Taking a trip like ours, mean you always have something to bitch about or celebrate. In regions with hills and mountains, it's the pitch. Steep climbs mean there are less miles in your legs. In the flat part of the country, it's wind. A stiff wind in your face blowing across the open land can mean expending a lot of effort to pedaling 8 to 10 mph. Conversely, with the wind at your back you can sail along at 15 or to 18 mph exerting far less effort. For a single road bike,16 mph is no big deal, but for John and I that is fast, quite fast.
Today was both flat and the wind was, for the most part, at our back. We are still in the Louisiana Bayou Country so bridges we must climb. Most were low and not a huge challenge. All were truss bridges. I like the architectural look of truss bridges. This one, the Long-Allen Bridge spans the Atchafalaya River. According to Wikipedia, it was built, and appears to have been last painted, in 1933 and was a major crossing on the Old Spanish Trail and US 90. It was replaced in 1975 by the E.J. Lionel Gazzaffi Bridge.
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| The new bridge |
Slowly we are pulling away from wetlands and into small town and farm land. John and I debated what the crop was on the left and decided on sugar cane. It looks grass like but it is too early for corn and not fragrant enough to be onions. Being city-iots, we are never fully comfortable with our theories.
Entering Franklin, the sugar capital of Louisiana, seemed to back up our choice. The downtown boulevard was lined with light posts, each decorated with what looked like a coat-of-arms. Under each poster was a name and year. The photo on the right is labeled Morris Sucrose XIL.
The coat-of-arms below is labeled Rigler Sucrose XXXIX. Sugar is obviously a big deal in Franklin.
Along with the farms are old southern homes complete with Live Oak trees. Soon we will be in Texas deserts and the Live Oaks will be no more. Sigh. I will miss them.
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