We couldn’t stand sitting on our hands for another day without progressing further west, so we made the quick 50+ mile ride to Jaspter, TX this morning assisted by a tailwind, powered I’m sure by the pre-effects of Hurricane Ike. The last we heard before leaving De Ridder, LA, the Texas counties south of here were under mandatory evacuation, but this area was still supposed to be safe. However, while on our way we learned that Jasper County is now under evacuation as well. We had a contact here through warmshowers.org who agreed to put us up for as long as necessary to ride out the storm, but we haven’t been able to get back in touch with him, I’m sure due to the evacuation.
Most of the shops, hotels, and motels in town are already shut down, but fortunately the Holiday Inn Express was still staffed, and were willing to take in hard-luck cases such as ourselves. So, this is our official hunker-down spot for the hurricane. It’s a more expensive option than we would have liked, but at least it’s dry, secure, and we’ve got some extra food in the room to hold us for a couple of days if necessary.
I only got one photo on my camera today as we crossed the state line, so the rest in the album below are what Ray has taken on his camera so far on the trip. Hope you enjoy them, and enjoy the rain we’ll be sending up to the Midwest in the next couple of days!
Oh, and we’ve got video now, too! Check out the clip of Ray riding the Ohio to Erie Trail on Day 4.
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Filed under: Pan-American Ride |
Miles 4 Melanoma 
‘Old Cabin in Kentucky’ and ‘Kentucky Lake’ are very cool photos. Like the ‘Kevin riding’ photo. Gives me a sense of how much you guys are hauling on your bikes. Which, by the way, seems light for an 8-Month long trip.
So, I was glued to the Weather Channel into the wee hours last night. Seems like some significant damage and flooding, but not AS bad as thought. The water surge was the worst part of the storm. Power could be out for weeks in areas around Houston/Galveston. It’s delayed your ride by a bit, but you’ll be back at it soon, I’m sure!
Hi Kevin and Ray!
I’m live in Hudson, OH and read about your bicycle trip in the Plain Dealer. I’m glad to hear you’re staying safe while the hurricane passes.
I look forward to monitoring your progress and reading about your experiences!
I’m glad you’re raising awareness of melanoma.