Over 2000 Miles and Into Florida

We left Ocean Springs, MS at 8:45 AM on another beautiful day.  Last night I was not feeling good and was not sure how far I could bike today, but after a slow begining I started feeling strong again, ending the day with 104.8 miles for a total of 2078.7 miles!
Our route took us through Pascagoula and the ship building industry into Alabama and pass Bayou LaBatre.

We meet the Bagley's, a couple biking from east to west.  You can follow them on their blog -  coast2coast4cmn.blogspot.com

At Alabama Port we took the six mile causeway out to Dauphin Island on the southern tip of Mobile Bay.  We passed Ft. Gaines, a Confederate fort, guarding Mobile Bay during the Civil War.  In the Battle of Mobile Bay, Union Admiral Farragut declared "Damn the Torpedoes - Full Speed Ahead"

We had to wait 1 1/2 hours to catch a ferry for the 45 min ride accross Mobile Bay.  The bay was dotted with oil rigs and lots of ocean going vessels.

The ferry docked at Ft. Morgan on the east side of Mobile Bay.  Fort Morgan completed in 1834 was a Confederate stronghold surrendering to the Union following the Battle of Mobile Bay

Hwy 180 took us along the Alabama coast with it's white sand beaches and emerald colored waters.

Beautiful clean beaches - but sad sign about the oil spill

Finally we entered our eight and home state of Florida.  Near the end of the days ride I met Scott, a young Marine who was cycling back to his home near Pensacola Naval Station.  Scott and I rode together for about 5 miles with him in the lead and me in a confortable draft.  Thanks Scott, it felt good to go over 20 mph!

Day 20 of Riding:

Total Daily Miles:104.8

Total Ride Miles: 2078.7

Daily Elevation Climb: 213'

Daily Ride Time: 9 hrs.

Daily Average Speed: 16.3 mph