{"id":23144,"date":"2018-04-30T21:17:22","date_gmt":"2018-05-01T01:17:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tourdebocrie.com\/?p=23144"},"modified":"2018-05-01T09:43:05","modified_gmt":"2018-05-01T13:43:05","slug":"day-16-monday-april-30-orange-texas-to-lake-charles-louisiana","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tourdebocrie.com\/?p=23144","title":{"rendered":"Day 16. Monday, April 30 – Orange, Texas to Lake Charles, Louisiana"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

We had a two mile loop in the midst of construction to rejoin our course.\"\"<\/a>\u00a0 Trains waited on the outskirts of town to be called in to load\"\"<\/a> and firework stations,\"\"<\/a> waiting for the holidays, lined the road.<\/p>\n

Outside of town, we enjoyed a wide shoulder and nice shade.\"\"<\/a> \u00a0Traffic was not constant, but loud when the trucks and traffic barreled by.<\/p>\n

Forecast was for a southeast wind to pick up during the day; naturally our first 13 miles was north, before the wind began. \u00a0An hour into our ride, we turned east onto a quiet road and felt the wind begin to rustle. \u00a0Shortly thereafter, we crossed the very flooded Sabine River\"\"<\/a> into Louisiana. \u00a0We learned later, that this is a controlled flood of the river, \"\"<\/a>but these two counties take the brunt of it; \"\"<\/a>sometimes not able to drive the streets for the high water.<\/p>\n

We were surprised to run across another touring biker, Jorg,\"\"<\/a> from Canada. \u00a0He was doing a large loop from Jacksonville, Florida back to Cape May, NJ where he now resides.<\/p>\n

One turn and we went from quiet to quieter.\"\"<\/a>There was no shoulder on this road but there were no cars either, so we had it to ourselves, rice fields on either side. \"\"<\/a>\u00a0We could hear a light rumble in the distance, and were surprised to see a plane on the side of the road.\"\"<\/a> \u00a0Apparently, they had just finished loading his crop dusting fertilizer, as he took off right beside us\"\"<\/a> as we pedaled down the road. \u00a0The country road was pretty, \"\"<\/a>but the\u00a0wind was tough and the swirling gusts punishing. \u00a0The protective tree lined road was replaced with farms \"\"<\/a>and country homes.\"\"<\/a> After 43 miles we came to our first opportunity for fuel and rest. \u00a0We were hoping the little gas station would have a cafe or deli and an area to sit, but our choice was limited to packaged foods. \u00a0We stood inside the air conditioning and ate our prepackaged sandwich and muffin and pushed on twenty minutes later. \u00a0Within minutes our swirling wind was further enhanced by dust from the construction of a massive refinery. \"\"<\/a>\u00a0This is the closest we have been to one and it seemed to stretch on forever. \u00a0Once completed, it will cover over 3,000 acres.<\/p>\n

We enjoyed an all too short<\/em> five mile stretch with a tail wind, relaxing as we sailed along the road. \u00a0The smiles left our faces as soon as we took the east turn into the unrelenting wind. \u00a0Stopped every few miles, \"\"<\/a>just for a break.<\/p>\n

We limped into our hotel at 3:00 after 62 miles and almost six hours in the saddle. \u00a0The only restaurant near our hotel was a Mexican restaurant and it looked like a dive. \u00a0Having already had take-out the night before, we decided it could not be avoided. \u00a0The inside was small and had the same ambiance as the outside, but the food was amazing. \u00a0This huge vat of avocado topped Fajitas \"\"<\/a>included a huge poblano and cactus leaf, most delicious and well worth it!<\/p>\n\n\t\t