Day 11: Biloxi Mississippi; 45 miles

We started our day going for a southern breakfast. Sharon had grits along with a biscuit and Ron had biscuits and gravy. The biscuits are delicious--we don't want to know how many saturated fat's are in that recipe!  We chatted with a table full of men--they were very entertaining.  

We started riding when it was daylight enough and reached our new state of Mississippi.

We have been in communication with some friends from Salem (Pam and Gary Ray) Who are full-time RVing. They were in the area driving east as we were riding West.  We had lunch together and a short but nice visit.

We then continued riding about 10 miles into Biloxi Mississippi.  They are celebrating Mardi Gras in this area with the big parade tomorrow. We have decided not to go into New Orleans. Several people told us it would not be smart on bicycles during Mardi Gras. So we are going to take a rest day tomorrow and stay and watch the parade here.

Day 10: Bayou La Batre 56 miles

This was another great day for bike riding. Since we went to bed at 8:30 we got up at 6 o'clock & actually left before it was quite daylight. By the time we were finished with breakfast at the waffle house we took off. We were trying to get ahead of the wind and peddled fast and hard.  We Made very good time for about 7 miles until we saw the dead end sign. Ended up going about 14 miles out of our way.

 But the wind was at our backs the rest of the day. During the ferry ride we had a beautiful view of the bay with the oil/natural gas wells. We were told the water is only about 10 feet deep except for the boat channels that they dredge every day.

We had to wait about 45 minutes for the ferry and the ferry ride was 30 minutes. So we were hungry when we landed. We found a great bakery and had a hoagie and a pastry that Ron said was one of the best he has ever had!

The ride after the ferry was nice and included a bridge that was 4 miles long. 

It is Mardi Gras season & there are bead necklaces all along the road. For the last 10 miles we decided to stop and pick those up--our bikes are now decorated for the event!

Tomorrow we will head to Biloxi Mississippi. Friends of ours from Salem who now full-time RV are there now and we hope to meet up with them. We still plan to go to New Orleans but we will be there after Mardi Gras.

Day 9: Gulf Shores Alabama 33 miles

This was a short day in miles but a long day in effort. We rode along the gulf most of the day with very strong headwind. We were often going only 5 to 7 mph (compared to our usual of 12 mph or so). 

The gulf has white sand beaches. Many places the beaches cannot be seen because of the huge condominiums. We met a young Canadian woman cycling solo to New Orleans from Jacksonville. She rode with us for several miles it gets lonely when you're riding solo.

We are now in Alabama. We have now ridden over 500 miles and still have had only one flat tire. Praise the Lord!

We are staying at the best Western in Gulf Shores. What a view!

Tomorrow include a ferry ride and our goal is Bayou La Batre. We hope the wind has died down.

Day 8: Pensacola Florida 57 miles

The temperature was cold this morning 28° when we started. Had breakfast at McDonald's and sat at a table with two local retired men and had a nice chat. 11 AM it was 44° so we were shedding clothes gradually all day.

We rode on the brick road for a while but it was quite bumpy.

We reached Pensacola about noon. But it took us over an hour to find a motel. It is quite a confusing downtown. Staying at a Marriott so it is nice; there were not many choices since they have a Mardi Gras parade tonight in town.

24 miles from the Florida border. Will stay in Gulf Shores Alabama tomorrow.

Day 7: Crestview Florida 68 miles

The weather continues to be good so we keep on pedaling.  There was no risk of taking a wrong turn today since we stayed on highway 90. Is mostly a 2 Lane Hwy with a good shoulder.

We enjoyed looking at signs. Some of the names are very interesting.

we had our second breakfast at a convenience store.  we bought coffee and eight from our "stash".

We had pizza and salad for lunch and then later stopped at a roadside stand for a treat. They advertised fresh pie. The two choices they had were sweet potato pie and Kool-Aid pie. You could only buy the whole pies so We had to pass. We did have a cup of their homemade chocolate ice cream.

Last night we rode over 2 miles out of our way to get a motel by the I-10. That adds up to over 4 miles off route. tonight we are staying in a cheap motel on route.

It is predicted to be 26° here tomorrow morning!! It does warm up fast (high of 56). Our route takes us to Pensacola Florida tomorrow. That will probably be our last day in Florida.

Day 6: Chipley, Florida 73 miles

We slept well last night in a featherbed. B and B breakfast was a with homemade granola and scones.

The weather was low 30s when we started riding at 7:30. Praise the Lord there was no wind and no rain. The temperature gradually improved and it was beautiful riding weather.

We hit a glitch in Chattahoochee when we missed a turn. Even in looking at the map afterwards it did not look clear. We flagged down a driver for directions and the woman said "hey sugar what do you need?" We had to backtrack--
That cost us about five extra miles.

We made up for the time we lost because we changed time zones. Not as easy to make up for the energy used.

We legitimately could take a rest day,however, we want to keep riding while the weather is so nice.

After eating lunch a couple of guys asked Ron if he was Lance Armstrong --we are not sure if they were serious ha ha.

Sometimes our calories need to come in the form of milkshakes.

You're staying at a Quality Inn. All the hotels were about 2 miles or more off route near the freeway. We are doing laundry which is a very big treat!

We tried to find a full service 

dinner option but there was none in walking distance so we had Wendy's with chili and baked potato.

Day 5: Quincy Florida 45 miles

 Our day started with a B and B breakfast.  It was a little on the light side so we needed to stop 20 miles for bagels. 

We chose to stay on highway 90 rather than take a 20+ mile detour for a bike route. We regretted that decision slightly when we hit some road construction.  The route was hilly and the weather was windy. Of course that wind was a headwind. Temperature was 46 but with the windchill was cooler. 

We rode through Tallahassee which is the capital of Florida and passed the Florida State campus.

We decided to stop here in Quincy because of the wind. Also the next town was 21 miles and the hotel had very bad reviews. We are again in a B and B. This one was built in 1843. It has been lovingly maintained.

The house was built for the 6th governor of Florida. There is also a notebook in the lobby that verifies the house is haunted.

The only restaurant in walking distance was Hardees. 

Tomorrow we will go at least  to Marianna but possibly further if the wind is not an issue.