Armadillo!!!
By admin | April 29, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
Dauphin Island, AL to Big Lagoon State Park, FL
43 miles
So far, a bungee cord is working well to keep my handlebar bag closed. Good thing I didn’t mail that home.
I finally saw a live Armadillo! In my campsite, tonight! It was about as big as a small cat, or a large rat, or a very tiny anklyosaurus, and it’s really noisy. It sounded like it was bustling about in the bushes, bumping into things, but rushing. Or like it was moving quickly because it was nervous. A few times, it stepped out into the open, and then it would take off in another direction.
I think I heard it snort. Hopefully it won’t try to chew through any of my bags!
Another notable thing about the Big Lagoon State Park campground, is that my neighbors just vacuumed their site. Then they sat down to watch TV outside. Though, I’ve been on the computer since I’ve been here, so who am I to say anything. These particular neighbors are actually the camp hosts, and there is a steady stream of people stopping by to purchase wood or ice from them.
They just came over and offered to loan me a lantern, since they didn’t see that I had any lights. I got out my headlamp and said I was fine, and that I was going to sleep as soon as I finished writing on my backlit iPad anyway. They seemed very disappointed. I think they went back across the street and whispered about me.
So, the rest of the day. I got up early to make sure I made it across the street to the ferry off of Dauphin Island in plenty of time. Even though it leaves at eight, I was there just after seven, with one other car. A while later, another cyclist showed up. He had only a small trunk bag and a small handlebar bag, so I assumed he was local. But it turns out, Bill had ridden here from Pheonix, with his wife following in their RV.
They both just retired and he is planning on riding the perimeter of the US, until they get to the house they are moving to, in Sonoma County, California. They have the next six months mapped out, with him riding an average of 80 miles a day. They even have reservations each day in campgrounds for the next six months! That is not the way I am traveling. (But today, I did call ahead, which I do not always do, and it’s a good thing I did. The campground was booked full at the state park, but somehow they moved someone and had a site for me when I arrived. Whew!)
Bill on the ferry with our bikes.
Me on the ferry.
We talked about cycling stuff, which I love. Dogs, road surfaces, drivers, mechanical issues, the mountains at the very beginning of the trip, eating. Bill says he actually lost twelve pounds at first, but we both agreed that we just cannot stop eating, especially, he said, things like coconut cream pie and milkshakes! I concur. I am not losing weight, myself, though.
Bills blog is at http://billsbigride.blogspot.com/. (You may have noticed I am having a technical difficulty that is preventing me from actually making these link. Sorry.) I haven’t had a chance to look at it yet, but he said his wife is also keeping her own blog. It sounds interesting to be able to look at their trip from both perspectives!
After the ferry, we rode together for a few more miles. It was such a pleasure to chat, but it’s so hard for anyone to ride as slow as me if that is not their normal pace, especially with an unloaded bike. We parted ways, and Bill was out of sight ahead of me almost immediately.
He had mentioned that some days he wonders what he’s doing and has to talk himself into getting back on the bike. Then he thinks, “I don’t have anything else to do; I might as well bike!” Which is the mantra of pretty much every touring cyclist I’ve talked to. But I realized I didn’t ask him if he ever finishes days in the RV, if the wind’s bad, or he’s just tired. Having that option must be awfully tempting, because you sort of do have something else to do. I don’t have an RV, of course, but I haven’t been opposed to using my resources wisely, as it were.
Much of the rest of the day was along the Gulf Shore beaches. The parts I could see were gorgeous. The rest were obscured by HUGE condos and hotels. There was surprisingly little traffic for such dense buildings. I guess it is not quite the season. The 27th annual Mullet Toss was being held today at the Florabama. If you’ve read Jimmy Buffet’s books, you may have heard of this place. But I didn’t feel like stopping.
I did stop for lunch at Waffle House, though. Of course I ate breakfast. They served the waffle first, like an appetizer, which was a nice way to space out a large meal, except then I wanted another waffle afterwards. But I didn’t have one. Waffle House food is not actually that spectacular, but I love it, because it’s the Waffle House. Tomorrow, though, I’m planning to have second breakfast at a cafe in Pensacola that is designated as “go out of your way to get there” by roadfood.com. I have recently been made aware of this website that recommends delicious hole-in-the-wall places, and this place is pretty much on my way. I’m looking forward to it!
I thought someone threw a rock at me from a car today. I was riding along and felt a large thunk on my thigh. I looked up to see a red Jeep pass me, full of three shirtless, noticeably very dirty looking guys. Did they really just throw a rock at me?
A few miles later, I came upon them pulled over, surrounded by three or four police cars, vans and a 4×4. I stopped to let them know what had happened to me, but even as I said it, I could see what had really happened. There was so much mud caked on that Jeep, hunks of it were flying off as they drove. It looked as if they and the car had been completely submerged in mud. The officer I spoke with gestured to a van. A chunk of mud had broken its windshield. The mud-covered boys were looking very sheepish and apologized to me, and the police said they were dealing with it. I was glad that nothing worse had happened, and I was really glad they hadn’t thrown something at me on purpose. Careless, I can accept, but mean would have made me sad.
Nice continues to be the order of the day, and I had an armadillo running around my campsite! Who could ask for anything more?
Leave Your Comment