Day 68 started out on rough old LA route 1 just before Simmesport.  I slalomed my way through cracks and roughly patched road for most of the next 25 miles.  Fortunately there were so few cars that I could ride anywhere on the road most of the time.  A pickup truck pulled along side and some kids took pictures then they turned around and went the other way.  I wobbled and weaved my way to new route 1 and was only chased twice by dogs.

Route 1 had a narrow but smooth shoulder so the riding was easier, but the trade off was more traffic.  The shoulder widened as I reached Morganza, making the ride more relaxing.       While I was stopped at a gas station eating ice cream one passerby wanted to know where the little wheel was, as in a penny farthing bike.

When I got near New Roads I could see a towering bridge structure off in the distance and I realized I might just make it to the Mississippi before my crew swept me up.  I was delayed a little when another pickup truck stopped in the shoulder ahead of me and two guys got out.  One guy was trying to shake my hand before I had completely dismounted.  He said he used to ride a unicycle over 30 years ago but had never seen one with such a big wheel.  I told them what I was doing and they wished me well.

I remounted and rode on with as much as I had left.  After 5 days of mega miles I just didn’t have much turnover today.  I reached the bridge kicked into low gear and rode to the middle.  I dismounted and just soaked in the moment.

Bridge spanning the Mississippi River

Mississippi River

I remounted and started riding again when my crew drove by.  We both crossed the river at the same time.

The past six days of riding was an epic week for mileage.  My single day, 2 day, 3 day, 4 day, 5 day and 6 day bests were all broken for the trip.  I totaled 321 miles for an average of 53.5 miles per day.  Just don’t expect the following weeks to rival this past one.  Tomorrow I’m taking a well deserved rest day.

Stats for day 68: I rode 53.34 miles at 12.8 mph, Max=16.6 mph, Ascent=276′, Descent=253′, Max elevation=92′, Min elevation= -20′, Ave Heart rate=104, Max heart rate=141, Ave temp=82 degrees, Total trip miles=2122