Day 92, November 1st 2007 (Jasper,TX to Oberlin,LA)

I was able to run the lines with Michael in the morning.  I had woken up and after eating a breakfast we scooted out the door and jumped in the boat to see what we had caught.  It was a much more effective style of fishing that required a lot less time.  We checked the first line and since it was so close to the shore we had caught nothing.  The next line though was a completely different story.  We had caught two catfish that were about 3 lbs in size for each one.  They looked like great catches and all that we had to do was place a new minnow on the end of te hook and then later in the day hope for another fish to catch the line.  It was a fun and new lifestyle hanging out at Lichael's place and when I took off on the road I knew I would never forget the experience he had left with me.  I took the same beautiful road out that I had come in on and was still amazed with its' beauty.  I was planning on making it to Baton Rouge to stay with someone off of the warm shower's list named Ryan, in only two days.  I had about 220 miles ahead of me and although it wasn't going to be easy, I knew it was doable.  Leaving the small highway out of Jasper I was headed on a much busier and worse road.  Again I was dealing with fairly busy traffic, angry drivers, and bad roads.  I didn't like the feel that I was getting from riding in the south, but the country was worth the trip at this point.  I continued to truck on and put in the miles that were ahead of me.  The scenery around me seemed like it was the usual open road surrounded by the heavy trees.  Every once and a while I would see an opening and it was usually someone's small house in the midst of large land.  Maybe there would be a field that they would farm, but it seemed like only every once and a while.  So I continued the journey east at this point and I was only about 50 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico.  The ocean was so near and yet I was still a few days away from being able to see it.  It was going to wait, but when I made it to the Gulf of Mexico I planned on spending a good prtion of my ride staying near the coast.  I was riding and although it was starting to get dark I didn't feel like stopping.  I figured if I wanted to make it to Baton Rouge the following day, I was going to have to put in a few more miles.  I was still riding and it was pitch black.  It was a perfect temperature and the only thing that really concerned me were the yahoos out driving in the area. I had a light on the front and the rear f my bike and I rode for about an hour in the dark and was able to put in an extra 15 miles before I pulled over for the evening.  It was a very small town and it was easy to find a small patch of land to call my own for the evening.

Daily mileage: 102.1 miles
Average speed: 13.1 mph
Total mileage: 5,718.1 miles