Day 48, Dauphin Island, AL to Pensacola, FL

Despite wanting to relax in the nice hotel room, we left by 7:00 am and had a Subway breakfast sandwich on the way up to the ferry. Low 40's with an east wind about 10 mph. Of course we are riding due east all day into the wind. 

The water tower saying "Welcome to Dauphin Island" is on the entrance road from the mainland bridge. 

The ferry "Fort Morgan" is waiting for the crew to board us. 

I was trying to imagine how they would load the ferry on a low tide since the apron is short and there is no moveable bridge as Washington State Ferries have. I checked my tide app and saw it is in fact a minus low tide! The tidal range today is about 1 foot, much different than a 9 to 12 foot minus tide range I am used to. 

Just before departure. 

Seven vehicle spaces on this trip. It will carry 18 vehicles according to the sign on shore. 

This ferry is a double ender. The other is a single ender with a back-in landing on the east side dock. 

None to see today. They may be waiting out the cold weather. 

We used this beautiful bike path through Gulf State Park between Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. 

After lunch at a good BBQ place we stopped at Infinity Cycles in Orange Beach. Jim got his second replacement rear tire and I got a new drive chain. I put my chain on right there, Jim replaced his tire at our warm showers stay in Pensacola. 

View from the first bridge on the route over Bayou St John. 

The last state on the route!

From the bridge over the entrance to Perdido Bay west of Pensacola. 

Our host showed me the chapel of the First United Methodist Church built in 1908. The pipe organ has 4000 pipes. 

This window is insured for a million dollars. 

Jeb's office (our host) in one of the administrative buildings. He rode the 4200 mile Trans America route last year. He convinced his church to host warm showers and we are grateful for the wonderful hospitality and for the facility to use!

64 miles today

Day 47, Vancleave, MS to Dauphin Island, AL

It gets lighter sooner as we go east. That will change after the eastern time zone but that is a few days away. 

We were given a tip about the breakfast lunch spot otherwise we wouldn't have known it was a restaurant. Since it's close to the RV Park we ate lunch here yesterday and breakfast this morning. It was 35 degrees but sunny. We had to head right into the cold north wind first thing. When we turned east the wind shifted to the north east. Luckily it wasn't blowing to hard. 

With all the rain, this area between rivers was flooded on both sides of the road clear out as far into the woods as you could see. 

We entered Alabama before we hit another town. One state left!

Reaching the cutoff point for using the ferry or going through mobile. We headed south for the ferry crossing tomorrow. 

We waited for this drawbridge in Bayou La Batre. It is actually the first gulf salt water we've seen. 

We crossed several inlets from the gulf. This one had a small shipyard. 

The old bridge was left in place here but with no road on either side. 

Coming into Alabama Port we took the bridge to Dauphin Island. 

This is looking toward Dauphin Island from the high point of the bridge 

Here we are looking back toward Alabama Port. 

This is the ferry terminal we'll use tomorrow. 

This is the second ferry that is currently tied up. 

This is the running ferry making a landing. It should cost us $5.00 each. We stopped by the ferry trying to decide on accommodations when Katie and Rudy stopped to talk to us. They were southern tier riders heading west. We traded info for awhile and they wound up next to us at the hotel. 

Historic Fort Gaines (1821) guarding the western entrance to Mobile Bay. 

Our place for the night. We wanted to camp at the campground on the other end of the island. Jim had called the campground yesterday and was told we could both camp for $25.60, today that was the price for each of us. One tent per campsite was the rule and they wouldn't bend even though it made no sense. We paid $76 for the motel rather than give the camp ground $51.20 to pitch tents. 

Pelican on pole next to the hotel 

74 miles today. 

Day 46, MS, Weather day in Vancleave

The rain and wind started about 9:00 last night and hasn't let up. The forecast is ugly and we elected to sit out a day here. Even with a roof over us it will be an ordeal spending a day here. From a high this morning of 52 the temp will steadily drop to 31 tonight. Tomorrow will be cold but hopefully no rain. 

The RV Park manager and son were working on the son's truck brakes on this cement area yesterday. There were a couple spots of spilled brake fluid and who knows what on the cement that got washed into the pool with the rain. No one will be swimming there anyway until summer. 

The Poticaw River has a lot more current this morning. I walked across the foot bridge last night. It reminded me of Mexico in that personal safety is up to the individual, not warning signs and caution tape. The foot bridge is sketchy. 

Jim reading in the cold at 9:30 am. It's a good thing he has another book so I can have his old one. 

Day 45, MS, Poplarville to Vancleave

Nobody working at the RV Park showed up the whole time we've been here so we left our $20 in the unlocked office on the way out. We stopped at nearby Subway for breakfast and a sandwich to go. Looking at the ACA map there may not be anything available for lunch on today's route. It turned out there was a convenience store in McHenry on hwy 49. We weren't supposed to go through McHenry but it cut a few miles off of a long day and was a nice back road. 

A fire station/picnic area in the middle of nothing. We took a short hydration break here. 

Following the map, we turned onto a back road, went less than a mile and saw a road closed sign with barricades. No warning when we turned onto the road about detours or closures. Mississippi is pretty stingy with road signage of any kind. Being the outlaw cyclists that we are we just went around the barricade and were on our way. 

To paraphrase the Eagles; you can always park but you can't always leave. Not sure what the motivation was to drive off the road on a straight stretch with nothing nearby.

The old train station in the town of McHenry. 

Noontime lunch spot. Pretty pleasant day, aside from the high humidity. 

Once again the RV Park for the night has a covered deck area we can stay out of the dew or rain. The forecast for tomorrow is cold and wet. At least we'll start off dry here.

I noticed this pollen on my shirt from today's ride. It most likely is from the pine trees we've been riding through all day. 

I still haven't seen a gator. We were getting directions from a Community College Student in Poplarville yesterday and I asked him if I was going to see any gators. He said, "probably not in downtown Poplarville". Apparently I should've been more specific. 

73 miles today. 

Day 44, Franklinton, LA to Poplarville, MS

Just

Breakfast here at Don Juan's near the motel. 

We had to go back into town for Jim to pick up his spare tent poles that Carolyn mailed to the post office here. 

Heading south out of town we hit a local hwy that was pretty and had little traffic. 

I loved these "furry" trees. 

Roadside weeds blooming in late February. Not something you see in Ohio yet. 

Some areas have really red dirt. 

Last stop in Louisiana is Bogalusa. We stopped in Bogalusa to pick up a Subway sandwich for eating on the road later. 

Just outside of Bogalusa, across the Pearl River, we entered Mississippi. We were on hwy 26 which was horrible for bikes. The ACA route turned off onto back roads as soon as possible. It will add about 5 miles to the trip to Poplarville but it's well worth it. 

Pretty scenery and little traffic again. 

We ate our sandwich here. Jim found an anthill during lunch and wasn't pleased when they swarmed onto his shoes and legs. 

We traveled a series of back roads on the 20 miles to Poplarville, some of which were single lane. We'll take bumpy over traffic with no shoulder any day. 

Poplarville's courthouse. 

Our home for the night; Haas Cienda RV Park on the edge of town. 

We elected to sleep under the roof of a stage/shed away from the main facility. 

53 miles today. Mostly sunny and warm.