Day 44: Sunday, 4/19/15 Dauphin Island, AL (72º at 6:00 am with heavy rain and a dew point of 71º) to Milton, FL (79º at 5:00 pm with a dew point of 68º) 87 miles, elevation changes: +1163/-1037.

Theme for the day: Arriving in FL, our 8^th and last state of the trip. I woke up at 4:45 am hearing thunder in the distance. It began to pour at 5 am with continuous thunderstorms until and by 6:45 am. The majority of the campground became a lake. Luckily T4, my tent, was on a high, sandy spot. Others were flooded with several inches of water filling their tent. Our 5” high air mattresses were the savior of many being able to keep their belongings afloat on them and somewhat dry.

The second big event of the day was taking the ferry from Dauphin Island across to the mainland, a 40-minute trip. At 7:30 we were all lined up waiting for the 8 am ferry. The skies opened up again and it poured for 45 minutes until the ferry left. I was totally soaked getting on the ferry. Luckily, it was a warm morning. Once we we began to cross the bay, the rain let up. We did get a few more rain showers, but by 11:00 am, the rain ended. As I write this at 6 pm, the sky is clear and the air is drying out. Many Coasters have lots of soaking wet clothing. I am lucky; I have none. Packing my things in plastic bags inside my duffle bags was very important. 

Bike stats: 87.0 miles ridden in 5 hours and 29 minutes of actual biking averaging 15.9 mph with a maximum speed of 30.6 mph. It is very flat along the coast, and we had an tailwind of 10 - 15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph. 

Highlights of the day:

• Surviving the early morning rains and riding 87 miles.
• Crossing into FL, our 8^th and last state.
• Yesterday, on our rest day, visiting Ft. Gaines and riding 14.5 miles round trip to the west end of Dauphin Island. 

Waiting for the ferry in the pouring rain.

On the ferry about to leave Dauphin Island.

Fort Gaines taken from the ferry.

Oil rigs that we passed on Mobile Bay.

Here I am with big blue on the ferry just before we arrived on the mainland.

The "Welcome to FL" sign. The 8th and last state of the trip.

On the rest day, I visited Fort Gaines. I recommend investigating the importance of the defeat of Ft Gaines that is located at the entrance to Mobile Bay by Admiral Farragut helping to lead to the end of the Civil War.

On the rest day, I rode big blue to the west end of Dauphin Island. Dauphin Island is a barrier island. It is only about 4 feet above sea level where the last house is built, the second picture below. Note that the houses are all built on silts to hopefully withstand hurricanes. There are hundreds of houses on Dauphin Island built on stilts. To me, it is a disaster just waiting to happen. There is only sea grass as the vegetation on the long sand spit that makes up the west end of the island.

Make it a great day!

John