77 Miles to Lake Charles, LA ......

At mile 35 we crossed into Louisiana which was pretty exciting after being in Texas for so long. We turned around when we left Texas and took a pic of the sign that you would see entering Texas because we never saw one when we did actually enter the state (probably because Las Cruces, NM. sort of blended right into El Paso). 

The humidity was noticeably higher and we no sooner crossed into Louisiana and we started seeing the marshes that you typically think you will see here. Our guide warned us that Louisiana isn't as rich a state as Texas and that we would run into a lot of pot holes in the street. That was true at first, but then we turned off the main road and onto quiet roads with little traffic that were in great shape.

I stopped to take a pic of some horses, took one and then I wasn't quick enough with the second pic before they turned and walked away. You get the idea.

Toward the end of our ride we crossed the west fork of the Calcasieu River and then the Lake Charles River (a 1.2 mile bridge with no shoulder and lots of traffic).

My roommate tonight is Mary-Slade from Michigan/Ohio. She's the youngest woman on the trip and just celebrated her 47th birthday a few days ago.

Now that we're out of the hilly country, our mileage/day is increasing. Tomorrow we ride 83 and then the next day is 96. Even if it's fairly flat, after about 60 miles, I get tired of sitting on the bike seat and my neck is ready for a break. Plus, it sounds as if we may have rain for the next few days. But, one day at a time, right?