Hers has some romantic name - can't remember it - but I'll check it out. Ricardo is a romantic older Italian who tries to take care of me, though I sometimes don't heed his advice, but he's a great ride. One guide came back from a bike shop today wearing a great teeshirt with a big picture of a bicycle in the middle and the words: Have some fun between your legs.... Whole new way of thinking about it. You can see how loopy we're getting after all these weeks.
     
So I wanted to mention animals, apart from the barking dogs that run out and try and chase me, and I've found that ringing my bicycle bell aggressively deters them. Amazing! I've used it several times, and in a group everyone lets me ride ahead and ring the bell and the dogs stop amazed, surprised, but they stop. Which is all we need. We did see a beautiful little black puppy today who looked lost but I resisted picking him up to bring home.

What we've been hearing are the croaking of eager to mate bullfrogs which is an amazing 'geeerack" sound very loud and you can hear over the traffic from the puddles and ponds and streams near the road. There's a lot of water round here - unlike Colorado - and the bullfrogs are out there, singing their love songs loud and clear. They are at least alive. I have seen squished armadillos on the pavement, with large black birds waiting to eat them and eyeing us suspiciously as we bike buy in case we touch their dinner. I have seen squished small furry animals, unrecognizeable, a squished long-nosed animal, very small and sad, and squished birds lying on the ground. If there's this many dead animals in a few days, there must be hundreds of them killed every week, every month, every year. It's auto-cide, like homicide, for animals, and it's a tragedy. The only live animals are a few birds here and there, not a lot, cows and baby calves, and horses and foals standing munching the rich green grass.

Anyway, today's complicated ride led us along all kinds of farm roads and side streets and across a very short bridge from Texas to Louisiana, which took all of two minutes to ride across, and two big signs, one saying welcome to Texas and the other saying Welcome to Louisiana. On either side the waters of a stream or lake had tall cypresses standing in them, the beginning of bayou country which is beautiful. Years ago I canoed through the bayou with our baby daughter in her carrycot balanced in the front. I still remember the silence and the swish of the water and the hanging leaves and plants.

We rode along mostly quiet roads with some shoulders and some traffic, turning let and then right, including Evangeline Way, shades of Longfellow, and then on to more farm roads. I rode about 40 miles and decided that I didn't want to do the next 20 so I sagged to Lake Charles, LA and the somewhat funky hotel. It once was a Best Western but is now the Richmond Suites and we were all looking for the first name so almost missed it. The pool water is green - not  a good sign, and the hot tub was inoperative, so I had a hot shower.

Since we crossed a state line, we had margaritas for dinner, and a celebration that we are more than halfway across the country and we're done with Texas - phew. Linda whipped up fresh salmon, asparagus and a delicious cream sauce, mashed potatoes and fresh fruit with crème anglaise. I mean, it was gourmet style, fresh and delicious and we sat outside in our plastic chairs in the evening air and had a wonderful dinner for our first in Louisiana. .

Tomorrow we have a long ride to Lafayette LA, and then we go to St. Francisville and have day off there, which should be interesting. Laissez les bon temps rouler!

Friday's ride to Cleveland Texas

April 11, 2013

A 63 mile ride to Silsbee, Texas and the Pinewood Inn 

Today is our last day in Texas because tomorrow we go to Louisiana – after three weeks of riding across this enormous state. After another dose of chipseal, I am ready to move on to asphalt or indeed, anything else.  Again, it was a lovely ride along Farm Roads with a couple of brief highways in between. We are near logging country so enormous trucks laden with young saplings strapped on to the back about 12 feet high and 50 feet long zoomed past us, leaving an aroma of pine trees and pine bark and the forests they had once lived in so peacefully. There’s a sawmill somewhere round here and we thought they might stop sometime. But they kept zooming past us going somewhere else most of the morning as we drove along two-lane quiet farm roads and past open fields and a few horses and cows.

     We left Cleveland at 8 a.m. for the ride, and when we start off in a long line, it’s hard to know where anyone is going – so the leaders missed a turn but the others noticed and we all made the correct right turn at the right time. After the first half hour, we are all spread out along the road going at our own pace, and the Sag goes to the 20 mile mark and waits for us to refill water bottles, provide snacks and encourage us or take us off the road into the wagon.

      Today, I did 20 miles and felt fine, so Jo and I rode on. At the second sag, a truck pulled up because a rider had a flat tire and a nice woman pulled over and offered to help so took her and the other rider and their bikes in her truck to the sag stop for a repair. At 40 miles I was tired, but Carla The Sag Rider urged me to rest and then finish the ride. So I rode on 10 miles to Mama John’s restaurant, a big family restaurant which is popular and has good food and was recommended on the cue sheet. I had a BLT sandwich with French fries – and discussed how ‘chips’ are different in America from Australia, New Zealand and England and I still have to remember that they are. It was delicious and nice to have a lunch break.

      Afterwards, we rode on the last 12 miles to the Pinewood Inn in Silsbee, population 6,000 or so, though it has a Subway, McDonalds and Sonic, but no Walmart. When we asked the guy at the desk about a Starbucks, he laughed heartily…..”Not round here” he said, “though I like a triple macchiato with skim milk.” Who knew?

       The pool was cold and being cleaned by its automatic cleaner. The hot tub was warm but “it’s an old Jacuzzi and the sprays are old and tired and don’t work ,” he told us.  The hot tub aficianados sat in it anyway because it feels so good to rest our legs and knees in hot water. I sat in the sun drying off for a while, and then came in for a shower.

       This morning as we left the hotel, It was about 50 degrees and clear and sunny and it warmed up to about 80 degrees by the time we got to Silsbee. The sky was blue, there was a light breeze so not too windy, and it was a beautiful fresh clear day, ideal for riding except for thundering lumber trucks hurtling down the roads behind us and overtaking at breakneck speed.

       It was a lovely ride with some long uphills but slow and steady, and a few nice downhils, but mostly pretty flat which is a pleasant relief for me. Tonight we have dinner in the parking lot and our map meeting for our ride to Louisiana tomorrow, and our farewell to Texas.

Springtime in Texas

A lovely ride in parks and along quiet highways

This morning it was 45 degrees, cold and rainy and some riders opted for the van or to 'bump' in the sag wagon and skip the first 20 miles or so until it warmed up. However, I had my daughter's totally waterproof bike raincoat, which had been tested by the perpetual rains of Portland, Oregon, so I knew it would be fine, and I set out with Jo to see how far we could go.

      She decided at 20 miles that it was enough for her, but then Flo appeared after fixing a flat tire and so we rode together for the rest of the day. After the rain stopped, the clouds began to float away, and the sun came out. We were riding along a two-lane highway with a shoulder most of the way, and not a lot of traffic though there was the occasional tree-laden logging truck which was definitely took over most of the road. We stopped for a  quick sandwich from the gas station and some cut up fruit for lunch in New Waverly at the second Sag stop, 40 miles, and agreed to go on to 60.

     Now the road wound through the beautiful Sam Houston State Park and the National Park it adjoined, which stretches for miles in this part of Texas. Tall trees lined the road, while bright yellow wildflowers filled the grass on either side of the road with dazzling color. The sun threw dappled shadows across the highway, as we rode up gently sloping hills and sped as fast as we could down the  hills to the next up which I'd found I could do with the momentum from the down. I have to admit I yelled "WHeeeeee!" at some of the really exciting downhills because it felt like being a 10 year old again riding my first bicycle down the steep road where I used to live in London, and then again riding down the steep hill in Englewood NJ where we lived when my son and I sped down the long road into town one Sunday morning when there was no traffic.  Wheeee indeed!

    The sun was shining, it was about 70 degrees, I'd dumped my raingear and jacket in the sag wagon and it had become a perfect spring day for bicycling and enjoying the greenery. Flo lives in Houston TX and had been camping in the park with her sons, and so she knew what a beautiful place it is and appreciated how lovely it looked in the spring, before the arrival of the blistering humidity of summer heat.

    When I got to the third Sag at 60, Julie said "There's only 10 more miles - you should finish it." So I rode the last 10 miles into Cleveland, along the road, and turned right into the Super 8 hotel, our home for the night, in time to use the pool - very cold - and the hot tub - blissfully hot - and have a delicious picnic dinner in the parking lot by the trailer as the sun set.

    Some of the riders are tired of hotel breakfasts and plan to go to McDonalds for breakfast tomorrow. From my few experiences of Egg McMuffins and other breakfast experiences there, I shall stick with the hotel - especially since it's free.

    Today was a wonderful bicycling day and tomorrow, our last day in Texas, we'll be riding 64 miles to Silsbee,  along much the same kinds of roads, so here's hoping it's just as much fun.

Wet Rest Day is Damp Break

Wednesday April 10th- I think:

We are all having trouble remembering what day and date it is, especially when we get a day off in Navasota Texas which does not have a great deal to be memorable about and it is pouring with rain after a warm morning. Definitely pouring and cold, about 58 degrees, and raining all day. I know it's not snow - you Colorado Late Christmas Revelers - but it is cold and wet. But the day passed and we all had a good time and met in the Wranglers Steak House for dinner at 5 p.m; because:
1. it's opposite the hotel and only five minutes to walk
2. it has a lot of room so when 20 of us arrive talking loudly and assertively, they don't faint away
3. it is not expensive
4. it serves liquor - yes, I'm afraid we bad-ass bikers drink too. But No Smoking.
AND Keith, the solo bicyclist from England whom we met earlier on the trip suddenly reappeared after a day riding in the rain and is still pedaling on towards Florida on his own chosen routes.

In the morning I went to the haircut place but they didn't even know about walk-ins so I made an appointment for later but couldn't face another rainy walk. I then went to the Great Entertainment Center which is Walmart where you can wander round and feel intrigued. I bought some vitamin C tablets to keep up my energy, and an excellent Mary Higgins Clark thriller called "The Lost Years" which is perfect rainy afternoon reading.  I went again to Pizza Hut this time with Jo and a few others to have pizza and a good salad, and then came back and put the heating on the room, found the radio stations on my computer to listen to Mozart piano concertos and some jazz, and sat on the bed and read my book.

At 3:45 p.m. Ricky arrived with her folding table and her hand-made creams and her calm assurance to give me a massage in my room. I told her my legs were tight and that's what I pedaled with and she said she'd concentrate on those as well as everything else. What can I say about a good massage except that it makes me relax and be right here in the moment and that my body remembers how it's supposed to feel and move and fit together? She has been doing therapeutic massage for 20 years and also teaches and she and her husband just bought a farm where she keeps more horses than she knows she can manage so she is always busy. We talked horses - I still remember Legacy and the wonderful riding we used to do together in Colorado - and that was lovely to talk and think about again.

Afterwards, I took a little while to just sit and focus and feel truly in one piece and one place, as if I had been fitted together again correctly and my body was purring. Then I went to dinner with The Group. Some of us are already looking ahead to May 2nd when we ride into St. Augustine Florida and others can hardly believe there's only three more weeks. I'm taking it a day at a time - and am planning to stay an extra couple of days in St. Augustine to see the town and fly back on Sunday.

However, tomorrow may be a cold wet windy ride - depending on the weather, and I have to bike to Cleveland Texas (Cleveland in Texas?) and see how far I can get. We leave about 7:45 a.m. so it's an early morning start and I shall set my alarm again.
     

Getting lost - and found again!

A lovely ride in the wrong direction....

Today I left the Best Western in La Grange in good time at 8 a.m. to ride some 60 miles to Navasota TX along a highway route part of the way and then along a farm road. I rode up the traffic laden road first where huge trucks whizzed by the narrow shoulder, and one man sounded his horn in indignation. I came to the conclusion that we need a network of roads for bicycles ONLY with several lanes and pullouts and small pumping stations for tires and minor repairs and snacks. It should run across the country and up and down as well, so cyclists can get the full  benefit of the roads which we support with our taxes.
       Thinking such worthy thoughts, I came to the place where we had to change from Route 290 to route 390 by going left at a gas station. I thought the gas station would be on the right and then I'd go left. So I tootled on, happy that there was now a much wider shoulder to ride and wondering why I didn't see any others from my group.  After about five miles of steady pedaling, way beyond the place I should have seen the gas station. I concluded I was on the wrong road. It was a major highway with trucks and cars speeding by at 80 mph, and no-one in the bike lane.
      I whipped out my trusty Iphone and called the Sag Wagon. Pat said yes indeed, I had missed the turn and she was waiting for the other riders, so I'd just have to ride back and take the turning on to 390 when I saw the gas station. So I carefully rode across the four-lane highway to the other shoulder, and began pedaling back along the way from the other side of the street. I had passed a winery on the other side and thought that might be a good place to stop - but nothing on this side of any interest. Sure enough, I came upon the gas station and a sign saying "Route 390" so I took it and began pedaling along the road to try and make up for lost time. This was a beautiful country road near a tiny town called Burton and past farms where cows and calves lolled about on the green grass and where the trees were so fresh and green in springtime bloom and where whole fields were rustling in the wind covered with deep blue Texas Bluebonnets. It was really beautiful and peaceful and so different from the highways and traffic I'd just seen.
      I was however now way behind the others and realized I'd never get to the second Sag stop until it was really late. Suddenly a man came bicycling along followed by his personal Sag Wagon driven by what turned out to be his wife.  I stopped to ask him if the next left turn was correct to get to Gay Hill, where the Sag was waiting, and he said it was but it was a long ride. I sighed and he said; "Maybe my wife can take you there." She got out of the car and said; "I just stopped to talk to allyour group of women and I was there when you called.. They're parked by a church and you are all doing such a wonderful job bicycling and I met them all."  She said: "It's a long ride there" and I realized I would be really late. She then drove the car to show her husband where to go for his ride that day - he is riding to raise money for children in Sri Lanka - and then came back, expertly loaded my bike on the back of her car, and drove me the 10 miles or so to Gay Hill where the Sag Wagon and the van were waiting to see where I was. We had a lovely talk about raising money by bicycling and exchanged cards -and said goodbye. She and her husband come from Virginia and are also doing a cross-country trip.
       I was so late that it would have been difficult to start riding another 30 miles to get to Navasota since everyone else was way ahead of me, so I got in the van with a couple of others who'd found it too much for them to finish. We picked up one more person and then drove along beautiful country roads, past flowers, herds of cows, old farm houses, and rolling green fields until we reached Navasota and another Best Western. 
       Tomorrow is our day off again - much sooner than last time! So as everyone came in there was a sense of relief that we didn't have to get organized for an early start and a long biking day. Linda whipped up a delicious dinner of chicken stew, sweet potatoes, spinach salad, and cheesecake and chocolate cake, and we sat outside in the parking lot by the van in the warm spring air of a Texas April evening laughing and talking.
        Jo from Colorado told me that there's a huge winter storm dropping April snow right now. I am happy to be missing it but it's nice to know that Colorado hasn't changed its unpredictable weather.
My plan tomorrow is to get a haircut, and I may even have a massage, and explore the town and try not to get lost on foot.

Lovely ride in park with wildflowers alongside

Spring in Texas is blooming

Today we had a 9:30 a.m. start because we rode to Bastrop State Park and we all had to go in together so that they could pay for us all at one time. It was only three miles from the hotel, an easy ride along the road, and then we turned on smooth walkways, under trees, along winding paths, and yes, up hills and down hills as usual - pant pant - because this is the Texas Hill Country.
    It was lovely to be off the roads and away from traffic. I cycled along behind a few riders and then rode by myself as they took off and then met other riders along the way. The park is huge and there's a golf course and trails for hiking, and a lake and it joins Buescher Park which is another beautiful area that's been preserved. However a big fire came through a couple of years ago and burned the tall Lost Pines as they are called and while they have been reseeding and replanting new tiny trees, the tall bare black trunks are a depressing reminder of the power of fire in a forest. However, along the sides of the roads new spring flowers were beginning to open, and on the roadways everywhere, because of Lady Bird Johnson's efforts years ago, there are beautiful Texas bluebonnets and pink flowers and wild yellow flowers blooming along side the cars. I also keep seeing the Cactus Rose, which grows in Colorado, a beautiful white flower rising out of a green cactus-like leaf on a green stem. And there are big birds with long tails flying around and calling to each other, and sitting in the palm trees - which they also have here.
     We had a challenging and peaceful 15-mile ride through the park and then came out on the country farm road to ride to Winchester, a town, as its teeshirts proclaim, of 50 people. There was  a sign to a café on the right so we turned off the road and there were lights on though it was supposed to be shut. The nice woman whose father owns the place opened it for us. It was a funkily delightful old-fashioned stores with horses from a carousel on the porch to be ridden, and a small carousel round the corner, and teeshirts with "Winchester Population 50" as well as homemade icecream - I had mint chocolate chip which was delicious - coffee, cookies and things like packaged macaroni and cheese. Every year thousands of riders do a fundraising bicycle trip on this route for MS so she was quite used to sweaty women needing sustenance along the way - and we sat around the old wooden tables and relaxed for half an hour.
      Then I rode on along Route 153 through Winchester, and then on to US 77 which was way too busy and had a rough and unfriendly shoulder most of the way. Then we turned off on the Frontage Road and there was the Best Western and the Van and Wagon waiting in the parking lot.
     This place has washing machines on my floor and I'm next in line to wash out some riding clothes - and have had a hot bath and shower, feel quite refreshed and there's dinner outside at 6 p.m. which Linda Super Chef is preparing for us all.
      The weather was cloudy and in the 70s and perfect for riding - except for the gusty winds which every now and then would attack me as I climbed up a hill so that I could hardly keep moving. It's part of the traditional weather for this area apparently.  I'm learning how to change gear smoothly to get up hills - though I did mess it up once and had to put my chain back on again, which I can now do. I'm going to buy some plastic gloves for things like that - which Helen lent me today - so I don't have to get covered in bike grease every time. Things I am Learning Along the Way.
      Tomorrow we go on to Navasota and actually have another day off which is nice. And then, then we will be approaching the end of Texas and moving on into another state. Yay y'all.

Y'all I'm still in Texas! WIll it ever end?

A good riding day and a rescue by a gallant Texan!

Today we left Kerrville after a day of rest in an elegant hotel to ride 62 miles on to Blanco, which is about 40 miles south of Austin TX, a big city. I thought this was a distance I could do so I set out and passed the first Sag stop at 20 miles, and stopped for lunch in Waring TX at 30 miles sitting at picnic tables outside a refurbished old gas station where the meter recorded the price in pennies, not dollars. Makes you think huh. 
   The two guys running it made hamburgers and French fries and had Cocacola in bottles. Every Wednesday night they have live music and dancing which was playing from a tape while we were there, and there's a big garden out back for more celebrating. "We've been doing this for 15 years" one of them told me, "and it's always a blast." This is Saturday so we didn't see it.
     Riding on I passed the 40 mile Sag stop and felt fine, thinking we'd have some more rolling hills as we'd had before. BUT suddenly the hills got bigger, the rolls got longer, and the whole ride became far more challenging as the wind picked up - it is NEVER behind us- and the temperature soared from the comfortable 50s to the 70s as the sun swept the clouds from the sky. I womanfully struggled up the next few hills, feeling very tired. I stopped for water and a snack thinking that would help. I went up a couple more and other riders passed me.  I was 7 miles from Kendalia, the next town and about 20 miles from the hotel in Blanco. I realized that I didn't have that many pedaling miles in me.
    I called the Sag, Julie, but she was busy picking up people who had got lost, or who were tired way back behind me, and she told me it would be at least an hour before she could get to me. I was about to plan how to find a shady spot to wait when a man in a big wagon with a bike on the back saw me on the phone and called: "Do you need some help?" What a great question! He turned his van round and came over to where I was and I told him I was not able to ride into Blanco and our Sag was tied up. He knew all about Sags and had ridden mountain bike rides and was on his way to one in Comfort where we'd passed, but when he heard my sad story, he offered me a ride to Blanco where he lives. I thanked him profusely and he expertly loaded my bike on the back next to his, and I got in the front seat of his beautifully air-conditioned van. 
     Turns out he loves Colorado and has been to Steamboat Springs and skied and would love to live there but his wife likes Texas so they're in Blanco. He has twins, a boy and a girl, who are 12, and they play soccer and bike and ski, and are as outdoorsy as you can be here in Texas where there's no snow, and go to Colorado to ski and to a summer camp. I told him about my family, and how Boulder is so sports conscious that when you ask someone what they do, you don't care about their job, you just want to know if they hike, bike, ski, run, race, climb or do anything interesting athletically.  I do yoga but I've learned that does not qualify as a fulltime sport in Boulder.
      He took me all the way to the hotel - and then because I dropped my phone in the car, brought that to the hotel too. What a great guy! Texas is wonderful.
      I then went with Carla to lunch at the Redbud Café, where the guy who took my order had lived in Boulder for 11 years, come to Austin TX and moved to Blanco to escape the big city. We had a great reminisce about how Boulder has changed in the past 20 something years. I had an excellent quiche and salad and a perfect iced coffee.
     Outside on Blanco's town square they had booths and stalls for a fair. Carla and I walked around looking at booths, and I found some clip-on earrings, rare as can be in the world, from a woman who refurbishes antique jewelry. They are blue and sparkly and look terrific - so that was great. We looked at antlers and wooden barbecue holders, and hippy clothing and not much else. Then came back to the hotel where people were biking in.
      Marilyn and I cleaned our bikes on the grass, chatting, and she said that she admired the fact that I knew how much I could ride and did what I could. I appreciated her saying that because I keep feeling I Should Do More....but I can only do what I can do - and enjoy that. She, on the other hand, zooms along like lightning and hardly seems to get out of breath. It must be that New Zealand vegemite again. She is on a year's grand adventure tour is going to Spain next to teach English conversation to Spaniards in a program there. 
        Then I had a shower, found out the wifi worked - always a surprise - and caught up on email and Facebook and all the other Internet connections. Dinner is outside in half an hour.
        My room in this hotel is decorated with a variety of crosses. There's an ornamental iron one on the wall, a big one standing up on the mantelpiece above the bed, and a sign saying "Every day holds the possibility of a miracle." Which is a good thought to have when you're riding a bicycle, panting up a hill and out of breath, though the possibility of suddenly being able to do it seems a little unlikely. But I shall hope on.

Dog Notes

Sammy the Limping Beagle

For those of you who know Sammy, he is an amazingly quiet and friendly beagle, now 11 years old, and he is taking his vacation Chez Myriam and Scott, my cousins, together with Scooter, the smaller beagle, and Stanley, who probably thinks he's a beagle since everyone else is. They are The Gang when they get together and crowd the sofa by the front door, so that should anyone anyone ever try to get to the front door without being noticed, they all bark in unison and then run to the door in case someone tries to come in. You can't sneak into the house no matter how you try. In between the intense guard duty, they nap in different places on the sofa. Scooter likes the cushion along the top, Stanley sits below behind him - he knows his place - and Sammy sits on the cushion on the other side. The Boys are At Work.
    However, Sammy while playing in the back yard pulled something in his back leg and started limping. Myriam took him to the vet and the verdict was that he either had to have an operation OR he could get a brace and see if it healed up by itself. Hop-along Sammy was not the least deterred by only having three legs to run around on .... However, I had to make a decision. I did some research and there is a place called Orthopets which makes braces for dogs. Myriam, who deserves a dog-shaped halo, took him to the vet there, who said he was an excellent candidate for it. I talked to her on the phone, I read the voluminous material about braces and what it meant and what it didn't and yesterday, Myriam took Sammy who was fitted with his brace on his back left leg. She sent me a photo and it looks terrifying - but apparently he is getting used to it, and needs therapy sessions to help him realize he can now walk on the leg that was hurting.  He goes back in two weeks to make sure everything is OK and he now wears it for an hour or so at a time getting use to it, has exercises to do, and seems to be eating, sleeping, farting and pooping like he usually does. He has also lost weight and the vet recommended giving him canned pumpkin to make him feel he's getting enough food because he's been on a strict diet.
      I shall try and post the photo on Facebook - technology willing.