1,000!

Big things are happening here at ACK4ALL.  Today we pedaled across the 1,000 mile marker!  We also crossed state lines into The Lone Star Sate.  Despite riding through the cold rain all day, we feel great to be in Texas and our spirits are even higher having hit the 1,000th mile.  None of us have ever been to Texas (aside from airport layovers) and tonight we will be posting up in the small town of Kirbyville.  Although daunting, we are very excited to travel across our country's second largest state.

Crossing state lines is always an exciting moment on our trip; however, by crossing into a new state we have to leave another behind.  The kindness that we found in New Orleans, Louisiana followed us all the way to the Texas border.  In Baton Rouge, a school teacher of 39 years, Ms. Charlene, accommodated and fed us for the night.  We enjoyed a large meal of shrimp po' boys, crab stuffed mushrooms, and sweet potato fries.  Another classic Louisiana meal that was much appreciated after a long day on the road.  While cycling through Livonia, Louisiana the following day, we were lucky enough to have lunch with a nice local who goes by the name "Deadeye" (because he "only has but one good eye!").  Deadeye shared many funny stories and some important local knowledge -mainly that the road ahead was very unsafe for bicycles.  Not to worry because Deadeye's friend owns a private road that travels parallel to the 4 dangerous miles of highway.  After one phone call we were casually cruising in the swampy woods, no cars to be seen (pictured above).  We were definitely lucky to meet ol' Deadeye.

One of the most common questions we are asked in our travels is "how many miles do you (y'all) ride each day?".  There is no precise answer to this question.  In the right conditions we can do 90 miles or more, but when conditions are not cooperative mileage is much less.  For instance, two days ago we struggled in 25-30mph headwinds with harder gusts.  At times the wind nearly brought our bikes to a complete stop.  This is the kind of day when 30 miles certainly feels sufficient.  Many of our friends know that our bicycle training did not truly begin until we left St. Augustine, FL.  We never claimed to be cyclists and after 1,000 miles we are still not sure of our classification.  Yet each morning we wake up ready to ride, whether it's 30 miles or 90.  Tonight we prepare for Texas and it's LARGE landscapes.  We know we will not have that "new state feeling for awhile", but for now riding a bike for however many miles a day just feels good.