man, well, too much stuff has happened to get down in the last couple days, only got 30 mins on this machine
rode through mobile yesterday, lots of horrific dual carriageway causeways and bridges covered in broken glass and debris with trucks howling past, i'd just cleared the last massive bridge and just had some suburbs to get through when i hit a bit of rusty metal that pretty much cut my back tyre in half and killed the tube. Nightmare. I thought I was about 20 mins walk from city centre so rather than doing a field fix i figured i'd just push it into town and go to a city centre bike shop.
Riding over the causeway into Mobile, you can see the battleship USS Alabama and the city centre skyline behind it:
The last obstacle, the Africatown-Cochrane bridge, it looked intimidating, and the bike lane was covered in broken glass and junk:
View from the Africatown-Cochrane Bridge, just before losing the rear tyre:
a quick call to UK Support Base (Bert) found that the nearest bike shop is about 5 miles away, so i figure i'll get to a bar, cool down from the heat, and get a taxi.
Centre turns out to be an hour and a half walk away through dodgy industrial area, was like something out of robocop, but every one is friendly as usual, giving me directions, wishing me well. Brandon is kindly standing by on pickup duty if needed, it's tempting but i decide to fix the bike. It feels real good to have support though.
bar orders me a taxi, but it doesn't turn up for an hour. Homeless people recognise a kindred spirit and drop by to give me advice on the cheapest way to the cheapest tyres and tubes (walmart), and how to avoid jail if I have to sleep rough in the city centre. A alabaman babe called JT, who was at the bar, asks me where i need to go, turns out the bike shop is right next to her house, so she organises her friends Jess and John to get me and the bike out there! Awesome! I go from a low to a high pretty quick, these are cool people.
Bike shop is great, full of good gear, and Nathan the resident bike mechanic wizard dude sorts it all out pronto, spending about an hour tweaking things and fixing things, now it rides like a brand new, slightly more expensive bike than i had before! Cheers Nathan, I owe you one! Also meet some cool young lads who build their own old-skool bikes from scrap and sell them on ebay, interesting stuff.
Nathan, the resident bike wizard at Cadence-120, showing off his work:
Head next door to buy the girls a beer for giving me a lift, JT sorts me out with a place to stay with Josh and Chris, two alabaman dudes with a cool house including its own bar! Chew the fat late into the night with Chris, it was a cool and interesting time.
Rode out through the fog at dawn, Josh's directions see me straight onto Highway 90 heading west for New Orleans! It's grim though, thick fog, the hard shoulder is rough as hell, covered in glass, debris and stinking roadkill, but it's either that or a dual carriageway lane, none too friendly. I get a puncture but sort it fast.
Into Biloxi and the massive bridge has a closed-off bike lane. I ask the road crew if it's possible to get across, they say 'sure man just go through the sign', and a fit helpful friendly dude walks over and moves it for me, wishing me well as I ride up the slope. Awesome.
But the next worker on the bridge is unimpressed, telling me if the boss sees me it'll be a police matter, and the first crew shouldn't have moved the sign. He tells me to keep going though, and stomps off to have strong words with my friendly dude. Good karma begets Bad Karma. Nightmare. I ride over the bridge sending a ripple of bad karma backwards as this experience is repeated with several other workers.
Now I'm through Biloxi and heading for Gulfport, I spent a week here just after 9/11 so I know it quite well. Hurricane Katrina devastation is evident, plenty of buildings have just foundations left, the hotel I stayed in is rubble, my favourite beach restaurant completely gone.
Katrina also wrecked the road, for nearly 30 miles I'm riding through roadworks, there's no room for me on the narrow lane, I get horns blasted if i hold them up, so i have to pick my way through the coned off areas, riding on stripped back surfaces, dodging diggers. For a while I ride on top of the sea wall, which is only a foot wide, but it's too much and i go back to the roadworks. Am well glad I chose a rugged bike, it has had a pounding today.
Another big bridge and into Bay St Louis, roadworks over, and a very welcoming motel. 92 miles or so today, kinda have to stop myself riding these days, feels unnatural to just stop.
It looks like about 140 miles to Brandon's house just outside Morgan City, so I may push it and do it in one tomorrow, or split it and get there friday lunchtime. Am not going through New Orleans but heading north around the lake then down the west side through donaldsonville, i know the road as I stayed there last year with work.
OK i gotta go get something to eat, will stick some pics up later assuming the pc is free and i'm still awake. Don't count on either!
Kelv
After, it is clean, but I am filthy. By the way, the green thing is a 'dumpster', not a skip.
Yep, riding along the gulf coast sure is purty:
Riding from Navarre Beach to Pensacola Beach, road was closed, looked very post-apocalyptic, had about 20 miles to myself!
Ross for some reason decides to play in his underwear, whilst Tyler does a mean Steve Irwin impression:
