Well, at least it had stopped raining this morning. I decided to go for it.My bike is packed for rain. The jacket and shoes are in the panniers instead of strapped to the top of the rack.There was a drizzle and mist for a while. But then the rain got moderate, so I decided to put the camera in a ziploc, and completely zip up my front pack. That meant very few pictures, today.I stopped at the Fuel Stop convenience store near Rye, and got a Chicken Fajita Taco and Pizza slice for early lunch. The taco was superb. Had I known it would be that good, I would have simply gotten two or three tacos for lunch.
I also stopped at a town called Honey Island, and got an iced tea for hydration. The store had T-shirts, so I got a fuchsia one. Yellow would have been my first choice, but they were out of that in medium.
By late afternoon, the rain had completely stopped, and there was even occasional sun.Upon reaching Silsbee, I sought a motel. Google listed a few, and the ACA map showed two. Only one – the most expensive – was near. I went under the drive-up awning at the Pinewood, and considered my options. Should I ride another 5 miles to save $20? Just then, it started to pour. Hard. I took it as a sign.There seemed to be few other guests on this Thursday afternoon. I met Rodney, the owner, who had quite a few stories about the history of the motel, and his family. He had 3 grades of room, and I took the cheapest, of course. He went with me to the economy room, but when he couldn’t make the key work, he upgraded me to a mid-level room free.There was a Chinese Buffet a few doors down. Notice the umbrella that Rodney lent me. I walked across lawn, which was concealing two-inch deep water. My shoes got soaked. Unfortunately, I still could not find a path to the restaurant that did not involve crossing an 8″ to 12″ deep torrent.There was a river of water running down the street. My shoes got completely soaked.I ended up going to Whataburger across the street from the motel. I’m glad that I got to try that chain restaurant at least once. Big burgers.One feature of the room was a wired internet cable. I hooked it up, and it actually worked. So I have a 20 Mbps upload speed, pretty nice. Download was 6 Mbps. The shirt I got today is on the table.
Tomorrow, it’s 30+ miles to Kirbyville, then 50 more to DeRidder, LA. Those are the next cities with motels. I will be conservative and stop at 30 miles.
