Friday, November 6
After saying our final goodbyes to Mike, Ava, and Jack, we climbed on Taz and got an early start on our ride for the day. This was going to be a Point A to Point B day, but we weren't really sure where Point B would be.
Two of our Toccoa friends, Bill and Jean, had told us of an alternate route that take us from Midlothian to Greensboro, North Carolina, and avoid traffic on I-85. Since the weather promised to be cold and rainy no matter which way we went, we decided to try the more scenic ride on U.S. 360 from Midlothian to Danville, and then down U.S. 29 to Greensboro. Bill and Jean were right...even with the weather not being the best for cycle riding, it was a comfortable and scenic route...one we will probably take in the future whether on Taz or in the car.
At Greensboro, we picked up the "big road" traffic of I-85 toward Charlotte, where we ran into some decidedly unpleasant weather. We had to pull off the highway one time because the rain was coming down so hard we couldn't see, but when that squall passed, we continued toward Charlotte, where we looped around the city and got on I-77 South.
After a brief stop in Rock Hill for lunch, we rolled on through intermittent rains to Columbia, where we broke away on I-20 West for a few miles until we got to Lexington, SC, where we checked into our room for the night and then made arrangements to meet Carrie Foote, a high school classmate from Artesia, and her husband Norm for some sightseeing at Lake Murray and a fun supper at the local IHOP.
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Saturday, November 7
With another full day of riding ahead of us, we got away from Lexington early this morning and headed across South Carolina into Georgia, where we aimed Taz toward the southwest and Cairo, Georgia, where we were going to surprise our friends Barbara Payne & Gary and Rhonda. After a full day of riding (with a few breaks along the way), we arrived at the outskirts of Cairo (pronounced Kay-row), and Barbara texted Barbara Payne to let her know we were paying a surprise visit. Well, the surprise was on us, as Barbara was up in Conyers for the weekend. We sent a pic of the motel to Rhonda and said, "Guess where we are?" But...she never checked her phone! So much for being spontaneous!!!
We checked in to our room at the local Best Western (an outstanding facility, by the way...we recommend it highly to anyone passing through the Cairo area), and then when we never heard back from Rhonda, we contacted them to let them know we were visiting their town and planned to join them at church tomorrow morning if they were going to be there.
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Sunday, November 9
We awoke to find that a monsoon had moved into the area during the early morning, and all signs were that it wan't going to move out soon. We went to the office to make arrangements to stay over again tonight and then went back to the room to ride out the storm until time to go to church.
Luckily for us, Gary and Rhonda called and offered to pick us up at the motel and take us to church (an offer we jumped all over), so the morning got much better for us.
Gary picked us up and we met Rhonda at First Baptist Church for a morning of wonderful music, an inspiring American Flag presentation by the local American Legion Post in honor of Veterans Day, and an outstanding sermon...all followed by a great meal that Rhonda and Gary treated us to at a local restaurant.
When we got back to the motel, we settled in for our afternoon nap, followed by an evening of combing through days and days worth of photos that needed to be turned into collages for the journal/blog.
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Monday, January 9
The storm was still on top of the Cairo area when we awoke, but we had no choice but to begin another day of traveling. We packed Taz and the trailer, pulled on our rain gear, and started out in the early morning darkness and rain, hoping that somewhere soon we'd catch a break in the weather.
Our route took us out of Georgia and down through the Florida panhandle to Blountstown, where we turned west to Freeport, Fort Walton Beach, and Pensacola before crossing into Mobile Alabama and picking up I-10 West for most of the remainder of the day's trip.
By the time we left Mobile, the weather was no longer a factor, other than being a little on the cool side. As we rolled into Mississippi, we decided that a stop at the Mississippi Welcome Center for a butt break and a stretch would be appropriate. While we were taking off our helmets, we noticed a gentlemen watching us. He asked a couple of questions about Taz, and the next thing we knew, he was speaking in French and telling a lady who had come up to him what we had said. Then, we were surrounded by French speakers, some of whom took us up on our offer to try Taz on for size. Finally, a woman came up to me and apologized for her group taking up our time. We said that was okay, because Taz does attract attention, and we are always glad to talk about her. The lady then explained that her mother had celebrated her 80th birthday at Fort Walton Beach over the weekend, and 13 family members from France had flown over to surprise her. They were all touring the area before flying out from New Orleans later this week. We don't know if we scored any "international relations" points with the encounter, but the group seemed to enjoy themselves, even to the point of having us take a number of group photos of them using their cameras. For us, it was the most fun, entertaining, and memorable riding break of the whole trip.
After our "cultural exchange" experience, we climbed back on Taz and continued across I-20 to Biloxi, where we settled in for a comfortable evening.
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Tuesday, November 10
Today's trip would be relatively short, so we took our time moving around, took some morning photos, and had a leisurely breakfast at the hotel before striking out.
Our route this morning took us across U.S. 90, the old Gulf Coast Highway that in pre-Katrina days was a journey through antebellum days. However, the fabulous old mansions are now gone, never to be seen again along this once scenic highway.
We got back to I-10 north of Waveland, journeyed a few miles to the I-12 cutoff, and headed south to The Big Easy, New Orleans, where we checked in at our hotel, secured Taz and the trailer, and began enjoying the sights, sounds, and tastes of this fantastic city.
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Wednesday, November
It's Veterans Day...A day to honor all who have served in the United States Military Forces
With no riding planned for the day, we took our time getting around and did some serious morning sight-seeing around the hotel area.
We had already decided that since I had my trumpet with us, I would sound Taps at 11:00 am. We found a suitable spot with Old Glory in the background, Barbara found a good angle to shoot from, and when the time came, I raised the trumpet and began playing. A few people were coming down the sidewalk as I played, and while not of them stopped walking while I was playing, one of the young men did remove his hat as he moved along.
After putting my trumpet away, we found a trolley to take us to the French Quarter and began our authentic New Orleans experience. It was a hot day, and we were soon exhausted, but we saw a lot of sights.
The French Quarter and Bourbon Street...
Louis Armstrong Park...
Trolley Riders...
The Big Easy...
As we were walking back to our hotel from Armstrong Park, I got a phone call from my sister-in-law Jane telling me that my brother Jerry had just passed away at Covenant Hospital in Lubbock. Jerry had been hospitalized in Roswell just a few days ago following a severe asthma attack, and was then transferred to Lubbock, but with all the lung damage he had suffered the past year, they weren't able to help him.
This is a photo of our last visit together in Roswell...
After making a number of phone calls to family and friends about Jerry's passing, we went out for an evening meal and then returned to the hotel to begin packing for tomorrow's ride.
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Thursday, November 12
We awoke to what sounded like a major downpour of rain, but by the time we got Taz and the trailer loaded, and checked out of the hotel, it was just a light shower. We managed to get out of downtown New Orleans and back on I-12 toward Baton Rouge with minimum difficulty (which couldn't be said for those who were driving into town).
Once on the "big road," we did our best to stay behind the vehicle in front of us and ahead of the vehicle behind us as we rode from shower to shower.
Once we were clear of all the major traffic, we decided we'd better take a potty break, refuel Taz, and maybe even find a local delicacy for breakfast before continuing the trip. Luckily, we found a truck-stop that met all those needs.
It's a long way from New Orleans to the Texas state line, especially on a motorcycle in the rain. One of our favorite parts of this route is the 20+-mile bridge across the Atchafalaya Swamp. Barbara had the camera ready, but the clouds were so low and heavy and the rain was coming down so hard, that we couldn't get even one decent photograph. Oh well, that just means that we'll have to do it again someday.
The rain finally stopped just before we rode into Texas and spotted one of the prettiest sights we'd seen...the Texas Welcome Center!!! We're almost home (kind of).
We rode on to Beaumont, checked into our motel, started multiple loads of laundry, and waited for the arrival of long-time friends Gary and Joyce Whitaker to arrive from Houston to spend the evening with us.
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Friday, November 13
A cold front moved in overnight, so we bundled up the best we could and left Beaumont at dawn, eager to get back home. Our route today was fairly simple...pick up U.S. 69 just east of Beaumont and follow it to within a few blocks of our house.
Along the way, we managed to get behind this truck in a long stretch of two-lane, no passing zone highway. It wasn't as bad as getting behind the trailer of porta-potties that we found in California, but it was a close second.
We arrived home at noon from our longest cycle trip yet; 46 days of riding through 9 states, covering 4,487 miles. It was a wonderful adventure, but it was time to settle down for a few days in the comfort of our own home!
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Back home again in Mineola,
Jim/Dad/Gramps and Barbara/Mom/Grams/Gramsy
