Day 37 - Coasting along the Gulf

When setting off from LA the thought of getting to the Gulf of Mexico frankly seemed like a silly pipe dream. In fact in some of the darker moments in Arizona and West Texas I feared I might have to call the whole thing off short and make the Gulf my final destination. For these reasons today felt really special. I've hit target number one, now the Atlantic and New York City.

I'm so glad I cut yesterday short. It was only 2 miles from the motel to the causeway out over Bay St Louis, but in the fresh morning sunshine it was so much more spectacular than it would've been in the rain and cold last night. In fact, for four hours from the first causeway to second at Biloxi it was spectacular, special and awesome riding. There's a bike route set back from road, with the sea stretching out to the south and the beautiful coastal homes in the palms to the north.

With no fear of traffic I was back on the Ipod. If Graceland was special in the Mississippi Delta, then Toots and the Maytals' greatest hits was the perfect soundtrack to the Gulf shore front. Amazingly I'm still on highway 90. I first picked us this road just east of LA, and I've been on or just off it or the I-10 the whole route.

Bike over the Gulf

These two really are some of the great roads of the world, truly transcontinental, but there is something appealing about the 90 in that it goes from huge 6 lane freeway at points, down to wind country by-way often in the space of a mile or two. I'll leave it at that, because I'm sure none of you want me to get emotional about roads, but I think it's amazing.

There were hassles to the ride, especially the wind whipping off the sea in vicious gusts, but this was a special special morning. After mini-Vegas at Biloxi, it was over the causeways for lunch in ship building port of Pascagoula. I decided on the Waffle House, firstly because I'd passed a staggering 10 in the morning, and secondly because for a fast food chain it has such outdated styling I thought it deserved respect. It doesn't.

The food was really dull fair, but the rolling on masse free for all conversation involving literally everyone in the cafe was a hell of thing to listen to. It covered a remarkable breath of topics from Bin Laden, to gay marriage, to who had divorced who in town, all presided over by the campest male cook. My favorite moment was when he felt he'd timed making the definitive point in the gay marriage debate just as his shift finished; he whipped off his apron and stormed out carrying his pink handbag embossed with Glee symbols and phrases over his shoulder. Virtually fell off my stool laughing, but what a champ.

After a nasty little 10 miles on busy roads it all calmed down as I hit Alabama, and a lovely 20 mile cruise through the rolling hills. After 6 days of dead flat, in a weird way, it's nice to see a change, and it's really beautiful round here. In fact I was so chilled, I got my timings wrong and hit the edge of town as the sun was starting to lower, which it does fast round here. So rather than push into downtown in the dusk or dark, which out here can be a pretty mixed experience, I've stopped on the edge of town. Well that's the official story, I have to confess the motel sign (above) rather caught my attention as well.

Route - Bay St Louis - Gulfport - Biloxi - Pascagoula - Grand Bay - Mobile

Breakfast - Fruit Loops in the motel. As revolting as they sound, went to find something else to eat, but no joy, so wound up with a honey bun in the petrol station...horrible. Bay St Louis was a real culinary low point, especially after the joys of Louisiana.
Lunch - Chicken sandwich - Waffle House, Pascagoula. Worth the $5 for the banter alone, if not the food.

Supper - Burger and Fried pickles - Hooters, Mobile. Pretty dross food, but worth it. This is the 3rd time I've been to the franchise, and every time I can't quite believe it exists, or more amazingly that guys bring their wives/girlfriends on dates here. It really is just too funny, bad but hilarious, and with 2 universities in town I feel I'm being noble by helping students finance their studies (Note for the older readership: If, on the off chance, you're not familiar with the Hooters franchise it's less seedy than it sounds, but all the waitresses do wear orange hotpants and rather over tight tops, if that's not an oxymoron. It's tagline is "Delightfully tacky, yet unrefined," sums it up).

One final note: You literally can't make this up, I'm writing this in the Hooters in Mobile, AL, because their wi-fi kicks the motel's, and on the radio they've got Lynyrd Skynyrd blaring out. Sometimes life is just genius.......Wait scratch that, sure Sweet Home Alabama's got the geographical cache, but Bruce Springsteen's Born to Run has just come on. Time's literally couldn't get better.