Day 15: April 6, 2007
Foley, Alabama to Mobile, Alabama
Distance 51.0 miles in 3h 41m
Total Distance: 701.3 miles

Today marks exactly two weeks ago that I left Saint Augustine. If you look at a map of the US, it doesn't look like I made much progress, but my legs are telling me a different story. Even though I've only been able to cross one state boundary, I still feel that I'm marching along and good things are happening.

In Foley, Alabama, I was able to link up with Cassandra "Cassie" Ralls who is an Army veteran and graduate of the US Military Academy Class of 1997. Cassie volunteered to drive from her home in Clarksville, Tennessee and drive a support vehicle for several days. She has also taken it upon herself to call local media organizations in Alabama and Florida to raise awareness for this journey. Cassie also brought some food down from Tennessee, so in addition to being an electrical engineer, she also makes some great brownies. I threw some (okay, maybe all) of my gear into her BMW convertible and that definitely helped my cycling performance. No, I don't consider that cheating. However, if I were to throw myself into the BMW convertible, that would be a different story - yes, that would definitely constitute cheating! But as far as someone volunteering to drive a support vehicle and carry my gear for a bit, that's  fine with me. I appreciate the offer and I'll take it when I can get it.

After my second Waffle House breakfast in a row, Cassie and I headed on toward Mobile. We took a scenic route on US Highway 98 which travels along the eastern edge of Mobile Bay. The scenery was quite pleasant and the weather was great. Shortly after getting on the road, we got a call from Fox 10 News in Mobile. They wanted to cover the story and meet up with us as I cycled into the city.

The Fox 10 crew found us without a problem, put a microphone on me, and opened the rear hatch of their minivan where John, the cameraman, would film and interview me as I cycled along. I also had Cassie bringing up the rear, and she had her blinkers on so I felt pretty safe wedged between the two vehicles, as cars whizzed by on both sides at about 60 miles per hour. The interview was carried out in a basic question and answer format, and it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be to cycle, chew gum, and be interviewed by Fox News simultaneously. During the interview, I noticed that my handlebar bag was missing a bolt and I was worried that the bag and all of its contents would spill out over the road.

Crossing into Mobile from the east, cyclists are not allowed to enter the city via Interstate 10 or the tunnel under the bay. Instead I had to travel several miles north to the Cochrane Bridge and then cycle south into the city, kind of in a horseshoe-shaped detour. As I made my way toward the bridge, I could see the mighty battleship, USS Alabama, which had played an important role in the Pacific Theater in World War II. It was quite an awe-inspiring sight, especially when viewed in relation to the other comparatively tiny vessels in the area. ( http://www.ussalabama.com/ )

Luckily, my aunt has a friend in Mobile named Domingo "Dom" Soto, who invited us over to his place. I pedaled my way through Mobile and linked up with Dom and his son Carlos at their home in the historic downtown district. Dom had a large collection of tools and parts and he and his son were able to fix my troublesome bag. Cassie and I didn't want to get in the way of the repair operation, so we stayed off to the side and munched on brownies.

After that we ate a dinner of crabcakes and pasta at Wintzell's Oyster House - "A Gulf Coast Tradition Since 1938!" We also waited in the restaurant until almost 6pm to see the Fox News interview. It was definitely worth the wait. They did a fantastic job of splicing old footage from World War II, Vietnam, and soldiers helping each other on battlefields, and they combined these with images from my cycling interview. After dinner we headed over to a local happy hour establishment called "The Garage". In some establishments, you have to really use your imagination to picture how a place looked in the past. The Garage doesn't have this problem. After a cursory glance at it, you could definitely see that it had been a garage once upon a time, probably as recently as a couple of weeks ago. But it sure was a fun place with good people, and nobody really cared that I was dressed like a cycling dork.

Day 16: April 7, 2007
Mobile, Alabama to Moss Point, Mississippi
Distance 49.7 miles in 3h 16m
Total Distance: 751 miles

This was a freezing day in Mobile, probably one of the coldest days on record for this time of year. I have sadly come to the realization that I have no pants. Well, I only have the ultra-light nylon variety useful for jungle travel or desert camping. I did however get the chance to wear my overpriced yellow cycling windbreaker, my gray long sleeve wool jersey, and wool socks. Had a nice waffle breakfast - not at Waffle House this time - with my host Dom, his son Carlos, and Cassie. The four of us had a very cold and brisk walk through downtown Mobile in search of a warm place with food.

We said goodbye to Dom and his son and headed out through downtown Mobile. I stopped at a parking lot for a break just to stretch my legs and get a drink of water. The parking lot happened to belong to a church that was having an indoor picnic and Easter egg hunt - it was just too cold outside! I spoke to some of the church members and it just so happened that one of them was an avid cyclist, named David. He came outside to freeze with us for a while, took a look at my bike and even made an adjustment to the seat based on the way I was pedaling. He kind of looked at the bike in a way that said, "Darn, I wish I was going with you!"

While there, I also had the pleasure to meet a World War II veteran, Mr. Fred Hoffman, who was a tail gunner on a B-17. He gave me a pamphlet that detailed his life story. Mr. Hoffman and his wife Joyce recently celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary. They were married right after the end of World War II. Fred and Joyce chatted with us for a bit, and then waved at us as they drove out of the church parking lot. I always enjoy the chance to meet World War II veterans like Fred. I know I've said that before, but it's worth mentioning again.

I continued pedaling and crossed the Alabama-Mississippi state line around midday. It was extremely cold and I still had the rest of the day to look forward to more of the same weather.

At a lunch break in the town of Hurley, Mississippi, our waitress was a lady named Kim. After I told her about my trip, she mentioned that her husband is serving in Iraq. She then informed me that there was no lodging around for miles. Ouch. I didn't relish the thought of  camping out in the CVS parking lot, so I decided to get off the cycling route and head south to the Gulf coast as quickly as possible, where hopefully there would be some lodging. The wind was kicking up and the temperature was getting colder and colder. After a very brisk hour of cycling, I reached the town of Moss Point, not far from the coastal town of Pascagoula.

I was very happy to reach Moss Point. I kept wanting to call the place Moose Point for some reason. With the weather feeling more like what you would find up north, I was convinced I would find some moose, or mooses, or whatever the plural is for moose, running amok in the streets. It was a welcome stop to rest my weary bones because the cold weather and wind really takes more out of you when you are cycling. I heard about this before, but I just shrugged it off as an excuse for wimps who didn't want to cycle on cold days. Well, today was the kind of day where I was content to be a warm wimp instead of a frozen hero.

Day 17: April 8, 2007
Moss Point, Mississippi

Rest day in Moss Point, Mississippi. I just want to rest today and wish everybody a Happy Easter. Happy Easter, Everybody!

Day 18: April 9, 2007
Moss Point, Mississippi to Wiggins, Mississippi
Distance 73.9 miles in 4h 25m
Total Distance: 825 miles

Started the day with yet another Waffle House breakfast. I think this is the 4th or 5th one in the past week; always good, always consistent, no complaints. However, I am starting to notice that the prices in some Waffle Houses are different than others, and I'm still trying to figure that one out. Surprisingly, Moss Point and Pascagoula have a lot of Mexican workers and Mexican restaurants. There were several good Mexican restaurants to choose from, and Cassie and I ate at one Easter Sunday. It felt like actually being in Mexico - all of the workers were from Mexico, the music and TV station were from Mexico, and of course the food was too. I guess many of them are here doing construction work to help rebuild after Hurricane Katrina. The waitress I talked to was actually from Texas, and so were some of the other people in the restaurant. The specialties included the ever-popular Menudo, which is tripe (intestines) and bean soup. I tried some and have to admit that this does not taste quite as good as it sounds. Another specialty was tacos with chunks of barbecued cow tongue. These dishes probably explain why I didn't see too many native Mississippians at the other tables. Aside from those tempting morsels, the conventional stuff - you know, the enchiladas and fajitas, and so on, was all really good.

I did have enough sense to ask a few people about the condition of roads affected by Hurricane Katrina. I learned that the bridges are out in two points on US Highway 90. That pretty much ruled out taking the coastal route since as a cyclist I wouldn't be able to even get to Biloxi or Gulfport. So I decided to go inland and avoid the coastal areas. I think the Mississippi welcome sign shouldn't say  "Welcome to the Magnolia State" but instead "Welcome to the Land of Big Trucks and Big Smiles". Everywhere there are these huge, monster trucks, and I notice that folks are always smiling and friendly. Not that they weren't friendly in other places, but I'm definitely noticing it here. On the negative side, quite a few dogs came out to chew at my ankles on some of the rural roads. Trying to keep a positive spin on this, and say that it just helps me keep my attention on the road as I pedal along. Nice doggies.

This was going to be my last day with a support vehicle because Cassie had to go back home to Tennessee. I was lucky enough to cycle without my extra gear so I was able to average 17 miles per hour. Okay, so the Tour de France guys average 27 mph, but I'm not complaining. When I reached the town of Wiggins, I questioned whether I could go on...I thought about the soldiers in the tattered remnants of Napoleon's Grand Armee making their way across the frozen wasteland of Russia after their ignominious defeat at the  hands of the Russians in the Battle of Berezina in 1812. If this hollow shell of an army could make it all the way across Russia and Eastern Europe, and eventually back home, surely I could push on another 38 miles toward Poplarville, Mississippi. Alas it was not meant to be. I decided to end the day in Wiggins and celebrate with the $7.50 all-you-can-eat buffet at the Pizza Inn.

Day 19: April 10, 2007
Wiggins, Mississippi

Due to the horrendous weather in this part of the country, I've decided not to do any cycling today. Since there isn't a whole heck of a lot in Wiggins, I've decided to take a break, stretch my legs, and say, “Thank you everybody for your support up to this point. Thank you to the donors and sponsors who have contributed generously, all of your help is appreciated and it is making a difference. Thanks again!”

Day 20: April 11, 2007
Wiggins, Mississippi to Bogalusa, Louisiana
Distance 67.6 miles in 5h 31m
Total Distance: 892.6 miles

Even though the weather looked iffy today, it still wasn't as bad as yesterday. No Waffle Houses in Wiggins, actually no breakfast places anywhere, so that was a sad way to start the day. Within two hours the weather cleared up and went from raincoat and wool socks weather, to sunglasses and sunblock weather. This is my first day back to riding without a support vehicle and I could definitely feel the difference. I could only manage about 12 miles per hour on my own, but with my gear in Cassie's car I could sometimes average an additional 5 mph.

Toward the latter part of the day, I finally crossed the border into Louisiana and that gave me a big boost. These border crossings are just flying by and I also realized that I'm only two borders away from New Mexico - Woohoo! I know there is another state between here and there, but I can't recall the name of it at the moment. They tell me it's big. Anyway, it was exciting to see the border sign as I entered Washington Parish, Louisiana. They don't have counties here, instead they have parishes. I don't know why. This is one of life's little mysteries, and will be added to my 'mysteries of the week' list, along with such other dilemmas as: Why do people from New Orleans sometimes talk like they are from Brooklyn?...And why is beef jerky so darn expensive?

I peddled my way into Bogalusa looking for a place to put my feet up for the evening. I couldn't help notice a foul odor coming from...well, pretty much everywhere. There is a large paper mill right in the middle of town. In fact, Bogalusa at one time had the world's largest sawmill. No offense to any native Bogalusans out there reading this, but I would have to say that Bogalusa is without a doubt the stinkiest town on the trip so far.

Day 21: April 12, 2007
Bogalusa, Louisiana to Kentwood, Louisiana
Distance 53.3 miles in 3h 55m
Total Distance: 946 miles

After checking email at the local library, I pedaled my way out of Bogalusa a short distance behind a large gentleman in a pickup truck displaying a bumper sticker that read: "Gun Control Means Using Both Hands."

No breakfast today either and no Waffle House in sight. In fact I haven't seen any Waffle Houses in Louisiana so far. I'm beginning to have Waffle House withdrawal, and that factor alone may make it harder for me to reach the border crossing this time around.

Every time I ask about food or restaurants in the area, people keep pointing to gas stations. All gas stations are delis and all delis are gas stations, so I guess it makes things convenient if you are on the move. I've also noticed a couple of drive through daiquiri bars where you can drive right up, get your order and move on. From what I understand it isn't an open container unless you put a straw in it. I noticed a coconut daiquiri stand as soon as I crossed the border.

About 30 miles into today's cycling I met up with Rich Schega. Rich is an army veteran and a West Point graduate of the class of '99. He served with the 101st Airborne Division during the invasion of Iraq in 2003, and served in and around Mosul in northern Iraq during the ensuing months. He is also a former tri-athlete and has lots of cycling experience. He is going to serve as my point of contact for all things Louisianan during my trip across his state.

Rich got dropped off at my link-up point by his office assistant, Alyse, who also happens to be a Navy brat and is supportive of what we are doing. She didn't mind driving Rich from their office in Saint Francisville to the point where we could start cycling together. Rich and I cycled the rest of the 20 miles into the town of Kentwood, which is the hometown of Britney Spears. Though we didn't see Britney or any of her friends, we did find a place with decent Pizza and Po' Boy sandwiches. Po' Boy sandwiches are a Louisiana specialty stuffed with all kinds of goodies. Rich and I carbo-loaded with Pizza and an Oreo shake.

In closing for today, I wanted to mention that in a lot of the towns and cities that I ride through, when people find out what I am doing, I am amazed at how often they say, "Oh, my grandfather was a disabled World War II veteran", or "My husband is a disabled veteran from his time in Vietnam." Everywhere I go I discover people who are somehow connected with this cause in one way or another. Makes me appreciate the value of what I am doing.

WEEK 4