We left out of Tuscaloosa, Alabama this morning and looked at the radar. YIKES AGAIN! The nasty red and yellows were between us and home again to the south. The dryest route would have been across 82 but no matter what route you took, you had to drop south through the system (and it stretched to Texas, so no way to skirt it). We decided to stay on I-59 and take our chances south west through Mississippi to I-10/I-12 in Slidell. We got rain - but just that good old rain. We kind of broke out of it in Meridian, Mississippi and thought that yes, we were in the corridor and life was good.......
WRONG!!!! We got into the "mess" just north of Hattisburg and a mess it was. Another ride that you couldn't see 3 feet in front of the bike, with the glasses to the tip of your nose, the windshield fogged over, trying to keep the silouette of the car in front of you in sight or at least the rooster tail.
We pulled over and figured that it was boiled goober and coffee break time! May as well make the best out of sitting out a squall. Met some real nice folks at the gas station in Moselle, Mississippi. One lady told us, "It sure ain't much for us folks that have lived here all our life, but it sure is home." Nice folks there. JP spent 30 minutes talking to a retired gentleman about politics and about his pick up truck.
We just could not break out of this thing. We must have been following the front all the way down from that point on. You would sit it out, let it look like the squall was slacking off and then get back on the road and 15 miles later you could not see 3 feet in front of the bike. Everytime it seemed to clear, we thought we were out of it, but we just stayed in it. What should have been about an hour and a half worth of miles cost us about double that at least. You couldn't throttle down and get out of it - it was on all four sides and especially on TOP of us.
At one stop to wipe my glasses, there was a truck stop with a cafe called the Truckers Kitchen (just north of the Louisiana line). Sure smelled good, so we mossied on in and dried ourselves off and sat down. The sweetest little old lady waited on us and they had an a buffet - all you could eat just use a clean plate each time for $8. Ummmm, BOY HOWDY!!!!!!
The coffee sure was good to boot! Plus they had Nanner Pudding for desert!!!! MAJOR BOY HOWDY!!!!
We limped along seeing cars that had hydroplanned off the road until we got to I-12/I-10. After that it started clearing up and eventually stopped a little past Hammond, La and we were able to throttle down. Sailed through Baton Rouge and got gas on the other side. Got up on the Henderson Bridge (that long one between Baton Rouge and Henderson) and the traffic stopped dead!!! There must have been an accident on the bridge. The sun was in our face, it was now hot, humid and steaming.
Now, it was miserable hot!!!! We sat there for like an hour inching forward with my helmet on my gas tank because my brains were boiling in my head. JP carried on a conversation about our trip with a young lady in a SUV that was moving along side us in the other lane. Police cars and wreckers were driving past us on the shoulder of the bridge. After an hour or so, the traffic started moving and we continued west.
When we got near Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, I pulled over into the right lane and JP came up along side. We made some signs of gratitude and brotherhood to each other finished with a thumbs up and off the exit ramp I sailed watching my riding buddy continue to sail west - knowing that we had just shared one of those "rides of a lifetime" that can be told to others but never completely shared. A certain melencholy set in on me knowing that the Magical History Tour was now at an end and one of the worst cases of post ride depression then set in. The tour was so busy and so filled, it will take me weeks to absorb what I just saw and experienced with a dear friend of mine. From the first handshake and brotherly hug 19 days ago to watching him sail into the sunset this evening - it is now one for the history books and our memories.
It was a great ride and we saw things that we have wanted to see since we were children and we got to see them before it is too late for us. And sharing it with a true brother of mine made each moment that much more special!!!!!
Well, the tour is finished and the depression has set in!!! Oh yeah, poor JP got slammed on the way home. I talked to him about 30 minutes ago and he was 10 miles from home waiting it our in a gas station that had the power blown out and he had been riding in lightning, storms and hail and could no longer see the road.
Just talked to him while I was writing this and he is home safe and sound and just got into some dry clothes.
It was an awesome trip - 4,405 miles garage to garage for me and about an extra 100 for JP. It wouldn't have been the same without sharing with a brother of the road of mine......
Until the next trip - WHOOOOOOOOO-HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! Strider signing off for the Magical History Tour.
