Date(s): Nov. 8, 1999
Day: Monday
From: Airey, MS
To: Grand Bay, AL
Lodging: Travl Kamp RV Park
Segment Mileage: 76.0
Cumulative Mileage: 2850.2
Actual Riding Time: 5:45
Average Speed: 13.1
Weather: Warm, sunny
Temp: Low 80's
We're now in Alabama, and will be in Florida tomorrow. It was a long
ride of 79 miles through mostly flat, pine forest. Or what used to be
pine forest as there were mostly just new seedlings growing where the
last 'crop' of trees had been cut. The historical marker in Bogalusa
said that the city was once home to the world's largest papermill, and
the smell that permeates the town indicates that the mills are still
very active.
We were all out of camp very early this morning because of the long miles and the short days. A group of us were riding toward Vancleave when Mike noticed his tire was going flat, his first of the trip, over 2500 miles. We didn't have much sympathy as we've all had our share. All but Suzanne and Spike. Our group continued on as we passed Janet and Todd who were taking a break, and I could see that Suzanne dropped back. I rode on, thinking that she would ride with Todd and Janet. What I didn't know was that she also had her first flat. Fortunately it was a slow leak and she was able to pump it up a couple of times during the day and made it ito camp, where she and Janet are having a tube patching clinic, one of many held by Janet during the trip. Lynne also had another flat and having successfully completed Janet's clinic, is now patching the tube. It was quite a coincidence that both Mike and Suzanne had their first flats within a few hundred meters of each other.
Outside of Vancleave, I caught up
with Oliver, Bruno, and Bob who were stopped on a bridge near the
Pascagoula River taking pictures of the cypress swamp in the afternoon
light. The cypress were growing right in the water, brown from the
tannic acid released by the roots of the trees according to Bob. Bob
is often our history and natural science expert.
It was an unfortunate surprise that the laundry next to the campground was closed recently. Hand washing all my bike clothes wasn't how I planned to spend the afternoon. And they won't be dry by tomorrow, so I may have a very cool ride in the morning.
Oliver and Cyndi are the cooks tonight, and after Cyndi mentioned that everyone in the group has had a night when they didn't cook except her, Jim relented and we're having dinner out. The nearby Waffle House is probably not her first choice, but it will do. Cooking on these long days isn't easy, especially when it gets dark at 5pm. Tomorrow is another long day, 72 miles to Florida and the Big Lagoon State Recreation Area.
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