May 3, 2007
Orange Beach, Alabama to Pensacola, Florida
The '07 Tour Concludes
This day would be our last for this particular tour. Although we had been enjoying the trip immensely, we were anxious to reach the finish line and enjoy some time at the beach before heading home. We figured the ride could be completed by midday, which would leave us the afternoon to relax a bit. About 4 miles East from our hotel, we crossed from Alabama into Florida. The place at the border was called Flora-Bama. It seemed like a bit of a tourist trap for people happy to have finally reached The Sunshine State. We were happy too but didn't linger long at the state line.
The road was Florida Route 292 and we were passing through a narrow strip of land which was actually a barrier island called Perdido Key. In most places, we could see water on both sides of us. It was a beautiful, bright, and mostly sunny day. The sea breeze was warm and pleasant and it was easy to understand why so many people have come to Florida.
After leaving Perdido Key, via a high bridge and reaching the mainland, we passed by Big Lagoon State Park. The ranger told us this natural area still looks a lot like the old Florida used to, before all of the people and development came. We took a short ride down through the park. It was wooded on both sides, with birds flying about among the pine trees. It was a very quiet and peaceful place.
The next point of interest was the Pensacola Naval Air Station. We checked-in briefly at the gate and they let us ride on through and have a look around. It was a busy base, which Stan enjoyed because it brought back good memories from his service time in the Air Force. Over my years of bicycle touring, I've ridden on or through several military bases. Our armed forces have some very nice real estate.
As we got into the actual city of Pensacola, we turned off the main road and got onto some more residential streets for awhile. The Magnolia Trees we had been seeing were in full bloom and their fragrance was in the air. We took a photo of a nice specimen.
As we started coming into the main part of the city, traffic began to pick-up a bit. We did our usual defensive bicycling in a congested area and made it through without incident. Soon, we were on another bridge across a wide expanse of water and were headed for Pensacola Beach. It lies on another strip of barrier land, this one a long narrow peninsula. To reach it, one must cross the Pensacola Bay, to the first barrier peninsula and a "town" called Gulf Breeze. Then there is another bridge over a bay channel that must be crossed before actually reaching Pensacola Beach. We had several such crossings over the previous two days and I have to admit, I enjoyed them all.
But alas, all good things must come to an end. We arrived at the beach, had a celebratory bite to eat and perhaps an adult beverage. My appetite had still not yet completely returned from the killer meal I had near Ocean Springs, Mississippi on Day 4. I spent most of the afternoon in the water, riding the waves, relaxing, and thinking about all we had seen and done on this trip. We had witnessed parts of the city of New Orleans recovering from Katrina's damage and other parts that had not yet begun to do so. The same was true of the areas of coastal Mississippi, through which we had passed. There was natural beauty all around and man made wonders of bridges, ferry boats, and of military installations where our country had been defended and still was being defended today. We had escaped another slow Pittsburgh Spring, for a little while and upon our return, it wouldn't be long until better weather would begin to prevail. It was good also to have done this tour with a friend. Now, it would be time to plan the next bike trip!
Today's ride: 37 miles (60 km)
Total: 327 miles (526 km)
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