Trans America Cycling Day 39 - Pascagoula, MS to Orange Beach, AL

The link to today's route and statistics is found here.

Today we had another great ride of about 70 miles; some rode more, some less.  Scenery was inspiring.  Wind was mostly a headwind of 15 mph, but riders fought through it with strong riding.  We rode into Alabama, our third state in three days.  On the ferry ride from Dauphin Island to Fort Morgan across the coastal end of Mobile Bay the water was surprisingly calm.  BTW Dauphin was the title given to the eldest son of the king of France from 1350 to 1830, and as such the dauphin was the heir apparent to the French crown.

Riders frozen in their paceline positions

Hannah and Alison leading an Alabama cheer

On the way to the ferry port we saw members of a classic car club parked with their vehicles at a gas station convenient for us to stop for coffee and a snack.  They were getting ready to drive to a state of Alabama Welcome Center to show off their classic cars.

When asked where to fill this 1956 Chevrolet Belair with gas,
we could not find a gas cap.  The owner then showed us the
gas cap cleverly hidden under the taillight.

Front of the 1956 Belair is in excellent condition.  The owner said that he had about $25,000 into the car,
having added air conditioning and I believe a new engine.  A good value.

As we cycled to Dauphin Island to catch the ferry, we passed through the Alabama town of Bayou La Batre.  The French influence that was so strong with the Cajuns in Louisiana extends eastward to Mississippi and Alabama.

Town of Bayou La Batre, Alabama on the Gulf of Mexico

Bayou La Batre is loaded with shrimp fishing boats with booms that extend out each side of the boat

There is a heavy Asian influence in the community of Bayou La Batre.  

The boat CAPT. THANH IV

Boat named "MISS MY PHUNG."  Phung is a Vietnamese surname.

We spoke with workers on the boats to learn some fascinating information about shrimp fishing.  The large shrimping boats go out for a month at a time, often to a distance of 100 miles or more.  They freeze the shrimp on the boats.  The Boss said that there is even a Bayou La Batre shrimper now fishing off the coast of Georgia.  Think of that.  Motoring from Alabama around Florida to Georgia to catch shrimp!  

We learned that for a long fishing expedition the owner of the boat gets a 30% cut of the earnings, while the crew splits the remaining 70%.  One of the crew said that he attended high school in Bayou La Batre in the 1990's, and at that time he was one of the few students in school that was not Asian.  Fascinating demographics exist at the Bayou.

House on concrete blocks in Bayou La Batre prepared for the storm surge from a hurricane

We cycled on a thin strip of land on the west side of Mobile Bay, after which we rode over a bridge at the south end of the bay to get to Dauphin Island.  The bridge has an elevated portion in its middle under which large ships can pass in and out of the bay, making for a challenging climb directly into a 15 mph+ headwind.

Bridge to Dauphin Island at Gulf of Mexico end of Mobile Bay

Strengthened by around 2500 miles of riding, this rider has the confidence to power over

Pelicans flew around us when we cycled near open water.

Pelicans caught in flight by Ray from Malta

Older couples thinking of downsizing and liking to boat might think of "The Condominiums" at the west end of Dauphin Island.  It's like someone sliced a condo into six bread-thin slices.

Note the boat docked behind the yellow sliver of a condo

Ferry boat ride across Mobile Bay