by Larry Lagarde

He's been on the road for months but long distance cyclist Terry Hunter finally made it to New Orleans.

I had been wondering if something happened to Terry since speaking with him briefly on Saturday. He was about to cross the Bonnet Carre Spillway just west of New Orleans and I was expecting him to call me when he reached the Mississippi River Trail (MRT). The call never came. (Photo: Larry, Rita & Terry on Airline Drive in Metairie, Louisiana.)

On the way to pick up my 7 year old stepson from school, I called Terry and he answered. It just so happened that he was moments away so I made a quick detour to greet and congratulate him on all the miles he has ridden.

We met in front of a sports bar on Airline Drive across from Zephyr Field. In the bike trailer, Terry's dog (Rita) was sleeping soundly with her paw hanging out. Strapped atop the trailer was a water jug, radio and a spare tire & tube. A fishing pole with a bright orange float protruded up from the rear.

Terry shared that his original bike and trailer were stolen earlier in the bike tour while he was in Monterey, California. He's had a great deal of support from everyday folks along the way, including someone that custom made the heavy duty front fork just for him.

Terry told me that his back was still sore from sleeping last night on the levee. He arrived in Metairie via the MRT which is a smooth, non-motorized, asphalt trail atop the Mississippi River flood control levee. Unfortunately, there are no lodging places along this section of the MRT and Terry did not know how to retrieve my number from his brand new cellphone.

Terry only plans to stay in New Orleans a few days to share his story with local media and meet with staffers at the office of Mayor Nagin. Then, Terry will continue his ride east through other areas devastated by Katrina and beyond, finally ending the Homeless Ride For Southern Grace tour when he hits the east coast in South Carolina.

Labels: bike trip, homelessness, Hurricane Katrina, Mississippi River Trail, Rainbow Scooter, solo bike tour, Terry Hunter