DAY 140: LONGVILLE - REEVES - KINDER, LOUISIANA

Please say hello to Don, a local resident who at 67 years old exercises EVERY day, alternating with his bicycle one day and walking the next. Each session is for 2.5 hours...Don says, just to keep in shape.

Don use to live in Central California and has done extensive mountain trail hiking through the Sierra Mountains.

Up at the crack of dawn, walked South down a modern 4-lane highway - US 190 to an interchange just North of LAKE CHARLES, LOUISIANA. US 190 then turned 90 degrees to the East, where I walked another few miles ... then returned to SPIA, parked at LONGVILLE, LOUISIANA for the night.

Along US 190 are many small streams...many dried up... I checked each one for Gators and Snakes...not a sigh of anything.

Reaching the town of REEVES, LOUISIANA, a town of about three buildings and a few homes, I was stopped by the local Police...just to see what I was up to. "The Officer declined to have his photograph taken, but agreed his cruiser was OK.

This fellow was VERY busy. I parked SPIA in the middle of town - across US 190 from the Police Station - and walked first West on US 190 for 6 miles...then after a 1.5 hour nap, East on US 190 for another 14 miles.

Today was a bit under 100 F, but the humidity is building. I feel a major weather change in the air...last night we had nearby thunder and lightning together with some high wind - indicating a front passing by, but NO rain. With what is going on in West Texas; i.e., NO RAIN for over a year, folks down here are very uneasy about not getting rain.

REEVES, LOUISIANA, was 100 years old on May 21...just missed the celebration. Did stop in the local Food Store / Restaurant Combination - a popular venue down here - for another go at the Cat Fish. Had a toasted Cat Fish sandwich, which at any price was excellent...but at $3.00, was a real bargain.

The single local residential street of REEVES has this enchanting walkway bridge. The entire street is one block long.

In 1937, someone had great ideas about water control. In Texas, nearly all roadside water works have this design under-road pipes.

SPIA, SAM & ME are parked in a farmer's field about 1 mile East of the town of KINDER, LOUISIANA...a deserted spot, off the Highway about 200 feet. Just now, SPIA gave a solid "lurch", as though an earthquake or someone / something hit it or stepped on the back rack holding SAM. Un nerving to say the least. I quickly shut all doors & windows and locked SPIA up tight. Hope no trouble comes our way.


All day, "SPIA was parked under this Shade Tree along US 190 in REEVES, LOUISIANA.. Kinda feel we should have stayed there tonight...thought about it, but decided to move on to be ready to walk at daybreak in the morning.

DOLLAR GENERAL is a Chain Store throughout Texas and now Louisiana. They are a combination clothing, food, and hardware store. Quite popular. Nearly every town, large or small, has at least one.

In REEVES, Louisiana sits this Water Tower. Each Louisiana town I have seen has a Water Company. This one is the Allen Parish - a County Water Company.

I walked 32 miles today on this roadway, US 190. I saw four dead snakes, one definitely a small rattle snake with about 1" diamond pattern on his skin. Still, nothing that wiggles.

One lady told me a couple days ago that last year a BIG rattle snake was stretched across the road - they get to 8 feet or longer -. Her Husband stopped and got out to chase the snake off the road. The snake had other ideas. She, sitting in the passenger seat saw that snake fully stretched out - not coiled - leap at her Husband, its body going higher than the hood of their pickup truck. So much for having to be coiled to strike out.

When walking US 190, I try to stay away from the roadside grass, which is NOT cut. If one of those critters can really leap like she says, this walk could become interesting...and dangerous.

Every step of the remaining 1,400 miles or so are in snake - Gators too...and now Pythons also, infested swamps. Down in the Everglade Area, they also have Salt Water Crocodiles...oh, fun fun

From the Farmer's Field, this is today's Sunset.

DAILY REPORT: Walked 32 hot humid miles today.

SEE YOUR IMPACT.ORG: Credit 32 miles @ $0.02 = $0.64 for the day.

In the morning, will leave SPIA parked, and walk East on US 190. Next towns up are ELTON, BASILE, and EUNICE, LOUISIANA...all within 26 miles of KINDER, LOUISIANA.