Save 22 A Day Trans-America Cycling

1000 TADSAW Service Dog Teams Accredited Train A Dog-Save A Warrior (TADSAW) has announced that their 1000 th service dog team has been accredited.  This is a major milestone in the life of the TADSAW program.  It means that 1000 veteran lives have potentially been saved.  The number may even be a conservative estimate, because for every warrior/service dog team that is accredited from having passed “final exam” tests, there are many more teams that have entered, received a dog and trained in the program.  Just because veterans for whatever reason could not make it through the entire program doesn’t mean that they did not grow and improve their lives from the experience with their dog.  The veterans would have cared for and trained their dog under the tutelage from the TADSAW trainer for some period of time.  In most cases the veteran still has their dog.  Even though they didn’t attain the status of Medical Alert Service Dog, the veteran and th...

The link to today's route and statistics is found here . Today we had another great ride of about 70 miles; some rode more, some less.  Scenery was inspiring.  Wind was mostly a headwind of 15 mph, but riders fought through it with strong riding.  We rode into Alabama, our third state in three days.  On the ferry ride from Dauphin Island to Fort Morgan across the coastal end of Mobile Bay the water was surprisingly calm.  BTW Dauphin was the title given to the eldest son of the king of France from 1350 to 1830, and as such the dauphin was the heir apparent to the French crown. Riders frozen in their paceline positions Hannah and Alison leading an Alabama cheer On the way to the ferry port we saw members of a classic car club parked with their vehicles at a gas station convenient for us to stop for coffee and a snack.  They were getting ready to drive to a state of Alabama Welcome C...

The link to today's route and statistics is found here . Won't you please come swim with me?  (Hee hee, I heard that humans taste like chicken.) Today we rode to Pascagoula.  It is one of the 25 largest seaports in the USA and the largest in Mississippi.  It appears to be a working man’s town, surrounded by tourist towns and bedroom communities. Mississippi's Flagship City Entrance to Pascagoula harbor, looking toward the Gulf of Mexico   A bridge in Jimmy Buffett's home town of Pascagoula, Miss, was dedicated in his honor in 2015. Don't you just love the way he sings Margaritaville? How about singing along? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue2-ZVxpVjc Pascagoula is too good of a town name to not be in a country song.   Ray Stevens is known for his humorous country songs poking fun at the human condition.   You may want to check out on YouTube the tongue-in-cheek song by Ray Stevens called “The Mississippi Squirr...

The link to today's route and statistics is found here . Today we crossed into Mississippi and rode through a beautiful, rural part of the state.  Mississippi claims to be the Birthplace of America’s Music based on Jimmie Rodgers as the father of country music; Elvis Presley, the King of Rock ‘N’ Roll, was born in Tupelo MS; and Charley Patton and Sam House’s interpretations of Delta Blues. Team Swiss entering Mississippi After crossing the Pearl River we were in Mississippi. See the flying cliff swallow that nests under the bridge? Mississippi is the Magnolia State, and here is the flower of the magnolia tree We rode through exquisite rural scenes today.  Mississippi is so lush green and has downright spectacular beauty.  One rider even commented how good the air smelled riding through the trees! Beautiful setting for a Mississippi house in a pastoral setting Pine trees were the most prevalent.  However, where t...

The link to today's route and statistics is found here . Today we had a relatively easy 48 mile ride across rolling hills in the top of the foot and out to the top of the toe of Louisiana.   Hint, look at the shape of the state of Louisiana.   We finished in Bogalusa, within a few miles from the border with the state of Mississippi. One of the principal employers in the city of Bogalusa is the International Paper Company.   Surely many of the logging trucks that chase us down the roads are delivering to International Paper.   Paper plants have their own distinctive aroma.   The smell of the plant in Bogalusa was quite tolerable today as we cycled past. Massive Bogalusa plant where many logging trucks deposit their load Several stopped at a street vendor selling boiled peanuts on the way into Bogalusa.   Boiled peanuts can be purchased plain or Cajun style.   In southeastern states many gas stations have pots of heated boiled pea...