6/23/00
Ruston, LA
Mileage 62.3 miles
Max. 27.7 mph
Avg. 13.33 mph

The hotel in Shreveport/Bossier City was part of a gaming corporation resort with nice but inexpensive rooms. I was tempted to stay another night because I am due a day of rest. Instead, I decided to reduce the mileage and call that rest instead. Call it a rolling rest.

The roadway through northern Louisiana is flat with short hills but paved shoulder is not plentiful. That meant watching carefully all day while coping with a heavily cracked surface--lots of bumps. That slowed the pace.

I often wondered where the highway funding had gone that was designated for resurfacing and shoulder paving. Route 80 is a federal highway, and Texas was able to figure out a way to have a better road.

Speaking of Texas, I noticed that the litter control sign in Louisiana stated that the fine was up to $3000. So, if you are going to litter, do it in east Texas where the fine is only up to $400.

The countryside is beautiful with wild flowers in full bloom all along the way. I asked a rural delivery mail carrier the name of one that looked like a miniature brown eyed Susan and was given one with a racist connotation. Most all of the citizens I saw in the rural area were African American. The mail carrier was White.

An article about the trek appeared in the Shreveport Times this morning. It was the lead article in the local section and it attracted a lot of attention evidently. In the first place I stopped for water, the clerk was reading the article as I walked in. Being recognized was fun. That led to an opportunity to offer more detail regarding the trek, UK, and distance learning.

In Minden where I stopped at the post office, a woman stopped me and asked whether I was the professor on the bike trip. She had read the article and her neighbor had said she saw the bike in Shreveport yesterday.

Later on a guy flagged me down with the paper in his hand. I had passed him earlier and recognized his car. He had a similar trek in mind and like those with cross-country fever, he was full of questions for someone doing it. We had a nice chat. He was 62 and in good shape but he wants to take an east to west route. I described the wind problems he would face. I hope he does it nonetheless.

The day ended at Rustin and Louisiana Tech. The library was helpful in planning out the remainder of the trek. I've had the chance to visit the universities in Tucson, Las Cruces, Alamogordo, Lubbock, and here in Rustin. The reference librarian was very helpful. I'm way ahead of the schedule I laid out for the trek. That may change quickly though because the days of high milage may be over.