Bike Ride to Biloxi

Mobile to Biloxi, Mississippi 62.8

Total mileage: 788 miles + 5 mile ferry ride

We were all up bright and early to take on another state line this morning. One of the women from the church was in the kitchen by 5:45 making breakfast which was fantastic. Holly and I were part of the breakfast crew so we helped out. There were some extra blueberries left in the fridge so we were able to make blueberry pancakes.

The weather was much cooler than we have seen for the entire trip because of the previous night's storm. With my phone packed in a sandwich bag we were ready to hit the road. The beginning was a little rough because the air was so heavy, but after about 15 miles we came across a small farmers stand. I bought some cucumbers (mainly because there is a lack of vegetables on this trip) and were able to DM some tomatoes. The woman also threw in a flower so Benard was looking good this morning.

About twenty miles into the ride we came around a curve and were presently surprised by the Mississippi state sign. We were all pretty stoked to have hit another one and took pictures and footage for the video I am working on. As we biked away I was reminded of Tom Sawyer when he was on the river and discussing that he thought that they were in the same state because the landscape had not changed colors like it did on the map that he saw at school. This got me thinking that much of the landscape we have seen in the past few days reminds me of other parts of the country I have visited before. Much of western Florida reminded me of Cape Cod (trees, landscape, smells, etc.) and there if you told to guess here I was some days I probably would give you a northern state.

On the road we found some hella cheap gas

Biloxi is home to the Biloxi Lighthouse, the oldest lighthouse in the Gulf Coast. It was commissioned by by Congress in 1847, built in Baltimore and then brought in pieces to Biloxi where it has remained ever since. Every morning they offer tours, but sadly we will be long gone before they open so we did not get to go to the top.

As Holly and I were biking into town we saw a sign for a Trace Adkins concert so when we arrived in town we tried to hook up somew DM magic. Unfortunately the concert had been sold out for weeks and thy were not able to help us out. Because we had a couple of hours to kill before we had to be at the host we went exploring and to search for lunch. We did pass the Hard Rock casino and wandered around for a while.

Most of Biloxi was destroyed by Katrina and as they have rebuilt over the last few years the city has tried to cultivate the arts. Around the city we found some great street art

On the way to the host we came across the Ktrina Sculpture Garden which was made up of some amazing hand carved wood statues.

After a great curry dinner we piled into the van and headed for the casino to do some gambling. This afternoon was the first time that I had ever stepped in one and decided that I would try my luck on the tables. The black jack tables were a bit intimidating so Kristina and I decided to try of hand at roulette. At the beginning we were up, but just as quickly as the money came in it went back out so sadly in our case the house won.

 

Off to bed because tomorrow we hit our third state in three days and will be able to set up camp in NOLA.