Cycle 48 Miles to Abita Brew Pub

Green caboose at the Kids Playground Trail Head on our way west on Tammany Trace
Wednesday, April 14, we hit the trail by 10:55 a.m. When we get to the trail head the rest rooms are closed for repair--not a good sign. The high gets to 76 degrees after a low of 60 with 75% humidity; that is way higher than it has been. The wind helps us on the way out. We get to Mandeville in one hour and 22 minutes--a new record! I ran over a green snake, pencil size, when I didn't see it on the trail in front of me.

Partially submerged gator in a pool right next to the bike trail

At our first rest break I took my heart rate as I jumped off the bike--126 beats per minutes! Lance Armstrong said in his book that 130 is a moderate ride for him. We continue on and at last enjoy lunch at Abita Brew Pub. We split a Grilled Shrimp and Avocado Salad with Remolaude and a Turkey Sandwich. After lunch we take a break in the sun by the famous pavilion that was moved here from New Orleans. I snap some pictures. This time Bob points out the legend of the Springs healing powers. Many years ago a dying Choctow princess was brought to drink from a natural spring flowing from a cypress stump. After drinking from the spring she fully recovered. The healing properties of Abita Springs have been famous ever since.

There's nothing left to do but head back against the strongest wind yet the whole way. We saw a gator, about a four-footer, in a new spot. Bob's sharp eye spotted him at 8 miles an hour and we stopped for a picture. We got back to the truck at 5:50 after 7 hours and 47.5 miles. We're both very tired. It's 6:38 p.m. and 73 degrees with 64% humidity.

Cycle 48 Miles to Abita Springs, LA

Abita Springs Trail Head Museum
Monday, April 5, there is no loitering today. We have a quick, but hearty breakfast, stretch and load the bikes. At 10:20 we are on the Trail. The low was 63 and the high gets to 76 degrees. It feels more like 85 as the humidity is much higher now. We've been spoiled the past few weeks with one dry front after another. Very unusual for Louisiana.

We cycle west and north about 23 miles, finally making it to the town of Abita Springs where there is a nice trail head. Unfortunately the Abita Springs Brew Pub, our lunch destination is closed on Monday. We tried to Google for it this weekend but never found hours. Another local cafe is also closed on Monday. Mama D's Pizza is open but that's not ideal for cycling.

Sculpture under the grandstand at Abita Springs Trail Head

So we have grapes, apples and trail mix on a bench under the grandstand. Some baby birds fell from their nest in the rafters; maybe it was their first attempted flight gone awry. The Museum at the Trail Head is closed too but I snap a picture of the bright yellow building. There are quite a few people on the trail today. Schools still seem to be off here today and lots of Easter visitors are on the trail; grandparents with their grandkids on bikes. Too bad no place is open to eat.



We decide to cycle back one hour to Kickstand Cafe (soon to be renamed Old Mandeville Cafe.) They are changing the name due to confusion with the Kickstand bike rental shop and ice cream parlor. It seems a lot of folks don't know there's this great restaurant with a gourmet cook up here on the second floor. We sure enjoy it and are glad we found it and also glad we forced our tired knees to climb the two flights of stairs.



It is 2:00 by the time we get back there. They close at 3:00 and we're sure glad we didn't miss lunch. Breakfast was a long time ago and it has been 3 hours and 40 minutes since we left the truck. Over 4 1/2 hours and 30 miles of cycling since breakfast! That's a long time and a long distance with no real food or real rest. Today I try the Tuna Twist (tuna salad in a wheat wrap.) Bob has his favorite Egg Salad and Avocado Sandwich and we split them.



At the beverage counter there is this cute bike plantstand that they have decorated for Easter. I have a fit over it and take a picture. The gal behind the counter who is getting to know us by now tells me to take one of the biker bunnies! How fun. I rearrange my panniers so I can fit a lime green cycling bunny in my pack.

Biker Bunny!

We take a 20-minute break in the sunshine on a bench at the Trail Head across from the Cafe before cycling back against the wind for 2 hours and 20 minutes. We managed a total of 47.5 miles today. We didn't see any gators today. This was the hottest temperature we cycled in since we've been here. It's better for my joints but it sure dehydrates you. So you have to carry more water which makes your bike heavier and makes you work harder. It's 6:15 p.m.and 74 degrees outside with 60% humidity. It's 85 degrees inside the RV when we get back.

Cycle 36 Miles to Liz's Where Y'at Diner

Alligator about ten feet from Tammany Trace Bike Trail!
Friday, April 2, I slept like a rock until 8:15. I would cycle for no other reason than it makes me sleep like a baby. Before we could make breakfast I had to wash up all of the pots and pans from last night's pasta and chicken dish I whipped up. It's unusual for me to leave dishes in the sink overnight and this morning I know why.

We decide to have a lighter cycling day and just go to Mandeville. We hit the trail at 11:00 a.m. and go north. Today the 5 1/2 foot gator is on the log sunning. A five year old boy with a cute dog points us there. His Dad and sister were down there taking pictures. We slide down the steep bank; Bob on his feet and me on my rear. My knees wouldn't take the stress after hopping off my bike after 12 miles at 12 mph. We could see bigger gator eyes and a forehead sticking up nearer the bank. The smaller one slips in the water and swims away.

Eyeballs of a larger gator sticking up above the water line nearby in the same Bayou!

On to Mandeville for us. We cruise in front of the Kickstand Cafe and discover Shrimp Gumbo and their famous Potato Salad on the whiteboard. We keep cruising to Hwy 190 just before the tunnel and go to Liz's Where Y'at Diner on Florida St. also in Mandeville. There we meet Liz herself. Judging by the signs and the atmosphere it is quite an upbeat place. Liz greets everyone with "Where Y'at?" Must be a Cajun thing.

Front window of Liz's Where Y'at Diner, Mandeville, LA

I get up to read the special board and Liz introduces herself and hands me a printed menu of the daily specials. I choose Crab Cake Salad with oranges and grapes smothered in a spicy Remolaude. Bob has Shrimp Salad Stuffed Tomato that gets high marks for presentation. The diner is easy to cycle to from the trail so we'll be back.

Off we go back to the Mandeville Trail Head to use the restrooms before cycling out 5 blocks or so towards Lake Pontchartrain to Mae's Antiques. On the way we pass Vianne's Tea Room which looks interesting and Rusty Pelican another lunch spot.) There is a sidewalk the whole way so we can avoid the street. It is a cute antique shop in an old clapboard house. Mae is kind of quirky and is painting a "Collectibles" sign for the front fence while we browse.

Shrimp-stuffed tomato salad

Bob finds two old lures he can't pass up. They have some neat stuff to look at. I find nada. We cycle back to Mandeville to use the rest rooms again before our long trek back. But then we ride east to the road out to Lake Pontchartrain where we find a gorgeous couple-mile ride along the lake shore. There is some construction still from Hurricane Katrina but most of the stately old homes have been re-done; landscaping and all. Mae in the antique store said traffic is bad on the Northshore after Katrina because so many folks moved inland.

Spring flowers are blooming everywhere on The Tammany Trace Trail

We rode west almost back to 190 then went north back to the Trail winding around on the back streets. After we got four or five blocks inland the houses were no longer built on stilts. As we turned east to head back to Slidell the wind really got strong. We have to cycle one more time past Mandeville Trail Head. I feel like I'm going in circles. It takes us over two hours to get back. We collapse at the truck at 5:10. We're both exhausted. So much for our easy ride. We only went 35.6 miles today. Two days ago we made 45 miles but it seemed harder today. It was fun to explore new places though. The trail was crowded earlier since folks are off for Good Friday but things cleared out after 3:00.

Strong winds whip up the waves on Lake Pontchartrain's Northshore

We head home to cover the bikes, read the paper, take showers, stretch and have leftovers. We even stayed awake long enough to watch recorded NCIS LA and The Good Wife. It's 9:45 p.m. and the high was 74 degrees.

Cycle 45 Miles Tammany Trace Trail

Wednesday, March 31, I read until 3:00 a.m. I couldn't sleep so "Looking for Peyton Place" seemed like the next best thing. I read in the paper here yesterday about a networking website for people who like to read and share their book lists.Library Thing. Maybe I'll check it out. Anyway I still was up at 8:00 on a board. No dallying today. We hit the trail by 10:35.

The van to New Orleans' French Quarters left at 9:00. We should be having beignets at the Cafe du Monde right now! It seems the van driver already made an agreement with another couple to leave at 9:00 a.m. this morning and not pick them up until 8:00 p.m. tonight as they wanted to enjoy dinner at a nice place. Sounds to me like they're having breakfast, lunch and dinner there. We thought it was too long of a day so we'll sign up for another time. Instead we hit the bike path. That probably saves us a bunch of calories. Speaking of which, Bob calculated that we have cycled off enough calories in the 3 1/2 years we've had our bikes to lose 46 pounds. Why the heck have I gained four pounds? The bottom line is that I ate enough extra calories from being so hungry after cycling that I barely broke even. Bob says it kept me from gaining 42 pounds!

Today turns out to be the warmest and pretties day since we've been here. We make it the 15 miles to Mandeville in a record 1 hr. and 20 min. That's mainly because we only took one break. Well, except for jumping off to try to see a 5 1/2 foot alligator that a gaggle of young boys spotted sunning on a log by the side of the trail. The gator dove in just as we rolled up. Probably because the kids were yelling so loudly. Sure wish I could have gotten a picture. They were all so excited. On our way back later this afternoon a big ol' cajun guy in a redshirt heads down the embankment right at that same spot with a fistful of fishing poles. Yikes!

We take a short break at the Mandeville Trailhead then buzz by the cafe to see the special board for incentive. Today's special is Chicken Parmesan over Spaghetti. Thus motivated we cycle 7 1/2 miles out and 7 1/2 miles back in 1 hour 30 min. The wind was with us the whole way out. I am setting the pace today as Bob's seat adjustment seems to not be agreeing with him. This is our first cycle in shorts here, actually anywhere, in quite a while. It's way more comfortable than long pants. Either way we have our padded bike shorts underneath (Pearl Izumi's for you aficionados.) Crossing Hwy 59 was a terror with high speed traffic coming around a blind curve.

We are really tired 2:00 p.m. when we get back to the Kickstand Cafe after three and a half hours with no food; just grapes and half an apple. On Wednesday a group of ladies plays bridge here and they are all back again. Bob has his favorite Egg Salad and Avocado Sandwich on 7-grain bread. I have Chicken Salad over spring greens with walnuts and raspberry vinaigrette. I picked up a Northshore Gazette in the lobby that talks about Liz's Where Y'at Diner nearby on 190 just west of here. We'll have to try it.

Smoke seeps onto the Trail from a construction site burning felled logs

The cycle back is tough against the wind the whole way. I forgot to fill the water bottles at the trail head in Mandeville so we have a pint of tea for our two-hour trip back. I'm not to tired to hop off and get a picture of the flora since we missed the 'fauna' shot earlier this morning. About 2/3 of the way back we see the two little dogs that we saw the other day who were running around loose. They are skittish but finally come up to me but steer clear of Bob. We make it back after 6 hours and 20 minutes for a total of 45.03 miles.

Back home we cover the bikes on the back of the truck and crash in the living room to read the paper, have leftovers and watch Human Target. Steve, our Elgin neighbor, calls around 7:30 from Mitchell, NE, where he is attending his sister-in-laws' funeral. He was wondering where we might be. It was nice to chat with him. Sounds like they rescued another Cairn Terrier, Peaches.

Cycle 40 Miles Tammany Trace Trail to North of I-12

Monday, March 29, I'm up at 7:00 to a low of 50 degrees. It gets to 71 today. I walk, stretch and we have a hearty breakfast with slim pork chops. We load the bikes and hit the trail at 10:50. We cycle out 20 miles just past I-12 to the Trail Head at Caboose Kids Playground Connection.

This must be a popular spot to hold kids' birthday parties. This sign indicates more than one Mom tried to use the facility on the same day. It is crowded today and a big bunch of balloons hanging up by the caboose indicates someone is celebrating a birthday today. We take a brief rest and cycle back to Kickstand Cafe. A 'speed racer', as we call the guys on the racing bikes left his Roadway fancy bike in the stairwell. He must not have a lock to lock it up to the bike stand outside. It seems to be an expensive bike, all graphite construction. He is inside eating and is in excellent physical shape. Of course he's at least 30 years younger than we are. He has one of those camel backpacks for his water supply.



The Cafe has closed the grill already at 1:50. Seems early since they don't close until 3:00. I order the Koop Turkey sandwich on 7-grain bread (turkey, cream cheese, jellied cranberry and spinach.) Bob has the tuna salad sandwich. All of the sandwiches are huge here. It's cold inside so we don't linger.



At 2:30 we head back. We take extra rests on the way back. We made it out here to Mandeville in 1 hour and 35 minutes. It takes us almost two hours on the way back. We did take an extra stop just out of Mandeville so Bob could capture a shot of this wildflower. Our ride is 40.02 miles in 5 and 1/2 hours.

We drive home, cover the bikes and read the paper. We're both pretty darn tired. What a gorgeous day. It's 6:27 p.m. and 69 degrees with 21% humidity.

Cycle 35 Miles Slidell through Mandeville

Friday, March 26, the low was 53 degrees and the high gets to 76 which is more than they predict. When I walk I notice Babs and Shirley's RVs are still here. I thought they were leaving on Thursday. I return home to stretch and have a big breakfast so we can hit the trail at 10:55. We cycle est against a northwest breeze in record time to Mandeville Trail Head. Today we go past this next trail head for the first time, only by 2 1/2 miles so we can add five miles to our round trip and get in 35 miles today. There are some nice subdivisions with paths joining the trail.

Bob reloads odometer after lunch at Kickstand Cafe

We cycle back to Mandeville and have lunch at Kickstand Cafe. Today we lock our bikes in the rack so we can eat inside as the air is chilly. We both have Crawfish Pie special of the day after the cook describes it for us. It is an old-fashioned pot pie with its own aluminum pie plate, a crust like your grandmother's filled with crawfish and a heavenly creamy sauce. It comes with a spring salad and cornbread. But they must be out of cornbread as ours comes with garlic bread. Our waitress throws in an Easter cupcake with green grass coconut icing and two jelly beans on top. What a fun treat. This was my first crawfish pie (like the song) and now I know why they sing about it. We enjoy our nice break.

It would be tricky fishing over the high rail on this bridge in Fontainbleau State Park

Three gals on racing bikes come off the trail and into the cafe. We passed them earlier. Their car is downstairs (I figured it was as I saw their huge purses in the cafe--no way they had those on the back of their bikes) with three bikes on a rack on the back. Based on where their vehicle is parked I guess they did 30 miles; Mandeville to Slidell and back. One gal said "Now I think I'm ready for the road." So they must ride long-range on the streets.



There are a lot more people on the Trail today. A white pick-up truck with two guys sitting on the back tailgate with leaf blowers, blowing off the trail, is right in front of us for a ways going back to Slidell. They kick up a lot of dust that we have to eat but are going just fast enough that we can't pass therm. We have seen green dust collecting on our tires all day from the pine tree pollen. One of the three gals in the cafe said "It felt so good to take my contacts out-they were hurting so bad." I'm glad mine are okay. The pine pollen doesn't seem to bother me. We finally take a break in Fontainbleua State Park on the bridge over this bayou where an old boat is abandoned. On the railing I spy an anole, a small salamander who is brown like the post he's on.



I saw a baby nutria run in front of my tire on the way back. We held out for a bench to take a break and had to go 7.5 miles, our longest without a break since we started cycling here. Bob put my seat up 1/2 inch before we left today and my left knee hurts. It must have been too much of an adjustment at once. One-quarter inch adjustments at a time are better, especially if you're going to ride 35 miles! He said our tires were still at 70 psi this morning so he didn't add air. We make 35.01 miles in just under five hours, including lunch. It's 4:40 p.m. and 67 degrees with 45% humidity.

Sunrise on Second and Cycle 25 Miles on Tammany Trace Trail

...had a great fall!


Monday, March 22, I pickup the Flamingo puzzle so we can have breakfast like human beings on the table. On my morning walk I see no sign of Shirley to tell her about finding her sock in the laundry. But I do remember to take my camera and snap a picture of Humpty Dumpty who had a great fall at the putt-putt golf course here in the park. I also captured the jumbo chess pieces in disarray. Home to stretch and take down the St. Pat's decor and put up Easter stuff. Gertrude has a new outfit. The ladies at the office next door come by to pick up the loose big rocks on our site. I finish Ray Chandler's "The Big Sleep."

We put the bikes on the rack on back of Big Bertha and head to lunch at Sunrise on Second across from the Post Office downtown Slidell. We had to parellel park in the next block with the bikes on the back. Don't try this at home. The cafe is an old white clapboard house recently turned into an upscale restaurant.

I have Ahi Tuna with smashed sweet potatoes and Asian slaw. Bob has grilled tilapia, Bobos and broccoli. We split Turkey and Sausage Gumbo that has a very salty roue. The two ladies behind us get great looking, huge salads. We'll be back.

Bayou LaCombe Draw Bridge on the trail is open from sunrise to sundown

On to the trail. We set out going west on the Tammany Trace Trail at 1:43. We cycle out 12.5 miles in an hour and a half, finally making it inside Fontainbleau State Park. But to my chagrine we still find no restrooms. So we cycleback for a total of 25.25 miles. That's way too far without a restroom break. Especially since I drank one Gatorade, one bottle of water and one bottle of tea to keep from getting dehydrated. Today I brought grapes, an apple and trail mix to keep us going. Well, actually to keep me going. I didn't get loony today and I stayed up with Bob the whole way. It is a gorgeous, perfect daywith a high of 68 degrees. It felt warmer to me. The low was 51 this morning. It's 7:00 p.m. and 64 degrees with 48% humidity.

Bob rests at a 'shade structure' provided by The American Academy of Dermatology to reduce skin cancer

Cycle 20 Miles in Some Rain

Saturday, March 20, I'm up at 6:30 after crashing at 10:30 last night. Cycling makes me tired. This morning I'm reading The Big Sleep. Then I check email and discover Tom and Shirley, our Iowa RV friends, are first-time grandparents! Congratulations on little Carter who made is appearance yesterday and weighed in around 7 lbs. What a cutie!

We have a light breakfast and I take a walk. A younger gal is going around and around in the opposite direction that I am. She has earphones on barely says hi as we pass. How sad. We could be walking together. The Shelties two sites over with clipped vocal cords are rasping at me. That's sad too. It is sunny and warmer with a low of 57 degrees. The high only gets to 67 as it clouds up and gets windy. A front is predicted tonight.

I go home to stretch and work on journal pages. We leave for lunch around 12:00 and head to Ruby Tuesday's to use our $4.00 coupon we got last time for the salad bar and Crab Cake minis. We like them better than the salmon minis. Traffic is a nightmare; Spring Break I guess. We head to Tammany Trace Trail. About 1:14 we shove off and go west for 10 miles. There are lots of Saturday riders.

On the way back, just as we turn around it starts raining. It never comes down too hard but we are cycling right into the wind so we get pretty wet on the front. I put on a jacket and put my camera in a plastic bag. Bob puts his long sleeved shirt back on. I run out of gas on the way back. I'm flagging way behind and feel like I'm dehydrated again. A swig of Gatorade helps. I'm going to have to figure out why this keeps happening. This is the first time I've cycled this hard AND tried to limit my calorie intake for the day. I may have to rethink this. Usually when we cycle hard I just use it as a license to eat anything I want. At any rate, we get back to the truck in two and a half hours. The rain quit about three quarters of the way back. I saw a bunny hop across the trail.

We get the Times-Picayune at the gas station next door before we take off and head home in heavy traffic. We have to put the bikes on the back of the RV ladder since a cold front is coming in and we won't ride for a few days. We get it all put away before the rain hits here. Then we read the paper and clean up. A warm shower feels great after getting wet in the rain. We have leftovers, work the puzzles and listen to the rain as it starts up at 7:00. It's 7:46 p.m. and 62 degrees with 80% humidity.

Cycle 12 Miles on Tammany Trace Trail

Broken treetops from Hurricane Katrina
Thursday, March 18, I slept a grand total of 2.5 hours on a board. I get up and walk and stretch. The low is 47 degrees and it is sunny. Three couples are waiting for the New Orleans shuttle. It leaves at 9:00 today. I go home for a light breakfast. The rest of the morning we vege out and chat. We're so tired after moving. Or maybe it's the time change. Whatever. I took a picture of the broken off tops of the trees here in the RV Park. All of the trees in the area look like this from Hurricane Katrina.

I send an email to our Ohio friends that we're supposed to meet in May. Bob Googles restaurants for lunch. We go to Southside Cafe where Bob has Ahi Tuna Sandwich and I have Ahi Tuna Salad. Wow, a half pound of perfectly grilled tuna with a Shrimp Remoulade dressing (spicy horseradish in theirs!) The place is crowded with 95% of the clientele consisting of men. Our waiter is not a good one; he only told us about one of the soups and didn't seem to know about the others.

30-mile Tammany Trace Trail from Slidell to Abita Springs

We get a paper next door at "Not Just Donuts." Then we head home to don our bike pants, air up the tires, load the bikes and hit the trail. We take I-10 to I-12 west to exit 80 south to Gause, west to Slidell/Carollo Trailhead. The trail has Trace Rangers on motorscooters and little golf carts. We cycle west six miles, past the Bayou Lacombe Bridge. The bridge closes 7:30 p.m. thru 7:30 a.m. and is locked so you have to make it past there before sundown.

Cyclepath and R2D2 on The Tammany Trace Trail

The trail is a nice, paved trail. It is the first Louisiana trail that is part of the National Rails to Trails Network. There is a parallel equestrian trail. And there are 31 railroad bridges. St. Tammany Parish acquired the railroad right of way in 1992. There are 270,000 riders a year; plus two this year! Bob enjoys capturing some pictures of the wildflowers along the trail.

Spanish Moss at a residence along the Trail

We cycle six miles back and it is not until we're about half way back that I discover my brake is sticking. Bob looks at it and loosens it up. Wow! What a difference. I have been a quarter of a mile behind him the whole way thinking "How can I be this far out of shape in only four months of not riding." One adjustment and I'm like a bat out of hell on this thing.







We started at 2:20 and after 12.25 miles it's 4:10. We go home via the Interstate to avoid the traffic on Gause. We park behind the Titanic, leave the bikes on the truck and cover them as we plan to use them again tomorrow. I stretch and take a shower. My stomach starts feeling queasy. I have bowl of chicken soup and lay down for 45 minutes. I decide I'm dehydrated and have a Gatorade. That revives me and I feel much better. We watch a two-hour episode of Flash Forward. It's 8:40 p.m. and 59 degrees with 45% humidity. The high was 64. It was chilly and we wore long sleeves and long pants on our bikes.