Carmine, Texas
Not exactly where I thought I would be calling an end to the trip. Funds are low, and it’s almost Christmas, which is a great excuse to fly back home and put in some holiday hours at the restaurant...
Southern Tier Zero’s
I walk out of the house and notice that my belt is longer than normal. In fact it seems to have been slowly growing for for quite some time now. So the goal for the day, since I don’t...
Southern Tier Day 27 – Kirbyville to Liberty, TX
The tent was in the middle, realistically that’s because that’s where the grass is, but honestly it was because I could be seen. I was tired, had ridden a long way, and god damn it, I was camping where...
Southern Tier Day 26 – Deridder, LA to Kirbyville, TX
The buzzing in my ear wakes me up first and I realize that my head is a swarm of mosquitoes and they have already bitten the tip of my nose. I swat them away amazed at their size. I...
Southern Tier Day 25 – Chicot State Park to Deridder, LA
I woke up to the sound of gunfire. Not here in the park but close enough, then I remember, hunting season. So if I’m not staying in the park for the next week I may as well keep riding....
Southern Tier Day 24 – Simmesport, LA to Chicot State Park
Up early because I could no longer feel my toes. Something about sleeping in your sneakers makes your feet colder than if you’d just slept in your socks. Toes and nose I was thinking trying to rub the feeling...
Southern Tier Day 23 – Jackson to Simmesport, LA
Soaking in the last bits of warm sunlight the question was do I set up the tent or cowboy camp. I had called city hall to get permission to camp, knowing that they’d be closed, but I wanted to...
Southern Tier Day 22 – Back to Perry’s Bike Hostel
“It’s declined,” she said unceremoniously. “What? You have to be kidding,” only she wasn’t. I had a dollar in my pocket and my bank account was empty. It had been hard enough just to get someones attention to order...
Southern Tier Day 21 – Thanksgiving in New Orleans
“The hangover isn’t bad, I could have drank more,” I thought eating vanilla crème cookies and a half gallon of milk for breakfast at the Marquette House. Thanksgiving. My journal has a single entry from the night before, “A...
Southern Tier Day 20 – LA Swift into New Orleans
A side trip sounded expensive. Even if the LA Swift bus was $5 and bicycle friendly. “Would you be willing to split a hotel room?” I asked the other cyclist I’d just met at Perry’s heading to New Orleans....