Day 31. Covington, LA

We (Tim and I on bikes and our support Team of Lynn and Linda in vehicles) rolled into Covington, LA today, the home of LOPA, the Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency, and Super TOT Supporter Lori Steele.

Lori helped us out immensely on TOT 1.0 when we arrived into Natchitoches back in the spring of 2021, when Hugh and I met the 2nd time. Me, down a kidney and Hugh, up a kidney.

Lori wasn’t present at the LOPA office as she was in Baton Rouge doing an event, releasing butterflies with donor families in honor of their donor HEROS.

Random pics and video from today.

Before leaving Covington Lynn found a neat ice cream place on Main Street. When I finished my cone I walked down to Roy’s Knife and Archery shop.

Roy was standing in his doorway, eyeing up our car parked directly across from his store. I asked him about it and when he took his eyes off of the car and onto me and my jersey (now spotted with melted chocolate ice cream) he said “I saw you on TV, last night and this morning. The kidney guy, right?”

Yes, Sir.

It was gratifying that stations 8 and 4 in NOLA were still playing the clips.

Roy then proceeded to tell me of a good friend of his that is a kidney recipient, another that recently died from kidney failure, and a 3rd that was having kidney trouble and was setting up for dialysis.

I gave him a number of Organ Trail cards and he said he’d give one to his nurse practitioner daughter as well.

We had a great chat and Roy warned me about traffic and I purchased one of his wood carvings. He carves in the Scandinavian style, and I told him of the carving that was given to me by the father of a Finnish young man I was working with back in the early 90’s on a trip I took to Finland.

A super fun guy to talk with.