Natchitoches, LA - New Orleans, LA (5)

You'll be surprised that I chose this image as an introduction, but it hits the nail on the head, at least in southern Louisiana, every gas station in the country also has a casino. And casino means gambling, money, drugs, and crime. And there is a certain tendency for this in New Orleans. That's why I like this symbol, even though I'm doing a lot of people an injustice. But I am sure you forgive me. And I must emphasize again, Louisiana is one of my favorite states, but I couldn't resist doing this :-)

In total since Dallas I rode 9 stages with 978 km and 3.900 elevation gain. I will stop counting the uphill meters from now on, as it becomes pretty flat. The challenge is much more the head wind. And I try to anticipate from the available weather forecasts what is the best time in a day to ride. The wind is quite strong and has already caused pain in my hands since I cling to the handlebars and don't want to be knocked over by gusts. I've also caught a bit of a cold due to the warm weather and the air conditioning in hotels. I hope the two days' rest here in New Orleans have prevented the worst of it and I can continue the ride tomorrow being refreshed. But the wind on the Mississippi levee has already worn me down, and my legs were like jelly by the time I got here.

Here is a bit of an overview what happened since my last report from Natchitoches:

Way and landscape are amazing - very little traffic and lots of nature.

After 145 km of riding since Natchitoches I was happy to arrive at a nice campground in Spring Bayou state wildlife managed area. Where I met very nice people, most of whom are from the area and spend every weekend there. I was immediately invited to join them, including taking a shower in their RV, a campfire, beer and dinner.

Chris, thanks again for your hospitality, I really enjoyed your delicious tortillas with your wife's homemade sauce. It was so nice meeting all you guys. A really great evening.

Two days later I arrived at the river of Mississippi and had to cross it on this impressive bridge.

Nobody should say the infrastructure in America for bicycle rides is bad. Here in the city of Baton Rouge. Although I have to admit that it is a bit strange not to see any cyclists despite the nice paths.

Even on top of the dike of the Mississippi there is a cycle path which I used almost to its end for 100 km approximately. If you drive along the river with a car you see nothing but the dike. On the bicycle it's a totally different story. I highly recommend doing it. I am sure many locals don't even know about this bike path.

Between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, massive port and industrial facilities stretch for approximately 150 km along the river. Oil industries, as well as coal, grain, and other loading docks of all kinds, line the banks. From the levee, you can observe everything very well and ride undisturbed—just the wind makes it sometimes unpleasant especially as it comes from the front.

the heavy Thunderstorms and rains in the center of the US led to high water and it is still rising as it continues to rain. There is a massive barrier just 30 km away from New Orleans that can be opened and the river will be deviated to protect New Orleans from a flood. That might happen in a couple of weeks if the rain continues. Some leakage is already there. This road will be closed on that occasion. This is important to understand as on the way forward to Florida I have to cross another area with possibly intentionally flooded roads. Tomorrow I have to deal with it already.

At the end of the day I made it to New Orleans (141 km) and I was completely exhausted after 4 days riding. Needed desperately a break.

This vibrant city with all its jazz clubs is a good place to recover for some days.

But not only the famous french Quarter is worth visiting, there is so much more to see including its Superdome for 30,000 people.

I enjoyed it for sure. Next stage will be Pensacola, Florida, crossing the states of Mississippi and Alamaba. The weather will become a bit more problematic within the next 5 days, so I better speed up to move on.