Objectively Speaking, It’s Cold!

After a great reunion with Becky and John, I woke this morning knowing I would be back on the road again today. The timing of my stay in Lafayette worked out really well from a weather standpoint as yesterday was a very chilly and rainy day. Far from ideal cycling weather. Today the blue skies returned although the chilliness remained. Actually, from my perspective it dipped well below chilly and moved into cold territory. It was 7 degrees when I woke up this morning. SEVEN!

As a result of cold I found myself geared up with long pants, a jacket, and even gloves. Yes, gloves. It was very reminiscent of when I started my ride on June 1st.

Despite the cold, today was probably the first day since returning from Cuba in which I felt like my head was really back into cycling mode. The ride seemed easier and I felt like the time and kilometres were passing more quickly than previous days and, for the most part, I was just thinking about the open road. Well, that and the cold wind that was blowing in my ear.

Depending on my route selection I started the day either two or three days from New Orleans. My current plan is to take the three day route as recommended by Becky and John. The longer route is more scenic and follows the Mississippi River and that sounds pretty good to me. That said, even if I opted for the more direct route, today’s destination would’ve been the same. Morgan City. About 110 km from Lafayette.

On the good news front, today’s ride looked to be pretty easy and flat with perhaps some occasionally favourable winds. Although, the route curves around a bit so I’m sure the wind would get me at some point. Spoiler Alert: It did.

On the not-so-good news front, I seem to be battling a bit of a toothache. Actually, at times it’s more than “a bit” of a toothache. Quite frankly, at times it’s been extremely painful. Twice throughout the day I actually had to resort to taking Advil. And I very rarely resort to medication. Hmmmm … maybe Advil would sponsor me. I’m not really sure how this will play out as I’ve never been in this situation before but something tells me it’s not just going to go away. Sigh.

Cold winds and toothache notwithstanding, today’s ride was pretty enjoyable. Sure, there were a few sections where the road and/or shoulder was more than a bit rough and beaten up but fortunately those sections didn’t last long. The rest of the ride was very relaxing and, as mentioned earlier, went by very quickly.

Before I knew it, it was about 4:00 and I had arrived in Morgan City. My original plan was to camp at Lake End Park. It was recommended by Becky and John, as well as a guy I was talking to at Wendy’s last night. However, a combination of factors led to me change my original plan.

Upon my arrival, my tooth started aching again and the thought of spending a long cold night in a tent under those conditions seemed less than pleasant. Cycle touring, or more accurately living in a tent, is certainly more challenging when it gets dark by 6:00 and it becomes too cold to sit around a picnic table. After all, it’s not like I’m travelling with much cold weather gear. On the upside, I’m sure there would be fewer mosquitos.

And so, once again I find myself in a motel. This has certainly not been the most cost-effective portion of my trip but fortunately I was able to keep costs lower than expected during the earlier segments. Hopefully I’ll be able to return to that sooner rather than later!

Today’s totals:
Distance travelled: 112.63 km
Ride time: 5:00:44
Average speed: 22.47 km/h
Maximum speed: 37.29 km/h