cross country ride Pascagoula to Dauphin Island, AL and recovery day April19 & 20

I stand corrected, this is actually the pitcher plant in bloom, not a trillium sort of flower.

crossing into Alabama from Mississippi, 7 out of 8 states down

Just inside Alabama, an alligator farm- closed on Sundays

fishing boats at Bayou La Batre- Seafood capital of Alabama

Interior decor at Barnacle Bill's restaurant on Dauphin Island

Carol the guide offering a welcome to Alabama Margarita

Pictures from the recovery day on Dauphin Island

a view of the beach from the condo patio

birds at the beach
footsteps in the sand

Bebe, the bike, copying my dead armadillo rest your legs position and having a rest day as well

Yesterday's ride was one of the shortest, flattest rides we have had the entire trip. Linda the cook tried to slow us down some so that the van could get to the beach club condos ahead of us to let us in, but even though breakfast was held back until 8:00, we were all on the road by 8:30 and into Alabama by 9:00. A day off is as good as offering oats to horse, we were all headed to Dauphin Island with the bits in our mouths, ready to play for a day.

The weather was supposed to be rainy and then sunny, but according to Jan, my roommate, the storm was disinclinating as it came so what with headwinds and leaving early, the ride was not rainy. The air however felt very cool and clammy, and all it would have taken is a little bit of a temperature change to kick off the rain.

This was another ride of few cues, mostly longer stretches along straight 2 lane highways slashed through the pines with lots of scattered homes, trailers and deserted and or ruined buildings. Many of the home had boats or swamp boats and small all terrain vehicles parked in front and there were a lot of small narrow bridges over swampland and tidal marsh areas so it was quite apparent how many of the inhabitants of the area make their living. There also several small oil installations and two steam power plants.

At the half way point we passed through Bayou La Batre, the self proclaimed "Seafood Capital of Alabama" and began to see deeper water areas full of fishing boats and seafood processing plants. There were frequently large piles of oyster shells along the sides of the road, and many of the driveways had oyster shell type paving over the red clay soil.

The last 6 miles of the ride were over the Long Bridge, which was 3 miles of causeway leading out across the bay towards Dauphin Island. The road was a 2 lane with little shoulder, and what there was was swamp and march, About halfway across the causeway there was a fishing tackle store on one side and a fishing gear rental place on the other with piers leading out into the tidal flats. Other than those two points of geographical interest, it was just us, the cars and the brown pelicans flying along side of us at eye level.

The last three miles were up and over the High Bridge, built by the Army Core of Engineers and tall enough to let large fishing vessels underneath. We stopped at the top to recover from the steep climb which after several days of riding flat, came as quite a shock to the muscles, and to admire the view towards the Island. For several points along the island, you could trace sets of power and telephone lines marching out from the shoreline and across the bay to the island.

The bridge descended onto the island right at the edge of the town, and a restaurant called Barnacle Bills that had been suggested for lunch. At first we thought everyone else had ridden on until we got up close and noticed that the entry way was packed with bicycles. Eventually all of the riders ended up there for lunch, and by that time the van and trailer got there, everyone was eating and being social. The poor waitress was very busy but so sweet and patient as we all tried to figure out what we wanted and who needed extra plates so they could share. Even the other patrons were gracious enough with us all being silly and excited at having the rest of the afternoon to rest, explore and enjoy as well as another day free.

We are staying in several beach front condos, which means that we will actually be in groups rather than as pairs in separate motel rooms. It should make an interesting change of pace. The island is only three miles long and about a mile wide, so food opportunities, the museuam and the audobon bird sanctuary are all within easy riding or walking distance.

My plans for the day off include getting my laundry done, which should be easy since each condo has a washing machine and dryer, cleaning my bike and lubbing it, walking on the beach and just resting up. My body is at the point where I cannot quite recover totally on a daily basis so I intend to apply the "don't ride, if you can stand, don't stand if you can sit, don't sit if you can lie down philosophy and really try to get rested up. We have done almost 2500 miles at this point, but still have about 500 miles and another 9 riding days, including on 97 mile day to go before we get to dip our wheels into the Atlantic Ocean to make it official that we have ridden coast to coast. Even now, the excitement is mounting, along with the sense of incredulity.