Author Archives: jeffersmarkjgmailcom

Welcome to Alabama! By crossing the state line today, we now have been in 7 different states, with only 1 to go! Today’s ride was very pretty, as we cycled through the Pascagoula River valley through the sun all towns of Wade and Hurley in Mississippi, and then across I-10 through the towns of GrandContinue reading “April 14, 2023: Vancleave, Mississippi to Dauphin Island, Alabama – 66 miles and 1,206 feet of elevation (and 2 intense dog chases)”

Today was, in my opinion, the polar opposite of yesterday. It actually started yesterday afternoon and throughout the evening and night, as Poplarville experienced fairly heavy rain and storms, making everything a wet and muddy mess both inside and outside the tents. Waking up every 2 hours or so, I knew going into today thatContinue reading “April 13, 2023: Poplarville to Vancleave, MS. 72 miles, 1941 feet of elevation, and only 2 dogs”

Today was deceptively difficult, at least in my opinion. The “rolling” hills conquered today were just a little bit longer and a little bit more frequent than anticipated, and a relatively steady headwind made for some unplanned challenges. Overall, this certainly wasn’t the toughest day we’ve had, and I’m certainly not complaining. Knowing that weContinue reading “April 12, 2023: Kentwood, LA to Poplarville, MS – 71 miles”

Yesterday and today were both interesting, in different ways. Today, I cycled through some beautiful backroads in rural Louisiana, through gently rolling hills and small, quaint towns on our way out of the Girl Scout Camp in St. Francisville to Kentwood, where we are staying at the Lions Club Hall on the outskirts of town.Continue reading “April 11, 2023: St. Francisville to Kentwood, LA. 58 miles and 1,941 feet of elevation”

Happy Easter! May the joy of the season fill your soul! Today, (actually yesterday) included our longest ride of the tour, 94 miles, with a slight headwind in the morning and a cold drizzle, which dissipated but stayed overcast and relatively cool all day, with temps in the high 50’s and low 60’s. As youContinue reading “April 9, 2023: Mamou to St. Francisville, LA: 94 miles and 3 Dogs”

Welcome to our first full day in Louisiana. We cycled out of DeRidder around 7:30, and made it to Mamou, LA just slightly after noon, covering 66 miles through relatively flat farmland. The wind worked against us slightly, however the shorter mileage assisted in an early arrival. I have a suspicion that everyone is startingContinue reading “April 8, 2023: DeRidder to Mamou, LA: 66 miles”

Blessed Good Friday to you all! I spent the majority of Good Friday managing fairly heavy rain and headwinds on my bike, but was able to cross the state line into Louisiana and make it to DeRidder by 2:00pm, allowing some time to pause and pray at 3:00pm. Today marks the fifth (5) state weContinue reading “April 7, 2023: Silsbee, TX to DeRidder, LA. 74 miles and 866 feet of elevation”

First and foremost, blessed Maundy Thursday to you all! I certainly miss not being able to attend services at St. Vincents this evening, but am hopeful to find a church here in Silsbee, if I can work it in between rider meetings, etc… Last night is a night I will not soon forget. To setContinue reading “April 6, 2023: Shepherd to Silsbee, TX. 59 miles and 742 feet of elevation”

Today was a very challenging yet successful day of cycling. It started a little earlier than usual, around 7:00am, with a one-mile hike on foot over a dirt and gravel road through a field to get to a paved 2 lane road. From there, we cycled under heavily overcast skies until about 11:00am, when theContinue reading “April 5, 2023: Navasota / Hidalgo Camp to Shepherd. 89 miles and 3,009 feet of elevation”

Today was a well deserved “layover day”, which meant that the riders all got to sleep a little later, care for their bikes, and simply rest. Since we have cycled around 325 miles over the past 5 days, it was time for a little breather, at least that’s what my backside said to me lastContinue reading “April 4, 2023: Navasota / Hidalgo Falls Layover Day”