We expected today to be pretty mundane with only a bike ride scheduled. Turns out it was pretty spectacular in a bunch of ways. First of all, overnight Tropical Storm Alberto decided to take a big turn east so now we really are out of its path. It definitely makes sense to hang out in Louisiana for awhile. Next great thing is that the Warriors tied up the series and the best thing of all was meeting up with Benjamin Patterson, but more of that later.
It rained a bit last night so we were delighted to see sunny blue skies this morning. We got up early and thought a bike ride on the Tammany Trace while the temperature was still cool would be fun. We rode to Mandeville and started the day out with a local breakfast. Believe it or not I got the simple/light breakfast which included poached eggs, bacon and the creamiest grits ever. Louisiana definitely knows how to do grits. Ned got an epic omelet. Okay, ready for our ride.
There’s a reason Tammany Trace is rated one of the best bike trails. It’s paved and takes you thru a couple of charming little towns. We enjoyed riding around the sweet little town of Abita Springs. The spring water really does bubble up out of this fountain and, like our Bitney Springs, you can fill up your water bottles at a nearby watering hole.
Next to the trail is also the Abita Brewing Company. Our friend, Tom Dalldorf, mentioned we should stop by. We took a tour, but didn't stop for a beer cause we were filled up from breakfast and it was still a titsch too early.
We had been riding for about 15 miles or so when uh-oh....while filming our “one second of the day” video, going over a pretty long bridge, my iphone slipped out of Ned’s hands, bounced on the bridge, and landed in the murky swamp down below. A few choice words were uttered, but we did see the phone peaking up out of the swamp. I was resigned to the fact that the phone was lost, but Ned was determined to retrieve it. But how?? We were a good 50 yards on the bridge and it was at least 32 feet high. Ned said he was going to ride into the nearest town and buy a pair of rubber boots and try and retrieve it. UGH and GROSS. I hung out on the bridge woefully looking downward at my submerged iphone. Lots of people passed by, no one stopped, and then along came Mr. Benjamin Patterson!!
He inquired as to why I was just standing on this bridge and wanted to make sure I was okay. I explained to him my phone woes and he said he was mighty worried about Ned going down into the swamp. He assured me there were no gators, but it was filled with snakes, poison ivy and God knows what other creatures in all the dank bushes. He took a big sigh, said “I was a marine, I can do this!” Benjamin let out a rousing “oorah!” and went for it. About the same time another guy stopped by and decided to help out too. He was Benjamin’s wing man and would call out to Benjamin where best for him to maneuver. It was so dramatic, epic and my heart stopped a couple of times as Benjamin kept his balance over downed logs. Yep, Mr. Benjamin Patterson saved the day by successfully retrieving my iphone! And know what else? The iphone not only still worked, but continued to film the entire submerged adventure for 53 minutes! I have a film of what goes on in the swamp if anyone is interested. Thank you so much Benjamin for not only being kind to stop and make sure I was okay, but really going out of your way to help. Ned arrived after an hour, riding all over town looking for a pair of boots. Ned found some and offered them to Benjamin, but he declined. (We did compensate him for a new pair of shoes).
Well...after that little adventure the Abita Brewing Company suddenly seemed like a much better idea. It was now mid-afternoon, hot, sunny and humid. A beer or flight never tasted so good! (Also, shout out to Josh. He always takes my incoherent texts or phone calls with complete calm as I’m talking too fast and making no sense. Thanks for putting up with your kinda over enthusiastic mom).
Our little bike ride turned into 32 miles. We made another stop on the way to get something cold to enjoy. (Ned rode a lot more than me trying to trace down those boots!). Here’s Ned enjoying a snowcone and looking a bit tuckered.
One of the bottles of rum we bought yesterday was Gingeroo, a rum Moscow Mule drink. Upon finally making it back to the campsite we decided to pop it open and enjoy our good fortune.
It was still blazing hot and sunny in the late afternoon (and a tropical storm no where in sight) so a good float in Lake Pontchartrain sounded great. We could care less that the water was about 90 degrees and never got over 3 ft. Where’s Debi? Oh yeah, she’s making the victory sign in the far distance.
