Day 43 - Dauphin Island

Today we rode 22 miles through Mississippi to the Alabama border. The day began with a breakfast at BJ's. It was a local breakfast hangout that was overwhelmed by the addition of 13 cyclist. The owner had to employ anyone over the age of 12 to work the tables. The place was a madhouse when all of the high school students arrived for their traditional Friday breakfast. I was glad to get out of the restaurant before I was recruited to wash dishes. 

The early part of the ride took us through marshlands. We were disappointed that we didn't see an alligator. 

We got to the state line where our first rest stop was located. The Alabama State Line sign was a little unnerving because of the number of bullet holes in the sign. We wondered if this was a warning to people entering the state.  

We did catch up to the 'White Rabbit,' Dr. Nick who had just experienced a blowout. We all pitched in to replace his tire that had been totally destroyed. This usually takes more time to fix than a hole in the inter tub. Unlike most of us he carries a folding tire as a spare. 

After fixing the tire we had a smooth flat ride to the island. We did have a large incline to pedal up which was the bridge to Dauphin Island.  

Once we arrived at the campground we immediately set up our Gypsy camp and headed to the beach for a swim. 

Tomorrow Florida!!