Last day! We started early because we needed to be at the 40 mile mark by 10:30, but we were so anxious that we arrived almost an hour early. The first part of the ride was thru farm country. Lots of fields of potato plants. I didn't know that they grow potatoes in Florida, but there was even a small town called Spuds. Then we turned north and traveled along the eastern shore of the St. John's River--beautiful views and nice homes. The river is very wide in this area and is part of the Intercoastal Waterway. Finally we turned east to the St. Johns County firehouse where lots of picture taking went on while we waited for 10:30 to arrive.
The last 7 miles from the firehouse to the beach were under police escort. A police car in front, followed by the riders 2 by 2 and the sag wagon, with another police car bringing up the rear. We were on parade. People waved and cheered as we proceeded thru the center of St. Augustine to Anastasia Island State Park and the Atlantic Ocean. At the park there was a big welcome from friends and family of some of the riders. We had to carry our bikes across a lot of sand to get to the ocean, but we got our front wheels into the surf. Again there was a lot of picture taking. Then most of us began cavorting in the surf--more pictures with the waves knocking us about as we tried to pose as a group. Great fun! Then we had a pcinic together with family and friends.
In the evening, we had our final dinner, just for the tour group. Kathy Tex read a poem she had written about the trip and each of the riders--lots of laughs and remembered moments. Goodbyes and hugs, and it was over.
I still need to do a final tally, but I think I rode roughly 2800 of the 3100 miles and did things I never thought I could do. That's what it's all about. I plan to post my photos on Picasa, but am not sure when I will be able to get that done. I have a lot of things to catch up with when I get home.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
High Springs to Palatka
We started early to avoid the heat--prediction was for 95 degrees. I don't think it got much over 90. From San Diego on we have experienced unusally warm weather--10-15 degrees above normal and in some cases new records have be set. On the other hand, I never had to wear my raingear. Who would have thought that we could bike for 2 months all the way across the US without getting rained on!
I was first out this morning but I wasn't first for long and was among the last to come in, as usual. If I would stop taking pictures, I probably wouldn't lag so much but I am also one of the slower riders. The first part of the ride was pleasant but more of the same, tho with fewer flowers. But of course there were some new flowers: a beautiful white lily with no foliage (atamasco lily, I think) and a yellow fIower that I think is some kind of mullein. I went thru Keystone Heights where my Aunt Sophie used to live, but there was no time to stop and explore the town since I was hurrying to beat the heat.
Whatever the official temperature, it is a lot hotter out on the asphalt. I could just feel the waves of heat coming at me. The headwind did help to ease the heat a bit. At the last sag stop, I took my large blue hankerchief, dumped a bunch of ice on it, rolled it up, and tied it around my neck. OOh, that was chill, and I covered about 7 miles before all the ice melted.
There was 20-25 miles of construction work in the last third of the ride where they are repaving hwy 100. Most of the road surface was in good condition, but most of the shoulder had been milled and was impossible to ride at more than 5-6 miles /hr. There were two places where they were actively working and only one lane was open. In the first case where the stretch was probably only 1/2 mile but felt like a mile, I had to bike at the end of the line but that meant that the traffic in the other direction was waiting for me. I was biking as fast as I could go but it was on an uphill into a strong headwind, so they let the oncoming traffic start before I got to the end. Made for an interesting ride. In the second case they were replacing a culvert and I was able to ride on the closed lane--that was much better. The lane closures meant that I had long stretches where there was no traffic going my direction followed by a string of 25-30 vehicles one after the other. When that happened I got off on the shoulder no matter what condition it was in.
In Palatka, our destination for the day, I stopped once again for a milkshake. As I left to continue to the motel, I saw the remains of an accident where a logging truck had lost its load. I'm not surprised. The guys who drive those trucks are maniacs. They speed. They give us no room on the roads. Most of the truck drivers are very curteous to us and go over into the other lane to minimize the impact of turbulence they create. Not so for the logging truck drivers. Glad I won't have to deal with them anymore.
Final day tomorrow--40+ miles to Anastasia State Park in St. Augustine where we will dip our front wheels in the Atlantic Ocean, then celebrate with a picnic.
I was first out this morning but I wasn't first for long and was among the last to come in, as usual. If I would stop taking pictures, I probably wouldn't lag so much but I am also one of the slower riders. The first part of the ride was pleasant but more of the same, tho with fewer flowers. But of course there were some new flowers: a beautiful white lily with no foliage (atamasco lily, I think) and a yellow fIower that I think is some kind of mullein. I went thru Keystone Heights where my Aunt Sophie used to live, but there was no time to stop and explore the town since I was hurrying to beat the heat.
Whatever the official temperature, it is a lot hotter out on the asphalt. I could just feel the waves of heat coming at me. The headwind did help to ease the heat a bit. At the last sag stop, I took my large blue hankerchief, dumped a bunch of ice on it, rolled it up, and tied it around my neck. OOh, that was chill, and I covered about 7 miles before all the ice melted.
There was 20-25 miles of construction work in the last third of the ride where they are repaving hwy 100. Most of the road surface was in good condition, but most of the shoulder had been milled and was impossible to ride at more than 5-6 miles /hr. There were two places where they were actively working and only one lane was open. In the first case where the stretch was probably only 1/2 mile but felt like a mile, I had to bike at the end of the line but that meant that the traffic in the other direction was waiting for me. I was biking as fast as I could go but it was on an uphill into a strong headwind, so they let the oncoming traffic start before I got to the end. Made for an interesting ride. In the second case they were replacing a culvert and I was able to ride on the closed lane--that was much better. The lane closures meant that I had long stretches where there was no traffic going my direction followed by a string of 25-30 vehicles one after the other. When that happened I got off on the shoulder no matter what condition it was in.
In Palatka, our destination for the day, I stopped once again for a milkshake. As I left to continue to the motel, I saw the remains of an accident where a logging truck had lost its load. I'm not surprised. The guys who drive those trucks are maniacs. They speed. They give us no room on the roads. Most of the truck drivers are very curteous to us and go over into the other lane to minimize the impact of turbulence they create. Not so for the logging truck drivers. Glad I won't have to deal with them anymore.
Final day tomorrow--40+ miles to Anastasia State Park in St. Augustine where we will dip our front wheels in the Atlantic Ocean, then celebrate with a picnic.
Perry to High Springs
What fools we mortals be, to be out biking on asphalt in the hot afternoon sun. Even the animals know to relax in the shade. I sought out and savored each possible bit of shade, but there was little of it. Having said all that, the day's 77.4 mi ride was much more varied and interesting than the previous day's ride. We started early and had some cloud cover in the morning. We passed by cattle ranches, dairy and poultry farms, tree farms and logging trucks. In the afternoon we stopped at the Ichetucknee Springs State Park, which was a nice break. I just waded up to my knees in one of the springs, but several of the riders went swimming to cool off.
The best part of the ride was the wildflower display along the roadsides, mostly a variety of pinks (sweet williams?)--pink, red, lavender, and white--and coreopsis for miles and miles. Undoubtedly they were planted by the highway department, but they had spread into nearby lawns, fields, and woods. Other flowers that I have mentioned before were sprinkled among them, including a lovely blue flower which I have tentatively identified as a wild petunia. I also saw 2 lovely flowers not seen before. One a pink frilly round (3/4 in diameter) flower (mimosa macrophyla, I think) so delicate and yet thriving in the roadside environment. The other was a white prickly poppy, the bloom 2-3 inches wide with a yellow center and the foliage was shades of green and white. I also spied a gopher turtle trying to cross the road in front of me, so I stopped and carried him (her?) across the road. There was a fair amount of traffic and I was afraid that at its slow pace it might become road kill.
A correction to the Apr 23 blog: I said there were cornflowers, which was not the case. Cornflowers are blue and these flowers, coltsfoot, are yellow. Don't know where my head was that day.
The best part of the ride was the wildflower display along the roadsides, mostly a variety of pinks (sweet williams?)--pink, red, lavender, and white--and coreopsis for miles and miles. Undoubtedly they were planted by the highway department, but they had spread into nearby lawns, fields, and woods. Other flowers that I have mentioned before were sprinkled among them, including a lovely blue flower which I have tentatively identified as a wild petunia. I also saw 2 lovely flowers not seen before. One a pink frilly round (3/4 in diameter) flower (mimosa macrophyla, I think) so delicate and yet thriving in the roadside environment. The other was a white prickly poppy, the bloom 2-3 inches wide with a yellow center and the foliage was shades of green and white. I also spied a gopher turtle trying to cross the road in front of me, so I stopped and carried him (her?) across the road. There was a fair amount of traffic and I was afraid that at its slow pace it might become road kill.
A correction to the Apr 23 blog: I said there were cornflowers, which was not the case. Cornflowers are blue and these flowers, coltsfoot, are yellow. Don't know where my head was that day.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Crawfordville to Perry
Monotonous I think best describes today's 54 mile ride. We turned left onto route 98 out of the Inn where we spent 2 nights and stayed on it for 52.4 miles before turning right and going 1.6 miles to our motel. The road was flat and mostly straight with good shoulders and not that much traffic. There were no towns, a couple intersections, and only a few houses as the route was mostly thru or along National Wildlife Preserves and National Wildlife Management Areas. Mostly what we saw were trees, including some tree farms and at least one that was harvested. We have been seeing tree farms and their harvesting ever since eastern Texas, and I know that I have mentioned the logging trucks we have had to deal with.
The trees were interspersed with swampy areas and a number of streams and rivers. We crossed the Wakulla, St. Marks, and Aucilla Rivers. When Linda was crossing the
Wakulla she stopped to look for alligators. Instead she saw 2 manatees swimming under the bridge, but that was well after I had crossed without sighting anything. There were a couple new flowers today which, unfortunately, I have been unable to identify. The computer is just not very good for this task unless you already know the name of the flowers, then you can find lots of information about them. But some of the unidentified flowers that I mentioned in Saturday's blog were yellow primroses and spiderworts but of unspecified varieties. I did see today several beautiful blue irises in the boggy areas and lots of pinks, of different varieties I think.
It rained this afternoon, but not until well after everyone was in. We have been unbelievably fortunate with the weather, except for the unusual heat.
Tomorrow is a 76 mile ride, I hope with a little more variety than today.
The trees were interspersed with swampy areas and a number of streams and rivers. We crossed the Wakulla, St. Marks, and Aucilla Rivers. When Linda was crossing the
Wakulla she stopped to look for alligators. Instead she saw 2 manatees swimming under the bridge, but that was well after I had crossed without sighting anything. There were a couple new flowers today which, unfortunately, I have been unable to identify. The computer is just not very good for this task unless you already know the name of the flowers, then you can find lots of information about them. But some of the unidentified flowers that I mentioned in Saturday's blog were yellow primroses and spiderworts but of unspecified varieties. I did see today several beautiful blue irises in the boggy areas and lots of pinks, of different varieties I think.
It rained this afternoon, but not until well after everyone was in. We have been unbelievably fortunate with the weather, except for the unusual heat.
Tomorrow is a 76 mile ride, I hope with a little more variety than today.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Crawfordville - rest day
Nancy, Victoria, and I went kayaking on the Wakulla River and had a terrific time. Four hours for $25--wish I could bring those prices back to the DC area. When we first went out we were the only ones and it was very peaceful. We saw osprey building a nest and two different owls. As the morning wore on more people joined us on the river, including a number in boats with motors as the river is lined with private docks and houses/cottages. I saw a manatee come up for air, but just then a boat went by and there was no further sighting of manatee until much later in the trip. When we were just about back to the place to take out, a couple fellows who spotted a manatee swimming around waved us over. We got to see it swimming right by our kayaks and watched it come up for air before swimming around some more. I got some photos which I hope will look good on my computer screen. We also saw a number of herons, several great white egrets, another owl, moorhens, alligators (small ones), turtles, and lots of fish, some of which jumped more than a foot in the air pursuing bugs, I presume. The sun was hot, but there was a nice breeze and some shade. While my shoulders are a bit sore, not having had much exercise for the last 2 months, it really was quite relaxing to be out there on the river and exploring nature.
The afternoon was spent eating, reading, and eating.
The afternoon was spent eating, reading, and eating.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Quincy to Crawfordville
A great day today! We started out around 7:45 in a misty fog but with sufficient visibility that we felt safe. Damp enough that I had to remove my glasses so I could see, and water was dripping from my helmet. The misty weather remained with us for the first 25 miles or so. It not only kept us cool, but it gave a special effect to the woods and the rivers and streams. There were a variety of wildflowers along the way--coreopsis, cornflowers, black-eyed susans, lady lupine, crimson clover, purple verbena, and a number of others I haven't been able to identify. There was not a vast sweep of them as there was in Texas, but rather a continuous scattered mix wherever the roadside had not been mowed.
At mile 34 of what was supposed to be a 47 mile ride, I along with Lise, Nancy, and Kathy M. took a side trip to Edward Ball Wakula Springs State Park, which is an area of a massive spring that spawns a river and of the 4th largest underwater cave system in the world. It is a lovely place and usually the Womans Tour stays there but this year the place was already booked. The 4 of us went on the guided boat tour and saw a lot of wildlife--alligators, moorhens, yellow-crowned night herons, little blue herons, wood ducks, a barred owl, turtles, a great white egret (heron), some unidentified ducks, and fish. There was also a lot of pickerel weed in bloom and a small patch of spider lilies.
After lunch at the lodge we meet 4 men (all in their 70s) who are biking across country to raise money to fight childhood cancer. They call themselves grandparents to support grandchildrens health. They started March 2 in New Mexico (I think) and will end in Sun City, FL, just south of Tampa. So far they have raised $180,000 for the cause.
Then I took a short (2 mile) hike into the woods and marsh around the springs and saw another alligator and read about various trees along the way. Finally, I had to head towards the motel and got in around 4:30, having clocked 60 miles.
Tomorrow is a rest day. I'm going kayaking.
At mile 34 of what was supposed to be a 47 mile ride, I along with Lise, Nancy, and Kathy M. took a side trip to Edward Ball Wakula Springs State Park, which is an area of a massive spring that spawns a river and of the 4th largest underwater cave system in the world. It is a lovely place and usually the Womans Tour stays there but this year the place was already booked. The 4 of us went on the guided boat tour and saw a lot of wildlife--alligators, moorhens, yellow-crowned night herons, little blue herons, wood ducks, a barred owl, turtles, a great white egret (heron), some unidentified ducks, and fish. There was also a lot of pickerel weed in bloom and a small patch of spider lilies.
After lunch at the lodge we meet 4 men (all in their 70s) who are biking across country to raise money to fight childhood cancer. They call themselves grandparents to support grandchildrens health. They started March 2 in New Mexico (I think) and will end in Sun City, FL, just south of Tampa. So far they have raised $180,000 for the cause.
Then I took a short (2 mile) hike into the woods and marsh around the springs and saw another alligator and read about various trees along the way. Finally, I had to head towards the motel and got in around 4:30, having clocked 60 miles.
Tomorrow is a rest day. I'm going kayaking.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Crestview - Marianna - Quincy
The ride from Crestview to Marianna was 94 miles. Ninety on 90 the guide called it--90 miles on Hwy 90. Well, there was a smooth shoulder and trees (but not shade), houses, open land, and medium amount of traffic, but it was hot (low 90s by afternoon), humid (in the 80+% range when we started), and boring and a headwind was picking up. Consequently, I couldn't see any reason to be out there riding and sagged in from the 32 mile point. My second no-photo day. I spent the afternoon sitting in the shade with a nice breeze and reading a book.
Today's ride was only 54 miles, some of it on very pleasant country roads with lots of rollers and a significant climb after crossing the Appalachiola (sp?) River. Crossing the river also put us finally into the Eastern time zone. While it was humid (87%) when we left and hot (upper 80s by noon), it was a more interesting (farmland, pasture with horses and cattle, woods, and small towns) and shorter ride with frequent shade. I left around 7:30 and was at the motel by noon ( 1pm EDT). I took a few pictures, but I really didn't see anything new or different. But I am surprised at how hilly Florida is--not what I usually think about the state. If I may mention honeysuckle once again, the fragance in the early morning under foggy, then cloudy conditions was intoxicating.
If it sounds like I'm getting a bit tired of this, you're right. I was discussing this with a few of the other riders this morning, and we all agreed that 8 weeks was a bit too much and the sense of that set in somewhere around the 6 week mark. We're getting anxious to go back to riding where and when we want, having a room of our own, and eating what and when we want to. But we're all hanging in there with less than a week to go now before we dip our wheels in the Atlantic Ocean.
Today's ride was only 54 miles, some of it on very pleasant country roads with lots of rollers and a significant climb after crossing the Appalachiola (sp?) River. Crossing the river also put us finally into the Eastern time zone. While it was humid (87%) when we left and hot (upper 80s by noon), it was a more interesting (farmland, pasture with horses and cattle, woods, and small towns) and shorter ride with frequent shade. I left around 7:30 and was at the motel by noon ( 1pm EDT). I took a few pictures, but I really didn't see anything new or different. But I am surprised at how hilly Florida is--not what I usually think about the state. If I may mention honeysuckle once again, the fragance in the early morning under foggy, then cloudy conditions was intoxicating.
If it sounds like I'm getting a bit tired of this, you're right. I was discussing this with a few of the other riders this morning, and we all agreed that 8 weeks was a bit too much and the sense of that set in somewhere around the 6 week mark. We're getting anxious to go back to riding where and when we want, having a room of our own, and eating what and when we want to. But we're all hanging in there with less than a week to go now before we dip our wheels in the Atlantic Ocean.
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