Week 6 The Epic Ride Concludes!

Day 38

Gulf Shores LA to Ft Walton FL, Plan:  77 miles 

There was no rain in the forecast but of course the wind was blowing right at us, making for a rough start to the day.  We crossed into Florida at Perdido and stopped for the ceremonial pictures.  Jona has been a gracious friend and made sure we were together at each of the state crossings.  

We rode through Pensacola, out to the Pensacola Beach through parts of Navarre, and then over another bridge back on to the main land.  That part of the ride was amazing.  The speed limit for vehicles was only 25 mph as it is a coastal bird nesting area.  We cyclists appreciated the slower traffic, as well.

The Gulf of Mexico coastline was something else.  But there is a reason why all the houses are built up on at least 20 ft pilings. (no thank you).  

Houses on stilts

The sand is white and fine, like table salt, which is not good for one’s bicycle chain.  

Sandy beach

Very fine sand

This map shows the little strip of land we rode on.

760 feet up, 763 feet down

Day 39

Ft. Walton Fl to Chipley FL , Plan:  86 miles

Hello wind, you’re back again!  Another tough day for all the riders.  We encountered lots of traffic in the morning, construction zones with no shoulders, and pissed off drivers.  We did, however, ride through some interesting countryside and found a nice ranch with this old cabin front and centre.

My bike made a lot of noise, today, so it got stripped and cleaned once I finally got to the lousy hotel in Chipley.  I didn’t go for supper with the group as I got in late and spent time cleaning my bike.  I went across the street with Cherrie where we ate and debriefed each other on the day’s activities.

I hope this street is named for the bird!

Day 40

Chipley FL to Midway FL, Plan:  78 miles 

Headed out with Jona and we hit the road running hard, hoping to get in as many miles as possible before the winds started.  We moved along at a fun pace and, like clock work, around 10 AM the winds started to pick up.  There was evidence of lots of hurricane damage in this area from last year's storms.  Huge trees still lay across homes and businesses.  I wish I had shares in the blue tarp industry as house after house is still covered with tarp.  One could see where people are living in RVs and houses that looked like people should not be living in them.  Those who can afford to keep rebuilding.  Here are just a few photos of the damage.  

With less than 20 miles to go, Jona and I headed off again.  She said we should be done in 1½ hours.   Well, that didn’t happen because hills did.  The down hills were fun, but that was killed by the up hills.  The hills did not stop.   Every down was followed by a nasty up to the point I just let gravity bring me down and will power get me up.  That 1½ hours grew to over 2 hours.  

Old fashioned gas station

Once at the hotel, it was time for laundry and a girls’ debriefing while enjoying a gift of wine from Cherrie.  Supper was excellent Italian food, and then it was time for bed.  We finally entered the eastern time zone hence we lost an hour today.  2000 feet of climbing.

DAY 41

Midway FL to Madison FL, Plan:  76 miles  

1600 feet up, 1500 feet down.

After yesterday’s misery, I decided to enjoy today and maybe even take a bump (van ride) through the hilly section.  I headed out with Jona, who advised me she had decided to find a spot for us to stop for coffee/tea then she wanted to bump also.  It just so happened that at mile 6, out popped a Dunkin’ Donut for us to pop into.

We passed through the city of Tallahassee where we got onto some rather hilly countryside with beautiful trees hanging over the road.  

Canopy of trees 

It was along here that Jona decided we should bump and into the van to the next stop we went.  The van ride was a good idea as it saved my legs about 10 miles and I was able to get back on my bike and ride comfortably the rest of the way.  We rode through the childhood town of Ray Charles in Greenville, FL.  After lunch I rode a bit with Cherrie, taking pictures and stopping to get ice cream for her and a slice of pizza for me.  I squeezed the pizza into my handle bar bag and away to the hotel we went.  It was a warm and somewhat humid day today.  We will see what the weather has in store for us tomorrow.  The weather channel showed big storms where we had just been riding, with more big storms heading our way for the next day.  Come on, weather gods, just two and a half more days and we will have made it without any significant rain.  

This should help

Day 42 

Madison Fl to High Springs FL, Plan:  77 miles

The morning was overcast and rain was starting.  By the time we got ready to head out, though, the rain stopped and the wind was minimal.  The roads were nice and FLAT for the most part, with beautiful foliage in some areas.  

Beautiful, flat road

Down the road some, I pulled into a driveway to clean my glasses and checked out a type of farm we would never see at home. 

Lee Peanut Farm

Further along I came across a home, surrounded by big oak trees, that reminded me of a plantation from the movies.  Next was a swampy area; we looked, but still no ‘gators to be spotted.  

Southern mansion

I was keeping an eye on a big grey cloud that was following us. At the lunch stop, it looked really ominous and within moments we were running for cover.  Rain came down hard but the worst of it passed on as quickly as it arrived.  Tom and I headed out in a light rain.  Within 10 minutes it stopped and I came across a motorcycle for sale.  I contemplated trading in my pedal bike for the motor bike.  

Hmmm, should I trade?

A little later I came across another warning sign about trespassing. 

I was starting to get hungry when we passed through a small community, about 14 miles out from our destination, to find a gas station selling pizza … so in I went with poor Tom in tow.  

Tom, the guide, on his recumbent bicycle

The last 14 miles were quite enjoyable as there was a bike lane next to the road that made for a sweet trip without traffic to listen to whizzing by.  I pulled in to the hotel to find Jona had made a trip to Win Dixie and picked up supplies for a debriefing:  wine, cheese, crackers.  Ahhh, a nice way to unwind.

Day 43

High Springs FL to Palatka FL, Plan:  70 miles

My legs are getting a little tired and they want a rest!  Just another day and a half and they can rest for as long as they want.  

I started out with Jona today, but fell off the pace as the first part was up and down again.  She waited along the way, taking pictures until I caught up.  We rode around the edge of Gainsville this morning. The directions were a bit confusing then, about the time we figured everything out, Jona decided it was time to pick up the pace and we sure did.  It’s funny how the faster you go the miles also go by faster, but I knew I couldn’t carry this pace on for long.  I thought, man I can’t do this for another 40 miles then I looked at my computer and said, man I can’t carry this on for another 30 miles.  Hey, where did that 10 miles go?  Who cares it was fun!  

Who knew we had grocers in the family?  

Just as I was willing Jona to pull over and take some pictures, she did. Good, as I needed to change my headlight and tail light.  At this point, we crossed the road to use the park facilities when we met a local cyclist having a snack.  We got to talking and he told us about a brand new bike path that would take us right to our hotel.  So off we went on this path, along an old railroad right of away.  It was glorious as it ran alongside the road, away from the traffic, in and out of nice quiet neighbourhoods. 

As we were checking this body of water for alligators we saw two sandhill cranes with two babies that were, oh, so cute.    

Nope, no 'gators here

I tried to get a good photo of the cranes, but they kept moving away from the crazy cyclist trying to take their picture. Trust me, they were pretty cute with their gangly stilt-like legs and fuzzy feathers.  Here they are:

The route our new friend took us on brought us out to the bottom of the bridge, yes another damn bridge, that took us to our next hotel.  We weren’t in our rooms 15 minutes before the sky opened up and thunder shook the building.  We made it across the parking lot for supper where I had my first blackened catfish, which I enjoyed.  Back at my room, there was a bit of time left to watch some basketball before I headed off to sleep.  

DAY 44:  Finale!

East Palatka FL to St. Augustine FL, Plan:   43 miles, flat

The day we had been waiting for finally arrived.  We sort of headed out as a group but as usual that did not last long.  We rode out of town then got back onto the continuation of yesterday’s bike path.  The path was awesome.  Half the group took off and we never saw them again until we regrouped at the meet up point before heading to the ocean to dip our wheels.

Jona once again graciously stayed with me which meant stopping for pictures and trying to finally see an alligator, which I never did.  Maybe that was a good thing.  The last half was along the river and it was very calming, unlike some of the roads we had been on.  After stopping to take our customary photos and selfies at the city’s sign we met up with the other half of the group.  

Sandy, Jona, and Tom 

Then, as was customary, I had to lead the group over the bridge.  Unfortunately it was not the kind of bridge where we could stop and take photos.  

Happy day!  We arrived at the beach and dipped our wheels in the Atlantic Ocean.

Atlantic wheel dip 

Next, we took some photos, dragged Jona into the ocean, then headed off to the bike shop to ship our bikes home.  This was kind of an anti-climatic end to the ride compared to the celebration we had for the Canada ride 11 years ago, now that was a party atmosphere.  

Dennis, one of the owners, dropped us off in downtown St. Augustine to walk around before dinner.  It’s a touristy place for sure.  We met up at a nice restaurant and I had a wonderful tuna dish for supper.  Back at the hotel, it was the usual routine:  organize the suitcases then off to bed, except this time I didn't have to lay out my cycling kit for the next day.

Day 45  Look out, I’m coming home!! 

We all flew out of the Jacksonville airport, and I had the first departure. My journey had three segments as there was no easy way to get back to California:  Jacksonville, FL to Charlotte, NC to Phoenix, AZ to Palm Springs, CA.  

I flew first class all the way and I loved it. I may never travel in steerage, again! 

Kate tracked my flights home, segment 2

My flight into Palm Springs was just a short hop from Phoenix, but even at that, the pilot managed to get us to our destination 20 minutes ahead of schedule. Good thing Kate decided to be at the airport early to pick me up and get me back to our La Quinta home. The dogs made a fuss over me as I came in the door.  Good thing 'cuz I gave Rockie the only alligator I saw ... a stuffed squeaky toy.  It’s nice to have our little family back together and to sleep in my own bed!

I hope you enjoyed following this adventure, in which I rode a total of 4495 km, or 2793 miles.  I am happy I did it, and even happier it is over with! I have no more cross-country trips in the plans, unless they are in Boxy, our RV.  Kate and I look forward to doing one week cycle tours from here on in.

The End