Waveland, MS

We are at a place in our journey where I needed to figure out the best way to get to and through New Orleans. The problem was that the ideal spot to stop for the night would have been Pearlington, but it is a community that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina and has never fully recovered. So, it seemed better to divide the distance in half, breeze through the Big Easy in one day, and get to the other side. That’s what we decided to do. Another factor was that I’d face some headwind today and even more tomorrow. It seemed like the perfect time to take a break. We decided to stop in Waveland tonight, take a day off, ride to the northeast corner of New Orleans on Friday, and then pass through the city on Saturday.

I wheeled out of the casino parking lot around 7:30 AM, heading along the Gulf of Mexico. After today, we’d see very little of it as we move further inland. I rode along the beach for about 7 miles on a nice concrete pathway before turning off and continuing on less busy streets through Gulfport and then into Long Beach. I received a text from Dana saying she had found a coffee shop called Bankhouse Coffee and thought it was really nice. She invited me to join her, and of course, I did! The coffee shop, located in an old bank that had been converted into a café, was absolutely delightful. We enjoyed our drinks, and I had a sandwich before heading out for the last 18 miles of the day.

I continued through more residential streets, which were peaceful and enjoyable. I then crossed a bay on a relatively long bridge. As I started up the bridge, I noticed there was a bike path on the other side. Unfortunately, it was too late to turn around and use it, so I just powered through on the wide shoulder. At the end of the bridge, I turned south, riding directly into a 16 mph headwind. Thankfully, it was only about 5 miles before I turned off and headed north to the parking lot where Dana was waiting for me.

Later, Dana texted to say she was shopping and would return after a while. I cleaned up, got something to eat, and lay down to rest. She came back about half an hour later with an odd look on her face. She had been shopping at Goodwill when she saw a really tall woman. After some time, Dana approached her and asked if she could ask how tall she was. (My first thought was, You did? That’s not something she usually does!). That question sparked a conversation, and the woman invited us to park our bus at their place for the night so we could talk more. It turns out that Heidi, the woman Dana met, is 6'7" but used to be 6'8" (before having six kids). She was listed as 6'10" when wearing tennis shoes. Dana asked her if she played basketball, and indeed she had—for Vanderbilt University! Heidi went to the Final Four, won the Naismith Award, and still holds records at the university.

We headed over to spend the evening with Heidi and her family. I’m the tallest person in my family, which isn’t saying much, but I’ve never felt so small! You’ll just have to see the photo to believe it. Their tallest son is 7'0", and at least two of them are 6'10". Even the 14-year-old is almost 6'8". I brought my recording equipment to do a podcast conversation with Heidi tomorrow, which should be really interesting. That episode should drop in the next several weeks. They live on a fairly large property with horses, cattle, and chickens, oh my!

What a day! In our conversations this evening, we discovered many differences, but also so many things in common. How many of these opportunities for connection do we miss because we’re too busy or too afraid to start a conversation about something as simple as height?

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