April 30, Wednesday, Day 55: Beginning our goodbyes

We are at the third bubble from the left on the map below. 

Some pretty roads past farms today on the ride from High Springs to Palatka, Florida. Also lotta miles on a road with those big logging trucks which not only provide big whooshes but also a lot of debris. The route was 71 miles which I rode almost straight through because to stop was inviting bugs to chew on you.  Okay, also there was some "heading for the barn" behavior here too.  That, and outrunning a string of thunderstorms.  We have stayed ahead of the enormous amounts of rain that have drowned Pensacola and parts of Alabama where we were just a week ago.

45 miles tomorrow to THE END. 

I will post tomorrow after we get in. I'm sure we will feel like the Tour de France riders coming down the Champs Élysées -  only on the Anastasia Beach Park road in St Augustine.  Thank you all for "riding" with me on the blog. I loved reading your comments and emails, and am grateful for all your support. 

April 29, Tuesday, Day 54: a spring in my step

75 miles today in mostly cloudy then thunderstormy weather from Perry to High Springs Florida. Scenery was a lot more interesting than yesterday. Not only tall pine trees, but also farms, a bike path, and a beautiful spring fed pool.  The aromas on the ride however changed from honeysuckle to chicken farm.  Ugh. 

Remember Stephen Foster and the Suwanee River? Here it is!  Only he left out the U.  This river like many others we have passed over in Louisiana Mississippi Alabama and Florida are above flood stage. Emergency people are preparing for the storms that are rolling through this week. 

And just before it started to rain, I had the opportunity to swim in the Ichetucknee Springs pool. Yes, in my bike clothes. 

Cold and refreshing.

Only 120 miles to go to St. Augustine!

April 28, Monday, Day 53: Another kind stranger

52 miles from Crawfordville to Perry Florida along route 98, a flat straight boring stretch of road.  Had to keep riding because resting even for 10 seconds would attract all the bugs in Florida. It reminded me very much of blackfly season in northern New England.

After we arrived in Perry, four of us walked to Shelby's ice cream shack for a mid afternoon treat. The owner knew we were cross-country cyclists because some of our compatriots had been there earlier.  He gave us all free ice cream cones!!

April 27, Sunday, Day 52: Stories

Wow, did I do a lot today - of nothing!  Laundry (I turned my southern Tier jersey into a laundry bag), played with a dog, cleaned my bike, watched TV, and helped dispose of the excess wine inventory.  

The Inn at Wildwood has a golf course, driving range, and restaurant, all closed.  Seems that the former owner got $3 million to renovate the place, used $1 mil to do things like kill the golf course, then ran off with rest of the $$.  They caught him.  Can't top the story from the Butler Greenwood plantation in St. Francisville, LA though (we stayed there a couple weeks ago).  Ann Butler was shot five times and left for dead by her husband, the former warden of Angola prison.  Her son found her, she lived, hubby died in prison, and Ann runs the B&B. 

In the evening, Mats, a friend of Sheila's, joined us for cocktails and dinner. He is walking from Stockholm to Sydney, leaping over oceans by airplane of course. He is partway through the journey having walked 4000 miles through Europe then coming to the US in Miami.  He is following the Southern Tier route to get to San Diego, then on to the Far East and Australia. And we thought cycling 3000 miles across the US was a great feat!

April 26, Saturday, Day 51: Fog

Fog delay this morning for our ride of 57 miles from Quincy to Crawfordville Florida.

When we got the okay, Tina was ready to go. She is probably the fastest and strongest rider in our group and lots of fun.  No "bingo wings" on her arms!

There are hills in this part of Florida! no problem for our group, not after crossing the Rockies.  

Rode to the Wakulla springs Lodge for lunch.  The springs are the deepest and largest in the world.  

Last night roomie Connie shared "bluebirds of happiness" - cookies her husband baked and sent to her.  I felt so much better after eating two of them...

We are now at the Inn at Wildwood near Crawfordville, FL.  Rest day tomorrow.  That means laundry and bike cleaning.  And continuing to work down the inventory of wine and munchies.  A party every day, we are so relaxed!

April 25, Friday, Day 50: Getting closer!

54 miles on really nice blacktop roads from Marianna to Quincy Florida. We have now crossed into the eastern time zone!  The birds were tweeting, the sun was shining, the sweet smell of honeysuckle in the air. And I started to see maple trees in addition to the usual live oaks and pines. 

We didn't see the dogs that the sign below referred to, but the ones that were out and about had no interest in us.

At the SAG stop...

Sally, crossing the Apalachicola River into Gadsden County. And me laughing at the reciprocal picture.

This is the first time I have seen these giant watering devices on this trip.  Looks like a praying mantis, doesn't it? Don't know what kind of crops it will be watering. There are only a few farms on this route, today's had longhorns, donkeys, a few horses.

We timed lunch perfectly, missing the rain showers. The town of Quincy was supposed to have numerous restaurants, we were lucky that we found one.

Just in case anyone besides me is interested, here is the view of my cycling jersey from the back, compliments of Sheila. 

April 24, Thursday, Day 49: 90 on 90

No dogs the last three days, some barking behind fences, but no loose ones!  Yay Florida, so far. 

A foggy start this morning, clearing up after an hour or so. This is a point A to point B  90 mile ride coincidentally along US90.  At 30 miles, I stopped for a small picnic at Lake Dafuniak, the only scenic diversion for the day. 

Lunch in the town of Chipley at a gallery/restaurant.

On a long day like this when the temperature is in the low 80s, planning is half the battle: enough of the right kinds of food, sufficient water and electrolytes, rest stops including at least a half hour for lunch about 2/3 of the way.  And on roads where there is no shoulder, "taking the lane" because it is safer than riding close to right side where drivers will try to squeeze past you. Being in the traffic lane makes drivers behind you wait until it is safe for them to pull around you and pass. So far so good with that strategy. 

Road kill is now primarily opossum and raccoon. Quite different from snakes in Louisiana and deer and jackrabbits in Texas.

Now I am off to watch another episode of the British comedy Miranda which Joyce has on her laptop.

Good night.  7 more days to St Augustine!

April 23, Wednesday, Day 48: On the Florida Panhandle

65 miles from Pensacola to Crestview Florida. Mostly highly trafficked roads with some wonderful bikepath and back roads riding in between.  Pensacola is the first bubble on the left on the map below and Crestview is the second bubble.  (No, we didn't forget to put a bubble between numbers two and three; tomorrow's ride is 94 miles.)

The bridges are quite long; there is a lot of water to cross when we are near the Gulf. 

Below is a picture along the Blackwater Heritage Trail. Note the red iron-rich soil to the left of the bike path.

Must be a day for things to be red, like this field of Crimson Clover.

We rode through a heavily wooded area where there was a lot of smoke in the air. We figured there must've been a prescribed burn going on not far away. The picture below shows a wooded area some time after a burn had been done. The ferns are now springing upon the floor of the forest. 

This sign was placed in a roadside pool of standing water.

We finished the day with, yes, another party. This one was Rona's 60th birthday, with the commemorative poem read by Sheila.

The group as a whole seems much more relaxed as we near the end of our trip. Perhaps it is the flatter riding, perhaps it is sheer exhaustion, perhaps it is because we are all becoming friends.

April 22, Tuesday, Day 47: Florida!

55 miles along the Gulf Coast from Dauphin Island Alabama to Pensacola Florida.  We took the ferry from Dauphin Island across Mobile Bay to Fort Morgan and then continued along the barrier islands and then over to Pensacola.  Passed what turned out to be natural gas drilling platforms in the bay.

This is me below, happy to be back in my home state.  The blob in the upper left corner is Karen's finger.

Went onto the naval airbase to visit the Museum of Naval aviation.   Home of the Blue Angels who just happened to be practicing above us. Also got up close to an F-14 the jet that was featured in Top Gun, the movie I saw five times. 

The part of the museum devoted to women in Naval aviation was tiny, but still inspirational.  This woman was talking about her experience landing a jet on an aircraft carrier.

Finished the day with the margarita party for crossing the Florida state line, and then dinner at a tapas restaurant.

Only another 400 to 500 miles left in Florida to reach St. Augustine.

April 21, Monday, Day 46: leisure at its best

At our condo on Dauphin Island, Alabama.  Four of us share a three bedroom, three bath, third floor condominium overlooking the beach.  Lots of fun just hanging out, cycling to explore the island, munching in the afternoon, taking naps, and the usual laundry and cleaning bikes.

And I found out why Dauphin Island is so undeveloped; a lot of it got wiped out in hurricanes.  Homes on the western end of the island are all new looking and all on stilts.