Good evening.   Tonight finds us in the working class town of Bogalusa LA.

We were greeted this morning to real Mississippi hospitality as the grounds keeper of the Mill Creek RV park came over bearing steaming hot coffee as we were packing bags.  We drank that and a second cup he offered with otherwise pretty meager fare as we were limited to what we had picked up at the convenience store the afternoon before.

Bags packed we wished him well and headed off for a morning of pleasant country back roads with only a few steep short climbs.  The roads weren't particularly wide, but there was very little traffic and clouds leftover from the previous night's storm blocked the sun and helped to keep the temperature down.

About the only accompanying sound was a veritable roar of cicadas in the surrounding trees.  I don't know if the previous night's rain brought them out, but the buzz of mating cicadas was everywhere.

As we approached Poplarville for lunch, we left the woods behind and the hushed quiet was as impressive as the roar we'd been riding through. Lunch was shrimp poboys, fried okra, and coleslaw.

After lunch we returned to even more remote back roads,  as Adventure Cycling says that the direct route from Poplarville to Bogalusa carries heavy traffic and a high percentage of inebriated drivers.  The back roads were great.

We did have to travel the shoulderless main road for 3 miles and both of us were relieved to pass unscathed into Louisiana and their roads with generous, if trash-cluttered, shoulders.

Thunder rolled and rain started falling as we arrived in Bogalusa,  so we ducked into the closest available shelter, a Taco Bell.  The staff was a gregarious bunch who could hardly believe we were riding cross-country and related that there were a couple of guys riding bikes to Boulder CO who had stopped in yesterday.  Indeed, Neil and Pete who we shared the ferry ride and a night below the Dauphin Island beach house are just a day ahead of us.

We grabbed a bite to eat and left to find the local hotel.  As we were heading out, the two guys behind the counter,  Kekory and Calvin, came out to say a prayer for our safety.  Kekory lead an inspired,  heartfelt few moments of asking God's grace for our safe travels and both of us felt truly welcomed into Louisiana.

Of course, the guys could have known what hotel we were heading to, the Budget Inn of Bogalusa.  Mother always said you shouldn't say anything if you couldn't say something nice.  OK, the air conditioner works, most of the lights do, and fortunately the door locks.  Nuff said.

We'll be up and out early tomorrow morning, hoping not to have any six-legged stowaways with us.

Remember,  it's all an adventure.