Day 1: Tuesday, 05/08/18, New Orleans to Gonzales, LA

Today's ride route: 


Day 1 Distance Traveled: 64.8 miles
Trip Total Distance: 64.8 miles
Elevation gain: 430 feet
Riding Time: 4:23 hrs:mins

Wayne and Mindy getting ready to start Day 1!

Today was Day 1 of our ride up the Mississippi River. We left our motel in Kenner, LA, next to the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport shortly after 8 am this morning. Temperatures were warm with the high today reaching 91 degrees shortly after noon.  Fortunately the humidity, although higher than what we are used to, was tolerable. There was an occasional wind, but not significant enough to impact the ride.

The first 14 miles of today's ride was on the Mississippi River Trail. The remainder of the ride was on highways, mostly with wide shoulders, but there were also some roads with  little or no shoulder. Most of the area we rode through today was highly industrialized, primarily with oil refineries and grain processing. We arrived at the hotel today about 1:15 pm.

Our first stop today was for a group picture at an old plantation.  Since it was a group picture, all riders were wearing their Ride Across America jersey.

An interesting scene along the road today.  The white in the background appeared to look like mining tailings. However, this evening we were told it primarily consists of clamshells dredged from the Mississippi River.

A great bicycling road this afternoon. No traffic and very scenic!

The welcome lizard waiting for us at our room tonight.