Day Forty-Four
Last night I was gently rocked to sleep by lightning, thunder and rain sheeting against the windows. So calming! Why, because the storm came early, at bedtime, instead of a few hours later, after midnight. It was moving faster than predicted, which means it would be well past me sooner than predicted. Furthermore, the winds following it would be veering to the southwest, which means...tailwind!
Today was looking great before it even started, and I went to sleep last night easily and happily. I awoke before my 6:15 am alarm and stayed ahead of schedule all day. At about 7:00 am, the first airing of last night's interview with Ahniaelyah aired. It was comically short, but it was as I predicted: to get it on the air, it had to be about yesterday's weather. So the "news" about my ride was a) my cross-country ride was another casualty of the storms that have been tormenting Mobile and the Deep South, and b) the weather reporter I most trusted for the information I used to stay safe and stay off the roads was Fox10's very own Michael White! Which is technically true. Michael White of Fox10 was in fact the weather reporter I was watching yesterday, and his reporting was if fact really good. He nailed it and I paid attention. So my interview being converted into an endorsement for Fox10 weather is not something I have any problem with. There was so much other stuff that we discussed in the interview, but the story of the day was the weather, and that's what they ran with. I get it. At least she did say my name, and she said the words "Center for Adventure Leadership" once. As they say, that's not nothing. I did learn later from Ranell that they ran a longer version of the story later in the day, several times, but I was already on the road and didn't see it.
I clocked onto the bike at 7:26 AM. Conditions were already looking great. The air was warm and humid, not hot and sticky, and the clouds were an even layer with about a 3,000-foot, level ceiling. My first stop at about 9 miles was a Waffle House (my go-to now) for breakfast. Like all the other Waffle Houses I've been to, the structure and decor was identical to every Waffle House, and the staff had it's own friendly, efficient vibe. Every WH visit has been different and fun, because somehow their people all seem to be, efficient, friendly, and themselves. It's unlike any chain restaurant I've ever been to. I slugged down about a gallon of coffee and the biggest breakfast on the menu, hopped back on the bike and headed for Dauphin Island.
I didn't dally. There's a ferry to catch and missing it by just a moment would mean an hour and a half wait. I rode due south, into a slight headwind, and kept a deliberate, pushy pace. Alabama is green and lush. The roads are good and the morning traffic was focused and not manic, as is usual in the morning. I never really saw downtown Mobile, just a few building tops to the east as I skirted the city's west flank. South, then with a left turn and few more miles and was riding along the southwest edge of Mobile Bay. Soon I was out of the forest and could see the causeway rise that indicated the western boat channel, with the low lying island on the southern horizon.
There are oil rigs in Mobile Bay. At first I thought they were just anchored, but they are rather evenly spaced across the water and with a quick Google search I learned this is an active, productive oil field. The wells are drilled more than 20,000 feet deep here. Also: pelicans! I got some pictures and video. With the wind from the SW bumping into and lifting over the bridge and causeway, which runs north-south, the pelicans were soaring in ground effect, wings extended with no flapping, low and right along the bridge. Very graceful.
I was getting hungry and thought I would stop at a market on Dauphin Island before pedaling down to the ferry terminal. But I thought I should check the boat schedule, to be sure I had time. It's a good thing I double-checked the schedule. If I stopped in the store, I would miss the ferry. In fact, I needed to hustle. I got to the ferry dock just as it was docking, with five minutes to spare before loading. Eating any real food would have to wait.
The ferry has an open car deck with a narrow superstructure on one side for the elevated wheelhouse. People mostly just stayed in their cars. I of course didn't have one, and it was lucky I was not on this boat yesterday, out in the sheeting rain and strong wind. But today, there was a southwest swell of just 2-3 feet or so, and a steady 15 knot wind from the same direction, so the ferry boat's rocking was in a steady, figure-8 pattern, with no real violence to it. There was enough of a swell, and the deck was low enough to the waterline, that the following sea swell did occasionally flood the aft section of the car deck. Worried? Not at all. Quite a comfortable ride.
After disembarking on the east side near Fort Morgan, I had an open road. On our ferries in Puget Sound, bikes board and leave the ferry before cars. This often means pulling the bike aside once off the ferry to let the dense stream of cars pass. On this boat, I embarked and disembarked last. So by the time I was off the ferry at Fort Morgan, the cars were gone and I headed out onto an open road. All said and done, I don't think getting off the boat last really cost me any time, compared to many Washington State Ferries with their bikes-first process. Of course, this ferry is much smaller. Going last makes sense here but would be really vexing on boats, like in the North West, that carry 100+ cars.
Just like on the approach to Dauphin Island, the ride east along the spit peninsula to Gulf Shores was straight along quiet highway in a peaceful forest, with driveways spurring off in one direction or the other, presumably with homes nearly the respective north or south shores of the spit. Gulf Shores is a typical suburban shopping and services hub, and I stopped for tacos and a chance to charge my camera phone, which had drained fast because I was taking lots of video and had way too many apps open, drawing power.
Beyond Gulf Shores I rolled through Alabama's Gulf State Park and was totally surprised by the development further east. For miles and miles, it was high rise hotels and condos, and all the services and amenities you would expect in a full-blown resort town, which Orange Beach is, and further east, so is Perdido Key. This place is hopping! And thinking about it, of course it would be. The beaches here on this part of the Gulf Coast are smooth and beautiful. Can you imagine if Washington's coast was warm and inviting most of the year? I love our coast but it's good for just hanging around the beach in flip flops and a sarong about 3 days a year. The rest of the time, I'm bundled up, and the ocean water actually gets colder on Washington's coast during summer, not warmer. Here, it is always nice. Too hot for me, but for millions of people in the South, with the Gulf breeze blowing, this place is paradise compared the sweat box climates they live in further inland. Of course this coast would be built up. I had just never given it any thought, until today.
I passed into Florida, got my requisite picture by the state line sign, and reset my sights on today's goal. Oh, not to blow past that: I'm in Florida! My last state of the trip. I can't believe I am saying "wow, that went fast". It didn't go fast! I'm just here now because I got through everything else. The western deserts and Texas seemed interminable. Alabama went fast, though. Into Alabama the day I arrived at Ranell's. Out of Alabama the day I left Ranell's.
Once I crossed the Florida state line, I realized today would be a stretch day. I was feeling good enough, the roads were easy enough, and the wind push strong enough, that I would easily top 100 miles by just staying at it. That would put me all the way to Pensacola, which is of course where I am now.
I have to admit, I haven't given Pensacola much thought either. The navy is here, my favorite part of the navy, in fact, navy aviation. The Blue Angels are stationed in Pensacola. I was expecting a town kind of like Lakewood, near Joint Base Lewis/Mchord in south Pierce County. Kind of run down strip mally, with lots of young guys in low budget show-off cars, not very fast, but modified to be loud and impressive (like they are, right?) so they sound like they may be fast. Okay, there are plenty of those in Pensacola, driven by the same dorky young male meat-heads we see everywhere, but what I did not expect was a classy, well maintained downtown, with a vibrant night life. This city was first settled in 1559. They were chased off by hurricanes and alligators. The "modern" Pensacola was established in 1698 and is the only city in the United States that has endured through five different national governments. Nations come and go. Pensacola endures. Nobody's pushing Pensacola around. The town has outlasted everybody, and it actually has a feel of steady permanence. I've never really felt that in an American city before, not even Boston. I rolled into town late today and I already had this feeling about this place. Established. I started looking into it as I began to write these words, and wow, my impression of the town was sustained by just learning a little bit about it. Pensacola is another one of the places that I am blowing through on this trip and I really want to come back to and spend more time.
Tomorrow, my tailwind strengthens, and the weather stays moderate, right in my cycling comfort sweet spot. I'm confident that I can make Panama City, which is 100+ miles further along the coast. If I get there, this will be my first back-to-back 100+ mile days of the trip. Stay tuned and let's see if I can hold it together or if my wheels fall off.
I’d love to hear from you. Donate to the ride and send along your words of encouragement and tell me why getting kids outside matters to you.
