Mission Accomplished

More later.....

..... And by "later" I intended for it to be just hours later, but as I find myself spending Sunday night/Monday morning in Toronto airport I guess this is as good a time as any to complete the story.

It was an early start to the day as the slower riders left the hotel about 6:30 AM. The speedier ones got away about 7, and for the first time on the entire trip we had everyone at the 20-mile SAG stop at the same time! While we had a bit of a schedule to adhere to, everyone was in a bit of a celebratory mood and took the opportunity to alter their riding pace and/or partners. The rain pretty much held off until we reached the fire station at 40 miles. We were there in lots of time and took the opportunity to climb on the fire trucks and take lots of group pictures, including the one below of the 8 ladies who rode EFI (every fabulous inch). Our police escorts arrived around 10:30 AM, and with them the rain started in earnest. With one car in front and one behind, lights and sirens going, we rode in pairs for the final six miles to the ocean. I have to admit that when I had read about this finale I had thought it was a bit hokey. But, it was amazing! Traffic along the entire route came to a standstill and people came out of buildings to wave and cheer us on. The fact that we had travelled from coast to coast, under our own steam, on this hunk of steel and rubber, was finally sinking in.

In a way it was a fitting end to our trip. It had rained when we dipped our wheels into the Pacific back on March 8th. It rained off and on for the first two days. And then - no rain again until today. Not too many people lingered at the beach and certainly no one went swimming. We had a picnic lunch in a shelter at the end of the road and then rode 3 miles further to our final hotel in what was by now an absolute downpour. I was having trouble keeping my contacts from floating out of my eyes! St. Augustine ended up receiving 8.5 inches of rain by Friday morning, and one of the roads we had ridden in on received over a foot by Friday morning - yuck!

The trip ended Thursday evening with a final banquet and a final opportunity to visit and say our good-byes. By Friday morning everyone was going their own way. I was off to Orlando to visit a friend for a few days and take the obligatory trip to Disney World, which was a lot of fun!

Gittin' 'er Done

It wasn't a terribly scenic day today. The weather was overcast and threatening rain, but the wet stuff never did materialize. The roads seemed a bit busier today and logging trucks (and their debris) re-appeared for portions of the ride. Lunch was at a Subway in Keystone Heights. Treat was at a DQ in Palatka. Highlight of the SAG stops was chocolate chip cookies made and delivered by Ann's twin daughters from Gainesville last night. Linda outdid herself with appetizers and dinner tonight - yum, yum! Keith (a self-supported touring cyclist from England who we have been crossing paths with since the early days) delivered about 6 bottles of wine - carried on his bike for most of today. May's sister sent a box of delicious chocolates that were shared with all. Did I mention that my spandex is still expanding??

Stats for the day: 73 miles from High Springs FL to Palatka FL. 1500 feet of climbing.

Tomorrow is our final day of riding!!! It will be an early morning so that everyone can get in 40 miles before 10:30. We will muster at a Fire Station and then have a police escort for the final 6 miles to the Atlantic Ocean. Woohoo!!

Friends and relatives are starting to appear to cheer our riders on the final leg of the journey. We had a special surprise today when Bell (a rider who separated her shoulder on day one of the trip and had to return home) was waiting for us at the hotel this afternoon. Some of us, like myself, have no friends :(

BTW - really not much to take pictures of today. The first picture below is of a tree beside our hotel parking lot. It is a good example of the Spanish Moss that covers many of the trees in this area, particularly the Live Oak trees. The second picture is of our collective gluttony.

Over 3000 Miles and Counting

We passed one significant milestone today - 3000 miles since San Diego. Tomorrow my GPS will turn over 5000 km. Wow! That's about three full seasons for me. The highlight of the day today was the lovely wildflowers that we passed for much of the ride. We crossed the Suwanee River and bopped in to Branford for lunch (yummy chocolate shake and a sandwich). Then on to Ichetucknee Springs State Park where we saw the lovely blue waters of the Ichetucknee Spring and met two Canadian snorkelers at the BlueHole Spring.

Our riding today was again on good shoulders, although there was more debris from logging trucks and more truck traffic than our previous few days. We passed through forests (in various stages of logging and replanting) and farmlands and not very much in the way of civilization. We're staying in the small town of High Springs tonight - spread between two mom&pop motels.

Stats for the day: 77 miles from Perry FL to High Springs FL. 900 feet climbed. 1 flat tire (that's either 8 or 9 for the trip). 1 birthday dinner for Wendy - a retired Oakland police officer.

Flatsville Florida

Well, we finally had a really really flat day in Florida. 53 miles from Crawfordville FL to Perry FL and just 243 feet of uphill. Didn't really have any turns either. Stayed on Highway 98 the whole day. It was lovely - wide, smooth, clean shoulders. Not much traffic. Wind not an issue. Temps were in the low 20sC and mix of sun & cloud. What wasn't to like? We rode mostly through mixed forests with some swampy ditches, but I didn't see any alligators although rumour has it that one of our riders did. We crossed the Wakulla River, downstream from where we took the boat tour 2 days ago. First picture below is the Wakulla River. Next picture is the St. Mark's River just a few miles later. The third picture was taken in the town of Perry. A few people had bike issues today but their resourcefulness has kept them out of the van. Three days to go!

Alligators and Turtles

The highlight of today's ride was a side trip to Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park. It was just a few miles out of our way and well worth the extra pedal strokes. First up - food, of course. Five of us sat down for a real meal in the elegant 1937 Wakulla Springs Lodge. The food was so-so, but top marks for ambiance. Then it was time for a 40-minute boat tour of the spring-fed lake and river. The lake looks like a very popular family destination. Hundreds of kids in the water, on the beach and on various platforms jumping into the water. We saw alligators, tons of turtles, birds, fish, etc. Apparently this is where the movie Tarzan was filmed. Then back to the snack bar (with one of the world's longest marble counters) for ice cream. Finally, back on the bikes to complete our route for the day.

There were lots of long sweeping hills coming out of Quincy to start the day. The roads are still great - nice wide, smooth shoulders. Lovely tall pine forests with small palm-like bushes for undergrowth. The combination made for vary airy forest views. I re-joined the "pack" for parts of today's ride and while that certainly makes for a quick trip, I don't see nearly as much as I'm busy looking at the wheel and butt in front of me.

Our trip today was 58 miles from Quincy FL to Crawfordville FL. 1400 feet of climbing. We're actually staying a few miles south of Crawfordville so it will be a quiet rest day tomorrow with not much to do. Then just 4 more days of cycling and we should be dipping our wheels in the Atlantic Ocean!

Speakin' Southern

It's amazing how bright sunshine first thing in the morning (and continuing all day) just makes everything look that much better! We rode today on a bit more of US90 but mostly on quieter and prettier backroads. Lots of farmland and forests, horses and cows (and, yes, a few dogs but their hearts weren't really into the chase). We're still in "Florida ain't flat" terrain. We crossed the Apalachicola River (picture below) into Chattahoochee (do I sound "southern" yet?) and finally into the Eastern Time Zone. The temperature got up to 33C but thankfully it wasn't humid nor was it a long day so I got in before It got even warmer. We're staying just outside of Quincy tonight. The last photo below is one of the old classic buildings in town.

Stats today: 56 miles and 2500 feet of climbing. We started in Marianna FL and finished in Quincy FL.

90 on 90

Today's ride was called "90 on 90". Not many turns - ride a few miles to get from the hotel in Crestview FL to the US90 highway, ride 90 miles east, get off and ride a few miles to tonight's hotel in Marianna FL. It wasn't too bad as far as highway riding goes. US90 parallels I-10 so most of the traffic is on the interstate. The shoulder was wide and smooth, so no complaints there either. The scenery was - lacking. We are well away from the coast now and won't see another ocean view until we ride into St. Augustine. We rode through a number of small towns which provided momentary diversions. We did go in to the town of DeFuniak Springs for a ride around the beautiful spring-fed DeFuniak Lake which is surrounded by parkland and many stately, historic homes and other buildings. The wind was not our enemy today so the ride went by rather uneventfully (except for the rescue of a baby goat trapped in a fence by our retired fire fighter). We had a lovely lunch in a jewellery store & cafe in the the town of Chipley followed by a visit to a DQ once in our destination town. Continuing with yesterday's "Florida ain't flat" theme, we climbed (and lost) about 2500 feet. No more 90 mile days...... woo hoo!!