We woke to a crisp clear morning on the Tensaw River, rafted to Soulmate. It was a perfect day to cruise into Mobile Bay. We left early in the morning and continued to cruise at our 11mph pace with Soulmate. Again, the changing landscape gave us some hints of what was to come in the next chapter of this trip on the Gulf coast. Sandy banks, changes in foliage, changes in birds, and an increase in commercial resources placed along the shoreline. It was a short 40 mile trip into Mobile Bay where enormous cargo ships sat alongside military vessels and the skyline of Mobile as a backdrop. The water was rougher than we would have ordered up, 11-15mph NNW winds with a tide that pushed us onward. Arriving on a Saturday (and then leaving on Sunday) likely afforded us less commercial traffic in the shipping channel as we entered the bay. We didn't stay in the shipping channel long, as our route took us east into Dog River and under the 163 bridge in Mobile to Grand Mariner Restaurant and Marina. We were warmly greeted by Jason and Shanda, the owners, with Saturday college football, hotdogs, hamburgers, and pizza outside in the pavilion. We filled up our tank with gas, had a bite to eat, got settled in our slip, took a shower, started our laundry, took a walk, and then visited with Looper friends docked nearby. A group of us enjoyed dinner where we tried it all! Gumbo, fried okra, fried clams, shrimp, hushpuppies, and key lime pie! It was too much! We really need to pace ourselves as we move through the Gulf and be gentler to our stomachs!