On the Road--Down South: Rained Out (June 9, 2013)

I left Gulfport, Mississippi this morning (June 9), heading south and east, aiming to visit the bird sanctuaries at and near Dauphin Island on the Gulf Coast, but it soon began to rain as I started out and it was coming down in sheets by the time I got to the coast. I sat in the car a while and watched Laughing Gulls (life bird No. 10 for the trip) and Brown Pelicans flying along the shore. I had seen Laughing Gulls earlier, in a Gulfport Walmart parking lot (where I stopped to buy sunscreen), but got a much better look at the birds by the sea. When the car radio suddenly stopped and the emergency broadcast system croaked on to warn of severe thunderstorms and gale force winds on the way, I retraced my route then headed east and north in the hope of finding clear skies and something of interest to do. I ended up driving most of the day in the pouring rain on I-10, heading toward Pensacola, Florida. A large billboard said "Pray." Another admonished "Know Jesus." Most of the way I was able to find an NPR station on the radio. I listened to the same episode of "The Prairie Home Companion" that I'd heard the day before. Along one stretch of highway, the NPR station and a religious broadcast began to come in virtually simultaneously. Terry Gross on "Fresh Air" was interviewing a TV writer talking about writing gay characters. The religious voice was talking about the inspiration of god's love. Sometimes a sentence begun by one was finished by the other. Eventually, god won out and I pushed the scan button to find solace in the voice of NPR again. The sunscreen could have waited.

I ended up in Albany, Georgia, the only town that seemed likely to have hotel rooms between where I found myself with sunset coming on and the coast (this time, the East Coast). I passed through Dothan and Blakely. In Blakely the road signs, if followed strictly, will put you in perpetual orbit around the town square. I had to flag down a car to ask which road to take to get to Albany. Along the way, near Arlington, I spotted a group of vultures in the pines along the road. I had seen a Turkey Vulture not long before, but these birds lacked the familiar red head of the Turkey Vulture. I turned back for a better look and confirmed that they were Black Vultures (life bird No. 11 for the trip). My lens, cool from the air conditioning in the car, fogged over as soon as I stepped out into the hot, sodden air, but I got a few shots, before heading back quickly to the car to avoid mosquitoes. So far the bugs haven't been as bad as I feared they might be, but the trip has just begun. The people have been friendly. Tomorrow (June 10) I head for Savannah.