April 21, 2018
I woke up this morning with three missions to accomplish: First I had to ride the 45 miles to our destination for this evening. Second, I hoped to find a store on route where I could purchase a replacement for my southern fried computer and finally, I was on deck to cook this night’s dinner.
The day started easy with a ferry ride across Mobile Bay. We had two options for catching the ferry, one at 8:00 am and one at 9:30. Since I planed to do some computer shopping, I chose the 8:00 am ferry. The winds were strong and the water choppy but I fortified myself with an anti-sea sickness nostrum and set sail along with Jim and Marianna from our group. Along the way we were able to get a good view of pelicans, terns and other shore birds that followed the ferry hoping that a meal might be churned up in its wake. We also were able to get a close look at one of the many gas drilling rigs that are scattered around the gulf.
Those same winds prevailed on the other shore and unfortunately were headwinds directly in our faces. This made a 45 mile ride take a bit more time. I also added to my misery by missing the Walmart where I hoped to find a cheap replacement computer and biked an additional 8 miles to correct my mistake. Once purchased I need to find a wi-fi hotspot to set it up. Fortunately, the good folks a Walmart allowed me to sit on the floor next to a power outlet and use their wi-fi to do this. Another hour was burned.
With the basic setup finished I headed back into the wind to finish the second half of my ride for the day. Along the way I passed into the final state on my tour. As you can see by the photo , I was happy to have finally reached the Florida state line.
My choice for tonight’s dinner was a traditional Canadian shore dinner. Talapia had to stand in for walleye but the corn meal, bacon, potatoes along with my secret spices were all available. The verdict of the group was a big thumb’s up. I look forward to a less busy ride tomorrow.
