New Orleans to Birmingham dodging the showers

Woke up to a fine week day in New Orleans. There was rain about but not where I was so I decided to take a little ride. The streets were filled with the most eclectic bunch of people I've come across. Well-dressed businessman walking past bums, schoolchildren and street sweepers, bike commuters and banditos, tourists and tradesmen, hucksters and fools. All of them moved to their own rhythm through the streets of rundown buildings held together by a fresh coat of paint in the shadow of the skyscrapers. Four hours of ambling about through the streets, just me and my seven, was enough. Just after I got back to the hotel, the rain came with a vengeance.

 

I got in a nice four hour ride and then just after I got back to the hotel the skies opened up. Having had a taste of New Orleans it was time to cross the big bridge and head out of town. I didn't get far before I decided that I hadn't had enough of a taste of New Orleans food. I Slid into Slidell and grabbed me a huge Crawfish poboy sandwich at Kenny's seafood.

Five fast and beautiful hours later I arrived in Birmingham. Dan's brother Steve has generously offered to put me up for a couple of days. He and his partner Jaimie are delightful people and they have a beautiful home. He greeted me with two plates of crawfish Monte Carlo. Pasta with creamy crawfish sauce. It sure is hard to be a vegetarian in Louisiana or when staying with someone that's from there.

Tomorrow there's a good chance of rain but I have 100 mile ride planned. We'll just have to see how it plays out.