BIKE TOUR

I wish I'd realized sooner that my bike shoes make a great pillow. With toes pointed together and slightly overlapped, they cradle my neck nicely. This is all quite pleasent unless they are severely stinky. Though it rained in torrents here today, I did not ride and my shoes did not get stinky. My bike still sits upside down next to the pink and white wall with the ceiling fan whirring above. The cot I've been afforded in my lay over is quite comfortable. Today's events included not getting my package, beginning the production of 40 some postcards, a viewing of Borat, and a trip to The Market Basket. Did you know they call grocery carts buggies here? I wonder if laundrymats are called washeterias here too. Also of note: my parent's 25th anniversary is tomorrow.

Mike, Pat, Steven, and I took the trip into Lake Charles. My wheel was dealt with (a new one ordered). It arrives Tuesday. I spoke with 360 Cycleworks in Austin and they did put my old spokes on and they new better. They would probably argue that they told me this too but I didn't want to argue. I would never have had the old spokes put on if I knew that it would weaken the wheel. They'd never give me my $100 plus dollars I wasted there back. So now it's a new wheel and a 40 hole one to be exact. It's probably the wheel I should have started with. But if I'd done that, I wouldn't have gotten to spend the five days I will in Kinder hanging out with the Baptists. I'll catch up on my postcards and several phone calls I need to return. I'll be rested and ready for the last thousand miles. The Atlantic doesn't seem that far away now. Oh and the long awaited (one week) package of camera can be picked up here in Kinder tomorrow. Pictures should follow short

Today I started to imagine a cycling version of the 12 days of Christmas for this trip. 12 11 10 9 flat tires 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 broken spokes 1 cracked rim I wouldn't want to rush to fill in the blanks. Today I got my 9th flat tire. This time it was a tiny cresent shaped piece of metal. However, the shoulder on this road has been fairly decent. I was warned that it wasn't good, but I don't think most people have any idea what a good shoulder looks like. Not that I really expected it to, but Louisiana doesn't have Blue Bell icecream. It was decent icecream that is Texas made by the pint at a reasonable price of 2 for $3. I like that. The real news of the day is that yet another spoke broke. The assistant principal here gave me a ride in to the baptist church. They thankfully are putting me up in "The White House" where their youth ministers live. This is the second broken spoke on that rear wheel that I just had the rim replaced on. Disappointed? yes. Showered? yes

Solid Grounds "Best Coffee in the Kingdom" "Warning contents in cups may be real hot!!!!" "NO Profanity" Vidor, TX KKK Headquarters Google it. I did. I said goodbye to Texas today. Texas in turn left me with the taste of a flat tire and a cockroach hotel in my mouth. But aside from these recent memories of Texas, I enjoyed the state. However, I am glad to be in Louisiana. I was starting to feel like I wasn't getting anywhere. Here in Starks, where gambling is legal and the swamps look like alligator habitat, I will sleep. No worries, I'm inside the fellowship hall of the First Baptist Church and I'm 27 miles from the KKK capital of America. They had a rally in College Station about 200 miles from here about a decade ago. See what all the people who are stuck on the Adventure Cycling Association map are missing out on. My fist glass flat wasn't realized until I rolled into town. The good news is that I spent the evening relaxing by changing

bottle the cracked white line and the sliding shadows drop in the sweet scent of the purple vine and the water on my nose cram in the soreness of my palms and the numbness in my toes snatch the deepness of the clouds and the thunder quickly; it goes bottle it all it won't happen again but i guess it could who knows Michael is going to quit smoking next week. After talking to me for half an hour he didn't even light up. His youngest has him wrapped around her finger and she gets on him every day about it. With the promise as he says he will "glory in your spunk," he drove off in his minivan. Sitting at the Texaco with my feet apart to avoid the pain associated with chaffing, I decided to rest for a moment. My dislexic cashier, Anitra, sold me a pint of raw honey for $1.79 instead of $7.19. When she told me the total of $3.21 I'd questioned if she'd gotten the honey in there. With and impatient careless air, she assured me she had. I'm not one to press. In N

Did I forget to put sunscreen on my arms? They're awfully red. In other news my parent's old camera should be arriving in Basile on Thursday. I'm excited. I've gotten really attached to photography on this trip. Additionally, I listened to classic rock while taking a bath. Now I'm listening to a station that boasts "The Mix" in the dining room of The First Baptist Church's "Blue House". Instead of letting me camp on their lawn, they let me stay in one of their houses. I spoke with Jeff and Teeny who tried to convince me to go on a kayaking expedition that I couldn't afford. Jeff said I could mow lawns while I'm riding the rest of the way to Florida. You have to hand it to him for his creativity. I was also extended a courtesy invite to take the Yukon River from Johnson's Crossing to Dawson or Whitehorse. I can't remember, but I'll be working anyway. Wisps of summer keep finding their way to me. Before I know it I'll be

Those of you that know me know that I like to take in a film from time to time. Aside from the Sitka Film Society selection that I try to attend, I shoot for films like Music and Lyrics. Since I'm stuck in the big city for the night, I thought I would take advantage of it and try to find a smidge of normalacy in my life. The bike has been cared for by the good folks at REI. THey are everywhere. I drank an Orangina which seems to hail from somewhere in my past at the potbelly deli. How is Orangina pronounced? Can you get it at Trader Joes? These are the concerns that filled my mind after biking the several miles to the AMC. These are the kinds of conscerns I should have. At one point in time I was discussing with a dear friend our school's lack of heat situation and terribly unhealthy food. As usual I tried to find the positive focusing on the opportunity for students to advocate for change. Students did seem a bit fired up. But he pointed out that those are not things students