Off to find Will O. Swan

Look what I found ... Queen City, Missouri.

Wednesday (August 6) came early and I was up and on the road again, running some wonderful roads from Missouri into Arkansas.  There were twisties, and gentle corners, then a sharp corner or two.  The trees kept the road cool, and I saw a single deer, a fawn, right next to the road.  It just stayed frozen in place … that’s what I like.  I did not see momma.

The roads are spectacular, with loads of greenery but few places to pull over.

While I wasn’t making good time, I was enjoying the roads … and the scenery.  I knew that all too soon I’d have to somewhere along the way run the Interstates for a while.  But it was definitely worth it to be able to ride slower on these back roads.

There are some beautiful old bridges, and I had to stop to take a photo.

There wasn’t much photo-taking as the roads were narrow with no shoulders.  But no matter.  My mission was at hand … get to Baton Rouge, get to the zoo, see Will O. Swan.  Ride, baby, ride.

As I stopped to consult my map this guy was quite curious about what I was doing.

Arkansas was home for the night, then on Thursday I was back on the road running into Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  This time I was actively seeking out a Harley shop, the one in Baton Rouge that has been closed the other at least two times I’ve stopped. 

This intrigued me as I rode by.  I turned around and went back to see what it was.  Mammy's Cupboard, a little restaurant that's been around since 1940, and built by Henry Gaude'.  It's one of the few of that era still around and continues to be owned by the same family.  It's been operated as a gas station, restaurant, gift shop and craft center over the years.  It's located near Natchez, Mississippi.  I'd ridden into this state for a short time before going on into Louisiana.

 

While I didn't want any lunch as I'd already had a bite earlier I couldn't pass up a piece of pie.  The recipes are ones developed from long ago and still used today.  Everything they had on the menu looked wonderful.

Now that's a mug of iced tea.  I've never cared for iced tea.  Now, at 67 years old, I've taken a liking to it, unsweetened, of course. 

I also found a place to mail the box that I'd purchased, packed and taped.

Transylvania, Louisiana ... a marvelous place to mail a package.

The plant life will take over everything.

Bayou Memorial Park.  This one's for you, Hobbs.

The foliage is beautiful and lush.  Trees grow in the canals and lakes, and to me it appears quite unique.

Do you think I could remember where the shop was?  Of course not.  I put it into the phone.  I wasn’t far away.  Whoops.  This isn’t the right place … in fact, I was on narrow roads, and did not stop to ask directions.  It appeared to be a rather shady part of town. 

I backtracked and got my way back to the main road and a main store area where I could stop and run the GPS again.  Oh.  There.  Whoops again.  Found it. 

The humidity was extremely high.  I was sweating so much that my phone (that I had inside my bra for easy directions access) had gotten water inside the case.  I had to pull it apart at the shop to let it dry out.  My wonderful little phone GPS.  You are a lifesaver.

I spent quite a bit of time at the shop.  It was cool in there and I wanted to let the sweat on my body dry before going back out into the humid, hot, sunny day.

This stuff makes my life so much easier on the road.  I've been using a lot of it and I truly believe it helps with the heat and loss of fluid.  It has electrolytes in it to replace those lost when sweating, and I've done a bunch of that .. sweating.

When I’d been here in January we’d stayed at a hotel I would have liked to find except I couldn’t remember what kind it was.  That was probably a good thing as I’d stopped up the toilet with Will O. food and you-know-what.  They most likely had my photo posted and a “do not rent to this person” sign hung up somewhere. 

Found a spot to lay my weary head about 14 miles from the zoo.  I was hungry, though, not having eaten much during the day.  I asked about restaurants and headed across the parking lot. 

Wow.  Found a Penthouse club.  Who knew.  I looked at a couple of restaurants … Chinese.  Closed.  Mexican.  Closed.  Bar and grill.  Open, but smoking allowed.  No go for me.  Wandered a little further on and found Gino’s, an absolutely delightful Italian place that made me shrimp fettuccini Alfredo, a wonderful garlic-butter bread, and a salad.  This place was worth finding.  Glad I took a photo of where I was so I could find my way back, kind of like a trail of breadcrumbs, ‘cept restaurant signs. 

With the use of my restaurant sign trail I was able to find my way back to the hotel.

My last night until I’d see Will O. Swan again.  I was excited because I’d planned this for some time.  Of course, I’ve also worried about him.  That something happened and no one told us.  That the other birds would pick on him.  That he would not bond with Roberta, the female Trumpeter.  That he'd venture onto Monkey Island and they'd eat his beak off (nasty monkeys).  Tomorrow I’d know.