Day 45 [Dauphin Island, AL & Mobile, AL]

As you can see from the title I had two end points for today's ride.  Right off the bat this should indicate to you that it was an interesting day.  Well, let me tell you, it was a crazy day that took me from extremely irritated to a happy ending.  So let's take it from the top.  I started off the day eating breakfast with that Montana couple that I met at the campground last night.  They turned out to be incredibly interesting people that own a plane and frequently fly to Alaska for some big game hunting.  They laid down a warm welcome to me if I ever happen to find myself in Montana.  After breakfast we rode together for a little while, and I even got to get my picture taken by a state sign without using the timer feature.  When I took their picture for them, they picked up empty beer cans off the roadside and toasted them.  Pretty awesome people.  We parted ways when a shortcut presented itself that traveled down a gravel road.  My road tires don't fair well over dirt and gravel.  Anyway, a few miles after the Alabama state line came a fork in the road.  One way went up to Mobile and the other down to Dauphin Island.  My maps covered both routes, and I chose Dauphin Island because it looked like it'd be fun, as it involved boarding a ferry after all.  After 70 miles I had arrived in my campground on the island.  Upon checking in, I learned that they charged $22 just to pitch a tent at their facility.  I told the lady this was outrageous, and turned back to get on the ferry and then ride another 30 miles to my next campground once it reached the other side.  It was only 4 o'clock, and my legs felt fine, so good plan, right?

Would have been, had fate not had it that the ferry I had called only 4 hours prior to verify that it was up and running not of spontaneously broken down.  There I was waiting by the ferry as the news went from bad to worse.  I was initially told it would be up by midday tomorrow.  Then the real issue with the ferry surfaced and the best estimate turned to midday Wednesday (2 1/2 days) because the replacement part was in Texas.  I was furious.  The only other way out would of entailed me backtracking nearly 50 miles.  That wasn't even an option in my mind, and so I immediately jumped into thinking mode.  How could I get back up to Mobile?  Rent a car?  Charter a personal boat to take me to the other side?  Both of those alternatives sounded costly, and so I quickly came to the realization that I was going to have to hitchhike up to Mobile.  Lucky for me I caught a man getting into his car that turned out to be the owner of the company doing the repairs on the big boat.  After explaining my situation (and mispronouncing Mobile many times), he offered to give me a ride under the condition that I quit saying Mobile the wrong way.  My response was the correct pronunciation of Mobile, followed by the phrase "Roll Tide".  The drive with him was hilarious.  He was a very interesting man that likewise took a strong interest in my journey.  He even drove me around Mobile for awhile looking for the cheapest motel.  I tried to give him cash as gas money, instead he gave me his business card and told me just to send him a post card when I reach St. Augustine.