22 April 2014
Jackson to Kentwood, LA
57 miles (Total Miles = 2,190)

I have three homemade desserts and a side of Blue Bell ice cream on my plate and I couldn’t be happier nor feel less guilty. We are being hosted by the local United Methodist church and if they aren’t the epitome of Southern Hospitality, I don’t know what is. They have given us a roof to sleep under here at the church, they have taken us strangers into their homes for showers (complete with fluffy bath towels), and now they are feeding us pulled pork and beef roast and salads and soup and “Barbara’s Cake” and lemon ice pie and brownies. And while we eat they are sharing stories of their lives here in Louisiana, a state that continues to surprise.

Our road today to Britney Spears’ home town (it’s true) was one of the best riding days yet in Louisiana. No dogs (okay, there was one but he was barely bigger than my shoe which made it hard, make that impossible, for him to clear the ditch), no traffic (okay, there were a few logging trucks but they mostly treated us like Grandma’s fine china), and no wind in our faces (okay, there was a brief rain shower that naturally stopped as soon as I put on my rain jacket and booties but it wasn’t a headwind so fair enough). Wrap that all up with full bellies and beds in the Nursery and I’d say it counts as a thumbs-up kind of day.