Sugar cane and the Mighty Mississippi. After a restful night, I ate breakfast at the motel and hit the road at 7:30 A.M. Happily, traffic diminished greatly on US Hwy 190 east of I-49. I cruised along on a wide, smooth shoulder past fields of sugar cane, which looks like leafy corn on steroids. After about 15 miles at Krotz Springs, I crossed the wide Atchafalaya River - bigger than any river in Colorado. Shortly thereafter, I rode four miles on a narrow, four-lane bridge over the Atchafalaya floodway. Fortunately, no close calls. At Livonia, I turned north on LA Hwy 78. I stopped at a Family Dollar store to buy dinner. As I left the store, local resident Betty wanted to know all about my bike trip. Alas, she didn't have a computer to read my blog. As I biked north towards New Roads, I saw lots more sugar cane, some being harvested and dumped into large trucks. The route ran past False River, an old channel of the Mississippi but no longer a river. At New Roads, I saw Betty. She remembered that her daughter had a computer and wanted my blog address. I ate lunch at a small park in New Roads overlooking False River. Onward for six miles to the John James Audubon Bridge over the Mississippi and into East Feliciana Parish. (Hello, Feliciana!) In five more miles, I turned north on US Hwy 61 and out of the flatlands. In two miles, I turned east on LA Hwy 965. I stopped at the Peaceful Pines RV park but the campsite wasn't attractive. After five miles of ups and downs on a shoulder-less road, I reached Jackson. After several phone calls, I found the manager of the historic Millbank Inn where I'm staying for the night. The photo of the parlor gives a sense of the place. I bathed in a cast-iron tub with legs and cooked dinner. It's great to be here. 69 miles biked today. Rain is forecast for the next two days plus a bridge is out on Hwy 10 somewhere to the east.
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