Day 42- Jackson LA

 It rained hard all night and this morning brought thunderstorms. Again we were lucky to have indoor accommodations. It continue to rain through breakfast. Drunk Bob, our weather app, predicted  possible clearing around 1 o’clock, which meant we’d have to fit 60 miles into six hours to get in before dark. Doable, but not preferable.

At around 1015, after much standing around, adjusting layers and stretching, we set off.

It stayed cloudy but dry. We were thankful for that small mercy as it was chilly.

The ride took us across our first bridge of the day. This time it was to cross the Atchafalaya river. From there it was a route of back roads with light traffic. The sun kept peeking out, promising warmth and we were soon peeling layers.

I saw some interesting things along the way. This group of cows had loose wattles  and humps like camels. 

This church had a no trespassing sign on one of the doors. Just like Jesus said we should do.

And this is the machine that cuts the sugarcane. The hopper seems small for the size of the field.

We passed the Morganza spillway, used for flood control from the Mississippi. When the Mississippi floods, the water is diverted to the spillway in the Atchafalaya basin and river. The spillway covers 3000 acres.

Flooding is a big deal here. We had lunch at the Old River Restaurant which sits on a bootleg section of the Mississippi. This restaurant is old but is  designed to float when the water rises. The waitress said it’s important to always have the weight evenly distributed or it will tip sideways, which negates the floating benefit. 

There are also camps on 2 to 3 story stilts.

This one at least has an elevator to help get groceries up to the top. Those stairs would be daunting. It is hard to imagine the water getting this deep.

As luck would have it there was a jambalaya fundraising lunch going on and we indulged ourselves and got to know the waitresses even better. People in Louisanna will talk and talk and talk! And then take your picture.

Next up was crossing the John James Audubon bridge and getting ourselves east of the Mississippi. This seems like a big milestone.

We are staying at Perry’s Bike Hostel in Jackson. Perry and her husband Lep have done lots of touring and host bike groups all the time. It’s nice to be camping in a place with no lights for a change!

Things I learned today:

• People put donkeys with other livestock to protect them. Donkeys will fight coyotes. No wonder they are hard to train.
• Hard boiled Cajun peanuts are tasty but look like slugs