20th March
Another foggy morning, but I pack the bike and I’m on the road for 0945. I head off into Baton Rouge at first, to Louisiana Farm Machinery – they are Caterpillar dealers, and I pick up an O ring from them. This fits over the bar-end weight on the right handlebar. When rolled over the throttle, this provides just enough friction to allow me to remove my hand from the twistgrip whilst riding. It’s a very basic (and cheap) form of cruise control – an idea that Jeff gave me when I was in Daytona…
I then go for a random ride, ending up in the very pleasant town of False River…
…the name False River comes from the lake that the town is built on the shores of. It is a long crescent shaped lake, which could easily be mistaken for a river – in point of fact (remembering my O level Geography) , the lake (called , if I remember correctly, an Oxbow Lake), used to be part of the Mississippi, which meanders down to the sea nearby. As a result of silt build up over many years, the loop that is now the lake, eventually sealed itself off. Enough revision
.
A little further down the road, in the town of New Roads, they’re having a Classic Car Show… I park the bike and walk through the exhibits. It’s very warm (84º F) and humid. The cars are a varied collection of classics, from this 1954 Hudson Hornet…
…to this 1966 Ford Thunderbird…
My favourites are the collection of older Thunderbirds – this one from 1959…
…with a colour-coordinated interior…
…this one from 1956…
…with ‘vanity tag’…
…and subtle upholstery…
…but my favourite,
is this particular 1956 T’bird, which is identical to the one which the ‘mystery blonde’ drove in American Graffiti…
All ‘juke-box’ chromed out, I take a leisurely ride North East towards Alexandria, Louisiana, where I’ve decided to stop for the day. I pause for lunch at another bit of chrome nostalgia – another diner. This one differs from the last one I went into (in North Carolina) – in as much as the service is appalling.
On the plus side, Penny (whose diner it is), overcomes the ineptitude of her waitress by producing quite the best cheeseburger I’ve ever eaten - for $6
I ride on, feeling a little lethargic after a large lunch, and arrive in Alexandria in mid afternoon. I check into my room, turn the air conditioning up to maximum, and settle in for the evening…
Another foggy morning, but I pack the bike and I’m on the road for 0945. I head off into Baton Rouge at first, to Louisiana Farm Machinery – they are Caterpillar dealers, and I pick up an O ring from them. This fits over the bar-end weight on the right handlebar. When rolled over the throttle, this provides just enough friction to allow me to remove my hand from the twistgrip whilst riding. It’s a very basic (and cheap) form of cruise control – an idea that Jeff gave me when I was in Daytona…
I then go for a random ride, ending up in the very pleasant town of False River…
…the name False River comes from the lake that the town is built on the shores of. It is a long crescent shaped lake, which could easily be mistaken for a river – in point of fact (remembering my O level Geography) , the lake (called , if I remember correctly, an Oxbow Lake), used to be part of the Mississippi, which meanders down to the sea nearby. As a result of silt build up over many years, the loop that is now the lake, eventually sealed itself off. Enough revision
.A little further down the road, in the town of New Roads, they’re having a Classic Car Show… I park the bike and walk through the exhibits. It’s very warm (84º F) and humid. The cars are a varied collection of classics, from this 1954 Hudson Hornet…
…to this 1966 Ford Thunderbird…
My favourites are the collection of older Thunderbirds – this one from 1959…
…with a colour-coordinated interior…
…this one from 1956…
…with ‘vanity tag’…
…and subtle upholstery…
…but my favourite,
is this particular 1956 T’bird, which is identical to the one which the ‘mystery blonde’ drove in American Graffiti…
All ‘juke-box’ chromed out, I take a leisurely ride North East towards Alexandria, Louisiana, where I’ve decided to stop for the day. I pause for lunch at another bit of chrome nostalgia – another diner. This one differs from the last one I went into (in North Carolina) – in as much as the service is appalling.
On the plus side, Penny (whose diner it is), overcomes the ineptitude of her waitress by producing quite the best cheeseburger I’ve ever eaten - for $6
I ride on, feeling a little lethargic after a large lunch, and arrive in Alexandria in mid afternoon. I check into my room, turn the air conditioning up to maximum, and settle in for the evening…
