A humid but comfortable 70°, as we pedaled away from the state capitol of Louisiana and home of LSU.  A last minute change in the road out of town, offered tree lined streets, large expensive homes and small painstakingly reconditioned homes.  Could not take pictures quick enough to capture the essence of the wonderful neighborhoods we were going through.  The further we moved from the city, the larger the homes became….…seriously larger.

An hour and a half later, we joined our original route; it had been a delightful 17 miles.  Surprised how many people were on the roads on a Saturday morning; but the busy road was not without it’s benefit.  A light (6 – 10 mph) northwest breeze caught our backs and helped our ride along the rough shoulder.  Shortly before ten, the skies darkened and the wind began to swirl around us.  A rain shower went through so fast, we didn’t even get wet, but stopped anyway for a twenty minute refreshment break.  It was a good choice, since we would not see civilization for another 25 miles.  The traffic disappeared, as the road narrowed and the shoulder became too rough to ride.  Out on the road, we were cruising with the wind at our backs, covering 40 miles in three hours.  For once, we were on the right side of the construction, naturally, it did not last nearly long enough.  Even with the light breeze at our back, we were wearing down.  A turn in the road our last 15 miles put the wind at our shoulder, slowing us down and making us work to get to our hotel.  Thankfully, the temperature never reached 80° and the sun stayed away, so heat was not a factor.  All the motels in this town, were two miles from any restaurant, the Kentucky Derby was on and we were tired after 63 miles, pizza delivery was the perfect call.  It was a good day, but it will be an early night.