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.