Day 81

Nowhere else
I woke up and figured out what I needed to do today. I was 75 miles away from Mobil. After that, there really weren't any places to camp. Mobil was a huge city surrounded by suburbs. I realized I just had to head there and hope for the best. I've always found a place to camp. I passed through the next town quickly- I didn't need food or water. About a mile out, I realized I had to poop. Seriously this happens way too often to not mention at least once. It took about 3 hours to get to the next town. There were like 3 gas stations along the way, but they were all closed- I'm assuming since it was Sunday, I finally stopped at a gas station and filed up my water. I bought food too. I figured I'd get a pint of icecream so that I could slow down enough to not be trapped in the middle of a big city looking for somewhere to camp. They only had chocolate or vanilla- not my favorite but it will do. After I bought it, I found out they didn't have spoons. I asked if I could trade it out, rather than drink it as it melts and she gave me a cash refund. I decided to just leave- they didn't have what I wanted. At some point I pulled over and realized I was making fantastic time- probably because I was heading towards the gulf, which happens to be at sea level. If I averaged above 9mph, I could get past the city, over a bridge and into an area that had at least some patches of forest. I kept my bike in the highest gear and really pumped it out. Then I realized that I was in a new state and I needed to find a post card. Crap. I looked on my map and realized I'd be going through Alabama again- I'll get one then. It wasn't until later that I found out the bridge takes me over the middle of Alabama, not over into Florida. I pedaled hard again. I made incredible time. Once I made it into the city, I had to bike on what seemed like a freeway, but Google indicated that it was a bike path. Finally I did find the sign with a bike and share the road written on it. Then I reached a massive bridge. It was a great view as I crossed- I could see the tall buildings of Mobil and a giant rainstorm off in the distance. I was excited for the next bridge- it appeared to span several miles. I got onto it and got my first look at the gulf coast. It reminded me a bit of home. Then the bridge quickly ended. Cool, an island halfway! Except I never found another bridge. It must just be I-10 that is a bridge the whole way. It was during this ride that I discovered a fantastic trick- drinking peanuts. Ok not actually drinking them, but having them in the bottle they come in and pouring it into your mouth as you ride. I'm sure it would work for trail mix too. Most of the time I have chips and stuff that can sometimes be difficult to eat while riding. This discovery should help. Another bridge and then I was moving away from the water. I turned off the highway into a bike path and was about to go under a freeway when I stopped and realize maybe this was a better place to camp. There was a small forest right off the path. It was kinda early, but I knew I wanted to find camp before dark. I don't want to walk into spiderwebs. I found a spot that seemed like a premade path. There was a fence not too far in and an open spot just right for a tent. A had been holding a pee for too long- finally I could let it out. I set up my tent and climbed inside before it got dark. A few minutes later I discovered what I believe is a spider bite- it iches worse than anything else. I'm glad it wasn't poisonous! My legs have been iching pretty badly too. While I ride, I'm sure tons of bugs get picked up and have a feast. Maybe it's time to finally break out the bug dope that I haven't used for this entire trip...