I rose early . . . but not too early. Just early enough to get my act together and wander over to Islanders Restaurant for breakfast, which opened at 8:00 AM. And I was their first customer! Which was fine as I was in no particular rush. Today was a longish day by this trip's standards . . . 63 miles, and also my longest day of any day of the trip. I have been getting in plenty early most days and could afford a later arrival today, as the most interesting thing about Ocean Springs is the downtown, which reportedly is "cute." So, all that said, I was back in my room, changed into my biking gear, and on the road by 10:00 AM. That would give me plenty of time to explore Ocean Springs and enjoy the town a bit . . . especially since tomorrow is likely my shortest day of the trip! I can explore as late as I want! But more about that later.
My first chore of the day was getting over to the mainland . . . via the Dauphin Island Bridge. This bridge may very well be my tallest crossing and maybe the longest (depending on how you want to measure these things).
As I left my motel, I could see Dauphin Island Bridge in the distance.
That lasted about a mile, and then it was a hard left onto Lemoyne Drive (AL-193) and the approach to the crossing . . . bike trail all the way (although this section was not as nice).
It was a lovely morning and a delightful, casual ride out of town, made easier by the bike trail that I followed all of the way to the bridge. It's the only trail in town I'm aware of, but the side streets are fairly low-volume roads and easy to cycle.
Of course, then there is the bridge, which has an intimidating hump over the navigation channel. But foreshortening makes it look worse than it really is, and the crossing is relatively easy since there is a wide shoulder . . . but for the winds, which were out of the north today, my direction of travel! You can't always have it at your back!
On the approach spans. You can see the hump much further down the road . . .
The far side was almost as daunting as the bridge, as the approach is on a long, exposed causeway. Plus, I ran into some construction, which forced me out into the lane for a short distance. But eventually, some tree cover appeared that helped mitigate the wind . . . but it wasn't long before I was making a left turn onto AL-188 and headed mostly west and mostly inland.
The first sign of civilization . . . construction blocking the shoulder. They were friendly enough, and traffic was light enough that I just rode the lane for the short distance to get around them.
After turning onto AL-188, it was pretty easy riding, with the next notable point of destination being Bayou La Batre. Jeez, with a name like that you might think you were already in Louisiana! But nope, only the seafood capital of Alabama . . . New Orleans still being two states away! But along AL-188, which is somewhat "urbanized" through town (read: little or no shoulder), Bayou La Batre wasn't too notable, although I did see one motel one could overnight at. But the US-90 corridor is hardly a good judge for any town, and I was fairly impressed with the bridge crossing the bayou, the Bayou La Batre Bridge, a unique-looking lift span to say the least!
Bayou La Batre Bridge, in Bayou La Batre, is a vertical lift bridge with four imposing towers.
It wasn't much beyond the bridge crossing that I made my next left onto Two-Mile Road . . . which is seven miles long. At least that's what my Garmin was telling me. The route is also known as Alabama's Coastal Connection, a designation I have been following since I entered that state at Flora-Bama Lounge and Package Store! Again, not a bad road . . . but for the rumble strips taking up the entire shoulder! Well, that was not for me, so I took a position in the lane and stayed there. And even though traffic was a bit busy, I had no problems, including no yelling, no horn blowing, and no beer can throwing. So much for stereotypes!
Two-Mile Road, but still AL-188, rumble strips and all.
That eventually led me back to US-90, where I stopped for a Gatorade before tackling the seven miles on that road . . . which had more manageable shoulders, even with the rumble strips. And before I knew it, I was entering Mississippi, with its really horrible roads!
Back on US-90, which has a wider shoulder and is better able to accommodate rumble strips.
Yeap, horrible is the best that can be said for it. I realize it is the poorest state in the country . . . but road conditions literally deteriorated under my wheels. The only relief was near an access road to I-10, which seemed to have been repaved recently and was in pretty good shape. The rest of the highway appeared to be the original work laid out when the road was constructed, with the worst part being the regular cracks in the pavement, grown through with grass, weeds, and whatnot, and dirt pushing through, creating a regular bump in the travel path! All in a day's work, I guess. I learned pretty quickly how to maneuver to the "smooth(er)" parts of the shoulder to avoid those cracks as much as possible.
The transition from the "improved" road near the I-10 access road back to the "old" road . . . I was a bit disappointed to see this!
But maybe I complain too much (not really), as shortly I was off US-90 and on parallel side roads through small communities where I actually saw human beings walking down the road. And that took me pretty much all the way into Pascagoula, and from there, over the Pascagoula River.
You actually cross the Pascagoula River twice, and in between, you spend your time biking about three miles across a large island to the next crossing. On the Pascagoula side, after crossing the bridge, I navigated through an interchange that feeds Ingalls Shipbuilding and shipyards, which employ more than 12,000 people. And even though this was a Friday, traffic was relatively light . . . but then, it wasn't during a shift change. It also explains the size of that bridge crossing . . . six lanes wide! I imagine there are significant backups at times!
Of course, my goal was to get off US-90 as soon as possible, which I did shortly after the second crossing, and then stopped for a snack under the shade of a tree. Only 15 miles to Ocean Springs, all on back roads.
My break from US-90 . . . a nice side road through Gautier.
The main road into town is a little busy . . . and narrow. If I had turned left after crossing the bayou, one could follow some very nice roads that take you past The University of Southern Mississippi and then along E Beach Drive and the coast. The distance is about the same, but those roads look quieter (although no shoulders). Either way, you end up in downtown Ocean Springs, which, being a Friday afternoon, was full of activity, particularly given the preponderance of bars and restaurants! And I'm sure the presence of the University doesn't hurt business much.
Government Street in Ocean Springs, where the action is.
After getting settled in, I went out for drinks and dinner. Originally, I thought I would just be going across the road to a bar/restaurant that also opened early for breakfast. That was before I had a good handle on downtown Ocean Springs. So I opted to take the longer walk back downtown from my hotel (and, by the way, there are few hotel choices and a few B&Bs) and ended up at Murky Waters for BBQ and music. Well, maybe I was there too early for music, but the barbecue was great, as was the beer. And as luck would have it, I sat down at the bar next to a young fellow who was in town with his wife to attend a wedding and who also happened to have a background in civil engineering (although his business card says RLA). Either way, I had good company to while away the time. And tomorrow is a short day!
Today's ride: 63 miles (101 km) Total: 676 miles (1,088 km)
