It was a hot one already at 8:00. We didn’t have much to do to get packed up and were on the road by 9:30. We hopped on I-55 for about 15 miles before jumping on I-12 across the top of Lake Pontchartrain and New Orleans. Saturday traffic was a little heavier, but not bad. Once we got onto I-12 around New Orleans, traffic picked up quite a bit. We crossed over the Pearl River and the border into the “foot” of Mississippi. The “foot” of Mississippi is only about 75 miles wide.
We stopped at the Welcome Rest Area to reassess where to stop for fuel one last time before going into Florida where the diesel fuel prices are much higher.
On the drive into the Welcome Center we passed the NASA Infinity Science Center entrance.
We saw it from the interstate before we exited for the Welcome Center. It was this huge rocket that caught our attention.
We found cheap diesel fuel near De Lisle, MS between Bay St. Louis and Biloxi, MS. The diesel station was an easy-on, easy off. Diesel was $5.49/gal. It took about 10 minutes and we were on our way. We could see some boat traffic on Bay St. Louis on this hot day.
The I-10 causeway took us over the salt march of the Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge for 3 or 4 miles near Pascagoula.
We reached the Alabama border at 12:30 and headed for Mobile.
As we neared Mobile Bay, the skies darkened and we saw flashes of lightning ahead. We had rain for a short time as we approached the tunnel.
We could see the Mobile skyline as we approached the tunnel.
Traffic was congested and at a standstill at times for a mile or two before entering the George C. Wallace tunnel under the Mobile River. The depth of the tunnel is 40 feet from the water’s surface to the top of the tunnel. Our speed through the tunnel was 5 mph.
We reached the bottom of the tunnel and headed up towards the surface. It was a freaky experience being under that much water.
The congestion caused a long delay. Traffic moved at a snail’s pace, but we finally made it out of the tunnel.
We got a glimpse of Battleship Park and the battleship Alabama docked there.
Once we got over Mobile Bay on the causeway, traffic moved at a quicker pace. The rain showers were gone and the bay looked calm.
We lost a total of 50 minutes there, but traffic thinned and we were able to do our last 40 miles at our usual speed. We crossed the Perdido River which forms the border between Alabama and Florida at 2:15.
We had 6 miles to go to get to Pensacola RV Park for the next two nights. The wind picked up and it was raining all around us, but no rain for us. We arrived at Pensacola RV Park at 2:30.
It was a drive of 225 miles today, supposedly a 3 1/2 hour drive. In reality, it took us 5 hours. You can make your plans, but flexibility is the key. Once we checked in at the office, we were taken to site #63. The campground was more full than we’ve seen it in the multiple times that we’ve stayed here before.
We were put out in the open near the entrance to the campground with lots of green space for Auggie and lots of space between sites.
We pulled in and set up quickly as we listened to the thunder off in the distance. There was a 10-degree drop in temperature as the skies darkened.
Once we got set up, we checked the radar and it was raining all around us. I got some wash started and we continued to listen to the thunder all afternoon, but no rain came. Around 5:00 the light, steady rain started. This was only the 2nd rainy day we’ve had in 2 1/2 months, so we can’t complain. We had an inside meal, and the rain continued through most of the night. It was soothing to hear the rain on the roof. Auggie and I took our walk as it rained lightly. I wore my raincoat and he didn’t mind the rain at all. We have another day here tomorrow, so we’ll see what the weather brings and decide what we want to do.