Gulfport MS to Dauphin AL

White sandy beaches that were already cleaned up after the last hurricane and some still in progress was the view for about twenty-five miles upon leaving Gulfport, Mississippi.
Highway 90 provided an excellent route as many parts of it were under construction leaving barriers for me to ride behind. After spending the day yesterday shifting gears every half mile, today the only time shifting was necessary was to cross bays and inlets via large arching bridges. The longest of the bridges was three miles to get onto Dauphin Island, Alabama where we are spending the night at a bed and breakfast. Not only was the land level but also the views of the Gulf of Mexico were spectacular (Gulfport, Ocean Springs, Biloxi Bay, Pascagoula Bay, Mississippi Sound and Mobile Bay).

Traveling along through Gulfport, we could view directly much of the damage still left from Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Rita and now Ike. The many oak trees that were killed during Hurricane Katrina are still standing and are slowly being converted into carved works of art. Some that were just recently damaged by the surge of salt water from Ike will recover, we have been told. Houses that were torn off their foundations and pillars have been removed with only the base left standing on which to hopefully rebuild. There are numerous piers that only parts are left hanging out over the water as evidenced in the pictures.

Dauphin Island, Alabama is the first European colony founded in Alabama in 1559 and is very picturesque with much local history; such as the signing of the Louisiana Purchase being completed here. Also Fort Gaines built back in 1850 is located here, and in 1861 was seized by the Confederates but fell in 1864 to the Yankees in the Battle of Mobile.

One of the major problems following storms on the island is the white sand moving off the beaches and onto the island roads. As you can see from the picture it is plowed and piled up just like snow on the sides of the road. It all has to be removed and put back on the beaches.

Miles Traveled Today = 88
Total Miles Traveled = 2,166
Trivia = Was able to cover 17 miles in one hour with a slight wind at my back and flat terrain.
Flat number 12 occurred directly in front of the Hard Rock Casino, which is shown in a picture on yesterday’s blog.