Day 5: Monday

Dst: 58.45 mi
Avg: 13.5 mph
Mx: 29.1 mph
Tm: 4:18:11

My day began, as usual, with prayer and Mass.  We walked over to a Waffle House for breakfast.  I’m not so impressed with Waffle House food, but everyone was friendly enough.  Our waitress kept calling everyone “baby” or “honey,” which was just too stereotypical for a waitress in a diner.

The morning started out okay, like the previous days: 50s, cloudy.  When we rolled out, east on highway 90, I stopped at a Vietnam veteran memorial in town.  As I was inspecting a torpedo, some photos of veterans, etc., it started to rain so I got back on the road.

The first part of our ride was along highway 90 for about 30 miles to Grand Bay.  The traffic was heavy for those 30 miles.  We had a good shoulder, but some time after we crossed into Alabama the roads got more narrow.  I was happy to get to Grand Bay, where I stopped at a gas station for lunch and to dry off.  Jesse met me there and we waited a while for the rain to stop.  The radar said it would, and it eventually did.

Being back onto the ACA route (we rejoined it in Grand Bay, the traffic was lighter.  Before long we arrived in Bayou La Batre.  Some homes along this route weren’t so welcoming (like these no trespassing signs).

Bayou La Batre: I saw another drawbridge, a Catholic Church (locked, unfortunately), a Bible Church, some shipbuilding or salvaging (not sure which), some boats.  We are on the Gulf Coast, for sure.

At Alabama Port, where we turned south, I stopped at Bayfront Park, which offered a great view of the foggy, gloomy Mobile Bay.  Just a way north of here is Mobile, AL.

Next, I rode south on highway 193 to Dauphin Island, a nice and smooth ride with a tailwind and a TALL (more than 80 feet of clearance beneath it!) bridge. Here's the view from the top, and on the downward coast to the island.

Dauphin Island is a barrier island, only 1.5 miles across at its widest point.  It’s about 8 miles long (or at least 8 miles of it have been developed).  You can see the water on both sides from many spots along the island.  From the beach, looking out at the Gulf of Mexico, quite a few offshore oil rigs are visible (and audible).

The houses here, most of them, are on stilts.  It’s now a tourist town, though it apparently has quite a military history.  Right now, the place is like a ghost town.  When walking around we encountered a few fellow bicycle tourists. Sadly, I didn't jot down their names. We did find a restaurant where Jesse enjoyed shrimp and I enjoyed tilapia (which I was sad to discover may be from freshwater, and not the gulf!  But it was tasty anyway).

Now we’re relaxing in the Gulf Breeze Motel, trying to dry out our stuff.

Tomorrow, we’re crossing into Florida already.