February 19, 2016 – Sun, 75 degrees

Miles Today: 38

Miles to Date: 12,006

States to Date: 28

Although I have yet to cross the Louisiana state line, today was my first day in the South. Everything moved a bit slower, everybody was a bit more friendly, I got called ‘Sir’ more times than I prefer, and I shook lots of hands. The landscape is lush, the grand homes are symmetrical, the new homes squat on the ground. Downtowns are deserted, the far side of the tracks is very poor, and franchise chicken is ubiquitous. I saw as many signs for soul food and Cajun food as Mexican food and barbeque. People in this remote corner of Texas speak with a drawl.

I spent last night with an energetic young ExxonMobil engineer, this morning with the Republican candidate for the 136^th District Court Judge position, and the afternoon with the freethinking Education Coordinator for the Museum of the Gulf Coast, where I also got to wallow in Janis Joplin memorabilia. ‘Me and Bobby McGee’ is one of my favorite songs to sing on the shoulder.

In between I pedaled strong headwinds and climbed the levee that protects the City of Port Arthur, despite the fact that everybody left downtown years ago.