hppants
Well-known member
I posted this ride report at another m/c forum, and it was well received. Thought I'd share it with ya'll as well.
I had a last minute chance Wednesday to go riding, and I rarely pass that opportunity up. Got off to a fairly late start, but still managed to roll about 200 miles before returning home safely around sunset. I rode this one solo, the bike ran flawless, and I took it easy on the gas, as reflected by my 46mpg fuel mileage.
The weather was mild, even by coastal Louisiana standards. I left the house at about 65 degrees, and it warmed to the mid 70’s by late afternoon under party cloudy skies. There was a stiff southerly wind all day.
With no time to plan, this was one of those “let’s go ‘that’ way and see what we can find” trips. Hope you enjoy the pics.
I took off South heading generally toward the coast into the wind. Before long, I’m on the back roads enjoying the scenery. After about 50 miles, I stop at this little pond to watch some birds.
This is a Cajun version of Fall Foliage.
The birds here are a little skittish, but I’m patient. I could use a longer lens, but I pulled off a couple of decent shots with my point and shoot. This Great Blue Heron is enjoying a seafood lunch
Snowy Egrets were hunted almost to extinction during the “hat feather craze” of the early 20th century. This fellow is fearless in his approach to the perch.
Nice place to sit and ponder.
Across the road is a grove of massive oak trees. Despite the “no trespassing” sign, I throw caution to the wind and walk among these majestic giants.
This one has a peculiar nub from a fallen branch long ago.
The ride is fun as I don’t really know where I am going. I’m very comfortable as the weather is mild and I have just the right amount of clothes on. Another 30 miles and I run into Franklin, LA - a small rural town that is mostly sugar cane farmers. Here’s an old time theatre
I stop for a snack. Cracklins are a real Cajun treat. Who wouldn’t like fried pork skin?
Franklin is lined with antebellum homes and moss-draped oak trees.
Real pretty
I continue South and East toward a large lake that I like to visit. I stopped at this little public park along the lake shore. The visitor’s center is rustic
I walk along a short trail listening to the birds and the wind.
These cypress knees are high and dry this time of year.
I’m enamored in the color.
I sit still a while to watch this bird work for its lunch.
The proverbial “Fisher Among Men”
Back on the road, I’m being extra cautious. This is the peak of the sugar cane harvesting season, and there is a lot of dirt and debris on the road. Soon, a familiar but pleasant smell fills my brain.
Sugar cane leaves contain no sugar. So, the leaves are burned before the ground is turned over. The sweet smoke is very pleasant in the wind.
A little further down the road, I stop to witness a cane field being harvested. The harvester cuts the cane, separates the leaves, and conveys the cane into the wagon.
I thought you might like to see some sugar milling operations, so I rode to the Patout and Sons Sugar Mill.
https://www.mapatout.com/Default.aspx
One of the managers approached me to ask what I was doing. I told them I wanted to see how sugar was milled. He told me to hop in his golf cart and he’d show me around. Cool!!
The trucks are first weighed. At the scale, a core sample is taken to be analyzed for sugar content. The farmer is paid based on weight and sugar content.
Then the trucks are unloaded. This looks kind of scary. There’s another station that unloads trailers from the side as well.
Then the cane goes to the mill. I was not allowed inside, but the manager explained what happens. The cane is ground and smashed under pressure to squeeze the sugar out of it. Then, the juice is cooked until all the moisture is evaporated. Most of the smoke in this picture is evaporating steam.
The result is a raw product that is 95% sugar and 5% molasses. My tour guide states that on average, they get 10% yield (10 pounds of sugar for 100 pounds of cane). But 98% of the remaining product is used for fuel to run the steam turbines and other mill machinery. This leaves less than 2% overall waste.
This raw product is barged to another factory where it is refined to make the white table sugar we buy at the grocer. Every wonder what 100 million pounds of sugar looks like? I can tell you that it taste delicious.
I bid the mill manager farewell and started heading toward home. Some time later, I stopped at this bayou to sit and watch the tide roll away. Looks like an abandoned railroad track here.
That “hill” in the background is Weeks Island, a salt dome that supplies road salt all over the world.
It’s getting late in the day now, and I need to be heading home. I stopped to fill up a couple miles from the house. Hey – I hit a mileage milestone!!
I hope there will be plenty more.
I had a last minute chance Wednesday to go riding, and I rarely pass that opportunity up. Got off to a fairly late start, but still managed to roll about 200 miles before returning home safely around sunset. I rode this one solo, the bike ran flawless, and I took it easy on the gas, as reflected by my 46mpg fuel mileage.
The weather was mild, even by coastal Louisiana standards. I left the house at about 65 degrees, and it warmed to the mid 70’s by late afternoon under party cloudy skies. There was a stiff southerly wind all day.
With no time to plan, this was one of those “let’s go ‘that’ way and see what we can find” trips. Hope you enjoy the pics.
I took off South heading generally toward the coast into the wind. Before long, I’m on the back roads enjoying the scenery. After about 50 miles, I stop at this little pond to watch some birds.
This is a Cajun version of Fall Foliage.
The birds here are a little skittish, but I’m patient. I could use a longer lens, but I pulled off a couple of decent shots with my point and shoot. This Great Blue Heron is enjoying a seafood lunch
Snowy Egrets were hunted almost to extinction during the “hat feather craze” of the early 20th century. This fellow is fearless in his approach to the perch.
Nice place to sit and ponder.
Across the road is a grove of massive oak trees. Despite the “no trespassing” sign, I throw caution to the wind and walk among these majestic giants.
This one has a peculiar nub from a fallen branch long ago.
The ride is fun as I don’t really know where I am going. I’m very comfortable as the weather is mild and I have just the right amount of clothes on. Another 30 miles and I run into Franklin, LA - a small rural town that is mostly sugar cane farmers. Here’s an old time theatre
I stop for a snack. Cracklins are a real Cajun treat. Who wouldn’t like fried pork skin?
Franklin is lined with antebellum homes and moss-draped oak trees.
Real pretty
I continue South and East toward a large lake that I like to visit. I stopped at this little public park along the lake shore. The visitor’s center is rustic
I walk along a short trail listening to the birds and the wind.
These cypress knees are high and dry this time of year.
I’m enamored in the color.
I sit still a while to watch this bird work for its lunch.
The proverbial “Fisher Among Men”
Back on the road, I’m being extra cautious. This is the peak of the sugar cane harvesting season, and there is a lot of dirt and debris on the road. Soon, a familiar but pleasant smell fills my brain.
Sugar cane leaves contain no sugar. So, the leaves are burned before the ground is turned over. The sweet smoke is very pleasant in the wind.
A little further down the road, I stop to witness a cane field being harvested. The harvester cuts the cane, separates the leaves, and conveys the cane into the wagon.
I thought you might like to see some sugar milling operations, so I rode to the Patout and Sons Sugar Mill.
https://www.mapatout.com/Default.aspx
One of the managers approached me to ask what I was doing. I told them I wanted to see how sugar was milled. He told me to hop in his golf cart and he’d show me around. Cool!!
The trucks are first weighed. At the scale, a core sample is taken to be analyzed for sugar content. The farmer is paid based on weight and sugar content.
Then the trucks are unloaded. This looks kind of scary. There’s another station that unloads trailers from the side as well.
Then the cane goes to the mill. I was not allowed inside, but the manager explained what happens. The cane is ground and smashed under pressure to squeeze the sugar out of it. Then, the juice is cooked until all the moisture is evaporated. Most of the smoke in this picture is evaporating steam.
The result is a raw product that is 95% sugar and 5% molasses. My tour guide states that on average, they get 10% yield (10 pounds of sugar for 100 pounds of cane). But 98% of the remaining product is used for fuel to run the steam turbines and other mill machinery. This leaves less than 2% overall waste.
This raw product is barged to another factory where it is refined to make the white table sugar we buy at the grocer. Every wonder what 100 million pounds of sugar looks like? I can tell you that it taste delicious.
I bid the mill manager farewell and started heading toward home. Some time later, I stopped at this bayou to sit and watch the tide roll away. Looks like an abandoned railroad track here.
That “hill” in the background is Weeks Island, a salt dome that supplies road salt all over the world.
It’s getting late in the day now, and I need to be heading home. I stopped to fill up a couple miles from the house. Hey – I hit a mileage milestone!!
I hope there will be plenty more.
