Acknowledge the Past to Save the Future

ENTRY 4/8 to 4/9 – Wiggins, MS to Moss Point, MS to Gulf Shores, AL

We started 4/8 decked out in raingear again, and it was a good thing, as the rain did fall. Bobby drove the van ahead of us, and one point, kept us at one rest stop a little longer than planned to allow a storm cell containing a torrent of rain to move past so we didn’t get dumped on. We rode 81 miles on rain-soaked roads, which covered our bikes and the riders behind us in road splatter and mud. We stopped to enjoy a picnic lunch at the Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge in Gautier, MS, which was a lush, quiet area with trees and bogs. I was disappointed to not see any cranes, but the peaceful stop was worth our time. When we checked into the hotel at Moss Point, I received the most wonderful surprise! My boys had made cookies and sent them with an Easter card, personalized with loving messages. It completely made my day and I ate 4 of the 6 cookies before I knew what I was doing.

On 4/9, we woke up “smelling the barn”—a rest day in Gulf Shores awaited us once we completed the 73-mile route. It was a fun day with some unique stops. In the first 42 miles, we crossed the Alabama state line, cycled over the intercoastal waterway and bridge to Dauphin Island, and then walked our bikes onto a ferry that took us to the Gulf Shore side. We cycled down the road from the ferry station and stopped to enjoy gumbo, po boy sandwiches, hush puppies, and more at Tacky Jack’s, a waterfront restaurant at Orange Beach. The remaining 21 miles was flat and easy to complete. All day the weather was uncomfortably cool (50s) and the winds were high and swirly. We arrived in Gulf Shores around 3:00 pm for hot showers, dinner, and a day of rest on 4/10.

ENTRY 4/6 to 4/7 – St. Francisville, LA to Franklinton, LA to Wiggins, MS

To this point, we haven’t had to worry about rain, but on the afternoon of 4/6, the weather fronts that have been terrorizing the rest of the country finally caught up with us. From morning until just after lunch, the skies were overcast but with no precipitation. However, after lunch, the skies opened up and a couple of hours of intermittent rain got all of us pretty wet. At dinner that night, Dennis warned us that we might be facing rain for most of the next day and to be prepared.

On 4/7, the oppressive gray of the morning placed its hands on our shoulders and pushed down hard, making all of us sluggish and not really wanting to ride. A 30% - 70% chance of rain was forecast over the entire route from Franklinton to Wiggins. Due to hotel unavailability in Franklinton the night before, we had to mount our bikes and board the van for a ride to Amite, LA, which was 24-miles out of our way. To begin the ride this morning, Dennis and Bobby drove us back to Franklinton to start where we left off the afternoon before. Everyone was fully decked in rain gear from helmet covers all the way down to shoe covers. I overdressed and was very sweaty and uncomfortable for the first couple of hours, then began to shed the layers once we crossed the state line into Mississippi. We lucked out, and over the lightly rolling 84-mile course, we didn’t run into any rain.