Day 28: Bayou La Batre, AL to Pensacola, FL

Goodbye Alabama, Hello Florida!


Distance: 84 mi (135 km)
Cumulative Distance: 2,476 mi (3,985 m)
Average Speed: 17.8 mph (28.6 kph)
Climb: 2,655 ft (809 m)
Cumulative Climb: 123,097 ft (37,520 m)
Flats: 0
Cumulative Flats: 16

As we left Bayou La Batre this morning the terrain was like Low Country South Carolina, lots of marshes, rivers, and bridges, big and small.

 We went 20 miles to our second ferry ride of the trip, across Mobile Bay. Since the ferry only runs every 90 minutes we got there plenty early and enjoyed a cup of coffee while waiting for the ferry.

On the ferry we met a couple we’d seen on the road yesterday from Aspen, Colorado travelingfrom Louisiana to Savanah. We also had our first encounter with a couple of women from a group of 22 women doing the same route as us, organized by Women Tours, a bike group exclusively for women. We would pass and converse with many of these women throughout the day.

The ferry ride was 40 minutes and passed dozens of jack-up oil rigs inside Mobile harbor. Perhaps what is coming to Florida.

 There were also significant Revolutionary War period forts at both ends of the ferry ride.

Once off the ferry we spent most of the rest of the day riding right along the Gulf, with intermittent sandy beaches, high rise condos, homes, and beach businesses. We had lunch at the Florida state line, entering the last state of our trip.

We found a bike shop in Pensacola, where Dave and Lee had meaningful repairs. We finished our ride on the Scenic Highway along Pensacola Bay.

We have yet to mention our post ride activities. Each day we have a beer to celebrate the successful completion of the day’s ride as soon as we finish. We then shower and do chores, before getting together for cocktails, which are one or two bottles of wine, and one or two blocks of cheese, with some trail mix thrown in for good measure. Then it is off to dinner.