Day 2

Day 2

Today's trip was Shreveport to Natchitoches.

Left the hotel at 8:30 with the smell of rain in the air. When I got to LA1 I hit a head wind that was really bad. The apparent wind was pushing 30 (mph) and the cyclometer was showing 7 to 8. I can walk the bike 3+ so to say the least the wind was a real problem.

It was Easter morning and I was looking for a church. I had spotted a billboard for Gateway Church earlier but the service was at 10 and it wasn’t quite 9 when the church was in sight, when a van pulled up beside me and invited me to Gateway church. I thanked the lady and but explained I was trying to make Natchitoches today and needed to make some miles. God would direct me to the church he had for me (hope this wasn’t it). They did offer coffee… I wish more churches including mine was this inviting.

The weather was getting worse, a light rain but about 10:30 lighting started. I had notice a road running parallel to the LA1 on the other side of the railroad tracks. It was smaller road and offered more places to string up a tarp it the weather got nasty so I dragged my bike over the tracks. Within a few hundred feet I found a new construction home with a nice front porch. I parked the bike under the eve and sat down for an early lunch. I wasn’t there long before Mr. Couples; the owner came through the front door and introduced himself. We talked and he gave me a tour of his new home build the same style as his current home next door, which was built by his grandfather in 1915. He said if the weather got bad feel free to go inside and he went back home.

The rain slacked off and I headed down Harts Island road, which was LA1 before they built the new four-lane road. Mr. Couples said they get a lot of bikers on the road, part of some loop he explained. The road was great but ended about three miles down and I was back on LA1 in the drizzle. I road until about noon when I saw the sign for a church, Galilee Baptist Church, and when I looked over the rail road tracks I saw cars parked around an old white wooden church building. I crossed the ditch on some railroad ties and towed my bike over the tracks again and parked it outside this little church. One of the deacons came out to see what I was doing and I ask if I could join them for church. He warmly invited me and so after I had the bike covered with my tarp I changed into my one set of off bike clothes and went in.

Service had started at 11:30 but I expect they had started late since after a few members greeted me they read the announcements. After the announcements the introduced some guest and then welcomed me and ask if I would like to say something. I thanked them for inviting me and told them I was biking LA1 and was happy God had found me a church service. This was an old church with 20 people total and 1/3 of them were either sitting up front or in the choir. After a lot of singing of old black spirituals, which everyone but me knew (there were no song books) the guest speaker preached on Naomi. After which the preacher gave some closing comments in a more traditional Baptist style with a lot of Amends. They invited me for lunch but since the rain had stopped and I had already eaten lunch on Mr. Couples front porch I thanked them but explained I had a lot of road to put behind me today.

The rain had passed leaving a nice 15+ tail wind. I made some good time and pulled into Natchitoches near dark. I got a room at the Church Street Inn one block from Front Street in the heart of old Natchitoches.
After a warm shower I walked over to The Landing for dinner.

Stats
70.07 miles total
26.0 miles max
* Crossed 100 miles at Grand Bayou, LA.