White sandy beaches and reunion

Sunday April 23rd. Day 49 Pearlington to Gautier 68 miles or 110 km

This morning I had company during my breakfast. 2 girls and a guy walked from New Orleans to Pearlington.  It was nice to be able to talk with other adventurous people. Even if it was only for a short while.

The weather was good. A mix of sun and cloud and 21 degrees Celcius. The wind however, was already awake and making its presence known. A headwind of course. Yet it was going to be a good ride as the Mississippi Sound, a huge body of water, was going to be my scenery for most of today. 

The ride was going well and soon I came upon a long bridge crossing the Mississippi Sound and the St.Louis Bay. The bridge is 3.4 km long but has a separate biking/walking trail on the South side which connects with a beautiful boardwalk. This boardwalk went on for miles and miles making it safe for me to enjoy the white sandy beaches, patios, and people. The only negative was the strong headwind, particularly by the water.


Around 9.30 am I met 3 other cyclists.  Stephanie, Chris and Calvin all from USA. We had a chat while taking a break but I forgot to take a selfie with all of us. However. I am sure that I will see them again. And on they went while I was trying to find a grocery store. Yeah I found a Wallmart so time to stock up as I was hungry.

Time gor lunch. I chose a bench on the side of the boardwalk facing the water. All of a sudden I heard familiar voices. The 3 Israeli amigos were yelling and waving at me. Hugs all around and updating each other. They were in a hurry as they wanted to cycle another 100 km. They invited me to come along but I declined as I really needed to eat. We exchanged phone numbers and off they went. I know I will see them again. 

In the afternoon the beach disappeared but I still had to cross one more bridge from Biloxi to Ocean Springs which is 2.5 km long. And this morning my motor shut down again. An old and ugly problem. I was hoping that it would work while climbing to the top of this bridge. And she did! A big sigh of relief. Yet very worried. Not only biking solo but now biking solo with bike trouble. Not a reassuring feeling.

Once I crossed the bridge the route went more inland and a beautiful road with big green trees on both sides brought me to Shepard State Park. This park is huge and located among the trees. I found a beautiful spot at the primitive site for tent camping. Primitive in this case means no showers. That's sucks but at least I have a place for the night. 


Dag Hendrika, ik wil je even laten weten dat ik wekelijks mee geniet van je reis. In het weekeind verheug ik me erop om te lezen hoe je de 7 dagen ervoor heb beleefd (en geleefd). Ik heb veel respect voor je. Een prachtig vervolg gewenst! Hartelijke groet, Marike

Comments

  1. Marike24 April 2023 at 14:50

    Dag Hendrika, ik wil je even laten weten dat ik wekelijks mee geniet van je reis. In het weekeind verheug ik me erop om te lezen hoe je de 7 dagen ervoor heb beleefd (en geleefd). Ik heb veel respect voor je. Een prachtig vervolg gewenst! Hartelijke groet, Marike

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    Replies
    1. Hendrika24 April 2023 at 22:36

      Hello Marike. Fijn dat je mee leest. Ja het is een groot avontuur met ups en downs. Maar het gaat goed. Zoveel nieuwe ervaringen. De blog helps mij alles te herinneren. Doei

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