Day 41- Morganza to Easleyville, LA

Last night added a new sound to our nocturnal repertoire: towboats on the Mississippi. Towboat pilots follow the same horn-tooting protocol as train engineers: loud, long and often. We also heard the occasional moo from a herd of cows grazing on the levee behind us.
Temps were nearly perfect today - light jacket weather in the morning, then shed jacket and optional tights. Our route took us east, northeast, south and east. Curiously, for every direction we had a headwind. Not a cross-wind, but a headwind every time, 5-15 mph. It was not swirling.
Our route today was 76 miles. The first 15 miles we continued to ride through flat farmland. We passed fields with sugar cane and beef cattle, and several pulp mills. We also saw "MRT" signs for the Mississippi River (bike) Trail (see photo).
Then we crossed the Mississippi River on the Audubon Bridge. Opened in 2011, it is a cable-stayed bridge, elegant in its simplicity. See photos, including Jerry, Carol, Terry and Bob Plant at the top, and Ken descending.
At the east end of the bridge, we stopped by two police cars. Ken likes his donuts and hadn't found a donut shop today. We offered to wait while he asked a policeman to make a donut run.
Ten miles further, we stopped at Audubon State Historic Site, a 100-acre former plantation where John James Audubon did 32 of his American bird drawings while tutoring the daughter of the plantation owner for four months in 1821. (Audubon continued to live in the area for seven years.) Now a state park, the plantation house and grounds were restored and can be toured. They are well worth a stop. The house is an example of Colonial architecture, built and expanded in the early 1800s and lived in for four generations. The house contains many original furnishings and at least eight first edition Audubon prints. The house was built using yellow poplar, and is simple in design. Indigo and later cotton were grown, in addition to garden crops to feed the occupants. At its height the plantation had over 2,000 acres and 200-plus slaves. At least five flags flew over the area: Spanish, French, West Florida Republic, U.S. and Confederate.
Photos include Linda outside the house, and prints of pine creeping warblers and (appropriately) a Louisiana heron.
Once we crossed the Mississippi, we had hills the rest of the day. Some rollers, others were dropping down to sandy-bottom streams and back up. The area is very green, almost lush, with more wildflowers (see photos). Also more pine forests for logging.
Andre, Bob G, Ken, Linda and I stopped for ice cream in Norwood mid-afternoon. The Blue Bell brand cones really hit the spot!
Terry and Bob Plant made dinner tonight: spicy tomato and goat cheese penne pasta, shrimp penne pasta, green salad and two kinds of cake for dessert. Nothing was left!
Tomorrow we cross into the state of Mississippi. Curious what the terrain and food will be like. More rollers? Is everything grits or deep fried??
Bruce