6000 Miles of Summer - Day 10

 Bridge City (TX) to Batesville (MS)

530 mi                                                                                                                                 August 6th, 2024

The day begins at dawn as I cross the bridge into Port Arthur (TX). The horizon isn't filled with stars but with the glow of refineries. Despite the early hour, the traffic is intense, and my goal is to escape it as quickly and safely as possible.

The moment I cross the state line into Louisiana, the chaos disappears. 

Riding along the Creole Nature Trail, the shoreline and the rising sun create a soothing atmosphere. It's a welcome change from the hustle and bustle of Texas.

I reach the coin photo stop near Lake Charles (LA) and grab a donut nearby. As I switch on my bike, the electronics go haywire – flickering displays, GPS offline, and settings randomly changing. It's nuts!

Fortunately, the engine runs fine, so I hope it's just a cosmetic issue. Back to old-school maps and roadbook-style travel. I scan the area and find a Harley shop that's open at 8am. Lucky me! Off I go through town.

Harley Davidson of Lake Charles is super helpful. Their Master Technician diagnoses the issue: "What you're experiencing, we see here a lot; humidity does this to the electronics." A quick checkup reveals it's only the display acting up. Funnily enough, the problem lessens the longer the bike stays in the air-conditioned shop. After 15 minutes, everything is back to normal. Get that! (Hey #HarleyDavidson, you really need to improve this!) In all fairness, the 150% humidity outside had me go funky, too.

As I head north, away from the coast, the humidity drops and becomes more bearable. Near Alexandria (LA), I stop for fuel and find a market offering homemade crawfish pies. "Mom" just brought in a fresh batch, and I have two – they are really, really good! Yum!

The next photo stop is in the town of Natchez (MS), where the famous Natchez Trace starts/ends. I've heard a lot about it – stories of an empty road meandering through the forest with a perfect road surface. They're all true! 

I'm cruising along, almost at the speed limit, and enjoying this part, which I'll stay on for the next 60 miles or so. I realize I could follow the Natchez Trace all the way to Nashville, which suddenly seems much closer. But not yet – there's one more photo stop to cover on this trip, and that's for tomorrow morning.

Batesville, just south of Memphis, is a decent enough stop. It'll be the last night on the road. I arrive quite early, still in daylight, so I have time to get some dinner and take it easy. Reflect on a fun day. Deal.