Cavaliers escape from Angola

You missed such a GREAT ride!

It was only Poncho, William and me. But the weather couldn't have been more wonderful, the ride couldn't have been more awesome, and the Angola Prison Rodeo couldn't have been more fun!

Poncho and William rode on Poncho's Harley tourer and I rode on my Gold Wing. We departed on Sunday, Oct. 13, under blue skies and temperatures of only 76 degrees. It was a bit breezy, but it stayed cool and partly cloudy all day -- just perfect riding weather.

We headed up I-10 and made a brief stop in Baton Rouge, then on up US 61 through St. Francisville, and LA 66 to the Louisiana State Penetentiary at Angola. Hwy 66 is called the Tunica Trace, and it runs through rolling hills. It's a beautiful, well-maintained road, that goes nowhere but the prison.

Guards waved us through the gates, and we were surprised to see the long, beautifully landscaped entry road passing the huge cattle pastures of the Angola prison farm. Prison is undoubtedly an ugly place, but the entrance to Angola is quite picturesque.

There was a reserved parking area right up front for motorcycles, and there must have been hundreds. We saw bikes of every type, and riders of every type, from suburban RUBbies to serious-looking leather-clad biker types. We joked that they were probably at Angola to see some of their buddies.

Poncho, William and I got some of the few remaining tickets, and wandered around. We saw the huge display of inmate arts and crafts, which included many fine art pieces among more crudely crafted items. I really wanted a beautiful cane-back rocker, and saw a few really wonderful paintings. Poncho made a few purchases, including a sketch of Marilyn Monroe and a cool leather koozie emblazoned with the Harley-Davidson logo.

We ate good, too. Blooming onions, pizza, sausage on a stick, and the best damn barbecued cheeseburgers I've had in a long, long time. OK, I'll admit it, they were so yummy and I had two.

We saw several other groups of gay guys touring the crafts and food areas. There was also plenty of eye candy for everyone, from hot uniformed guards to studly cowboys strolling the festival grounds.

Many thanks to Poncho for suggesting a wonderful route home. We headed back to St. Francisville, then turned east on LA 10 through the towns of Jackson, Clinton, and Greensburg. This beautiful highway, named the Zachary Taylor Parkway, undulates through green forests and past beautiful stately homes, with many gentle sweeping curves along the way. Though we hadn't originally planned to go that way, it turned out to be the nicest part of the ride. I-55 took us the rest of the way home, skimming over the swamps past Manchac and LaPlace, making it back to the city by 6 pm.

Our round-trip ride was 295 wonderful miles. I wish more of you could have joined us.

While we had a small turnout for this ride, I'm very reassured because I heard from so many of you before the ride. While everyone had an important reason why they couldn't join us, everyone also said they hoped they could join us on a future ride. We'll be looking for you.