Yesterday we left off in La Place, LA and prepared for the final push into New Orleans. Our route was planned perfectly, as all our prior routes have been, and everything went according to plan. No, really it did. Perfect finish to the trip. You are going to read the "facts" below with respect to mileage, speed, etc. from our navigator, David. Our route into New Orleans took us on the levee bike way overlooking the "big" Mississippi River at its' majestic best. Lots of BIG ships, full of lots of industrial materials. Commerce does flow through the Mississippi, both in the 1800's, 1900's, and today. We came through Audubon Park, down St. Charles into the heart of New Orleans. After a quick shower we took in the sights of the City including David's favorite place, Cafe Du Monde, which is famous for???????????????????????? We had a great dinner at the The Bourbon, where we all sampled a little bit of what makes food great in New Orleans.
But, I know what you all have been waiting for, and if had not been for the detour that Rex made us take down Bourbon Street after dinner to take in the night life, the results of voting by the Academy would have been posted. So without further chit chat...........the results are as follows:
Iron Man - The voting was not even close in this category between the two (2) nominees. The Iron Man award for the MRT goes to David Spencer for his leadership throughout the trip. Each and every day for the 25 days of riding David was the "point man." Every morning he led the team out of the homestead and braving the headwinds, the potholes, the missed direction signs, and having to make the decisions on speed. He succeeded in bringing the group home safely every day. The true "iron man" of the MRT trip is much deserved by David.
Rookie of the Year - This year there was only one rookie bike and that was the newly built "Surly - Long Haul Trucker." This bike preformed without fail the entire trip. It took its' rider over 1,620 miles without fail. Not one problem. A perfect bike and it only has 1,625 miles on it in total. Wow, what a performance!
Best Hotel - Not even a close call in this category.............Hampton Inn in Vicksburg. The free beer and wine, along with the accommodating staff, made this the hands down winner. Great rooms with perfect maintenance made this spot a most perfect stay on our journey. A sub category was the "condo" we stayed in at Lake Chatord. The scenery at the lake after dinner as the sun was setting was absolutely perfect and was Mississippi at it's best.
Worst Hotel - Several entrants in this category, and after deep consideration by the Academy, the decision came down to the amount of mold found in the shower area, and general lack of upkeep at the facility. The Quality Inn in Red Wing, Iowa. Even though the bowling alley next door served good cold beer, even Rex was not to be persuaded that this hotel was one poor choice.
Best Beer Spot - This was a real close race. In fact, the Academy had to recount votes (or drink another beer to make the decision) several times to find this year's winner. The runner up was Walmart. It turns out Walmart was the only place Rex could find Sierra Nevada Pale Ale on the trip and so the competition was tough. But in the end, the ........in Memphis, TN was our winner. Any place that has over 100 beers on tab was a winner in Rex's mind (tells you where his mind is at) and with a sister location in Roseville, you can be sure the quality of the establishment is well tested.
Best Day of Riding - Several nominees in this category. From the miles upon miles of levee riding to the flat stretches in Mississippi. But in the end, the riding from Clarksville, Mississippi, with a 20 MPH wind behind our backs, was the winner. A really super day with great weather.
Fiddle Fart Award - And finally, the granddaddy of all the awards....................At first the clear run away winner of this prestigious award..........granted to the person who can take the most time taking care of the minor essentials of life...............looked like it was going to be David, but as the trip went one, it turned out the David began to quicken his pace in the morning, and Rex started to slow down a little and fiddle fart around so that it was David and Bill waiting for Rex to get ready to ride in the morning. The change in David may have been the result of him ridding himself into shape, after disposing of 10 pounds of high energy powder, the 4 pounds of tuna saved for that emergency he was certain was to come, or the last can of Vienna sausage left in the flooded out Lake Chatord general store, that he procured as he was certain that we might run out of provisions during the next leg of the trip. But in the end, David still won out due to his dogged determination that every aspect of his personal wardrobe was to be perfect. You can only change shirts so many times during the course of a daily bike ride, but David brought these daily wardrobe changes to a new high.
Congratulations to all the winners this year.
We are headed back to Sacramento on Monday AM and we are all looking forward to seeing our families. For this writer, the trip has been a life time experience, and I sincerely appreciate David and Rex for letting me be part of the journey. Have learned a lot, rode a lot, had certain parts of my body hurt a lot, but in the end, the journey has been worth it all. Many thanks.
And now to close out our trip, the facts, and just the facts.............here's David.
Todays distance: 46 miles
Avg. mph: 11.7
Trip Total miles: 1,622
Daily avg: 65 miles
Shortest day: 18
Longest day: 88
And now for a gotcha: These two guys kept on and on about my stash of tuna. So on day 8, in Muscatine, Iowa, I quietly left the tuna in our room. I kept my mouth shut for a thousand miles while these two carried on about that damn tuna. It provided a lot of entertainment for them. Finally after no comments from me they came to the conclusion I had dumped it. GOTCHA. The canned Vienna sausages are another story.
This has been an adventure.
See everyone down the road.
Can't wait for you guys to get home! See you soon!
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