I stayed dry through the night of rain, but my gear got soaked. I resolved to make it a short day so I could dry everything thoroughly before using it again. But then I decided to visit a library before everything closed for Sunday...
The Gulf was astonishingly calm today. I mean, I've seen bigger waves on Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis. You would think a body of water that size would have big waves even on a calm day, but apparently the islands offshore reduce the wave action.
US-90 crosses the Bay of St. Louis on a bridge that's about two miles long. On a foggy morning, you can't see either end from the middle. There was a sidewalk, but it was so narrow I walked my bike for the first half mile; I was afraid if I got on and rode, the trailer would fall off the curb and capsize into traffic. On a windy day like yesterday I'm sure that would have happened, but today it didn't.
I reached the Pass Christian library around noon, but they didn't have the maps of Alabama I was looking for. A librarian checked the catalog of the Gulfport library, 12 miles farther down the road, and found a copy there. So off I went.
Gulfport has two giant casinos offshore, so there are lots of hotels and RV parks nearby, but the one campground that allowed tent camping was unexpectedly full when I called around 4:00, after using the library. I decided I'd had enough traveling and got a hotel room. This not only allowed me to dry out my gear and attend church in the morning, but I also got a coupon for Waffle House... the discount came to only 46 cents, but I was glad for an excuse to eat at one of my favorite restaurants!
22 mi