Jurassic-Era Alligator
Shreveport to Monroe, LA
July 22, 2010
After performing the role of crew chief to perfection (I think), it was time to get back on the bike to finish up our last leg in Louisiana. We woke at our usual 5:30 AM calling and prepared to bike what we thought would be a mostly flat 120-mile day. However, we were pretty surprised to encounter many rolling hills, which was actually pretty tough and brought back memories of New Mexico. It might sound crazy, but most of us actually prefer climbing mountains than riding hills. The long continuous climb of mountains allows us to find a rhythm and really get down in a good grind; but, climbing hills on the other hand doesn’t really allow for a steady rhythm and therefore is somewhat more difficult. With triple digit, Louisiana temperatures tacked on, the ride proved to be a little more difficult than we anticipated, so, we passed the time and took our minds off the misery by talking and debating about the movie we watched last night, Inception.
Around mile 80, we were met with brothers from the local chapter at Louisiana Tech. They sponsored us with some nice sandwiches from Subway and ice cold, refreshing Powerade. From lunch onward, some of the chapter’s brothers joined us for the ride and commiserated about the quality of Louisiana roads which provided many bumps for our always-sore bottoms.
For dinner, we had a friendship visit at an organization that exists to help people with disabilities live completely on their own. These people hold their own jobs, pay their own bills and buy their own groceries. The best part about the meal though is that I was able to sample some local Louisiana cuisine. Alligator that is. One of the volunteers showed us a picture of her son and the said Alligator, which looked like it was dug up from Jurassic Park. Apparently this gator was being a pest and her son was the one who killed it. It may have been a pest, but it definitely tasted great being part of the jambalaya!
After just arriving in Louisiana yesterday, we are on our way out and into Mississippi tomorrow. I am counting down the days until Alabama, and truly can’t wait to see everyone on our stop in Birmingham. Our stay tonight is at the University of Louisiana at Monroe. The dorm rooms are brand new, and we each have our own personal bedrooms, which we have come to value as a great luxury.
life on the bike 