Southern Tier, Post 49
Day 54, Post 49, Final Post for Southern Tier... I'm sitting in the Amtrak strain station in Jacksonville, with my panniers beside me and my bike locked to a bench outside. In 2.5 hours I will board the Miami to NYC "Silver Meteor", which is one of two trains (I think the other is the Silver Bullet) that accepts bikes as luggage for $20. How cool is that? Assuming train service survives Trump's draconian budget (I've read that his budget will force the cancellation of Amtrak service to dozens of smaller cities in red states), Amtrak seems to be slowly realizing that making trains bike friendly will increase their business. Well, they will get more of my business for sure! Shipping a bike plus gear and flying to a destination can be a lot of work. Getting on a train - even for an overnight trip - is much more convenient, and better for the environment (less carbon).
The "Southern Tier" has loomed large on my bucket list for several years, and I am delighted I finally managed to do it. Although I have been in the south before in limited ways, this trip took me to places I had never been before. I had so many new experiences - biking through the deep southwest near the border, spending 21 days crossing Texas in communities I had never before visited, riding across Louisiana bayous and levees, riding along the Gulf coast of Mississippi and Alabama, crossing the Florida Panhandle in its entirety from western to eastern border, and cycling through the Bible Belt.
I could write more about any of these experiences, but the topic that has been on my mind for some time has to do with my thoughts about Christian Evangelical perspectives on Climate Change. I first encountered a viewpoint that puzzled me in East Texas, when I met a friendly town commissioner who was quite adept at describing the history and cultural attributes of his town Navasota. Thinking there might be an opening for a deeper conversation, I asked him if he had noticed changes in the climate over time, to which he replied, "Sure, but God's always been in charge of that so I'm not worried about it. And I sure don't think government should be in charge of the climate". I didn't press him, but I took his comment to mean that humans don't influence the climate, or if they did, God - and not government - should, or would, fix it. I was uneasy by his response, perhaps because in every other way I liked this guy and found him intelligent. The conversation got me to thinking.
I realize that I live among others who are invested in trying to understand the world as it is through the lens of science. I see myself as privileged to live in age where so much of what we enjoy are manifestations of science - the engineering sciences that undergird our infrastructure and modes of transportation, the computer sciences that undergird our entire communications and entertainment lives, the medical sciences that allow us to live longer than humans have ever lived before - these are but a few examples of how science is with us everyday. Obviously I share the perspective described in the New York Times article cited below - "...a worldview that has propelled mainstream Western intellectual life and made modern civilization possible, ....a kind of pragmatism, an empirical outlook that continually — if imperfectly — revises its conclusions based on evidence available to everyone."
Before this trip, and before Trump won the Presidency, I simply assumed this is what all intelligent people thought and wanted. Which, of course, made it very difficult for me to understand why any thoughtful person would reject climate science - a science that grows out of the very same successes and traditions mentioned above. After all, we need to be intellectually consistent, don't we? Well, it ain't necessarily so. Cycling through the Bible Belt taught me something else. People believe all kinds of things that are neither logical nor based on scientific fact.
I came to see that my "...worldview clashes with the conservative evangelical war on facts." The Times article goes on "...An analysis of resolutions and campaigns by evangelicals over the past 40 years shows that anti-environmentalism within conservative Christianity stems from fears that "stewardship" of God’s creation is drifting toward neo-pagan nature worship, and from apocalyptic beliefs about "end times" that make it pointless to worry about global warming."
So what happens as the climate crisis deepens? To a secular, fact based and scientifically oriented individual like me, the worsening of this problem to the point of crisis is inevitable -- and not because I'm an alarmist, but simply because science tells us that unless some very dramatic things happen in the way we use energy, our climate will become less and less hospitable to human life. As for me, I think a difficult future is already unavoidable. But I'm not alarmed, nor am I frightened. I just think we humans missed our evolutionary calling. That's life. We're hardly the first animal to make that mistake. Our numbers, our patterns of consumption, and our energy technologies have evolved faster than our understanding of the living environment in which we apply them. And unless we change more quickly than I think we will, that's how the story ends.
And in that process, religion let us down. It didn't save us, it helped destroy us. I think the traditional Evangelical perspective (that God intends humans to have dominion over nature) is the exact opposite of what a true Christian view should be. My argument is that if God created the universe, then he created the physical laws that make it what it is. And if adding carbon to the atmosphere (air) warms it up (an easily demonstrable law of physics), then God is offering us a genuine opportunity to address those qualities of the true status quo in the most radically Christian way possible. What better way to address greed if not by thinking about - and tempering - our desire to sell, harvest and use energy? And what better way to address faith if not believing that we can actually do that? Faith applied is not about doing what is convenient, it's about doing what is difficult. And no doubt, protecting our environment is, and always will be, difficult. And time is running out.
One inspiration: The Evangelical Roots of Our Post-Truth Society
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/13/opinion/sunday/the-evangelical-roots-of-our-post-truth-society.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share
Another inspiration: Across the West, Hispanic evangelical pastors are invoking environmental activism in their Sunday sermons. https://nyti.ms/2ogEBnj
Pic 1, Sent to me from a friend in Texas.
Pic 2, Fast food, fast prayers. What's next?
Pic 3, In case you missed this one, too.
Pic 4, The Bible Belt.
Thanks for following my trip!
Michael
Southern Tier, Post 48
Day 53, post 48: The Prison Industrial Complex -- I have been noticing quite a few "Correctional Institutions" and "Correctional Facilities" along Highway 90 since I left Pensacola. These are prisons. In Florida, those called "Facilities" are run by private corporations. Those called "Institutions" are run by the state. There is only one prison in Florida actually called a prison. It is run by the state and is called Florida State Prison. I passed close by it. But what got me thinking most about this topic was seeing 4 prisons in 20 miles just east of Lake City, where I was biking yesterday morning. Two of those prisons were right beside each other - the Lake City Correctional Facility (private), and the Columbia County Correctional Institution (state). Turns out there are 68 prisons total in just Florida alone, and a significant number - but not all - seem to be in the northern part of the state.
I almost stayed in Live Oak, FL on the day I ended up in Lake City. It was about 3:30 in the afternoon. I had just ridden past two "budget" motels (meaning, in this case, seedy-looking) and I was checking my phone to determine whether to check out either motel, depending on the distance to the next town. A man approached and asked me if he could use my phone to make a call when I was finished using it. I said I'd be happy to dial a number for him (I didn't want to hand my phone to a stranger when his plan might be to bolt with it). He gave me the number, and I dialed. I put the speakerphone on for him - no one on the other end picked up and there was no setup for messages. So I called again a few times, and eventually sent a text to the recipient on the man's behalf. The man explained to the friend receiving the texts that his phone had died, and he was going to walk four miles to Walmart to replace it. Then he and I got to talking. He lived at one of the motels I had passed. He said it was safe, but I should watch my stuff if I stayed there - the majority of people he knew were strung out on meth and petty crime was constant. Then, he told me he had been in prison a couple of times. I said that I had passed quite a few prisons and he said, "Yea, the state likes to send criminals to the woods". I mentioned that I had seen more than one sign advertising job openings at the prisons. "Oh yea", he said. "The locals love that there are jobs - but, goddamn, some of the guards are so dumb they don't know how to tie their shoes". Well, I have no idea if that is true or not, but I decided while I was talking to this guy to push the extra 24 miles to get to Lake City where my choice of motels would be more diverse. So I sent one last text to help him out, and said goodbye. About a mile up the road I stopped again for a more thoughtful accounting of my choices. As I was studying my phone, I heard another voice, "Have you come far"? I looked up. It was a cop, who had pulled up beside me and was getting out of his car. I explained just how far I had come (San Diego). I queried the cop's opinion of the motels I had passed by. He said, "You made the right choice. I'd never stay at either of those motels". I then asked about meth addiction. He answered that there was some in town, but now that OxyContin was harder to get the cops were more worried about heroin. (It is the preferred drug substitute for OxyContin addicts and is cheap and easy to get.) I mentioned I had cycled past a lot of prisons in the Florida Panhandle. He replied, "Drugs are our biggest problem. There's not enough work, and people do crazy stuff to get the drugs".
So, communities want prisons for the jobs. And a lack of jobs fuels drug abuse, which fuels petty crime, which helps to fill the prisons. Seems kind of circular to me. And more evidence of the decline of rural America. I spend a lot of my time worrying about climate change. But when towns just don't work very well in the here and now, worrying about something a few decades away from being life threatening probably doesn't seem like much of a priority.
Pic 1, Run by a private corporation. This is Jeff Sessions' preference; Obama tried to phase them out. Should prisons be a profit making business? Most people who advocate on behalf of incarcerated individuals don't think so....
Pic 2, Looking for work? If farming, and then agribusiness have let you down, maybe you can get a job at a local prison? looking for work?
Pic 3, A map of prisons in Florida.
One more blog to come before the Southern Tier tour concludes.
Michael
Southern Tier, Post 47
Day 52, post 47: I made it to Jacksonville, and all is good! Monday I catch the train to NYC. Looking forward to writing one or two closing posts tomorrow or Monday. Thanks to all of you who have followed my journey!
Check out my road cycling activity on Garmin Connect.
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1679609379
Pic 1, The ride into Jacksonville was highlighted by almost 20 miles on the Jacksonville Baldwin Trail, a rail to trail conversion.
Pic 2, Once off the trail, I followed the Trout River, which is one tributary to the St John's, the largest river in Jacksonville.
Pic 3, Another shot of the Trout River.
Pic 4, On the campus of Florida State College, Jacksonville - beautiful grounds!
Southern Tier, Post 46
Day 51, post 46. I'm not going to write much tonight but I wanted all my peeps to know I'm safe and doing fine. I expect to get to Jacksonville tomorrow with a layover day before training back to NYC (I'll be home by Tuesday mid-day!) and should have time for at least one or two more posts before wrapping up this extraordinary journey.
Check out my road cycling activity on Garmin Connect.
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1677638433
Pic 1, Early morning light just east of Monticello, FL.
Pic 2, I've learned there are wildfires in the Jacksonville area. I haven't encountered them, but I wondered if this haze this morning was related. The haze cleared up after a few miles of biking, so I doubt it.
Pic 3, The cooker for the best BBQ chicken I've ever had. I enjoyed it today in Madison, FL.
Pic 4, Interesting political signs... They certainly test my assumptions!
Pic 5, Some swampland I cycled by.
Pic 6, This is a "confederized" version of the Florida State Flag, which is pretty controversial to begin with...
More to come,
Michael
Southern Tier, Post 45
Day 50, Post 45, Quincy, FL to Monticello, FL. This will be a light post. I only cycled about 50 miles today, after not sleeping so well last night. I spent most of the morning getting through Tallahassee, which reminded me a lot of eastern Florida - lots of cars, sporadically bike friendly roads mixed among terrifying traffic, no people walking anywhere, and lots of shopping malls. Outside of urban areas, the Florida panhandle remains pretty and green. I am beginning to notice more horse ranches in addition to farms, which a local tells me are made up primarily of either pecan orchards or cotton farms. Monticello is an attractive town, with rich landmark buildings - an elegant main street of large beautiful homes, and a wonderfully situated county courthouse as a central square - except it's a circle. The town looks like a much better endowed place than Quincy, where I spent last night - and yet the average family income is about $10k less per annum, which tells me that at first glance it is hard to know much of anything about anything.
So, of course, we must all look beyond what seems obvious because real truths lie deeper. Such is the work of true observation. And we must resist jumping to conclusions. Studies show most of us overestimate our intuition, and we are wrong about many things far more often than we actually realize. ...All of which brings us to our strange moment in international affairs. I miss restraint and thoughtfulness, and I fear for the "bold" actions our government has taken recently. I hope the outcomes are positive in the long run, but I wouldn't bet the farm on it.
Check out my road cycling activity on Garmin Connect.
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1675750336
Pic 1, The road out of Quincy this morning.
Pic 2, Southern end of Lake Miccosukee.
Pic 3, Possum road kill.
Pic 4, County courthouse in Monticello.
Pic 5, I agree with this sentiment, but probably not for the same reasons. Did you see this? NYTimes: The Evangelical Roots of Our Post-Truth Society
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/13/opinion/sunday/the-evangelical-roots-of-our-post-truth-society.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share
More to come,
Michael
Southern Tier, Post 44
Day 49, Post 44, Bonifay, FL to Quincy, FL: The Panhandle is a pretty place. I imagine it looks similar to what one would see further north in Alabama or Georgia. It's very green, full of forests and fields, farms and woods. I expected to see more horse ranches like around Ocala, but that's not the case. The culture seems very Deep South. I ate lunch at a place where the waitress could have been an over the top character prototype for Dukes of Hazard. I gotta say I certainly enjoy being called sweetie and honey wherever I go. Only young men address me as "sir".
An interesting fact about the town I stopped in for the night. Quincy (its amazing what one can learn on the internet) was once rumored to be home to many millionaires due to the Coca-Cola boom. Mr. Pat Munroe, a banker, father of 18 children from two wives, and W.C. Bradley were among the stockholders of three of the banks that released 500,000 shares of new Coca-Cola common stock. They urged widows and farmers to invest for $40 each. Some did. Eventually that stock split, and made as many as 67 accounted for Quincy residents rich. (In perspective, a single share of Coca-Cola stock bought in 1919 for $40 would be worth $6.4 million today, if all dividends had been reinvested). Today, the median family income is $31,000. Lots of commercial spaces in downtown are for rent. I'm curious about what happened, but I probably won't stay long enough to get a handle on it...
Had a good ride today under partially cloudy skies and increasingly hot and humid weather. For the most part it was flat and easygoing. And I had two interesting pieces of information come at me about yesterday's post. I know a female cyclist who rides solo sometimes, who reminded me on Facebook that she did the Southern Tier with no problems at all. In addition, my entertaining lunch waitress told me that two women who were cycling the Southern Tier from San Diego had stopped in the restaurant a few days back.
Check out my road cycling activity on Garmin Connect.
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1673670894
Pic 1, Couldn't resist taking a shot of this car in Chipley, FL.
Pic 2, German cyclist going west. We stopped to talk but his English and my German made for a disjointed conversation. I could tell he was having fun, though.
Pic 3, Come to this place to get a concealed carry purse.
Pic 4, Old bridge on the Apalachicola River.
Pic 5, Three feet long - it wasn't alive (I don't think), but showed no injury.
Pic 6, I thought I should back up my comments from yesterday's post - took this pic in Round Top, TX.
More to come,
Michael
Southern Tier, Post 43
Day 48, post 43, The wackadoodle Confederacy: I first noticed Confederate flags in Texas, and have resigned myself to seeing them from time to time ever since. I am most irritated when I see them in front of restaurants or other business establishments - I typically find myself thinking, "why would any thinking person patronize a business that so overtly advertises hate, or superiority, or overt racism in a country as diverse as ours?" I know the answer of course, and that probably fuels my irritation most. It makes me angry that some Americans actually want to make other Americans uncomfortable, and that enough other Americans will passively go along, making such behavior possible. But even more irritating are the handful of times I have seen Trump/Pence signs flying alongside Confederate flags. But I want to make a disclaimer before I proceed - I realized only today that the Confederate flags make me so uncomfortable I have cycled right by and never taken a photo, and I've taken only one picture of a Trump/Pence flag alongside a Confederate flag (in Round Top, TX), and I've already posted it. So you have to take me at my word - although after this post I won't pass by any more without snapping a photo. In any case I find it nauseating that the current administration hasn't done more to discourage this association. But then, our President's key advisor (Bannon) once led the Breitbart news site, which the organization considers “the premier website of the Alt Right, a loose-knit group of white nationalists and unabashed anti-Semites and racists.” So, yes, our President has earned the association, and it is reprehensible. And that a significant number of Americans are ok with that deeply and profoundly disappoints me.
Southerners are polite, but I never forget as I travel through the rural south on a bicycle that I am white and male. It was my gender and race that did well in that fictional period of greatness that Trump wants to resurrect "again". When was that golden period, exactly - 1955, 1965, 1975? Can someone tell me when "again" refers to? But let's be honest- whenever it was, I am certain it was not a great time for women or people of color. I can bike through the south, and not be hassled. But can a person of color? Can a single woman? Not for a minute have I ever imagined that my pleasant and easygoing experiences on this trip aren't connected to my capacity to "pass" as a potential good old boy, if only at a distance. Whiteness, maleness - being those things in this environment, and not knowing the privilege they bestow - well, that's wackadoodle.
Check out my road cycling activity on Garmin Connect.
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1671803367
Pic 1, The small print on the right notice says applicants must be workman's comp exempt.
Pic 2, interesting name for a firing range - Bullets and Bones.
Pic 3, What you don't see is what you get.
Pic 4, The road I traveled on. Good shoulder!
Pic 5, Whatchee say?
Pic 6, The banks of the Choctawhatchee.
Pic 7, Another view of the Choctawhatchee.
More to come,
Michael
Southern Tier, Post 42
Day 47, post 42: I'm sitting in a catfish cafe in Crestview, FL. Good beer and grilled catfish fillets with slaw and okra should restore me after a 71 mile bike ride. I had to make a critical decision this morning once I got to Pensacola: did I return to the Adventure Cycling Association (ACA) route on Highway 90 and go northeast (and away from the coast), or did I take the bridge on Highway 98 toward the coast, where I would bike through more beaches toward Panama City? After a lot of thought, I took the inland route. My reasons were twofold: 1) lots of college students and families are celebrating spring break on the Florida coast, and I knew there would be crowds, and 2) the wind was out of the SE at about 20 mph today and forecast to continue from that direction for the next four to five days. Especially given the wind, going north will make for easier riding. At the end of the day I'm not sorry I made the choice. Things are definitely more relaxed inland, and the ACA route is pleasant and easy going, as it largely has been since San Diego. Inland west Florida is a mix of forests, bayous and horse country. The weather continues to be sublime, so it's beautiful - just as the coast would be. And the motels and campgrounds are much less crowded.
I have been thinking about how - in the US - coastal areas may differ from inland areas in political and cultural ways similar to how cities differ from rural areas. If I'm right, I wonder if that's because the coasts are largely populated by tourists from urban areas, or residents who have migrated from urban areas. It's notable to me that the restaurants, even on the Mississippi and Alabama coasts, preferred to broadcast CNN (as well as sports, of course). But as I went north, I found myself in places where Fox was the station on display. Given the rivalry between these stations and their distinct viewerships, is it now that easy to determine the political preferences in a given environment? Have we really become that culturally and politically separated? I suspect so, although I will also say that friendly politeness still rules the day in daily interactions in the south, even if people wear their political preferences on their sleeves.
I just did some research on my progress and I may hit Jacksonville/St Augustine in 7-10 days! After 47 days, it's amazing to contemplate ending this adventure....
Check out my road cycling activity on Garmin Connect.
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1670164878
Pic 1, A boardwalk in Big Lagoon State Park where I camped last night.
Pic 2, One of so many waterways near the western Florida coast.
Pic 3, Pensacola's Escambia Bay. The water was choppy today because of the wind.
Pic 4, While crossing the Escambia River north of Pensacola, I noticed a lot of dead trees in the swamp. Don't know what that's about.
More to come,
Michael
Southern Tier, Post 41
Day 46, post 41. I'm now in Florida, about 10 miles southwest of Pensacola. I woke early in Bayou La Batre so that I could catch a 9:30 ferry at the east end of Dauphine Island, about 20 miles away. The ride there was gorgeous - salt marshes, great views of the Gulf, and the very large Mobile Bay. If there was a downside on this flawless day, it was the contrasting starkness of the many oil platforms in the bay and in the Gulf waters. On the ferry ride from Dauphine Island I talked to an older guy who grew up in Mobile, and he said most of the derricks weren't there as recently as 10 years ago. I wonder if we are really comprehending the exponential rise in energy use and development that has been so ubiquitous over the past few decades. This would of course go along with the explosion in roads, shopping malls, and suburban sprawl that has changed our country so much in recent history. And to compliment that thought, I should mention the sheer oddity of in witnessing the massive hotels and condominiums that now line the eastern Alabama Coast east of Fort Morgan. "Quaint or funky" would no longer apply. "Massive and out of place" might. At the Florida campground (Big Lagoon State Park) south of Pensacola, where I am spending the night, a food truck vendor told me those massive buildings won't last - apparently the locals expect the next hurricane to take them out, given that they have been built right on the beach with no pylons. I have heard some references to Mississippi's coastline being low key because Katrina destroyed so much of it, particularly Waveland and Bay St Louis (my apologies for naming that Isle St Louis in my last post). Apparently Gulfport and Biloxi weren't spared either. Interesting story about Dauphine Island - it was the capital of the Louisiana Territory in 1715, and the governor was named Cadillac... during Katrina, the island split in two and part of it shifted west. Homes there were lost, and the gap was later filled in with large boulders, which formed a great fishing area. You can boat out to the second patch of island to fish and camp. But it is now an isolated patch of land. The food truck vendor also told me the locals think this is going to be a rough hurricane season - because of El Niño the Gulf waters are warmer than average, plus plenty of folks here seem to know we are breaking records for continuous heat around the globe, and that will contribute as well. So maybe I'm seeing some things that won't be here long.... time will tell.
Check out my road cycling activity on Garmin Connect.
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1668380654
Pic 1, Boats in early morning sun near Bayou Le Batre.
Pic 2, Historical sign on Dauphine Island.
Pic 3, One of many oil derricks in Mobile Bay.
Pic 4, Pelicans rule.
Pic 5, The gorgeous sand in eastern Alabama.
Pic 6, One of many crazy buildings on the beach in eastern Alabama.
Pic 7, At the Florida state park where I am camping.
Pic 8, Think I'll sleep ok?
More to come,
Michael
Southern Tier, Post 40
Day 45, post 40: I'm in Bayou La Batre, Alabama, about 60 miles west of Pensacola. It's curious to me that Louisiana and Florida won out on coast line, but a quick review of the history of the Florida and Louisiana territories suggests that both Mississippi and Alabama were originally created without coastal access, and were granted coastlines controlled by their adjacent territory as a way of insuring each state would have ocean going ports. Or at least that is my impression. Happy to be corrected...
In any case, I cycled through Mississippi in two days, and I expect to do the same in Alabama. I'm told that the coast I'm about to explore - Dauphine Island and the Alabama coastline to the east of it - is both extremely beautiful and heavily developed. If so, this will be a change from the lovely, understated and almost funky coastlines of Waveland, Bay St Louis, Gulfport and Biloxi.
The weather has been sublime the past few days. Apparently this is a very desirable and highly enjoyed time of year. That certainly accounts for the fact that it is spring break weekend in Mississippi and spring break week in Alabama and Kentucky. My weekend timing has cost me some stress in finding camping or motels. Even so, people have been consistently friendly and helpful. In fact, the manager of a Motel 6 in Gulfport, where I spent last evening, gave me a lot of information about cycling in Florida, and even a few connections... So, the surprises only make things interesting (and stretch my budget a bit). After all, part of the fun of a long cycling trip is figuring out how to deal with the unexpected...
I can easily imagine the oppressive heat that is likely to come later in the summer... the pace of life is slow now - it must become a crawl when the heat hits...
Check out my road cycling activity on Garmin Connect.
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1666027762
Pic 1, Fishing boats at Gulfport.
Pic 2, Early morning sun on the Gulf waters.
Pic 3, A little oasis on the beach?
Pic 4, The O'Keefe museum near Biloxi.
Pic 5, On the bridge to Ocean Beach, Mississippi.
More to come,
Michael
Southern Tier, Post 39
Day 44, Post 39, What a great time I had in New Orleans! I took a lazy 35 mile ride in, all on the river levee on its northernmost shoreline (definitely in cancer alley) until I got to the west side of the city, where I got on St Charles Ave near Tulane, and followed the avenue all the way to the east side of the u shape that defines the older portion and downtown area of the city. A Louisiana native had explained to me that all the streets named after Saints all begin at the river (which isn't hard to do, given that the river is on the west, south and eastern sides of most of the city) so that when the judgement day comes, the Saints will be able to come marching in...
The weather was perfect and the city was very alive! I checked into the small boutique downtown hotel that I had found a few weeks before and cleaned up while I waited for Carolyn's arrival. Her flight was without mishap and she arrived as scheduled. After a rest we walked five blocks or so to the French Quarter. The next day we ventured further and on our final day we took some streetcars around the city as if it was ours... and we ate incredible food, each day topping the one before as we learned where to go....
Some of the city was as I remembered from several other trips over the years, but I felt especially rooted this time because there's nothing like biking into a city to help one understand where one really is... Three days later (today) I had a similar experience biking out of the city. Right now I am in Gulfport, Mississippi, about 70 miles east of New Orleans. Yesterday, when I picked up my bike at the shop (where my entire drive chain was rebuilt), I asked the mechanic about getting out of the city. He gave me invaluable advice, and I was able to avoid some difficult situations this morning. And I was surprised to learn that the road I chose to go east (the only way out of New Orleans to the east except for the freeway, interstate 10) was not only mellow with traffic, but incredibly beautiful and fascinating in places. And once I got to Waveville, Mississippi, I was on the Gulf. It's not built up in the way one would expect, and in my mind I found myself imagining this is what the Florida coast might have looked like in the 1950's.
Among the many delightful things that happened in New Orleans is that Carolyn and I reached out to Julia Kumari Drapkin, the founding producer of www.iseechange.org, which is headquartered in NO. I cannot stress enough how exciting I think her project is. Iseechange works with a number of partners, most notably NASA and NOA, and it allows anyone (including you) to report anything of interest that you notice about the natural world. Over time, iseechange will use "big data" as a way to identify environmental trends through community based observations and "citizen science". There are many great things about this project and it's functional smartphone app - anyone can record anything they notice they think is curious, whether one knows if it is substantial or not - like a change in atmosphere, odd smells, pollution, seasonal changes in plant life or weather patterns, allergic reactions, etc. Talking to Julia over the phone (we were not able to meet in person this trip, but that will happen at some point), re-inspired me to become a strong participant in this project, and to encourage others to join in. After all, what can be more helpful than to become astute observers at a time when our way of life actively encourages us to notice less and less about the environments in which we live and work.? The app is easy to download and easy to use, and the webpage a delight. I hope you will take a look!
There's so much more to say, but I want to be up early. I should be able to get to Alabama tomorrow and maybe even Pensacola.... but I need an early start...
Check out my road cycling activity on Garmin Connect.
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1664125188
Pic 1, A refinery beyond the spillway north of NO.
Pic 2, Another shot of one of many refineries in cancer alley.
Pic 3, Some crud in a flood marker, maybe from Katrina?
Pic 4, Typical street in French Quarter, NO.
Pic 5, My friend Carolyn enjoying herself.
Pic 6, An effigy for bikers in NO.
Pic 7, Typical house in bayou country NE of NO.
Pic 8, Mississippi coast.
Pic 9, Mississippi coastline.
More to come,
Michael
Southern Tier, Post 38
Day 40, Post 38: The storm moved in, and during the night I was aware of thunder and rain. When I awoke in the morning the forecast called for the rain to end soon, and for the day to clear. The wind forecast was now at 7 mph out of west. Perfect! When I left Gonzalez, LA, I could tell the day was going to become beautiful.
And so it was. It took about 20 miles of unpleasant riding to finally get back to the ACA "Southern Tier" because the nearest road back to the route looked dangerous and I made the decision to go out of my way to avoid it. It was a poor choice in the end because I had to ride for over ten miles on a highway with the most potholed, buckled shoulder I have ever encountered. That's the breaks in the long distance cycling game - sometimes one will encounter a horrible road and be forced to ride on it. I will also add that I have come to respect the care the ACA puts into their road choices. Riding with their maps definitely makes one's ride safer and more pleasant. They can be trusted.
Once through the tough stuff I returned to the road and levee that follows the north side of the Mississippi. The communities are easy going, and relaxed, although there are patches of heavy industry, most notably petroleum refineries. It's very worth noting that the stretch of communities I've been cycling through are in "cancer alley". Generally speaking, this is the area along the Mississippi River between Baton Rouge and New Orleans which contain numerous industrial plants. Locations in this area with clusters of cancer patients have been covered by the news media, leading to the "Cancer Alley" moniker.
Like so many other life threatening areas, they look less threatening when the weather is good. That was my experience today. I can't say I noticed much beyond petrochemical plants and areas where homes are small and dilapidated. But it is intriguing that since I crossed the border and overnighted in Merryville, I have learned that there are communities here where no one drinks the local tap water. In some areas, folks boil it - in others, they happily drink it out of the tap. In other places they drink bottled water. I've asked a lot of questions, and most people can only tell me what they do, but not why. In other words, if the water in a community is bad, the locals don't seem to know why it's bad. But if general practice is to not drink it, they won't... Then ten miles up the road, the locals brag there's nothing wrong with their water - yet, if I ask, but they won't know why their water is ok, nor why their neighbors' water is considered unsafe.
Tomorrow I will cycle 35 miles along the levee (a designated trail all the way to downtown New Orleans!) and meet up with my friend Carolyn in the late afternoon. On Wednesday I will take my bike to a bike shop to get my entire drive chain rebuilt. If I don't post for a few days, worry not - that just means I'm having fun and I will post on Friday. But who knows - maybe there will be so much to describe I'll just have to get it down...
Check out my road cycling activity on Garmin Connect.
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1656812112
Pic 1, Starting the day after the storm.
Pic 2, The shoulder on LA 61 going SE. The effigy is quite appropriate - this road is a nightmare!
Pic 3, Someone left their crayfish by the roadside... is this roadkill or detritus?
Pic 4, This is what rain does in South Louisiana. The locals tell me the water will be pumped out by end of day.
Pic 5, Petrochemical plant as seen from the levee.
Pic 6, Bike Trail on the levee. This picture doesn't really show how large the levees are - they run on each side of the river from New Orleans up to Baton Rouge - about 100 miles. How far south they go beyond New Orleans I don't know...
More to come,
Michael
Southern Tier, Post 37
Day 39, Post 37: What a curvy river the Mississippi is this far south - and huge! In Baton Rouge I saw several large ocean going tankers heading downriver. This surprise me because I'm still 75 miles from the delta. So I checked Wikipedia: "The Port of Greater Baton Rouge is the tenth largest port in the United States in terms of tonnage shipped, and is the northernmost port on the Mississippi River capable of handling Panamax ships". I had to look up Panamax - "any vessel intended for regular use in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans".
Anyway, I'm impressed. I made my way to a bike path alongside the river that runs along a considerable levee - which appears to be built on both sides of the river all the way from Baton Rouge to New Orleans. I followed the levee until the path turned to gravel and then stayed near the levee on a road that followed its perimeter. I followed the curve in the river for about 10 miles, the levee always on my right and stunning farmland to my left. Had I not been battling a 15-20 mph headwind the entire time I would have found this ride heavenly... but alas, the wind beat me down and after a while I knew my strength would not hold out. I left the river bank and headed to the nearest town (about 20 more miles in a headwind) and found shelter in a motel. The wind is supposed to be up to 25 mph tomorrow, still out of the south but a bit more to the west. Well, tomorrow is tomorrow - I'll deal with whatever comes my way... One way or the other I'll be in New Orleans by Tuesday afternoon.
Check out my road cycling activity on Garmin Connect.
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1655300545
Pic 1, Looking back at the bridge I biked over to get into Baton Rouge. I would have loved to have taken a picture of the river at the top, but there was no shoulder and lots of traffic, so stopping was not possible.
Pic 2, A typical late 19th century Spanish home in Baton Rouge.
Pic 3, The landscape near the levee in a bend of the river.
Pic 4, Same as above, different view.
Pic 5, Google Maps showing the curves in the Mississippi south of Baton Rouge.
More to come,
Michael
Southern Tier, Post 36
Day 38, Post 36: Detritus and road kill. I started thinking about both after I stopped at a creek to relieve myself and noticed a bunch of crayfish lounging in the sun on some rocks. Only after I rode off did I realize I had missed a great picture. Then I began to think about the many things I noticed that I took for granted everyday. And I thought about four great coffee table books I could create as I cycle around the astonishing North American continent. One could be on billboards (best example - a billboard in Arizona advocating that the US leave the United Nations with a website for information), or effigies (the roadsides are loaded with some of the most creative and colorful effigies I've ever seen), or roadkill (you can learn a lot about an area's wildlife by paying attention to the dead animals on the roads), or detritus (it's astonishing what one can see on a roadside). So I resolved to get a picture of a live tortoise because I had seen so many earlier in the day, and crayfish if I had another chance. I didn't, so you will have to wait for another day. Historically, I have avoided taking pictures of roadkill - even though some are startlingly vivid - mainly because I have assumed others would not want to see them. But today my interest peaked, and I gave in. You'll see one example at the end of this post. Around here the roadkill consists largely of crayfish, frogs, turtles, possum and armadillos. In West Texas deer was common, as were armadillos. I have also seen some large birds - usually vultures, but also some hawks and one eagle. As to detritus, destroyed tires are common, wood of all sizes, bolts, tools, pieces of plastic that seemed to be part of microwaves, refrigerators and other appliances, and more fast food wrappings and drink cups than you could ever imagine.
I made up a little time today as insurance for my arrival in New Orleans by Tuesday. Im in Livonia, Louisiana... all goes well. Really enjoying this place...
Check out my road cycling activity on Garmin Connect.
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1652822560
Pic 1, Rice field just east of Oberlin.
Pic 2, Armadillo road kill.
Pic 3, Effigy on highway 190.
Pic 4, Apparently, crayfish are abundant here.
Pic 5, One of hundreds of tires by the roadside.
More to come,
Michael
Southern Tier, Post 35
Day 37, Post 35: One thing about interesting country that I've never visited before is the oddly mild agony that goes with each decision about where not to go. Four or five days back I thought I had more time than I needed to get to New Orleans by April 4, and I was thinking about diverting to the Gulf Coast, only about 40 miles south of me. In fact, I am still wondering why the Adventure Cycling Association (ACA) chooses not to route the Southern Tier along the east Texas and western Louisiana coasts. I suspect it's that the roads are not contiguous and/or are too dangerous with traffic. I am not complaining - the route goes through fascinating and historic towns a little further north and the route gives cyclists a great opportunity to see the real Louisiana, and not a tourist version. But alas, it runs out I will only have time to deviate on one day, and that's to make better time along Route 190 between Opelousas and Baton Rouge so I'll reach New Orleans in time.
The people I am encountering aren't snowbirds, for sure. With only a few exceptions, they are native Louisianan's who were born and raised here. Through their eyes I feel like I am able to glimpse a bit of their reality, and the social, historical and political context in which decisions are made, is somehow a bit more palpable.
The best part of today, in addition to beautiful skies and a verdant landscape, was each meal I had. Not so much for the food, but for the social context. Lunch and dinner were especially fun. For lunch I stopped at a diner on an intersection of two highways, and as I was getting off my bike, I heard someone behind me telling me that I had picked the best place for lunch between Maryville and Oberlin (I knew it was the only place, but the enthusiasm of the endorsement got my hopes up anyway). I walked into the diner. Three tables of people stopped talking and stared at me. I had my helmet on and was in bike shorts, a screaming yellow shirt, and gray tights. I'm sure I looked weird. One of the men said (loud enough for everyone in the restaurant to hear it) "How far have you come?" I answered, "San Diego". It was silent for a moment. Then the next question, "Where you going?" "Florida", I answered. More silence, the kind you can cut with a knife. Everyone kept staring. Then the man said, "Well, hell, you're over half way there!" And everyone laughed. And I laughed. "Yep", I said. The waitress winked at me, "We like to tease the cyclists who come through here - gotta have some fun sometimes. ...Want some sweet tea, honey?"
Dinner was a Shrimp Po-Boy, cooked up by a Colombian woman married to a Puerto Rican cop who used to live in New York City. The guy wasn't always a cop - he came to Louisiana because he got a good deal on buying a local golf course just after Katrina. But he closed it six years ago when he got steady work in town as a cop. Policing is far easier work in western Louisiana than running a golf course, because nobody golfs around here. Just too sissy a sport for rural Louisiana.
Check out my road cycling activity on Garmin Connect.
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1650741577
Pic 1, Louisiana forest alongside the road.
Pic 2, Close up of a vetch alongside the road. Too pretty to kavetch about.
Pic 3, Another roadside oddity.
More to come,
Michael
Southern Tier, Post 34
Day 36, Post 34: Lousiana! I passed through East Texas at Bob Weir, crossed the lazy meandering Sabine River into Louisiana and ended the day at Merryville, (so named because in the late 1800's it was easy to get liquor here (no longer, unfortunately), which earned the appellation of "that merry city". There's a museum here with a cabin, a stage, some tent spaces and a shower and bathroom, so some enterprising town folk have set it up for "cyclists only" camping and got it listed on the Adventure Cycling Association (ACA) Southern Tier map. It's a good thing too, there's no other place to stay for 50 more miles to the east and a good 25 to the west.
This area has more churches per square mile than any other place in the US. I had already noticed an increase in churches as I progressed through east Texas, but this is on another scale altogether. In a conversation with the couple who run the museum and cyclist only camping operation, I learned that the wife had been born into "Church of Christ" - the most doctrinaire of all - no music, no dancing, no movies - while her husband had been born into a Baptist household. Now, the Baptists are way too liberal for the Church of Christ folks. Add to that a constant desire to interpret things differently, resulting in lots of sub groups of sub groups - all of whom are fervent about their truth. Mix in the Pentecostals, (the other big church around here) and you have a lot of belief systems indeed. For pent up " belief relief" there are nondenominational churches, where the folks exhausted by theological doctrine can believe what they want - as long as they're worshipping Jesus, of course.
Check out my road cycling activity on Garmin Connect.
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1649300945
Pic 1, Morning shot leaving Kountze, TX
Pic 2, Need I say more?
Pic 3, The Sabine River, border of Texas and Louisiana.
Pic 4, Talking to our hosts (other cyclists camped here in addition to me) in Merryville, TX.
More to come,
Michael
Southern Tier, Post 33
Day 35, Post 33: A very rainy day. I woke up to a storm front that extended for several hundred miles above Houston and into the Gulf Coast. Along with it came severe thunderstorms, tornado warnings, and the threat of hail. I battened up my new shiny new panniers and headed off. I didn't expect not to get wet, but I hoped I might manage to stay comfortable even though I would be cycling in rain.
It's funny how things work out sometimes. I stopped three times to wait for a storm to pass. And two times I timed it right - while I was safely under shelter the hardest rain fell. Boy, when it rains hard in East Texas, it is as if the entire sky opens up and tries to empty out every last drop of water in it. The second time this happened to me I was eating lunch under a tin roofed car shelter. I couldn't believe the intensity of the rain, and I was so grateful I was not biking at that moment. I don't know what would have happened to me.
Eventually I made it just short of my intended destination Silsbee, and took a room in Kountze. Nice place, another budget motel, easy to find in the south. So I am sitting dry and warm in my room, full on a southern fried fish meal and several beers, with full confidence the storm will be gone when I awake and tomorrow will be a great day for biking.
On the way into Kountze I stopped at a general store in Honey Island. While I was there I got into a conversation with a local man of about my own age who offered up some information, "Take the main highway into town and stay at the Super Eight. You don't want to stay at the other place." I had already checked out the Relax Inn (the other place), so I asked him, "Are the prices any different?" He answered, "It doesn't matter, trust me, pay what Super Eight asks 'cause you don't want to stay at the other place." "Why", I asked. "You just don't want to be there, is all", was the reply. I thanked him for the information. But as I biked away, I decided to check out the Relax Inn first. I wondered if the owner was South Asian, and that might be what the man was trying to warm me about. Was it just a good old boy thinking I was another good old boy?
I was right. Not only did I get a great price, I am enjoying a clean and well kept place run by one of the many South Asian families that have purchased mom and pop motels all over America, where the family can live and they can buy into a ready made business.
Several friends have suggested that my experience in Texas probably wouldn't be so positive if I wasn't a white male. I have no doubt whatsoever they are right. As friendly as people are, it's also clear that they may not be so nice under that veil of hospitality if they are suspicious of you. Another friend (who is black) asked me if I saw any black people when I was in West Texas. To be honest, I don't think I did. But here in East Texas, yes, quite a few. I have passed a lot of farms run by African Americans. Granted, I am only a day away from the Louisiana border. But all the same, Texas seems to be as diverse in its demographic composition as it is in its geography. I am so glad I've had this small opportunity to get to know the place a bit better. I've spent over three weeks in Texas, and my sense of it will be forever expanded.
Check out my road cycling activity on Garmin Connect.
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1647545734
Pic 1, Downtown Cold Spring, TX.
Pic 2, Waiting out the rain.
Pic 3, Waiting out the rain, version 2.
Pic 4, The rain breaks. Turned out it was only momentary.
More to come,
Michael
Southern Tier, Day 32
Day 34, Post 32: "The outdoors is what you must pass through in order to get from your apartment into a taxicab", said Fran Lebowitz.
Well, with all due respect to Fran Lebowitz - who deserves it - her comment gets at something I've been thinking about for a long time. Last summer, and again this spring, as I cross the country on a bike, I am acutely aware of the ubiquity, intensity, and sheer volume of traffic on our highways. In rural areas the favored vehicles are wide body trucks, with minivans second, while sedans are less common. Alongside the road and on rougher terrains, 4 wheelers are common. In sandy areas, there are the equivalent dune buggies. And there are a countless variety of RV's, from fully equipped luxury buses to large, expandable homes on 4 wheels with a fifth wheel for stationary parking (known in the west as 5 wheelers). Everyday, when I am passed by a luxury bus (often larger than the largest school bus), I wonder about their square footage (SF). In the 1950's the average home in the US for a family of four was about 950 SF, now it's about 2400 SF. I'm sure the luxury buses are larger than 950 SF. There are 7 billion people in the earth. What will happen if they all try to live in a 2400 SF home? I'm not sure, but I do wonder if we would still have enough farmland to grow crops....
I think the American tendency to supersize everything is a manifestation of how insane - and out of touch with our environment - we have become. When I was passing through Glammis, CA, and the sand dune country east of San Diego, I was struck by the massive number of dune buggies everywhere in sight. On the highway I passed numerous large luxury RV buses, towing wide body pickups with a dune buggies sitting in the bed of the trucks. Rig after rig after rig... and each rig sporting three vehicles - all of which require gas - and all of which require its owner to sit on his butt while driving it.
Most of us spend our day going from the conditioned space of our vehicles to the conditioned space of our workplaces. On a long bicycle ride this is very apparent. It is a very, very rare thing to see someone walking, even in towns. In fact, the only place one sees people walking in any density is in the downtown areas of large cities. But mid-sized or small towns? Forget it. No one walks anywhere. Ever.
So how much time does the average person spend outside now? I'd wager very little. Of course there are occupational exceptions, such as farming, construction, etc. But the majority of us? We spend very little time in outdoor environments. So, not only have we grown soft because we sit to get everywhere, we have also become isolated from our environments because we are actually very rarely fully in them. Instead we are in a hermetically sealed spaces hurling along to something we always think is important enough that we have to go as fast as the law will allow. It's a sickness, really. But not one that we have the slightest desire to change.
After a day of rest, I made my way to Cold Spring, biking through long stretches of the Sam Houston National Forest. Sensational! I have several more days to enjoy more rugged country - Big Thicket National Preserve is also on the way, among other treats... Yet, as much as I've enjoyed Texas, I'm looking forward to bayou country, and eager to get there. You see? Even I'm in a hurry... it's in our DNA...
Check out my road cycling activity on Garmin Connect.
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1645926949
Pic 1, Downtown Richards, TX.
Pic 2, A field of Deer Pea Vetch (so I am told).
Pic 3, Just outside of Richards.
Pic 4, A controlled burn in Sam Houston National Forest.
Pic 5, East Texas Christ.
Pic 6, The small print reveals all.
More to come,
Michael
Southern Tier, Post 31
Day 33, Post 31:To be brief about it—proposed Henry James. A day of rest in Navasota, TX. I'm once again adding some new people to these Southern Tier posts. If you are reading this for the first time, please know this is one in a series of an ongoing posts about a cycling tour I am taking from San Diego to St Augustine, FL along the famed "Southern Tier" cycling route made popular by the Adventure Cycling Association. If you are you getting this message for the first time, please know you can always write me back and I'll happily take you off the email list if you don't want to receive these updates. You won't hurt my feelings, I promise! And, conversely if there are others you think might enjoy receiving these, please send me their email address and I will add them if they aren't already on the list.
Wikipedia tells me that, in 2005, the Texas Legislature named this city "The Blues Capital of Texas", in honor of the late Mance Lipscomb, a Navasota native and blues musician. He was known as a "Songster", a tradition that preceded and laid the groundwork for the blues. Apparently, Lipscomb knew more than 300 songs by memory.
I guess when I feel that a rest is truly earned I am good at making it an indulgence. It's mid-afternoon and I've only managed to walk 2 blocks in one direction for breakfast, and 3 blocks in the other for lunch. Later, I'll walk 2 blocks for dinner. Otherwise, I've been catching up on news (I like "enemy of the people" news outlets like NBC, CBS and CNN, and I'm certain it's all faked - but I'm a master at grasping alternative facts to create a reasonable reality entirely of my own making that you-know-who wouldn't like), reading and listening to music.
Tomorrow I plan on biking to Shepard, almost 80 miles to the east. The next stop after that is Sillabee, TX, where - if time allows - (I have 8 days to get to New Orleans) I will have the option to take a side trip to Port Arthur, close to the Gulf Coast. Either way, I think I'll have a chance to get a bit of a feel for bayou country. Then, on to New Orleans -- and a few days with my friend Carolyn. Mmmm, coffee with chicory, and so many other pleasures...
I heard from my cycling friend Phil about how he'd recovered from his pannier disappearance... He texted me last night from Shepard with the following message: "I got completely fitted out at the Brenham , Texas Walmart. I made a pannier out of a 24 can beer cooler and some zipties. Got a very basic bike kit... Tubes, wrenches, pump. And you should see me in my new leisure outfit. I got a snap button polyester cowboy short, some mostly polyester Lee's cowboy pants. Yee Ha! Most memorable line from last night's stay at Checkpoint Harley..." well we didn't kill no pigs last night but it wouldn't be no fun if you killed a pig every night, would it?"" ....No wonder I enjoyed traveling with him and his equally mirthful friend John. Godspeed, gentlemen!
More to come,
Michael
Pic 1, A shuttered business in Navasota, something seen in small town American everywhere.
Pic2, Sculpture of Mance Lipscomb.
Pic 3, One of the thriving businesses in town.
Southern Tier, Post 30
Day 32, Post 30: In an earlier post I mistakenly referred to Drifter Jack's in Austin as Diamond Jack's. I apologize for the error. And I'll add that if you like hostels you'll love the place if you are ever in Austin.
I left LaGrange, TX this morning after a great omelette and a short stack of pancakes. I rarely eat pancakes at home, but boy, do I enjoy them facing a day of riding! I have to say I'm finding some great restaurants in small town Texas - food seems to be a serious business all over Texas. And I have gained a new respect for Tex-Mex. It's so much more than one is exposed to up north. Forexample, last night I had some grilled catfish tacos that were excellent. I'm entering Cajun country now, so I have an entire new local gastronomy to experience...
After about 20 miles of cycling I was about ten miles out of Round Top. I didn't know what I was going to be cycling past, so I was surprised to fine myself in antique country in the first day of an antique festival. Round Top, a town of 90 permanent residents, seems to be the epicenter of what is one of the great antique, chatzke and crap acquisition capitals of the world. The traffic was intense and the road shoulder was terrible so I wasn't comfortable stopping. The opportunity to sell antiquities is so tempting that every ranch for a good ten miles after Round Top had a barn devoted to selling antiques, perhaps in the hopes that tourists would stop there thinking they had arrived in Round Top. But once you get there, Round Top is unmistakable - miles of tents, barns, and storage units devoted to selling anything and everything you could ever want to make your home as charming and cute as ever. You can even buy Texaco Gas Station signs to install in your yard. Or perhaps on that amazing cathedral ceiling you always longed for. You can also get full size sculptures of wooden buffalos, bulls, horses and mastodons...
Check out my road cycling activity on Garmin Connect.
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1642366853
Pic 1, An attractive and iconic Texan oak tree.
Pic 2, Doesn't everyone need one of these?
Pic 3, Field of Goldeneye and Texas Paintbrush.
Pic 4, What you see is what you get.
More to come,
Michael