Southern Tier Part 2

Southern Tier Part 2 - Day #5
April 17, 2022
Bunkie, LA to DeRidder, LA - 111 Miles
Start 7:42 AM Finish 6:27 PM
Ride Time 10:43
Ascent 1869 Feet
Descent 1692 Feet
Tour Total 427 Miles
Details at: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/87441436

I slept great last night at the Frazier Gallerson fire station in Bunkie. It was probably my best night’s sleep yet on the tour. It was cold in the fire station. The AC was running at full blast all night long. The white noise filtered out the other sounds. I was cozy in my sleeping bag on the comfortable mattress used by cyclists. I was warned that a call might come through in the middle of the night, and one did. I quickly fell back asleep. My room had no windows, and yet I somehow woke up at 7 AM with the faint chirp of birds. I was well rested.

I peddled back towards town and over the railroad tracks. I crossed US Highway 71 and rode back past the main fire station and City Hall. I was on State Highway 115 headed west. The weather was gray, humid, and clammy. I was wearing my cycling shorts and short sleeve jersey. It was Easter Sunday. The temperature was 72°F and thunder showers were forecast for later in the afternoon. My ACA digital maps indicated that it would be 105 mile ride to DeRidder. Google maps said it would be less. Warm Showers host Amanda would be working an overnight shift but her mother Jen would be there to meet me. I was promised that Jen like to cook chicken for cyclists.

Highway 115 was two-lanes of motor traffic and passed through fields of some kind of cultivated grass. There was no shoulder and very little traffic. I passed back-to-back road kill possums. I cycled past the Bunkie municipal airport, and then stopped at a Chevron station for breakfast. The thick condensation on the refrigerator doors made it impossible to see what was inside. It’s always a wild goose chase to find the coffee drinks. I got myself a Community Coffee Mocha White Chocolate Coffee Drink, a Tropicana 100% Orange Juice with pulp, and a package of Hostess Donettes. Before leaving I lathered myself with sunscreen. Back on the road, I crossed under Interstate 49 and then crossed into Evangeline Parish. I went over a bridge at Bayou Toureau and saw Spanish Moss for the first time on this part of the tour. Outside of St Landry I took a right on Highway 106. I took a left on Highway 3042 and rode around the perimeter of Chicot State Park. I saw a bunny hopping through the grass. Ostensibly it was the Easter Bunny. I was on the Zydeco Cajun Prairie Trails & Byways. I passed a freshly hit armadillo laying upside down in the ditch. Their armor is remarkable.

A white dog barked at me and ran along the other side of the road. There was motor traffic and he didn’t cross. I’ve been keeping my pepper spray in my rear jersey pocket. A lot of cyclists on the Facebook Southern Tier Support Group have been complaining about the dogs. I haven’t really had any problems so far, knock on wood. The wind was out of the southwest today, and I felt the headwind coming into Ville Platte, population 7,927. Hopefully it wouldn’t affect me as the day wore on. I passed a large raccoon roadkill on the shoulder. A lot of the town businesses in Ville Platte were shuttered. I took a left on Rue Chataignier Nord. All of the street names were in French. I couldn’t find any open restaurants so I cycled through to the other end of town. I took a right on Highway 1161 and the wind was in my face. Two back-to-back roadkill snakes were laying in the shoulder. Crawfish ponds were on both sides of the highway.

I came to a T and took a right on highway 104 towards Mamou. I stopped at the Mamou Chevron and got myself a Slim Jim, a bag of cashews, and a large Coke on ice. While sitting there out on the curb, three cyclists pulled in from the west. They were part of Woman Tours a cross-country supported tour from San Diego to Florida. I had been following Shelley on CrazyGuy. They will finish their tour on May 4 and mentioned a rough stretch in Texas, which I would hit tomorrow. Apparently a cyclist was killed a few weeks ago by logging truck. Today they were riding from DeRidder to Bunkie, and would spend the night at the Days Inn. As I was leaving Mamou I saw one of their sag vehicles. I took a right on Highway 104 heading west towards Oberlin.

The wind was from the southwest and going straight into my left shoulder. The girls had a tailwind. I must have passed twenty roadkill snakes. I also passed a roadkill skunk. I had a long stretch of bumpy road which which made it difficult to dictate text into my phone. Whenever my phone feels a bump, it thinks I want to undo whatever I just did. Glenn Jones was doing an Easter special on WFMU, including numbers from Jesus Christ Superstar and Oh Happy Day. It was really nice.

I crossed a stream and entered Allen Parrish. The sun came out and rain was no longer forecast until this evening. My arms were getting red, so I pulled over to put on my arm covers. I came to a T and took a right on state Highway 26. It had a much smoother surface and I had a tailwind for a short segment, so I could crank out some miles. There was a wide shoulder with rumble strips across a good swath of it. At long last I rode into Oberlin, population 1866. I stopped at the Chevron for a Slim Jim, a bag of peanuts, and a large Coke on ice. Unfortunately the Crawfish Shack was closed today. Everything but gas stations was closed for Easter.

Highway 26 was headed northwest so the wind was less of a problem, and I was able to make up some time. I crossed over the Calcasieu River. I passed a sign and learned that I was now on the Myth and Legends byway. As I got closer to Mittie I noticed an assortment of canoe rental places. I crossed the Ouiska Chitto Creek and noticed families out enjoying the weather. I was on the Cecil B Tramel Memorial Highway. Mittie consisted of a convenience store, a post office, a Pentecostal church, and a canoe rental outfit. The store wasn’t open.

Two dogs began to chase me from the other side of the road. A pick-up truck was coming along in my direction and they were scared off. I came to a sign that read ‘DeRidder 26 miles ahead’ I had already cycled 86 miles and it was 3:40 PM. Today would be the tour’s first century, which was made difficult by the wind. I would be a half a day ahead of my itinerary. I entered Beauregard parish. In Wye there was a Chevron station at the intersection of Highway 113 and I stopped to get a Hunts Brothers Pizza Party For One with pepperoni and a large Coke on ice. Afterwards I continued down the road. A dog tried to chase me but couldn’t keep up with me. I had my spray ready but didn’t need it.

I stopped seeing crawfish ponds after Mamou and noticed forests and ranch land for cattle and horses. I came to a T and joined US Highway 171 / 190 heading northwest. It was a four-lane divided highway with a nice wide shoulder. After a few miles I entered DeRidder, population 9,686. There was a large courthouse downtown and I assumed DeRidder was the parish seat. The town seemed to be in better condition than Bunkie or the other towns that I rode through today. I stopped at the El Flamingo restaurant to grab a beer and start my report, before I went to my Warm Showers host. There was no beer or margaritas, so I ordered a Coke, chips & salsa. I only had half a bar on my phone and was unable to get anything accomplished.

I rode over to Amanda and Jen’s place and rang the doorbell. They have four dogs, and all of them started barking. Jen showed me in, and I showered, shaved, and washed my cycling clothes. I noticed in the guest book that Medary and Caroline had stayed here two nights ago. Jen fixed me a wonderful Easter dinner of chicken tenders with potatoes and salad. Afterwards we watched Groundhound day. I finished editing this report before I went to sleep.