Our Final Statistics and Amazing Facts about the trip

Best Drivers: Iowa
Worst Drivers: Missouri (Louisiana is a close 2nd)
Best Roads: Mississippi
Worst Roads: Louisiana (Iowa was a close 2nd)
Nicest Staff: Rivals Bar (Odie) in Greenville
State with the Nicest People: Iowa
Best Camping location: Cascade Iowa, City Park
Worst Camping location: Meeham Shelby State Park. Dirty bathrooms, kinda pricey, hot sticky night.
Best Sandwhich: ??? Grinder in Fruitland
Second Best Sandwhich: ???? Pig out Pork BBQ

I updated day 6 and 7 of the MRT trip. Pictures and GPS files are now included.

I want to thank everyone who supported and followed along with us on our trip. It was great hearing from you.

I also want to thank all of the great people we met along the trip.

Several people have asked me to post a final post which has some final statistics and summarized our highest and lowest points in the trip. I will do that soon.

I am also adding pictures to the days that we were missing, and adding the google earth links.

Also, Chuck is working on making a google earth file of the entire trip.

Thanks!

We Made It!!!!

We left the hotel after the best hotel breakfast yet! Everything was fresh and great! Thanks Best Western. Our rooms were already booked in New Orleans, though they were a bit difficult to find. Apparently there are 38k Lutheran youth in town for a community volunteer cleanup.

For the first dozen miles or so, we rode along the river in medium traffic. There were a lot of chemical factories and shipping businesses, but we left late so we could miss the morning rush........thus we were biking at lunch time. Whoops.

Well this was a big day for our group, they are in New Orleans!!! I was so excited for them I forgot to ask how many miles they did today. I guess we will find out tomorrow.

It is still 100 miles (about) to Venice, LA where they hope to dip their tires. I guess they are having a problem w/ places to stay on that last part. I'll find out more tomorrow.

I hope it all works out for them.

Stay tuned.

We woke up early because we have a long day ahead of us. We were not able to make much for progress yesterday, so we must get some miles behind us today. We also wanted to beat some of the rain headed our way. We had a GREAT breakfast at the Best Western in Plaquemine and then quickly packed and headed out on the roads. Traffic is starting to get much heavier as we get closer to New Orleans.

We slept in after the long day yesterday of bad roads, and a ridiculous number of flat tires.

Katie spent a little time playing with the ducks in the water under the cabin. We made it about a block before we realized my tire was not really fixed, and there we sat on the side of the road changing my tube again!

We woke up (slowly) and started to head south on highway 15. This was a stretch of nearly 50 miles of nothingness. A levee along the road was all we saw, even though a beautiful and huge nature preserve was on the other side. Too bad the road wasn't on top of the levee. The road was in horrible shape, and the headwind was really dragging us down. We slowly dodged potholes at 8mph. I can't say it looked like anyone was having much fun.

Hey guys! Sorry it took so long to drop a line,just been real busy,kids,work,etc.Glad yall are doing good and hope the rest of your trip continues to be good.Good luck with the rest of your trip.hollar back if you get a chance. Odie.

Our group made it about 90 miles today and landed in New Roads, LA. They are tired and may not have internet.

Their day would have been somewhat uneventful if not for the flat tireS. Yup, 4 today.

Roger had his 1st, Katie had her 1st and Laura had 2 today, so her total is 3 so far.

Chuck had the 1st flat in Elroy (WI) the 1st day out, but no others.

Chris is the Master of the Tire Issues, 3 flats of tubes and the only one to also wreck a tire, bend up a rim and have a different rim go defective on him.

They just made it to a Walmart w/ a minute to spare, for some more tubes. They would only allow 1 person in so Chris bought the much needed tubes, then they headed to supper and I assume bed after that.