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

Terry Hunter just emailed me that he's approaching the western outskirts of the New Orleans metro area and should make the city today. He's in LaPlace, Louisiana and riding down the Airline Highway on his tricycle. If possible, I'll meet up with him later this afternoon.

If you're unfamiliar with Terry's story, see my previous posts about him dating from the 31st and 16th of January. He's a homeless guy that has ridden all the way from Oregon to focus attention on Katrina victims and homelessness. It's a touching story.

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

Long distance bicyclist Terry Hunter emailed me today that he's biking East out of Baton Rouge and headed for metro New Orleans. Known to friends as Rainbow Scooter, Terry has ridden his old adult tricycle from Oregon for the Homeless Ride For Southern Grace, a tour he took upon himself to raise awareness for Katrina victims and those made homeless by the storm. Here's an excerpt from Terry:

"today i went to to the capital to talk to Mrs Cheryl Shuffield ... (an) aid to governer (Blanco) and director of constitunent services. I am trying to do the news paper and then as i leave WBRZ-TV Chanel 2 will be covering my exit story , will be going down one 90 east."

In addition to Baton Rouge's WBRZ, Baton Rouge's 2 other television stations (NBC affiliate WVLA & WAFB) interviewed Rainbow Scooter yesterday; a variety of additional newspapers and television stations have done the same along the way.

Keep up the great work, Terry. Ride on & be safe.

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

Cyclist riding across the USA for Katrina/Rita victims now in Louisiana

Bicycling across the North American continent is an extraordinary task by any measurement; however, there are several cyclists doing so at this moment. On Sunday, I offered an update on Rune Monstad's progress. In a few days, I'll be writing again about a trio cycling from Alaska to the Southern tip of South America called Riding The Spine. Today, I'd like to introduce a cyclist that's ridden 2400 miles to raise awareness for the victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, particularly those made homeless by the storms; his name is Terry Hunter.

Known to his friends as Rainbow Scooter, in many respects, Terry is off the radar. Homeless for over 20 years, Terry has no permanent address, car or telephone number. During his "Homeless Ride for Southern Grace" bike tour, Terry has camped beside the highway next to his well worn Fisher tricycle and provisions laden bike trailer for 400 or so nights.

For the moment, Terry's in Lafayette, LA. He'll soon be heading to Baton Rouge and then (hopefully) to New Orleans (with bridges still out of service East of the city, bicycling East out of New Orleans is a dicey prospect).

While Terry may not look approachable, he's affable and kind hearted. Few people would take on a cross country ride for homelessness or Katrina victims; however, both are worthy causes and I wish Terry well. Ride on, Rainbow Scooter.

Tour Timeline:
26 Nov 2006: Corpus Christi
29 Nov 2006: Victoria, Texas
28 Dec 2006: Beaumont, Texas

Labels: bike trip, Hurricane Katrina, Rainbow Scooter, solo bike tour, Terry Hunter