Southern Tier Day #10 Pensacola, FL to Gulf State Park, AL

April 02, 2021

Southern Tier Day #10
April 7, 2021
Pensacola, FL to Gulf State Park, AL 39 Miles
Start 9:27 AM
Finish 5:33 PM
Ride Time 4:17
Ascent 108 Feet
Descent 150 Feet
Tour Total 634 Miles
Details at: https://cyclemeter.com/3f1ef27914a4c684/Cycle-20210407-0927-15404

I slept well at the Days Inn in room 354. Blanka slept with me, and her soft furry body is a delight to cuddle to. I had weird cycling dreams and woke up at 6 AM. I rolled over for another hour. Before leaving the room I took advantage of the WiFi and did some grading. I brought the rig down to the parking lot and loaded everything up. We rode back down Palafox Street to the park so that Blanka could do her business.

The Pensacola historic district was beautiful and reminded me of New Orleans. We criss-crossed the historic center and basically covered the same ground as yesterday’s walk. We rode back to Coffee Cup for breakfast. The server remembered Blanka from yesterday and her vomiting episode. There weren’t eggs Benedict on the menu today, so I ordered eggs over-easy with sausage, a biscuit, and grits with an orange juice and coffee. Blanka had a hamburger patty.

The original itinerary today was supposed to be a grueling 76 mile ride with a lot of climbing. I managed to get ahead of schedule and now it would now be relatively easy. I’m more content when I have an ambituous goal to conquer. It’s difficult for me to go slow and waste time. After breakfast we backtracked on Cervantes Street to 14th St. where we re-joined the route. It was a gorgeous sunny day and I was in my cycling shorts and short sleeve shirt jersey. I had covered myself with sunscreen.

Pensacola has an Art Museum, an Opera House, galleries, bars, and cafés. It’s a progressive historical little town. The historic district featured colonial era structures. The main strip had cast iron columns, balconies, and gates that reminded me of New Orleans. A colossal tanker was sitting in the port. A Minor League stadium sat on the waterfront. There were so many incredibly smelling seafood restaurants.

We rode out of Pensacola through the industrial western end of town. Barrancas Avenue became a divided four-lane highway. We rode up onto the sidewalk but it was overgrown. We crossed a large bridge over the Bayou Chico and passed a huge operation that cast ginormous concrete bridge parts.

Barrancas Avenue turned into the Gulf Beach Highway. It was a two-lane road with a nice four foot shoulder and lots of motor traffic. There was a long queue of motor vehicles lined up in front of Pleasant View Elementary school, I bet to get vaccinations.

The west lane of traffic was closed because workers were installing utility poles. Cars were stopped, but the flag person let us through. Down the road, about half a mile, a construction vehicle approached and told us to cross over to the shoulder on the other side of the road. We were riding alongside the Pensacola Naval Air Station, home of the Blue Angels.

The weather forecast for the next couple of days called for rain. Some apps show precipitation beginning tonight. Other apps show the rain staring tomorrow. I need to take a ferry to Dauphin Island tomorrow morning and need to get to my hotel in time to teach. I’m aware that the ferry doesn’t run during inclement weather. It would be great if I could get to the hotel before the rain started.

We took a left on State Highway 292 and went over the large steep Theo Barrs Bridge to Perdito Key a.k.a. Forgotten Key. Seafood shacks were everywhere and tall ugly resort towers could be seen up ahead. In the distance I spotted a parasailer in the sky. We rode parallel to the beach and passed dozens of seafood, barbecue, and snow cone shacks. I couldn’t take it anymore and stopped at the Shrimp Basket for an Oyster Po’ Boy and a Pensacola Bay Brewery Riptide Amber Ale.

I’ve been seeing a lot of destruction and repairs from the 2020 Hurricane Sally which devastated much of this area. Buildings were being repaired, and some were totally destroyed. Numerous roofs were being replaced. We crossed the Alabama State Line and flipped to map panel #90. We were now in Baldwin County, Orange Beach, a.k.a. the Redneck Riviera. I finally spotted a beach where we could pull over and Blanka could have a swim in the Gulf. Blanka loves the ocean and she ran circles on the beach. I coaxed her into the water by throwing a stick. After her swim and she began rolling in the sand. She may not be sleeping in the tent with me tonight.

We crossed a large bridge over the Perdito River. The barrier islands here are densely developed with resorts and ugly high-rises. Houses, businesses, and church’s roofs were being reconstructed. We finally exited State Route 182 onto a nice bike path, the Cotton Bayou Trail. We encountered a snake crossing the trail but I couldn’t get my camera unlatched fast enough to take a photo for Reptile Guy. There were dozens of good stealth camping options along the trail and I somewhat regretted reserving the $60 campground.

We split away from the trail to cut down to the campground on an old highway that had been converted into a trail. The original traffic markings were still in place but the asphalt had been cut into a meandering path. We checked into the campground and set up our camp. I was hankering for a beer, so we went searching. Along the way we got a flat tire on the left wagon tires that had worn through. I was smart enough to travel with tools, a pump, and replacement tubes. It was a quick swap of tire and tube with the bar and seafood in sight. I mistakenly used an old tube with a large hole, and patched it with a sticker patch. If it holds I’ll forever be a convert.

We went to the Flying Harpoon and sat up on the upper level deck. Service was slow, but I needed to edit this report. I ordered another oyster po’ boy along with several Fairhope Ambers.