Day 39 - At Last! The Atlantic!

Departure:  Palatka, FL      Finish:  St. Augustine, FL  

Distance:    34.4 miles

Elevation gain:  659 feet 

Winds: From the North at 3 to 5 mph

Weather:  Scattered Clouds. 51 degrees at departure. 79 degrees at arrival.

On bike duration:   2 hrs, 17 minutes. 

Average speed: 15.0 mph

Total Accumulated Miles:  2,945.7

Thirty nine days on the bicycle; almost 3,000 miles! 

I woke up to a beautiful sunrise over St. John’s River. 

Everyone in the group was eager, yet melancholy, talking about getting back home & can’t believe it’s over. Today’s ride was only 34 miles, much of it on another tree-lined bike path. Tom Peron experienced the LAST flat tire of the trip on that bike path. 

At our very last water break I spotted a large curved-billed bird that Jim Wilz identified as a Wood Stork.

As we rolled into St. Augustine, Valerie was waiting, with Pam (my mother-in-law), Chris and Holly (Valerie’s sister and her husband), and Julie and Dan Miller (dear family friends). We waited for a large sailboat to pass through the draw bridge (The Lions Bridge). Rahul was leading the group. I was close behind. About 1/2 mile from the finish Rahul said “You have family meeting you don’t you? You go in first.” So, I was the first to hear the noise makers and the shouts from the crowd of about 30 family and friends. Valerie came rushing toward me as I got off the bike. It was a very emotional moment for me. Then we took many pictures with our front tires in the surf, and enjoyed a toast of champagne - courtesy of Dennis Hughes and Cycle Of Life Adventures.

I don’t believe I can provide an adequate reflection on this whole trip. In one sense, the total of the entries in this journal stands for itself. On the other hand, the whole experience deserves a good dose of Oscar Awards style profundity.

In my mind I keep reliving the sudden rush of dodging the roadside debris, road kill and potholes. I also see the incredible isolation of far-west Texas, and the quiet beauty of desolate country roads in eastern Texas and Louisiana. 

I was very blessed by the companionship of good-natured, hearty adventurers to make the travel even more enjoyable. When I think back on my early planning for this trip, I am so thankful I saw the advertisement for Cycle Of Life in one of the quarterly issues of “Adventure Cycling” magazine. Now that I have reached the East Coast — accomplished the goal I dreamed of for several years — I can’t imagine attempting the Southern Tier on my own, searching for hotels and restaurants every day, and planning water stops in extremely remote areas. I admire Dennis Hughes’ planning and management skills. This was the 7th time he has hosted this tour. Many times, I recognized it was his experience and leadership that made the journey enjoyable, memorable, and safe.

This accomplishment is a marker and milestone, sure to be retold in my stories for the rest of my life. I am so happy I chose to do this now, this year, in the springtime, on the Southern Tier, on a Trek Domane bicycle that was engineered for just this kind of trip. I’m also thankful for Valerie’s love and support for my crazy dreams. 

People will ask me, “What was your favorite part?” Upon immediate reflection, I’d reply with two things: 1.) the 119 mile route from Sanderson to Del Rio, Texas on my 65th birthday; and 2.) the grand arrival in St. Augustine, Florida. Both of those moments proved - I can do it. 

Day 38 - So Close; One More Day

Departure:  Alachua, FL      Finish:  Palatka, FL  

Distance:    66.4 miles

Elevation gain:  1,401 feet 

Winds: NNW at 3 to 5 mph

Weather:  Clear blue. 49 degrees at departure. 85 degrees at arrival.

On bike duration:   4 hrs, 5 minutes. 

Average speed: 16.2 mph

Total Accumulated Miles:  2,911.3

Resting Heart Rate:  51 bpm. (See post # 2, after first day.)

I’m ready to get my tires in the Atlantic salt water! Noon tomorrow.

We had a beautiful day - again. An easy 66 miles through mostly rural Florida; around the perimeter of Gainesville. The route ended the day with 17 miles on a canopied bike path with gator filled lilly ponds along the way. The group was talking about the finish line all day; a lot of discussions about the “next adventure”.

When we reached our hotel (another Quality Inn) we found an outdoor patio at the hotel restaurant, overlooking the very large St John’s River. Along the bank below the patio was an 8 foot-long alligator the locals call George. It’s illegal to feed gators down here, but I presume George has had more than his share of french fries and chicken nuggets. I don’t remember if I have ever seen a gator in the wild, so I was fascinated, and got a couple of good pictures.

After I passed "Rita" on to Tom Hand, she was passed to Mike Hynes with several poetic lines written on a napkin. Several days later, Mike passed her off to Ujjwal Bhattarai (the final "Save One Life" rider). Tonight, several of us conspired with Ujjwal to have Rita passed back to Andrea Street (our Welsh participant) at our final dinner tomorrow, to let Rita's journey continue across the Atlantic.

Tomorrow we begin our final day by crossing the Memorial Bridge over the St. John River. It’s our last climb!

Day 37 - Rural / Non-Coastal Florida

Departure:  Madison, FL      Finish:  Alachua, FL  

Distance:    84.3 miles

Elevation gain:  1,170 feet 

Winds: Northwest at 5 to 8 mph

Weather:  Clear blue. 51 degrees at departure. 75 degrees at arrival.

On bike duration:   4 hrs, 54 minutes. 

Average speed: 17.2 mph

Total Accumulated Miles:  2,844.9

Another beautiful day on the bike. Most of the miles were spent on country farm roads, in addition to another 15 miles or so on U.S. 90. Our destination was 84 miles southeast, which was fortuitous because the light breeze was from the northwest. 

One thing that hit me on these backroads is this is not the Florida most people think of. We saw very beautiful farmland and pastures. With the glaring blue sky as a backdrop, it was stunning scenery! 

Just before our lunch stop, we crossed over the Suwannee River and entered the Suwannee River State Park.

“Someone” (Tom Peron) wove some Spanish Moss to Mike Hynes’ handlebars at lunch, while he wasn’t looking. The group has been ribbing Mike about his lack of speed. He doesn’t need one more thing to slow him down.

We're getting close to the close of this expedition. There is one extracurricular item I'd like to include before this journal ends. Rahul - our intrepid renaissance man - has also been keeping a personal journal. He has been publishing it from time-to-time on Facebook. Recently, he penned a narrative that included his interpretation of a biography on each of the travelers in our group. I have copied it below:

 1) Tom and Athena Hand are a couple who are doing the trip on a tandem. They both worked for the US State department in posts all over the world...many places in Africa, Asia, Europe. Tom was on the development side, and Athena is a doctor. Tom has biked in the most amazing places. On this trip, I have been amazed by their teamwork and ability to scale hills on which I withered. My biking remembrance of Tom/Athena is the first day when we shared a cold, foggy, rainy, scary experience on interstate 8 in California.

2). Tom Peron is from the northeast (Connecticut and Vermont) and came out of the world of financial services. He is an intellectually curious individual, so we have fun discussing my various research projects. My biking remembrance of Tom are the occasions where he gets very energetic and takes off like a rocket. On one occasion, he took off and led the group parade for at least 15 miles at nearly 20mph....while yours truly was hanging on for dear life in the back of the pack.

3) Jim Wilz is from Cincinnati, my hometown, and comes from a background of running significant family businesses. His business career has taken him on travel around the world. There is hardly a localle he has not visited. He is riding for a charity triggered by some health difficulties in the family. On biking, Jim, Tom, Hugh, and Andrea would often work well together in a pacing line. When I was around, they would let me dangle in the back while they did the heavy lifting.

4) Andrea Street is from Wales and works in the Welsh government on the social programs side. She must be very good because she got an OBE honor from the Royal family. On biking, she is a very strong biker, and my rememberance of her will be the "passing left" utterance she would say in a cheerful British accent as she raced past me up hill. Of course my opinion of her grew significantly when she gifted me a Welsh castle. I just have to figure out how to extract it from the National Trust. Also, I have learned quite a bit about Welsh, UK society/government from her.

5). Hugh Brady is from Washington DC where he worked for federal government and later defense contractors on topics such as munitions planning. He did half the Southern Tier last year east to west...until a dog incident in Texas caused a crash. After rehab, he wanted to finish, so joined us until Austin. His next goal ...write a book on the moral dilemmas created in war.... Very relevant in the context of today's conflicts ... especially in middle east.

6) Save one Life is a charity who sponsored a trip to raise money. They focus on helping folks with blood disorders. Their original plan was one person to ride the whole trip, but apparently, he dropped out. In replacement, three riders (Scott Carthey, Shannon Peterkin, and Ujjwal Bhattarai ). Scott joined us on the first week. He ran his own specialty pharma business and we were all amazed as he was able to juggle conference calls while confidently biking. Shannon joined us in week three and was also a very confident biker. His wife, who was from Germany, joined us and would trail us with our support wagon...taking pictures. I was really impressed to hear that both his kids were in medical school and one studying the blood disorders which were the object of the charity. Of course we were all so greatful when his mom made delicious Easter dinner for us. Finally, Ujhwal just joined us in Gulf Shores...he hails from Nepal and works in IT in Connecticut.

7). Keith Vasey hails from Kansas City and had a long career selling civilian planes, and later as a commercial bankers. He is an avid and accomplished flyer...doing stunt shows. On the many occasions when we were near Air Force bases he would easily identify the planes overhead. My biking remembrance of him will be effortlessly bobbing back and forth between the front and rear..stopping to take incredible pictures...always with a smile.

Mike Hynes hails from a Canadian border town and spent much of his career with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) as a financial pricing expert. He and TomP roomed together and would have a regular comedic banter. Mike has a very dry and sometimes cheeky sense of humor. He is also very kind and proactively helpful. I was very impressed when he told me that he had swim across the massive St Lawrence seaway.

9) Peter Sheridan is the elder statesman of the group at the age of 73. He hails from Santa Rosa California and spend his career as a landscape contractor. Despite his age, he was by far the strongest and very knowledgeable cyclist. My algorithm for the day was to stick with Peter as long as he would allow it, and most days this worked out ok. On the occasions where I or others got into trouble, he was there to help.

10) Cycle for Life: Dennis Hughes and Elli Wilke-Sias own the company. Elli and I chatted when I was signing up for the trip. Jim Pratt and Duncan Howland helped Dennis with managing the trip. Duncan comes from Colorado and had a career as an engineer. He and I became buddies in the back of the pack on a couple of tough days in the West. Jim hails from Iowa..and is also an accomplist bicycle rider...often helping me with maintenance of my bike. As the business owner, Dennis keeps everyone on schedule...not an easy task with lots of type A personalities, and the logistical complexities of running the trip. My big remembrance of Dennis was his emotional reaction to a fatal incident which occurred two years ago oñ the Southern Tier as we approached that location near Austin. One could feel the heaviness in his heart.

Well...that is the group which is having a joint shared experience of the 2024 Southern Tier. One never knows what sparks this joint experience will lead to in the future. Meanwhile, only one more week to go !

As for myself, despite the old heavy bike, carrying a heavy "bonnet," no cleats, minimal bicycle skill, running shoes, and mountain biking shorts....my confidence is high. At a fitness level, the typical ride does not seem to tire me much, and it is not unusual for me to keep up with the better riders. More or less getting stronger as we are approaching the Atlantic.

Many have commented how much better biker I would become with better technique and equipment. Of course, they are correct, but I struggle with objective. Is biking the pastoral pastime to experience the world at a different pace ? Or the core of a competitive fitness regime? For me, running was my fitness vocation, and biking the hobby which allowed you to coast. A topic to consider after this trip is done.

I will remember Rahul just like that! I can hear his voice in the words he wrote.

Tonight we’re in a very nice Hampton Inn. Our group of cyclists is greatly outnumbered by pre-teen baseball players (presumably here for a weekend tournament) with their parents. The halls of my second-floor room have been a boisterous race track since we arrived. I’m hoping they wear themselves out by 10:00. (Not to be a grumpy old man, or anything.)

Day 36 - A mighty flood (kinda)

Departure:  Midway, FL      Finish:  Madison, FL  

Distance:    80.5 miles

Elevation gain:  2,551 feet 

Winds: SE at 10 to 15 mph

Weather:  Clear blue. 63 degrees at departure. 78 degrees at arrival.

On bike duration:   5 hrs, 7 minutes. 

Average speed: 15.7 mph

Total Accumulated Miles:  2,760.6

We had been feeling pretty smug about dodging all the local severe weather. Today, God laughed a little. We were stopped by flooded roads. It was fun actually! We went through it for about a mile. Several times the water was up to the hub of the wheel. Mostly the flood was moving slowly from left to right. For a moment however, the current from was strong enough to push me to the right, and took all the concentration I could muster. ultimately, two old ladies in a Subaru came toward me, pushing the water above the bumper. The driver said she had to turn around a couple hundred yards up. So, we all turned around. Dennis found a detour - added three miles to our route. 

That’s the big headline for today. But, we started out with a nice stroll through Tallahassee, including a perimeter view of Florida State University, and the beautiful amphitheater in the photo below.

Then we turned right onto the Old St. Augustine Highway, also called Canopy Road. Very scenic!

We ate our picnic lunch in the driveway of River Of Life Church, where Samuel Bass is the pastor. I have been amazed at the huge number of small churches in the Deep South. I have seen countless variations of Baptist, Pentecostal, and AME church buildings. Today, I also saw a sign at a residence announcing “drive-through prayer”. I should have snapped a photo.

Two miles to the East of our lunch spot we rolled into Greenville. The childhood home of Ray Charles. We found a very nice tribute to him with a plaque that told a brief story of his life. I never knew that “Charles” was actually his middle name - Raymond Charles Robinson. They called him “R.C.” Ray Charles died in 2004.

Again, Best Western Plus. The first “Plus” we encountered was in DeRidder, Louisiana. I still don’t know what the Plus is. I asked at the front desk if the Marquee sign came down in this week’s big storm. The answer was, “No, it came down during Hurricane Ida.” I looked it up. Hurricane Ida came through Madison on September 1, 2021 - more than two & 1/2 years ago. Evidently there isn’t a sign repair company in Northern Florida. But, the landscaping is well groomed!

 

Day 35 - Chattahoochee / Apalachacola

Departure: Chipley, FL      Finish:  Midway, FL  

Distance:    80.0 miles

Elevation gain:  2,461 feet 

Winds: SE at 20 to 25 mph

Weather:  Scattered to broken cumulus. 62 degrees at departure. 77 degrees at arrival.

On bike duration:   4 hrs, 41 minutes. 

Average speed: 17.0 mph

Total Accumulated Miles:  2,680.1

The thunderstorms last night were noisy, but didn’t affect our progress. The road was drying out when we departed. The clouds parted. We even had a tailwind for half the day. It’s pretty amazing that we have avoided so much bad weather around us.

Officially, this coast-to-coast event travels through 8 states. But our route today took a left turn for a 1/2 mile detour to the Florida-Georgia line. I made sure I rode 10 yards north of the sign, just to make it a legitimate ninth state, then made a U-turn back to the Eastbound highway. Actually, I have spent a lot of time in Georgia, so it was not a big deal for me. But, several members of our group had never been to the Peach State. It was a fun and friendly diversion for on our published route.

We have pedaled a lot of miles on US Highway 90, that runs the length of the Florida Panhandle. It served as the primary road before Interstate 10 was built. It’s still a very good road, and accommodates bicycles well. Today, that road took us over a good sized river, with a dam on the North side of the road and a muddy river on the south side - with the ruins of a former train trellis. On the far side of the bridge was a very steep climb into the town of Chattahoochee, Florida. Several people in the group wondered whether the river was the Chattahoochee or the Apalachacola. When our ride was done I found that the river on the North side of the dam is called the Chattahoochee, but once the water leaves the dam, it is called the Apalachacola. That’s interesting. It’s also the spot for the time zone borders. It’s Central time on the West side of the river. It’s Eastern time on the East side of the river. So, it’s a landmark that affects all directions on the local area.

All day long, I was getting strong whiffs of blooming Honeysuckle. I saw all the white blossoms along the road. Tonight, at dinner, that same smell was in the air. I looked around and saw a vine, climbing on a latticed wall of the patio. I was told by Peter, a member of our group who owned a landscaping company, that what we saw at dinner was “Star Jasmine”. I don’t know if it’s the same plant I saw all day along the road, because I didn’t get that close. Yet, of this, I’m sure: Star Jasmine smells just like Honeysuckle.

During this entire journey, we ride on the published route from one hotel directly to the next hotel. It’s a very well laid out plan with turn-by-turn voice directions on the “Ride With GPS” phone app. Today, it took us to the designated hotel. But, it turned out that hotel had lost all electrical power. So, Dennis -our tour coordinator - acted quickly to rebook us in the Comfort Inn and Suites 1.4 miles away. 

 

Day 34 - Racing The Storm

Departure: Fort Walton Beach, FL      Finish:  Chipley, FL  

Distance:    87.3 miles

Elevation gain:  2,081 feet 

Winds: ESE at 20 to 25 mph

Weather:  Mostly overcast. Tornado & flood advisories. 67 degrees at departure. 75 degrees at arrival.

On bike duration:   5 hrs, 23 minutes. 

Average speed: 16.1 mph

Total Accumulated Miles:  2,600.1

We had been watching the long-term forecast for today. Originally, it looked like we wouldn’t be able to ride at all. For days, it looked like a massive downpour would be in our path from the early morning to the late afternoon. This morning we woke to a forecast suggesting we could stay dry as long as we made it to our destination by 3:30pm. We had a lot of miles to cover today, so, we all agreed to leave at 7:00 am, rather than the normal departure at 8:00. 

Our route left the Gulf coast, turned toward the northern edge of the Panhandle. The landscape returned to pastures and farming, as well as many American Flags on homeowners acreage.

We passed by Elgin Air Force Base as we wandered northeast; and saw the Air Force “Munitions Museum” including an outdoor display of the greatest historic military aircraft like the B-17, B-47, B-51, B-25, SR-17, and A-10. When my brother-in-law, Bill Bauerle, was flying the F-15 for the Air Force, he and Marcia were based at Elgin for a time, as he was a test pilot for new missile technology. I heard about Elgin, but I had no idea how vast the property is. We pedaled on for over an hour as we passed signs announcing weapons testing in the area. 

We took short water breaks and truncated our normally lingering lunch break. We worked together to fight against a significant headwind and arrived at the hotel at 2:00pm. At 3:00, the rain came down, and it’s supposed to last until 3:00am tonight. I am hoping we begin tomorrow with some of the debris on the shoulders of U.S. Hwy 90 being cleared away by the deluge. So far, no tornados.

We completed today’s ride at the doorstep of the Quality Inn. It’s just a roadside motel, but they clearly have a dedicated and talented gardener.

Day 33 - The Sunshine State (Scenery Sure Has Changed!)

Departure: Gulf Shores, AL      Finish:  Fort Walton Beach, FL  

Distance:    75.7 miles

Elevation gain:  1,080 feet 

Winds: ESE at 20 to 25 mph. Gale warnings for the Gulf!

Weather:  High Clouds all day. Hazy. 67 degrees at departure. 72 degrees at arrival.

On bike duration:   5 hrs, 15 minutes. 

Average speed: 14.4 mph

Total Accumulated Miles:  2,521.8

We entered Florida 10 miles into our ride today. We have come a LONG way from the isolated deserts of far west Texas, and the piney woods of Louisiana. The scenery has changed dramatically. Today, we bowed our necks into a 20 mph quartering headwind. We crossed over the long Pensacola Bay Bridge (with a dedicated bike lane); then followed a two-lane road on a very narrow barrier island to the east.

The road is bordered on both sides by white sand dunes with the Gulf on our right side and the Big Lagoon on our left. It is a protected bird sanctuary called the Gulf Island National Seashore.

The wind was really significant, but not as demoralizing as the same kind of wind was between El Paso and Fabens. I’m stronger now. In the Fabens area, they don’t publish “gale warnings”. We could tell it was windy. On the Gulf Coast, we saw numerous red flags on the beaches, signifying a serious warning for small boats.

At the end of the day we rolled up to “TRU by Hilton”. I had never heard of TRU before. It’s a very nice, comfortable hotel, but it left me wondering if every other previously established Hilton was “unTRU” (?!)