Stage 15 -- I'm just lucky [WAS-16, USA-nil]

30 August 2010 -- As luck would have it our Quality Motel was right on the intersection of an Interstate and a local road I thought would be good for biking. It was. It was part of the Mississippi River Trail system that is complete from there to New Orleans. We are going to try and make the rest of our miles on the MRT – if I can find maps and directions. We are still skipping down the road. Much more than in Minnesota and Wisconsin, but at least equaling Illinois. By my current projections when we reach New Orleans, I will have done slightly more than 800 miles on the bike, and we will have put more than 3000 miles on the car, that’s how much scouting roads and finding suitable motels (we’re not motel snobs, but close) has cost us. All for a journey that Google says is 1440 miles long.

As I was pedaling today I was struck by how much good fortune we have had. Today was the 16th day of pedaling and we have been rained out (that only partially) once. As we came south the cool weather has seemed to envelope us, and even though some days rose into the mid 80’s, I have only ridden in truly hot conditions 3 or 4 times. Earlier starts the last three days have helped in this. Today it was overcast and windy so I was actually cold while I was riding. I soak one or two t-shirts every 10-12 miles. This is a peculiar sensation because when I stop, I start getting hot immediately. Changing shirts restores my equilibrium for a while. .At our last rendezvous before the end of the ride Dad and I were talking when Mike B rode up in his pick-up and we talked cycling. He gave me a lot of helpful information about the MRT, told me about the Tour of Corn (Mike if you read this, send me some more information via a , comment on this blog. If you leave an email address, I will get back to you.), and then we talked about AZ immigration, Obama, and taxes – I was in conversation heaven. He started to leave when he slammed on the brakes and said. OHOH! I don’t think the ferry runs on Monday and Tuesday. My jaw dropped as I pondered how we were going to get out of the cul-de-sac I had ridden us into. Mike whips out his phone calls the ferry, is quiet for a moment as he listens, and says, “You’re in luck. The ferry is running 7 days a week now.

Ferry video is coming shortly. The third best thing of the day was meeting Mike. The second best was the actual ferry ride (on which we were the sole passengers, and for which we had to press a button on a pole in the middle of nowhere to call. But the best thing was hearing my Dad say, “I am really glad you chose to come this way. Ever since you mentioned ferry, I really wanted to make the crossing.

Thought for the day: Sometimes you do exactly what you want, and the world around you is in complete synch.