Franklinton, LA to Poplarville, MS
Late start today, only because I knew it would be a short day. I wanted to do laundry, but the laundromat did not open until 0900, which would have delayed my start even further. So, I left with Eileen at around 0930. Beautiful ride, and off the published route. We decided to take a shortcut, and shave off some of the miles for today. We took LA 10 from Franklinville to Bogalusa, where we stopped at a fast food place to eat. We searched for a local restaurant, instead of a chain or fast food, but we were not successful in our search, and did not want to further delay our day.
Leaving Bogalusa, there was a strong odor emanating from the paper mill, which stayed with us for several miles. The smell reminded me of my USNR time spent in Japan, many years ago. Bogalusa - my first job out of college was in Des Allemands, Louisiana, working on supply boats for the oil industry. One of the mates on my first boat was from Bogalusa, and that was his nickname. I can't even remember his real name, and that job did not last long - I left due to lack of safety, and my life has been all the better for it. I think Dianne is glad I didn't stick with Louisiana, as she did not want to move there. Having been in this area for the last week, on the back roads, I think we could have lived here, albeit for a short time.
Back to the ride! From Bogalusa, we crossed the Pearl River, the border between Mississippi and Alabama, then shortly turned off the highway onto back roads. We really had to watch the map, as there were many turns in the last 20 miles into Poplarville. It was trying to rain on us the entire time, but really didn't get anything wet... until we got into town, and had two more miles to go. Then the skies opened up for the rest of the way.
Slightly wet upon arrival at the Haas-cienda Ranch, I set up my tent on a covered deck, showered, and settled in for nice steak dinner, cooked for us by the owners of the Ranch/RV park. The kegerator in the lounge was a bonus!
The rain lasted until well past midnight, pounding on the metal roof of the covered deck. Despite the rain, I slept well, and stayed dry.
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