Author: Paul Rito (Page 19 of 28)

Yesterday’s ride was not an auspicious way to finish up my trip, but Birmingham was my last tour stop. I hopped on the Amtrak Crescent to Baltimore and 20 hours later, I rode the ½ mile to the light rail station and hopped on the train to Lutherville.

This was the culmination of a couple weeks of planning with our friends Dave & Kathy who were hosting Dana for the weekend, but it didn’t all gel until I was in New Orleans.

Dave picked me up at Lutherville and took me back to their house where we had some wine and waited for Dana. She thought I was with a Warm Showers host in Birmingham, a little ruse that was not unexpected for this trip.

November 10, 2022, Birmingham AL. Well, all the good things I said or thought about Alabama roads were thrown out the window today. US 11 out of Tuscaloosa was OK for about 3 miles, and then reverted to little to no shoulder. Add in the high speed traffic and tractor trailers, particularly logging trucks, and you have the makings for the worst 25 miles on this trip so far. OK, maybe not the worst, but definitely tied with KY 8, and that wasn’t as long. Overall, the drivers weren’t bad and waited or gave me room (‘cept for one, but I escaped that unscathed. Thank goodness for the rearview mirror).

October 9, 2022 — York AL to Tuscaloosa AL.

I knew I had a good 7 hour ride in front of me to a motel in Tuscaloosa. The only Warm Showers host in the city never answered my message or text, and the closest campground would have added another 10 miles to today’s 73 and tomorrow’s 57. Add in the time to set up and tear down and pack and that’s a significant cut out of already short days and I did want to have some time in the city, too.

November 8, 2022, York, AL. Today, I got up early and readied my bags and bike for the short jaunt to the Amtrak station. After saying “Au Revoir” to Karen and M.A., I hit the street. About 2/3 of the way to the station, my front tire went flat. Knowing I had only a mile to go and stopping to pump it up or fix it there might make me late for baggage check in, I walked Papa H to the station. Once there, I got checked-in but asked the clerk for 15 minutes to fix the flat. I found a beer bottle arrowhead embedded in the tire. At least it was easy to see and extract. I booted the tire where the glass came through and put my last new tube in. Had it ready with time to spare. I’ll need that time today as I don’t get into Meridian until 1:30 and then I have at least a three hour ride to York AL where I’m overnighting. Sunset is now just shy of 5 pm and it’s dark by 5:30.

November 7, 2022 NOLA. Today I got on the bike for a long ride. Karen suggested Chalmette National Cemetary/Park where the Battle of New Orleans essentially ended the War of 1812. Karen and M.A. recommended the Lakefront airport as a good example of the Art Deco period. Folks at the Po Boy Fest recommended the Levee along the Mississippi, and I found a route that went along Lake Pontchartrain. I found a way to hit them all and keep it to 62 +/- miles.

OMG! OMG! OMG! What a day! Karen and M.A. had a great day in store for me today. Though they were both working again and couldn’t join me, I took their suggestions to go to a Second Line parade and a Po Boy festival that was happening on the other side of town. Bonus: Their friends Dave and Joyce live just a half block off of the festival street and 20 yds from one of the festival stages, and they have a party and their own music. Karen sent them a note to expect me and Dave said, “Great! We need somebody to drink the beer!”

Saturday November 5, 2022, New Orleans, LA (NOLA) Both Karen and M.A. were working today, so I was on my own. Eeyore returned in force with drenching rain and occasional thunder. It was actually the first time in three months that I put on rain gear, which for me consists of the little $1 ponchos you can buy just about anywhere. Why not full rain gear? (1) I have to carry it for the 98% of the time it’s not raining, (b) I find it much more comfortable than a waterproof jacket in which you sweat so much on the inside you may as well be wearing nothing. The poncho keeps the rain off but lets the air flow, (3) I expect my legs and shoes will get wet anyway, and today I had on Teva’s, so no socks to get wet either, and (d) the poncho fits over a small backpack I take along when I don’t have my panniers attached.

Friday November 4, 2022 San Antonio->New Orleans. Chili was so kind as to drive me to Amtrak which saved me from getting up at 3 and on the road by 3:30 to ride the 20+ plus miles to the station for the 5:40 closing of baggage check and a 6:25 departure. Such a nice person and such a nice couple!

The 15 hour trip to NOLA was uneventful and that’s about the best you can expect. Amtrak train status updates varied from being an hour and a half early to an hour early to half an hour early, but the reality was we got in about 10 minutes before the scheduled time.

Thursday, November 3, Schertz & San Antonio TX. Another week, more great family, friends and hosts. Claire, Dave, & Regina earlier this week and now Chili and Peggy.

This morning, Chili and Peggy took me to the Mercado (Market) in San Antonio. Tuesday was Dia de Muertos, Day of the Dead, and Mexican tradition is to build an altar with pictures of relatives who have passed surrounded by things they loved in life. Watch “Coco” for an entertaining and culturally accurate and informative animated treatment of Dia de Muertos.

After a couple cups of coffee and muffins & PB, I packed up Papa Hobo once again and said goodbye and thanks to Claire, Regina, and Dave, and hit the road for the ride back to Schertz. A little different route, but the biggest change from Sunday was the amount of traffic. I also passed a cement plant and two quarries that had a constant stream of trucks coming and going. The good thing about that is that the shoulders were mostly good and even where they weren’t, the motorists were respectful and gave me a wide berth. There are a lot of cyclists in this area, so seeing me wasn’t unexpected.