Coast 2 Coast - Day 31 - DeRidder to Opelousas

Return of the Headwinds - Eventually Vanquished

Today was going to be a long day - it was scheduled for more than 90 miles.

With the high mileage ahead of us, we started out in the pre-dawn fog of DeRidder, leaving around 7AM.

With the fog and the subsequent overcast the start of the day was comfortable and we made good time through the first two SAG stops, including a stop at the second SAG, at 40 miles, for donuts:

Then we continued on to the third and last SAG, at 60 miles, in the town of Mamou.

Mamou is the home of Cajun music, including 'Fred's Lounge':

And, across the street from Fred's, we had a good lunch at the Krazy Cajun Cafe, with a bowl of chicken and sausage gumbo for Hance and fried shrimp for Anne:

And then it was on for the last 30 miles to Opelousas, and the headwind made its revengeful return, starting at 10 mph out of the south-southeast and then rising to 20 mph from the southeast as we continued on (we were going east to east-southeast). And the road surfaces deteriorated as we went along as well, going from smooth to fractured with cracks.

We did get to see the flat lowlands of Louisiana, and some crawfish farms:

but the ride got harder and harder, with both the winds and the roads working against us.

But we persisted, and after a total of 8.5 hours in the saddle, we arrived at our hotel for the night.

Overall we rode for 92.0 miles, at an average speed of 11.1 mph, and a maximum of 18 mph, with no flats.