Tuesday, April 21, 2015

I made it!!! 2,685 miles.  It feels good and it feels strange. Til the next adventure.

Monday, April 20, 2015

This was the road into Gainsville. Great pedaling.

This was a common sight along the road. Who knows what lurks in the green slime!

One of the birds in the wildlife santuary.

Yes that is an alligator. Too close for this guy.  I walked away quickly. Doing GREAT. Til later.

Sunday, April 19, 2015

The riding has been great. On the way into Gainsville the countryside reminded me of pictures of horse pastures in Kentucky. Huge deeply lush pastures, with fancy fences. Some great roads leading into the city. And then lots and lots of bike lanes and bike paths.  I stayed with Tom and Martha who have a great house and 5 acres in the woods. I took an outdoor shower while staring down a green spider with orange/red eyes. Great chorus of birds, lots of lizards, and a suspenseful trip to a preserve close by. Tom took me to see a preserve that is really a huge sink hole with some interesting wild animals.  Loads of birds again. But it also included wild horses, buffalo, and wild alligators. There were warning signs on the way in that emphasized that this was NOT a zoo. The animals were wild and the visitors needed to be very cautious. We didn't see any buffalo, but we did see wild horses and several alligators. The path was situated between two ponds/ watery areas. We were on the lookout the whole time for lurking alligators. One key was to not be so intent on looking for lurking alligators that we would step on fire ant nests.  Most of the alligators were sunning on the other side of the pond, but a few of them started swimming(looking for food). The closest ones to us came within 30-40 feet,which was a little too close for this novice alligator watcher.  It was a unique experience. My hosts were fantastic. Lots of interesting discussions, fantastic food, and warm fellowship. I slept really well after an exciting day.  Getting close. I'll be home before you know it. Doing really well. Til later.

Friday, April17, 2015

The theme continues to be the weather. I try to gauge and watch the weather, but it changes really quickly - both in a good way and in a bad way. The riding has been really good. Today especially was great. Very rural, almost no traffic, really good roads. Lots of trees. Yesterday at the end of the day 4 cross country bicyclists ended up staying in the same motel. It was fun to talk weather, places to stay and the like. Today I rode with two of them for a while. Then they took a different route and we split up. Later in the morning another cyclist came and rode me me for about 20 miles. He lived just off the route and saw me go by. He wanted to find out more about cross country riding, so he caught up with me and we had a good time talking bikes and rides. Time and miles go quickly when engaged in a good conversation. Ended up going about 60 miles both days. Am about 20 miles from Gainsville. The forecast is still rain for at least two more days. I'm trying not to get too focused on the rain, but it is a challenge. Looking forward to getting back to normal life. I should be home in a little over a week. Doing well. Til later.

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

In Monticello, Florida. I got lost today. But only about 3 miles off course. It was very nice to have the smart phone gps. It pinpointed where I was and which roads to take to get back on track. Getting through( mostly around) Tallahassee wasn't too bad. The country roads were really nice. Trees, birds, croaking frogs, and really good roads. Part of the route included a great bike path. Ran into three riders from Minnesota who did half of the route last year and are finishing the route this year. They started in Key West and are headed to Louisiana. The real story today was rain (again). I went 50 miles with only sprinkles, but the last 10 miles were ridden in a deluge. Got very wet. I'm trying to dry everything out tonight. Luckily I still have a few dry things. Same forecast for the rest of the week. Mentally challenging. Still doing well. Til later.

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

It was a very good day on the bike.  This picture captures what I have been riding through the last couple of days.  The first day I couldn't see it very well through the rain, but today, the rain held off.  It is very green.  Wide swaths of grass next to the shoulders and lots and lots of trees ( my favorite).  Kind of like riding through a park or a wide boulevard.  Very peaceful and not too hilly( although there were a few today).  I am just west of Tallahassee.  Tomorrow I tackle riding through the city, which is always an adventure.  Rain in the forecase again, but one never knows when it will show up.  Another good thing about today is that when it came time for lunch, I was right by a Pizza Hut.  Great salad bar as I have mentioned before.  My lucky day.  Officially in the Eastern Time Zone, so phone communication might start to get a little tricky.  I go to bed really early.  Oh and you can tell - my camera started to work all of a sudden.  Yeah!  Doing great.  Til later.

Monday, April 13, 2015

So, I had two very wet days.  Sunday was also exciting for other reasons.  It turns out that one of my bags fell off of the bike.  It was the bag with all of my tools and spare parts, including extra tubes.  I'm surprised I didn't notice when it happened, but I didn't discover it until 15 miles down the road or so.  I came out of a convenience store ( still wet even after taking a break and eating something) and I noticed the bag was missing.  A real sinking feeling.  I didn't notice the bag was missing until I came out, so I thought maybe someone grabbed the bag and stole it while I was in the store.  Nothing I could do, so I just kept pedaling.  It turns out someone found the bag and looked to see if they could find the owner.  Inside the bag was a notebook with lots of phone numbers.  One of them was for the people I was to stay with on Sunday night.  The person who found the bag recognized the number as being fairly close in Florida, so he called that number.  It was for my hosts. So now we have a possible bag belonging to me, but no me and no bike.  That raised some worries.  Nancy ( one of my hosts) tried to call me, but it was raining and my phone was tucked away.  I rode to my destination ( about 50 miles for the day), took out my phone and noticed a lot of activity.  I ended up calling Nancy.  She and Nita came and got me and took me to find the person who found the bag.  I had gone over in my head if I needed the stuff in the bag, but what convinced me that I needed to retrieve it was that I had tucked my watch into the bag, away from the rain and wet.  Long story short.  Nancy and Nita were kind enough to take me back all of that distance and retrieve the bag.  Quite an adventure.  Nancy and Nita were great hosts.  They live in a very nice area, with lots of trees and fairly close the the Gulf and beaches.  Most of the other parts I came through were way too developed, but their area was really nice.  They took me to dinner and we had a great time.  Thank you Nancy and Nita.  It did rain most of the night, with a lot of lighting and thunder, but we got up and they took me closer to the route. The Lightning went away, and the rest of today was just pedaling  mostly in the rain. Similar forecast for a few days. Wet, but doing well. Til later.

Saturday, April 11, 2015

Didn't ride very far today.  Pensacola.  I had another cyclist ride by me this morning only to find him waiting for me down the road.  I thought he might need some help with repair, but it turns out that he is planning a long bike tour and he just wanted to chat.  He will be getting out of the Navy soon and wants to do a ride before life takes over.  It was fun talking bikes, training, maps, etc.  

I am staying at a United Methodist Church tonight.  They provide a nice shelter for cyclists - especially those doing the cross country tour.  The gentleman who showed me around did a cross country tour through the middle of the country ( including Wyoming) a couple of years ago, and this is his way of giving back for all of the nice people who helped him and his friend on their trip.  We had a good talk about his trip and he shared a photo albm and stories. 

I am always a little anxious coming into a bigger city like Pensacola.  Quite often the route takes us through some tougher parts of town.  Today was no exception.  Just when I was getting discouraged, the neighborhood changed  dramatically. There were cafe's with people eating on the sidewalk,  musicians performing outdoors,  a farmers market and an art market.  All right close to the church. A dynamic  place to hang out after a day's ride. A good day. Til later.  

Friday, April 10, 2015

A really varied experience today.  Tried to outrun the rain and was successful ( at least for today).  I rode through Bayou la Batre ( which was featured in "Forrest Gump as being where his buddy Bubba was raised).  Then I rode over a very long bridge going to Dauphin Island.  It is strange to be out there in the middle of water riding the bike.  I have another long bridge coming up in Pensacola.  Dauphin Island was really neat - homey, not very many people.  Lots of people out walking and jogging.  Then I took a ferry across Mobile Bay.  It looks short on the map, but it took 30- 40 minutes to get across.  Lots and Lots of off shore oil rigs.  I've seen pictures before, but this made an impression.  When we got to the other side, the atmosphere changed dramatically.  Beach says it all.  ALL of the buildings were built on stilts or some such thing.  Raised 8 -12 feet in the air.  It was interesting to see how the fancy houses made it look kind of chic.  And there was definitely money.   I made it this far without falling over, but I  finally fell over.  I ended up riding through some sand - looked like dirt to me.  The tires got bogged down and I couldn't get my foot out of the clips.  Embarrassing, but I didn't get too scraped up.  

Gulf Shores and Ocean Beach.  Wow!  Lots and lots of beach.  Lots of fancy condo's and motels with lots and lots of people walking up and down the beach and enjoying the water.  I spent some time off of the bike walking on the beach myself.  Tomorrow Pensacola and the last state.  Hard to believe I will be in Florida tomorrow.  Before when people asked me where I was going I said "to Florida".  Now that doesn't make sense.  So now I say I am going to St. Augustine.  Other than worrying about the rain, the biking is good.  Most surfaces are good and there are no hills.  Doing well.  Til later.  

Thursday, April 9, 2015

It was another good day today.  I got to the Gulf, which was exciting.  But my camera wouldn't work for some reason (too much humidity?).  I took a few pics with the i-phone, but it just isn't the same.  Made it to Alabama, which they call "The Beautiful State".  Am just across the border in Grand Bay, Alabama.  

 I passed a tourist attraction today -  air boats on the swamp - supposedly finding aligators and the like.  I thought that was in Florida.  I learned something new again, today.  Only made it 40 miles today - a matter of finding places to stay for the night.  

Tomorrow we go back to dodging the rain.  Hopefully, I won't get too wet.  If I stay on schedule I will be in Florida in two days.  That has a nice ring to it.   Still finding road kill armadillo's.  I thought they were supposed to live in dry areas, but it looks like it is just southern/warm weather thing.  I will have to look that one up when I get back. Til later.

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

No chasing or being chased by the rain for a couple of days.  Still foggy in the morning - so I got out my trusty blinking red light.  At least today I was on some really back roads and there was almost no traffic at all.  Yes, I am in Missippippi  - Ocean Springs.  I know it sounds funny, but I will probably not see the Gulf  until tomorrow.  Logistics with the bicycle can sometimes be difficult.  

I am very appreciative of an older gentleman in Poplarville who steared me away from some bad roads for cyclists.  I had a really good day today, most of it on very nice surfaces and no traffic -- and the end of the day on a new highway that accommodated bikes really well.

On one of those way back roads I had a pick-up truck driver yell at me to get off of the road.  It was a surprise since there was no other traffic at all - I hadn't even seen another car for 6 miles.  So, I just smiled and kept pedaling - wondering what kind of bad experience he had had with cyclists or why he was having such a bad day.

Mississippi is HUMID.  It almost makes no difference that it isn't raining.  The fog soaked me this morning, and then I sweated buckets the rest of the day.  Still great riding.  I will be heading into Alabama tomorrow.  No, I am not flying or making great time.  Both Alabama and Mississippi are really narrow down here on the Gulf.  One of the reasons that I enjoy this trip so much is being in  places that I don't know well.  I am learning a ton.  Doing well.  Til later.

Monday, April 6,2015

A great and interesting couple of days.  On Easter I decided that I wanted to take it easy and not go very far.  I ended up staying with an entusiastic cycling couple about 20 miles from New Roads.  The forecast was for rain in the afternoon, so it worked out well.  I slept in in New Roads, which is really unusual.  After I got there it started raining soon after.  It rained for 8 straight hours.  Sometimes heavy.  I was glad to be under shelter. The couple are really fans of recumbents.  They rode a tandem recumbent for years, but now ride individual recumbents.  I ate some great meals and got refreshed.

 The forecast for today was similar.  70 - 80% chance of rain by about 2 o'clock.  It was an invigorating day to say the least.  I left as early as possible( 6:50 a.m.) to get as far as possible before it started raining.  It was foggy.  Dangerous like last time, but this time I put my flashing red lignt on the back.  It must have worked, since I got honked at for 30 minutes or so.  

Then it was a battle of energy, riding hard, eating and drinking to replenish before I tanked.  I went 75 miles, which included hills and got to Franklinton about 1:45.  The lightning and rain started 10 minutes later.  Yes, I am staying in a motel.  There is the rain, and Wisconsin is playing in the NCAA championship game tonight -have to watch. 

 The last few days have been a reversion to the first few days in Louisiana.  Tree's, tree's and more tree's lining the road.  Some agriculture, but not like in the middle of the state.  Tomorrow I head for Mississippi.  I have gone about 2,000 miles now.  About 800   to go.  So the end is in sight.  And it is raining cats and dogs, with lightning and thunder right now.  It is supposed to be nice tomorrow.  Doing well (although really, really tired) Til later.

Saturday, April 4, 2015

The scenery of the last two days has changed dramatically from the first part of Louisiana.  Still quite a few trees, but this is farm country. Lots and lots of water.  Creeks, Bayou's, gully's, lakes, rivers (including the mighty Missippippi).

So as a result, the cemetery's bury above ground.  No 6 feet under here.  Around Mamou, there were extensive irrigation efforts going on.  Huge fields that were diked and irrigated.  Lots of rice and crawfish harvesting.  I had my first crawfish dish today.  It was good.  Sat down with a retired insurance salesman.  His breakfast, my morning snack.  He was really proud of the huge role Louisiana plays in feeding the country.  He told me his brother farms 10,000 acres.  Wow.  The rain was chasing me again today.  It was supposed to be 80% chance of rain when I left, but I only saw a few drops.

This is an example of some of the non-moving water that is everywhere.  Today I got to the end of the 5th route map.  Two to go.  I still have almost 900 miles to go, but it still feels good.  I rode over the biggest dike I have ever seen.  Part of the system to try and contain the Missippippi. Tonight I am in New Roads, Louisiana. Doing well.  Til later.

Thursday, 2015

I didn't expect to be  able to post this evening.  We will see if it works.  The above is what I have been looking at for two days. Lots of trees interspersed with pasture and some farms.  Lots and lots of bridges.  There is definitely water here.  Most of the bridges go over non-moving water( I would say stagnant, but that has a kind of negative connotation).  The riding has been good.  People are friendly and helpful.  It is humid for sure.  The weather report keeps saying it will rain, but so far the moisture has stayed in the clouds and in the air.  Met  a couple from Hamburg, Germany going the other way on the route.  It was fun to exchange notes about the route and the ride. Right now I am in Oberlin, Louisiana. Tomorrow it is Bunkie.  That is north and seems out of the way, but the route meanders depending on which roads are good for biking.  I think I ride through a state park tomorrow ( Chicot).  Looking forward to that.  Doing well.  Til later