Vancleave MS to Daphne AL
May 20, 2015
66 miles
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| No special welcome sign here |
We were refreshed and felt accomplished after yesterdays no rain ride. Another stateline crossing and a relatively short ride day (at least in miles). The unknown variables that riding in city traffic can bring, could take longer to cover than the miles indicate. We have wasted no time hitting the road as early as possible. The constant threat of thunderstorms by 2 or 3 in the afternoon have reaffirmed our early morning routine again and again. Royce shot forward pass the Alabama stateline and then rode back to me. We had an early lunch and then we rode into Mobile together. Royce was able to make a loop out of his ride, instead of his standard out and back. Traffic began to increase on the outskirts of town and I thought riding through the heart of Mobile could get interesting. Mobile did not seem to have a lot of use for bicycles on the road. The drivers were not as courteous as MS or LA. In those states they would slow and move over for you. Already we had drivers honking horns at us and not wanting to give us an inch. I had noted that Mobile has a University. Usually where there is a college, there are lots of bicycles and bicycle lanes. That was not the case here. It took every bit of awareness that I had to navigate through Mobile. Looking left,right,forward and checking my mirror constantly to see what was going on behind me. I rode with purpose and for survival. I just wanted out of the crazy traffic. As I neared the waterfront the traffic diminished significantly. My route took me along an industrial route that had a much more limited use. I navigated over the Bay Bridge and then along the Old Spanish Trail Rd.The Old Spanish Trail Rd was a peninsula in the bay. At the beginning of the rd is the USS Alabama Memorial Exhibit. This is home not only to the USS Alabama, but several aircraft are also on display there. My final destination as Daphne and it was a pleasant ride from this point on into Daphne. I got into Daphne early enough that we were able to go out to lunch at a nearby restaurant called Boudreauxs Cajun Grill. They had a gluten free menu, which was nice for us. The biggest treat was the gluten free brownie. Normally Royce and I would share a dessert. Not today I wanted my own.....and I ate the whole thing!! We had shared our Across America by bike story with the waitress. She was great to talk to and lived in Mobile. She confirmed my observation of the crazy drivers there. She said there is no good form of public transportation, thus everyone drives. She had shared our story with one of the owners. He came over to talk to us for a bit. The greatest surprise was that they gave us our dessert for free. We enjoyed Daphne AL. The pace there was much slower and kinder.
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| Ruby with the USS Alabama in the background |
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| Yummy Gluten Free Brownie |
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