New Orleans, LA - Panama City, FL (6)

Since New Orleans, I've cycled 510 kilometers in 4 days and 2 hours. That means there wasn't much free time. I'll be staying here for two days and relax. After leaving New Orleans I first had to fight my way through the harbor areas. Roads are often closed there or under construction, and you have to improvise a bit. I've figured out a certain pattern in the meantime. And with some U-turns I could manage the worst.

But then a major obstacle came up. My goal was to cycle along the coast to Gulfport, Mississippi. I'd been googling for days and found out that the coastal road no longer exists. The two interstates from Louisiana to Mississippi are off-limits to cyclists. And in these times, I don't want to get into trouble with the law, so those were off-limits too. However, I couldn't imagine that a 140-km detour was the only solution. So I looked for a train connection through this swampland. However, even here Hurricane Katrina had destroyed the rail line 20 years ago and it hadn't been rebuilt since. The same could also be true for the road, When I dropped that question in Facebook's bicycle chats nobody could give a precise answer.

My Komoot app showed the road as interrupted. Some people in Facebook confirmed the detour and they ride it regularily.

So I drove to the nearby town of Slidell and asked at a small gas station there. Typically the local guys know what's going on. Small gas stations are better. People at the larger ones are busier and don't take as much time. The attendant didn't know herself, but immediately asked other customers. Naturally, they wanted to find out, so they all googled it. It turned out that a bridge was closed because of constructions. Okay, I've seen that before. So these 10 km detour are worth the effort. Maybe I can rent a boat that will bring me to the other side of the river.

Harbour area with New Orleans still in the backgroud

Not always obvious how to get away in industrial areas

This was the suggested detour. Normally the system is pretty accurate. So there was a certain chance that this is what I need to do. I checked already overnight possibilities in Bogalusa.

And when I drill into the app there is no road anymore.

But the below is how reality looks like. :-)

For all of you: Whoever intends to ride there: As long as you can carry your bike over that barrier, you are good. The bridge is okay, just not safe for cars or trucks and therefore closed. Obviously for American traffic planners bicycles are no option

Once you are over the obstacle, you are the only person for the next 10 km for sure.

And a lot of wildlife takes advantage of that

I even saw a bald eagle there.

Once you have crossed that swamp you arrive in Mississippi. And as you can see I was pretty happy to have tried and avoided a full day of unnecessary riding.

Some 30 km later the road continues on the coast line. It's a very nice area.

Every single one of these bridges along the coast is quite high to allow ships to pass through. And most of them do have a bicycle path.

The houses along the coast in Mississippi are characterized by being built on stilts due to the risk of flooding. There are no dikes

It's funny, even the lighthouse in Gulfport's Marina follows the same pattern

Very nice beaches there. But the water is a brown sauce. Probably coming from all the rain on the upper Mississippi river. The first blue waters started in Florida only. But first I had to pass Alabama

And I was surprised to see a lot of forest there with constant rolling hills. It,s not really flat. So the hills in combination with wind sucked a lot of energy.

And those massive harbour bridge in Mobile as well. As the outer barrier is pretty low, I am always concerned to ride too close. It doesn't feel very safe. And the wind is unpredictable. So I tend to be closer to the cars.

The most visited landmark in Alabama: the USS Alabama, served in WWII as well as in 1962. Since then it is a museum.

People don't stop building bridges and intersections even inside the water.

Finally I made it to Florida. despite the headwind of the last two days.

With it's nice beaches and blue water. A good reason to stop and relax for a while.

The area is completely different compared to Mississippi or Alabama. Many American vistors from all over the country come here for their spring holiday. And all of the sudden you are surrounded by bicycle riders and joggers.

Panama City Beach is prepared for mass tourism. However now, during off season it's pretty empty. So I took an apartment to relax for two days and gain fresh energy. Miami is still 1000 km away.

First thing, I went to the grocery store to prepare some food myself during the next two days. Looking forward to have some fruit and vegetables as well as pasta to load some carbo.

In the meantime I am relaxing on the balcony and plan the next stages. It is clear that the next direction will be Tallahassee which is some 180 km away. But whether I take the Gulf or Atlantic coast to get to the south is still open. I will take that decision based on wind forecasts.