Carrabelle, Florida to Bay St. Louis, Mississippi

As a side note; Driving across the panhandle of Florida, I observed a number of animal crossing signs. When I was enjoying my tasty pork barbecue sandwich, I asked the waitress about the "Bear Crossing" signs. She informed me that they had a lot of black bears in the vicinity. In fact, they had chased a bear up a tree right in front of the restaurant the previous evening. As I was eating breakfast the next morning I asked some of the locals about bears in the area. Yes, Carrabelle, Florida, on the gulf coast has a lot of black bears. They said it's not unusual to be walking on the beach and see bears feeding on dead fish. I'm glad I chose a motel instead of camping.
I left Carrabelle at 9 AM and head west on Hwy 98. This is a two lane highway that follows the coast. Nice drive and not a lot of traffic. I had called Brian Person in Daphne, Alabama and planned to visit but it was time for his family to visit relatives in Jackson, Mississippi. So, I motored by Daphne, Alabama through Mobile and crossed a long bridge in to Mississippi. The coast of Mississippi is beautiful but there is still a lot of areas that have not been rebuilt since a hurricane devastated the area. Lots of real estate and homes for sale. Mississippi has a lot of casinos along the coast. I motored on until it was getting dark and found a motel in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. 346 miles traveled. Temps were in the mid 80's, so it was nice riding. Performed a chain adjustments and other checks so I could get on the road early. Next post will be a long one as I travel across Louisiana and into Texas.