Today’s guest blogger is Walter Ginn
Yes, tonight our home is Dauphin Island, Alabama, across the bay from Mobile, Alabama. You know that you are in Alabama with all of the University of Alabama flags and license plates, as well as a lesser number of Auburn (my father-in-law’s alma mater) flags.
This morning we left our lovely house in Gulfport, Mississippi. The house has been completely rebuilt after Katrina. Although the house is a block away from the Gulf, it has a perfect view of the Gulf because at least 90% of the homes in the first block were destroyed by Katrina and have not been rebuilt. That first block now only consists of concrete foundations. As we rode in and then out of Gulfport, on our right were the beautiful white beaches of the Mississippi coast. However, the cleanup crews continue to comb the beach for tar balls from the Gulf oil spill. One of the very positive economic signs for the area is that we saw a number of shrimp boats heading out last night to catch some wonderful Gulf shrimp.
Today’s ride was a long one (the third straight 78+ mile ride) starting with the Gulf resort towns of Gulfport and Biloxi (both havens for the casinos, many of which were destroyed or heavily damaged by Katrina and some of which are being rebuilt). For the entire first 14 miles of beachfront from Gulfport through Biloxi, the first block of homes are gone and are now being replaced by Waffle Houses and other commercial buildings. After leaving Biloxi, we went over our first of several bay bridges and ended up on a delightful road, called Old Spanish Trails, although there is nothing old, Spanish or trail about the road; however, it was a nice respite from the busy Route 90. After passing through Pascagoula, a large shipbuilding city, we moved back into rural Mississippi (Chris and I saw our first alligator just before meeting the rest of the group at the Alabama state line for lunch). After lunch, we met three delightful young women from Augusta, Maine and Boston who were cycling from Augusta, Maine to New Orleans, camping most of the time. After riding through a good segment of the Alabama bayou country, today’s journey ended with a beautiful ride across the 3.5 mile causeway dropping us on Dauphin Island. We are staying in a beautiful beach home at the far end of the island right on the beach. Appropriately dressed, Curt and Peter intended to take a dip in the Gulf of Mexico until they discovered the water temperature was below their acceptable level.
I’m a veteran of several Backroads bike trips where organization and strong support are two foundational principles. On our trip, the organization is provided by Peter Conway and Carl Tippit, and the support is being provided by Curt Johnson, at least for 2 weeks. It is highly unlikely that Backroads could ever out organize Peter and Carl or out support Curt. As a result, the routes each day are meticulously planned, the accommodations are carefully selected for location and cost, no one gets lost, and Curt is ready with a smile, water and lots of goodies every 15 miles.
http://www.mapmyride.com/route/us/ca/san%20diego/197128943453182483
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