Book of Leakes

Harley Ride 2009 - Day 7
Let's talk bridges today! Some are short for small creeks, some are long for travelling over the ocean to another land mass! Each are constructed to take us from one side of a water mass or ravine to another! If we did not have a bridge, the journey would be treacherous, laborious, maybe only a little difficult and/or maybe deadly. So we like bridges!

We covered a lot of ground and our journey was made simpler and quicker with the aid of a lot of bridges today!

When we left Birmingham, AL, we got back on I-59 heading South. In Meridian, we stopped at the Harley Store, they are so irresistible! We were told by a nice gentleman, "Do not drive 11, it is a really rough ta dunk ka dunk road". This peaked our interest, so, instead of driving the luge (tree lined freeway where all you see are yellow lines, white lines and trees) we got onto State Road 11. It ran parallel to 59, and the scenery was good. A house, a cow, a horse, another house, a mobile home, trees, and only the dotted white line, no shoulder, stop signs and yes - bridges, ta dunk ka dunk!

There are a lot of bridges in this part of the country. There is a lot of water, i.e.-rain. And it seems that when a bridge starts, ta dunk ka dunk, and then when the bridge ends, ta dunk ka dunk! On both 11 and 59 we experienced ta dunk ka dunk. The bridges are built really long, they have to cover the river and the river bank. The river is about as wide as our canal in Utah. Then they have to also cover the flood area and the flood bank, thus the river is 10 feet wide and the bridge has to be 100 feet wide.

Lunch in Meridian and back on to 59. Now we are making a run for Gulfport, MS. I used to live here and I wanted to see if our house was still there. I was only two and I remember right where it was. NOT! Just kidding! It was fun to think that I lived here a long time ago! There are still a lot of trees. I am amazed at the trees! They are thick and everywhere! Utah really is a desert!

Now for a really fun, long, over the ocean bridge, into New Orleans! Here we are on this bridge over the ocean. There is no place to turn around, pull off for gas or a potty and if you have a wreck, the police have to be able to get to you somehow through a traffic jam, or come down the freeway backwards. Our lives depend on this bridge. To get us back to land, where we can drive any direction, stop anytime, go left, right, fast or slow. Funny how the bridge is a lifeline, but with few options! Obey the rules and drive nice, then we will make it back to land!

New Orleans! Loved driving through here and visualizing where Hurricane Katrina waters may have come to. The people stranded on the bridge, the people staying in the Superdome. The night life, the jazz music, seeing places rebuilt and places still boarded up and falling down. All the people we spoke with here, where gracious and kind. Not angry or suspicious! Ready to help a stranger! Loved it! Would love to come back!

Then on the Baton Rouge, where it started sprinkling and getting dark so we called it a day!
Ta dunk ka dunk!

Reflective Ride notes: About 500 miles, 3 gas stops, low $2.52, high $2.69.
First we ran into signs that said "Bridge will ice first in cold weather", then we came to signs that said "Bridge may ice in cold weather".
DeSoto National Forest- starts about....all over the state!
Best thing invented for the day, bet you can't guess, yep, it's bridges!!!!
Ta dunk ka dunk!