Au revoir Texas; Bienvenue Louisiana

Au revoir Texas!

 After 1060 miles and 19 days we finally left Texas today.  As our daily blog has shown, it's been quite a ride.  From the heat of the first couple of days to the rains for the next week and a half, and then to fairly decent weather for the second half, it's been quite an adventure.  Some roads were horrible with heavy truck traffic, rough to non-existent shoulder, and rumble bumps.  Others were almost completely deserted with smooth surfaces, wide shoulders, and no bumps.  Most amazing has been the floods.  While we expected dry deserts, we had way more rain than expected, and numerous flooded rivers, roads, forests, and fields

We all expected to be riding across miles of flat, scrub-brush covered desert, but the Adventure Cycling route had us crossing mountain ranges, passing through canyons, riding along rivers, and circling around cities.  Our stereotypical impression of Texas has changed forever. 

So now we embark on the last phase of the trip, cycling through the south.  None of us has spent much time here, so it will be fun to experience the food, meet the people, and traverse the terrain.

From the deep south, that's the Poorman Shop Report.