1999-11-12 There's not too much to report today. I left New Orleans around 9 am. Informed that of the two bridges crossing the Mississippi in New Orleans, one was interstate and the other was a death trap, I took a ferry across. From there I proceeded down 90. Now yesterday, by the time I had reached New Orleans, my right knee was hurting pretty bad. I think I just pushed too hard all day. Indeed, I didn't take over a 10 minute break the entire day. After a night of rest, it seemed okay. Well, today, my knee started off sore and got progressively worse. By the time I was 10 miles short of Raceland I couldn't peddle with my right leg anymore. My left leg was fine. So I found a really great campsite way off the road to rest at. Then I got kicked out, so I guess it wasn't that great. There really aren't too many places to camp around here, so I peddled most of the way to Raceland with one leg--literally. My right leg was proped up on my rear pannier. People passing probably thought I was training for the special olympics. Anyway, it's good to know that I can still move with only one leg. I probably could have used it, but I don't know what's wrong with it, so I didn't want to add to much stress. When it got dark, I got off my bike and walked the rest of the way. Walking didn't hurt at all, although I'm sure it didn't help. I found a hotel. It is a real rat trap, but I guess it'll allow me some rest, for my knee that is. I just hope my knee gets healed up quick, because the rest of my body is finally to a place where I could push it all day long, although from now on I'll be sure to take breaks whethere I think I need them or not. This probably wouldn't have happened had I taken that full 7th day off like I had planned. So does anybody know what might cause just one knee to get really sore? And that only when peddling? I haven't hit or twisted it lately. I have felt it in the past after hard biking, but never this bad. I don't know much about sport injuries. Concerning that alligator the other day, my grampa wrote: --------- What that one was saying when he hissed is, "Stay away or I might attack you!" It lists three possible alternatives you can expect after hissing. 1) An attack where the alligator is bluffing, 2) An actual attack, or 3) a rapid departure, preferably to water. They can move faster than a racehorse for short distances, often attack and eat pets, and not so frequently, but often enough, attack humans. There have been 129 attacks reported over the last, I believe, 10 or 15 years. Only six or seven resulted in fatalities. At any rate, would probably be prudent to just hiss back, from the other side of the road, and keep pedaling!! --------- I knew some of that already, but I just had to play with it anyway. I guess if I were smart, I wouldn't be out here in the first place. And it was just a little guy.