Today was the most special day of our ride so far! My sister Elise and her husband Kohlie joined us as we cycled 92 miles through Southwest Louisiana on country roads towards my home town of Crowley. It was a very emotional experience for me, as coming home always is. Though I’ve spent more of my life outside of Louisiana than inside, my roots, family and oldest friends are here. The roads were flat, the air thick with humidity, the sky filled with a plethora of bird life, the fertile farmland ready for planting, the roads punctuated by the occasional pick up truck. We even spotted two alligators!! Louisiana at its best. And to top it off, we were greeted and cheered along our route by old friends and well wishers, other family members and at our destination, my parents. Today ranks right up there as one of the best days of my life.
I realize that John Denver’s song Take Me Home, Country Roads was written about his home state of West Virginia but I modified the words a bit and sang it nonstop under my breath today: “Take me home, country roads, to the place, I belong, Lou’siana, Bayou Mama, take me home, country roads.”
With tremendous love and gratitude to all those who have supported me in life and on this journey. ?❤️ Isabella