XC Run Day 11

Whew!

Some day. One of those times when ya' just hang on. Started out good. It was dry this morning so I got to load the 'scoot without tryin' to find some cover. Didn't even gear up till Baton Rouge. Just started to drizzle when I spied a Starbucks and zipped on in. Threw on the gear and got back after it. Just stayed on the Interstate and banged trough it. It just kept building until I hit New Orleans, then it got serious. Always seems to work that way, don't it? Most traffic, crazy drivers and a real butt kicker of a storm. Same thing happened in Mobile, only worse. Wind was unbelievable.

Laughed like heck a lot of the day, though. Those of you that ride know that puttin' on rain gear is a pain. Plus, it's hot. Well, I had one of those days where if I put on the gear, it stopped. If I stopped and took the gear off, it'd wait till I was some place where I just couldn't pull over and then pour like mad.

Typical, but funny none the less.

Ran US 90 along the Gulf when I could. 90, unlike many of the "old" roads, thanks to the beach and the Military, is very much alive. Especially around Gulfport and Boloxi. But aside from those two places the best thing I can say for Mississippi is this: it don't take too long to get through.

Next.

Not the kind of day where one stops to shoot cutesy photos either, or reflect upon much of anything except whether or not Cletus is going to try to kill you with his 1972 Ratmobile truck or anything else. He did, he missed. I was ready for him.

Ah, well, better 'n 40 years ago. They were shootin' at me then. (Really.)

All this ridin' in Bubba's country has caused me to wonder about somethin', though. J'ever notice that Bubba is always either shirtless, in a cut off or (for dress occasions) a Tank Top. Yet he always has a "farmer's tan".
How's he do that? Tan arms, pale as all getout from mid bicep up.

Must be some miracle of nature.

So I banged it all the way to Fort Walton Beach on US 98. Found a Thai place for dinner. Knew it'd be good. This is Air Force country and those Zoomies know their Thai food. It was as I expected: fresh, well made and real.

Not much of a report tonight, but tomorrow I'll be heading towards DeLand and I'll start tellin' ya' about my friend Jack. He's an artist and we go back almost 50 years. We rock 'n rolled together (he guitar, me drums) and hung out and discovered Dylan together and more.

Oh, yeah, there'll be stories tomorrow...

See ya' then.