Oberlin, LA to Bunkie, LA
Breakfast at 0700, and then I was down the road. I was already packed before breakfast, so all I needed to do is brush my teeth and wait for a little more daylight. Since I left before sunup, it was hazardous traveling east, once the sun started rising. I am sure I was invisible to the drivers coming up on me from behind. Couldn't wait until the sun was higher!
I was the first to leave for two reasons. First, there is a threat of rain this afternoon and into the night, and I don't want to be caught in it. Second, and perhaps more important, I needed medical attention for a bee sting that happened on Wednesday afternoon, the day before yesterday. See the photo below. It was fine Wednesday afternoon, but when I woke yesterday, my left little finger was swollen and throbbing. I have been taking antihistamines since then, but it continued to swell and turn red/blue, with blisters. Oh, did I mention painful?.
So, I had the pedals to the metal for 25 miles, until I came to Mamou, where I came across a medical clinic right on the route. I stopped in, and I did have to wait longer than usual, but finally a Nurse Practitioner came into the exam room and took a look. Turns out I have a secondary infection, so she prescribed antibiotics. (a secondary infection occurs either after or because of another infection, in this case, after the venomous bee sting).
When I came out of the clinic it was raining, but it must have been just a quick cloudburst, as it dissipated quickly. I had not even started riding when it stopped. Moving on to our destination - the American Inn in Bunkie.
The original plan was to camp out in Chicot State Park, so a few of us said we would get a hotel on our own, as we did not want to set up our tents on the rain, and cook/eat in the rain. I guess we are softies, whatever that means. So Ken, our leader, had a change in heart, and agreed that the group would ride 13 miles further, and stay dry in a motel on Bunkie.
As for the ride, it never rained on me all day, until just after I checked in to the motel. I rode through farmland, thickets, and sugar cane fields. The roads were all flat; some less maintained than others, and some without shoulders (nothing new here!). The wind was mixed today - sometimes a headwind, and sometimes a tailwind. In both cases, I pushed hard to get to Bunkie before the rains, always making a contingency plan on where to take cover in case the skies opened up. I kept my eye on the darkening clouds all day. They seemed to move all around me, but never over me! I was cruising at 16 - 17 mph, unless I had a tailwind, in which case it was 20+mph! Not bad for a fully loaded touring bike! My heart rate was near 130 most of the time, which means I was really pushing it, as I have rarely exceeded 120 on most days.
One highlight was the ride through Chicot State Park, where we were supposed to stay. The photos below were taken from the causeway over the Chicot Bayou.
So, here I sit, high and dry, while outside it is pouring rain, with copious thunder and lightning.
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