Easy Rider II, Day 48, May 9, 2022

 

I have always been under the impression that Florida was perfectly flat.

But today I learned that was not the case the hard way, as I climbed 1,357 feet through a series of rollers during my 61-mile ride from Gulf Shores AL to Milton FL.

The bike path linking Gulf Shores to Orange Beach runs through Gulf State Park and was very nice. The turns were not well marked, however, and I got off-route briefly.

After I emerged from the bike path, a warm and humid headwind forced me to fight my way into Florida, my eighth and final state for this tour.

The weather is supposed to be pleasant for the next six days. So I am hoping to be able to wrap this tour up within that week.

I found a reasonably priced room at Milton’s Regency Inn, got a half sandwich and large salad for dinner at the Firehouse Subs next door, and hit the sack.

Eat, sleep and ride.

DM: 60.9; TM: 2,607.9; 6:47 rdg time; 8.9 mph avg; 1,357 ft climbing

Alabama condo

Alabama condos

Ahoy, mateys!

Oleander, pretty but toxic

I-10 from Hwy 60

Easy Rider II, Day 47, May 8, 2022

 

This morning, I crossed into Alabama, the seventh state for this tour, and expect to be in Florida, this adventure’s eighth and final state, tomorrow. 

I had been contemplating doing a short day today, stopping in Dauphin Island for the night.

But when I arrived at 1:45 pm, the ferry that crosses the mouth of Mobile Bay was just arriving.

So I pedaled on board and then rode another 20 miles on the other side of the bay to the town of Gulf Shores.

In Gulf Shores, I found a motel for $100. This was $40 more than Gulf State Park wanted for a campsite. But for that extra $40, I got my own room/restroom/shower, and the motel was conveniently located across the street from a large grocery store with a good deli. It’s also right on the route. So this to me was a far better deal.

DM: 66.4; TM: 2,547; 6:39 hrs rdg; 10.6 mph avg; 470 ft climbing

Quality Inn hallway, reminded me of The Shining

Home, sweet, home for the night

Easy Rider, Day 46, May 7, 2022

 

I spent much of today cruising the Mississippi beaches along the Gulf of Mexico.The sand was white, the beaches were clean, and the sunshine was so intense and bright that it made my eyes ache even though I was wearing transition lenses.

I have heard that the campground at Gulf State Park near Gulf Shores AL, where I plan to be tomorrow night, is particularly scenic. Alas, I just got off the phone with a park representative who told me that the only sites she has available are $60.

To me that’s just too much to pay for a spot to pitch a tent.

Of course, the semi-decent hotels along the beaches are at least $125. So what’s a feller on a budget to do?

I’m thinking that I may just motel it all the way through Florida now, and step up my daily mileage to get ‘er done as quickly as possible.

The Hilton Garden Inn in Pascagoula, where I am staying tonight, is very nice. The staffers are courteous and kind. The bar was open for dinner, so I got an OK burger there.

DM: 55.7; TM: 2,480.6; 6:20 hrs rdg; 483 ft climbing

Easy Rider, Day 45, May 6, 2022

 

Our KOA campsite

We took a real pounding from the rain last night and into this morning. It didn’t stop until 10:30 am or so, and I was concerned that by starting so late that I might not be able to make it to the $90 Motel 6 in Bay City St. Louis MS before dark.

True, I could have done a super short day and have gotten a motel in the Big Easy. But rooms there were priced even higher than usual ($300 for the New Orleans Motel 6) today because the city’s Jazz festival is underway and rooms are priced at a premium.

Fortunately, the prospect of getting benighted empowered me, and I got to Bay St. Louis by 6:30 pm, averaging 12 mph over the 77.8 miles, record time for this aging hombre.

It rained so hard last night that all my gear got soaked, and it’s drying in my room tonight.

It could have been worse. A German motorcyclist, who was camped a couple of sites away from ours, was flooded inside his tent under six inches of water.

Today I said adios to Dave when we went our separate ways in the Big Easy’s French Quarter.  

The Motel 6 was OK for the price, and it was conveniently located across the street from a Waffle House. But the motel’s water had a brownish color to it. It actually smelled like sewage and tasted funky.

In the morning, the manager gave me one bottle of drinking water after I asked about it. I bought more water later to refill my bike bottles.

DM: 77.8 miles; TM: 2,422.9

Soaked 

Big Easy

Easy Rider II, Day 44, May 5, 2022

Historic Houmas House mansion

 What do you get when you mix the smell of benzene with plantation homes, oil refineries, chemical plants, humid heat and a prodigious headwind?

Pretty much what we got in our 78.4-mile ride to the River Ridge KOA just west of New Orleans today.

One lesson I learned the hard way: There are not a lot of places to refill water bottles on some of these bicycle routes. I pretty much ran out early in the afternoon. There’s plenty of water in the river but not potable. 

I was so thirsty when we arrived at the KOA this evening that I drank two cans of Yahoo, a can of root beer, a 20-ounce bottle of Powerade, and a bottle of orange juice and another of apple juice.

The KOA is great, thank goodness.

I love the campsite, the showers and the laundry room/clubhouse.

And that’s a good thing because that’s where we may have to stay later tonight if the thunderstorms forecast for this evening through noon tomorrow blow our tents into the nearby Mississippi River.

I have been planning to ride through New Orleans into Mississippi tomorrow. But now I’ll have to wait until morning to see what the weather is doing before coming up with a plan.

DM: 78.4; TM: 2,345.1; 7:42 hrs rdg; 10.2 mph avg; 588 ft climbing

Easy Rider II, Day 43, May 4, 2022

Mississippi River through Baton Rouge

 Dave and I got off to a later-than-anticipated start today, waiting for the fog to burn off.

After it lifted, it turned into a hot, humid day for the unattractive urban riding through the Baton Rouge metro area.

Along the way into town, we crossed the Mississippi River and passed by  many miles of chemical plants and oil refineries.

Although this northern part of the Baton Rouge metro area is hard to love, downtown is tidy and attractive.

We also liked the city’s riverfront cycling trail.

Tonight we’re staying in a grassy spot behind the Iberville/St. Gabriel Fire Station.

We were thankful for the spot but it was a bit too bare-bones for me because there were no stores or restaurants within walking distance and not even access to a bathroom during the night.

DM: 60.1; TM: 2,266.7; 5:51 hrs riding; 10 mph avg; 662 ft. climbing.

John Jay Audubon Bridge across Mississippi River

Mississippi River

Lots of chemical plans and oil refineries

Baton Rouge bike trail

Campsite behind fire station