My time in Mobile, Alabama will never be forgotten. What started as a simple one night layover city on my way to Baton Rouge, has turned into four of the most random, fun, and memorable days of my trip so far.

It all started on the outskirts of Mobile as I rode into town on Highway 98. I stopped and leaned my bike against a parked truck boat trailer in order to walk across four lanes of traffic in order to take a picture of the USS Alabama battleship with the downtown Mobile skyline in the background. I hope the picture develops well, it was an awesome view. Not far after the battleship was the Bankhead Tunnel that went under the bay in order to enter the downtown area, where my hotel was located. I was warned by an employee of James Ellis, my contact in Mobile, prior to my arrival that though it was only a couple hundred yards long  it was a.) illegal to bicycle through the Bankhead Tunnel and b.) rather dangerous. Well, based on the fact that as I approached the tunnel the traffic lights were with me, there were no cars behind me, and the tunnel was supposedly quite short, I decided to go for it. I immediately regretted the decision. First of all, the tunnel was more like a couple thousand yards long, and went down at a very steep grade as well as up on the other side at a very steep grade. Second, the asphalt paving inside the tunnel had raised up into continuous little moguls that created a very bumpy ride. I had been going up and down Alabama foothills all day and only topped out at a max speed of around 25 mph, but flying into the belly of this subterranean tube I reached a hair-raising 33 mph, all while trying not to hit the storm drains in the middle of the lane as well as not lose control because of the bumpy paving. When I came to the second half of the tunnel and had to begin my assent up the unexpected steep slope, I stood up and pumped as hard and as long as I could in a low gear. After over 60 miles of riding I had only enough strength left to climb about half way up the exit of the tunnel before my legs turned into butter and I had to sit down, drop my bike into a high gear and pedal fast while only climbing at around 8 mph. It was at this point when all the cars had sat through their signal and caught up with me.  Eventually I emerged from the depths of Mobile Bay and the Bankhead Tunnel in downtown Mobile safely and without confrontation with the authorities. Thankfully, the hotel where James and his company the MDi Media Group had arranged accommodation for me, was only a few blocks away. So, I checked in, showered, and called my liaison for the weekend, Renie Baya, MDi's "Agency Facilitator". Or as James' wife says, "The one who runs the business."

Renie, I must say first of all, was an amazing hostess for my stay in Mobile. For three days straight she showed me around, took me to events, and exposed me to a series of perfect and pure examples of Southern culture and hospitality. On Friday evening, after I was settled in at the hotel, she took me a Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) charity Crawfish Boil. At a truly beautiful venue right on the marsh waters of the bay, there were couple hundred of the most Southern people I'd seen since being back in the US, all drinking, listening to the live band, and crowding around big tables with trashcan cut-outs in the middle where you toss all of the scraps of the crawfish. Elbow-to-elbow and joking about the lack of "Swine Flu" security, we pulled off tails and sucked the niblet sized tail meat from the brightly red colored creek dwellers. I don't know how many pounds of crawfish were boiled, but they had a full sized canoe filled to the brim with buckets and buckets of these tasty guys, and had to refill the vessel a few times. Well, I ate bunches of crawfish, and several servings of jambalaya to refuel after my day of riding, and it was gooooood. I had a great time talking with Renie and her brother, Ryan, meeting loads of their friends. Everyone was excited to meet me and hear about what a crazy adventure I was in the middle of and just passing through their town, and I handed out several of my "business cards." It was overall a great experience to be reminded, all in one location, of the many cultural quirks, fashions, and norms of my fellow Southerners.

On Saturday, Renie had promised and warned me of the wild bunch she had me planned to meet and spend the day with, most being her family and their close friends. Renie is part of Team in Training which is a group who trains for triathlons while raising money for Leukemia and Lymphoma relief and research. Saturday afternoon, a teammate of hers had organized a small poker tournament at Renie's dad's house, and kindly invited me to play. On the way down to Dauphin Island, a beautiful barrier island where her dad lives, we stopped at her mom and step-dad's house to pick up some party supplies. While visiting, Ed, her step dad, took us out on his boat through the Fowl River and out into the bay. It was a gorgeous area, with really nice homes along the shore. After tying off at the dock, and before heading to the poker tournament, Renie and I had to go next door to greet the neighbors during their Kentucky Dirby party, which happened to also be a crawfish boil. We eventually made it to her dad's house and set up the poker tables, served some dinner, watched the Kentucky Dirby (which was an awesome race this year and I picked the 8 horse to win, but like a dummy didn't put any money on it...going off 50-1 I could have made a nice profit) then started the card playing. With three tables, and 18 players it was a little work to reach the final table, but patience is the key to Texas Hold'em. With four players left, I had King/Queen suited in my hand and a King on the flop. I eventually went all in, and lost to Sweety (yes her name was Sweety) who had made two pair. I was happy with my play that evening and walked away with a $20 gift certificate to a local restaurant.

Sunday, as if it couldn't get any more random and Southern, I helped Renie out with her own personal fundraiser for Team in Training, a "Purse Swap" at a historic bed&breakfast in Mobile. All the fancy-hat ladies came and ate great snack foods while I poured them glasses of champaign and wine.  At the end of the event, Renie had been able to raise over a thousand dollars, but somehow she and one of her bosses, Don Davis, had enough fundraising spirit to announce to the party who their bartender was and what I was doing in Mobile. I was able to walk out of there with $150 in donations to me and $150 for the World Food Program. After cleaning up the party, a bunch of us went a local Irish pub that had been there since the 1930's and ate an awesome cheeseburger, listened to some live music and drank a few pints. All in all, a great end to a great weekend.

Monday, I had planned on heading out of town for Biloxi, Mississippi in the afternoon after working with James, Renie, Don and the MDi group on PR and marketing ideas to improve my campaign, but the weather was rather awful and I decided to spend one more night in Mobile. The people at MDi are simply amazing. James and Don are great bosses, and everyone was very supportive and helpful in coming up with simple ideas to interest more media, reach more people, and gain possible sponsorship. I don't even know how to thank all of those people, especially James, Renie, and Don for all that they've done for me these past four days. It has truly been an honor and a pleasure getting to know and work with them.

Today, Cinco de Mayo, I am heading out for Biloxi, MS. A little over 60 miles away, James has continued his unbridled generosity and contacted a friend who has comp-ed me a room at the IP Casino and Resort. The hotel website paints a pretty picture of the place, and several good reviews from people I've met have me excited to stay there, but happy it'll only be for one night. I seriously don't need to be in a casino, especially with my limited budget. But who knows, maybe I'll hit the jackpot on the 25 cent slots and reach my campaign goal. Wish me luck everyone!