Day 6 – Dinner and Music

Sunday, October 26th

Opelousa, LA to St. Francisville, LA

After a night of tossing and turning, I woke up a little tired and grumpy, stretched and started prepping for the day.  We woke up just after 6 am, but got another late start today because we turned on the TV to keep us awake while we packed.  It was a random channel that didn’t interest us at first, but weird stuff started happening in the story line and our packing became less and less important as we would pause to watch a scene unfold.  The movie that was showing turned out to be Salem’s Lot, which neither of us had seen, and when our packing was done though it was time to leave, we hung around a bit longer to see where the movie was going.  About a half hour from the end, we figured we could guess the rest, so we left to start the day’s ride.  (If I’m wrong about being able to guess the rest, please let me know subtly, without spoiling the now unpredictable ending.)

Though (after yesterday’s mess) we didn’t look forward to getting back on 190 we took it anyway, aiming for Livonia (20-25 mi west of Baton Rouge).  A few miles out of Opelousas, I realized I needed to pee.  I thought the next town was about 10 miles away, so I held it.  Then after 11 miles, Dad checked the GPS and told me then next town was another 18 miles away.

Me: “Ooo…   …I gotta pee.”
Dad: “Me too. Let’s see what we find in the next few miles.”
(A few miles of very light pedaling later…)
Dad: “How you doing?”
Me: “I gotta pee.”
Dad: “I know. But besides that.”
Me: “I’m fine. …But I gotta pee.”
Dad: “Okay. Let’s head for those trees next to the road.”

And so commenced my first non-restroom urination of the trip. Now I have two things to tally: stampedes and toiletless pees. (I know that for many of you this is too much information, but for those of you who know me, you’d agree it’s about on par, right?)

Of course, once we got back on the road, about 3 miles down the way there was an intersection with four gas stations.  Three were closed due to hurricane damage, but one would have been enough.

During our lunch stop in Basile yesterday, we talked with several people who all agreed that 190 was a fine road to take toward Baton Rouge.  They said the traffic wasn’t too heavy and there was a shoulder.  What they failed to mention was the bridge.  Or the other bridge.  Or even the third bridge.

When we rounded the bend and saw the oasis of gas stations previously mentioned, our excitement was doused by the jaw-dropping disbelief that came with seeing the bridge behind the gas stations.  Dad later said he almost peed himself at that sight of the bridge because it looked like it was too narrow to have a shoulder.  With a bridge that tall, narrow and busy, we would have had to find another route a ways out of our way.  Luckily, the bridge had a shoulder and we made it up and over with without any harrowing events.  (Not wanting to be a sitting duck near that traffic, I waited until after we crossed to take the picture.)

We were so proud of crossing the first bridge that we weren’t prepared for the second one.  This was a flat, shoulder-less bridge that converged on a vanishing point.  We covered the 4-5 miles of this bridge cruising at about 23 mph so we didn’t hold up traffic too much.  Thankfully, after crossing those two, the third bridge was little surprise.

We stopped in Livonia for lunch then headed north along Wye Rd and False River Rd – which had a beautiful view of a (false?) river, to the town of New Roads.

We stopped for a moment to research motel options for St. Francisville on the GPS and found a place with breakfast and WiFi for $100 per night.  It was more than we’d care to pay, but our only other option was a hotel in Jackson (eleven miles further down the road) for $125 per night.

We followed the signs to the St. Francisville Ferry and though there was a long line of cars, we rode up to the gate and they put us on first then had us get off last.  While on the ferry, Dad chatted with some motorcyclists about the bikes, and I mimed an explanation of the recumbents to two Asian men who had wandered over to check out our rides.  I pointed out various little details and tried to show them the motor on my bike.  They didn’t catch what I was talking about so I walked around to the front of the bike and pointed to the hub motor.  They still didn’t get it, so I flipped open the right side battery box and immediately one of the guys declared, “Electric!” I nodded “Yes, yes” and the other guy said, “Ahhhhh.”  Oh, the rewards of communication.

After exiting the ferry and pushing the bikes up the steep hill leading to and from the dock, we headed into the beautiful, old, stylistic town of St. Francisville to look for our hotel.  As we passed the minivan of Asians from the ferry who had stopped to check their maps, they smiled and waved enthusiastically and I couldn’t help but laugh and wave back.

We quickly found our stop for the night – the St. Francisville Inn – which was an old house converted into a hotel, restaurant and bar with the rooms built to surround a courtyard behind the house (stfrancisvilleinn.com).

We briefly checked out the art show going on in the neighboring park and while the art wasn’t anything we could take along with us, they had scheduled a great lineup of live music – gospel, folk and some bluegrass – for the whole evening.  We enjoyed it immensely and all from the comfort of our hotel next door.  Aside from the price, this inn is an amazing place to stay.  The courtyard atmosphere is fantastic and the rooms are attractively quaint and comfortable.  Plus they have internet! =D

We pedaled to the grocery store and bought several fresh fruits and vegetables (since we hadn’t had any in a few days) and got all the typical comments about our bikes from the other shoppers.  Upon returning to the room, we cut everything up for a salad and enjoyed it along with some peaches, pickles and Fig Newtons while sitting in the courtyard between the pool and the fountain.

After dinner, we couldn’t bring ourselves to turn on the TV, knowing it would shatter the peace of atmosphere, so we went to soak our feet in the pool and discuss religion.  It was a short ride today, but well worth the time spent relaxing at the inn.  I would love to stay at this place again on the return trip.

Today’s Quick Stats:

Bike              Distance (mi)    Average Speed (mph)

MiniWini            55.10                   16.6

Sti(ck/g)           55.07                   16.6

Stampedes: 2

Roadside Pees: 1