DAY 6/7 - Perdido Key, FL - New Orleans, Louisiana

The refreshing swim in the ocean at Perdido Key made the first hour of the ride so much more fun. However it began to rain a bit so we stopped at a gas station a few miles ahead. It wasn't so bad so after the short break we continued on the road and tried to ignore the small rain drops on the visor of the helmet. The weather here changes so rapidly, it can be sunny and hot and a few moments later the clouds come in and it rains like winter has arrived. We passed by Mobil again because we were on our way west and there were no other roads which would take us to the same destination. Uri and I were really tired because we didn't

sleep much the night before, so we stopped for a coffee break and to eat a snack. It was so hot and humid which just made me want to be on the bike the whole day cause the breeze is so refreshing.

We got to New Orleans and were welcomed warmly by the Edri family who are close friends with Dovid. We unpacked our gear as fast as possible because it began to rain again. Even though it was rainy the weather was still hot and humid. The roads in New Orleans are bumpy and raggedy which is extremely uncomfortable to ride on. Since 2005 when Katrina hit the city there has been a lot of reconstruction in town and many houses and buildings have been rebuilt. However some of the bigger projects such as road work has not been fully fixed.

We went out that night to town to the French Quarter and to Bourbon street. The town is knows for it's unique people it attracts but also for its old architecture. It was established in 1718 almost 300 years ago, which makes it one of the oldest town in the United states. It does have a feel of an ancient place and reminds me of Nachlaot in Jerusalem, or Florentien in Tel Aviv. The down town is hopping every night and really is a city that doesn't sleep.

During the day we toured Canal street and went to see the local casino owned by Harra's. The casino has symbols and artifacts that resemble the unique city which makes it not generic at all. The specific casino we visited was more touristy and doesn't attract many local, because they gamble on the other side of town. We strolled down the river bank of the Mississippi and ate at a famous coffee shop called Cafe Du Monde. When we returned to our parked bikes we found a gift from the local police. A parking ticket... The only thing that comferted us is that all 4 of us got one including our hosts that live here. Oh well, everything is an experience.

New Orleans is definitely one of the most interesting and hip cities I have been to and spending more than 2 days here would be quite a blast.

DAY 5 - Meridian, MS - Perdido Key, Florida

I went out for a jog early in the morning and it was a lot more hot than I expected. After the short run I jumped into the pool to relax before the long ride for the day. I met an older lady at the campsite who

recommended going to a very unique and old restaurant in town called Weidman's. In 1927 Meridian was one of the largest Jewish communities in the Mississippi and brought a lot of wealth to the small town. However the KKK had a strong and bad impact on the community and even bombed the synagogue. The Jews felt very threatened and most left town, and today there are no more than 40 elderly Jews in the town. The brunch we ate at Weidman's was very appetizing considering that fact we didn't eat any meat cause it wasn't Kosher.

We set off down south on route 45 and enjoyed the gorgeous views of Clarkco State park. As we got closer to the gulf we felt the cold breeze of air rushing towards us. The weather was very versatile and we even got drizzled upon a bit, however it didn't impact our ride at all. Frequently we put on our rain gear and then take it off when it gets real hot, but the more we ride the better we get at predicting how long it will rain.

The next city was Mobile, Alabama. The city essentially is a large port but has a very nice main strip with stores and interesting landmarks. We drank a cup of coffee at a Starbucks in town and pulled out towards Florida. The terrain got really flat and we could almost see the ocean. After an hour or so we got to the bay and enjoyed the magnificent view of the Gulf of Mexico. We stayed in Perdido Key in Florida which is right on the state border with Alabama. The second we arrived the mosquitoes welcomed us nicely and we started getting short tempered with each other. We spoke to the state park ranger who told us where to set camp for the night. After a short meal which we got at the nearest convenient store, we built the tents and relaxed on the beach.

It is shocking to me that it took only a few days to reach the ocean on the south and made me comprehend what an amazing journey we are on. I didn't sleep well on the beach due to the fact that it was very hot and the Mosquitoes ate us alive. We woke up early right when the sun came up and packed the gear on the bikes so we can spend the morning in the water. It was so refreshing! Our muscles were aching from the few days of riding and the salty water really helped us feel a lot better. Because of the heat our clothes were dry in minutes, and we drove off.

DAY 4 - Memphis, TN - Meridian, Mississippi

We were well rested after the long weekend, and got an early start for the day. We drove to the nearest gas station to fill up air in our tires and fuel up. For some reason each one of our air pressure gauges showed a different reading which got us very confused to which one is right. After a few minutes we figured out that my gauge was broken and drove to the Auto Zone store to replace it. After the short delay we were all ready to go when Dovid's bike decided not to start. And that's when it all begun..

The night before Dovid decided to connect up LED's to his motorcycle and we assume that it tempered with the electricity connections. Even though in the morning the bike did start up and ran for a few minutes, it didn't have enough power after idling at the gas station. We weren't sure what to do so we decided to connect up my battery to his to jump start it. We waited 10 minutes for my battery to charge his, which was a huge mistake cause after that was done not only did his bike not start, mine was dead too! the situation was more irritating than ironic even though it sounds more funny that it is. Now we had two bikes down and it was already 11:00 am, which put us way off schedule. We had Uri, with the last working bike, ride to the Auto Zone store to charge up the dead battery and buy an external jump starting kit.

It was extremely hot and humid which made the whole situation even more annoying that it was. I was quite mad at myself for trying to "charge" the other bike, and obviously if we knew more about bikes that would not have happened. We sat there for hours on the curb of the sidewalk in the station and waited for Uri to return with the battery. I have to say that was a very bad start for the day.

When he returned with the battery we quickly put it all together and hoped that was the issue. It worked! His bike started up and we left it running so it will charge the battery up. My bike was quite a production to get started, but with the help of the jump starter kit we got it running.

By 14:00 pm we got going and had 244 miles to drive today. The ride was very nice and towards the evening we had a cool breeze blowing at us. With a few stops for gas and to see the scenery we arrived at the KOA campsite in Meridian, Mississippi. We were welcomed by the owner who was so nice to let us stay for the night for free and use the pool too!

We just finished dinner and are getting ready to get into our sleeping bags and cuddle up, cause its getting cool.