Normal route by that empty barn (Blackham complex)?
Her friend, AS and sister CS were on Passe Patout or Good Morning Acadiana and this is the route they gave as her usual:
Ryan to Parkside to St. Mary to St. Landry, down to Frat. Row to get to the new bike path connecting to Congress and takes Congress down to Guilbeau to take a back neighborhood off of Congress to Bonair OR took Congress all the way down to Ambassador and take a left on Ambassador to her street.
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I am not a bicyclist. I have only taken my bike to and from work in Lafayette (Strip area to around BK) when I was in college. I wasn't very used to riding around a city so I just picked a route I knew was free from obstruction so I wouldn't have to go on the street. I also would have my DH pick me up when I got off after dark.
So as for myself, I can't really guess why she took a certain route. Also I can say that being a paranoid person, a lot of those places I would have avoided on a bike or on foot at night.
Also I remembered rollerblading downtown with my BF at the time (now DH) during the middle of the night and we would be approached several times by people looking for money or what have you. I thought I remembered my DH rollerblading by himself as well but he said he never would have that late at night.
Not to say it's Mickey's fault... OF COURSE NOT. I just can't guess which way based on safety reasons she might have picked because I'm not an avid cyclist and we have different levels of fear.
BTW, I do remember doing things that I wouldn't do now such as walking to a night class alone.