to Gulfport, MS

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