Day 53 - Wednesday, April 30

Tallahassee, FL - rest day - 0 miles - 2880 total. 

Today was a true rest day. 

The major system that has pounded the Florida panhandle also dumped a lot of rain here. So, since our Motel 6 is not exactly in the centre of town, or close to the FSU campus, most of the day was spent just hanging out. It's not like I had a great urge to go riding anywhere in the rain. 

It's hard to believe the places we rode through just a few days ago have suffered the damage we've seen on the news. We may be faced with some flooded roads in the next couple of days, but it looks like the rain will be moderate, and the threat of thunderstorms and tornadoes has diminished. We wonder how the other tour group following a week behind us are going to fare. I imagine their leaders are constantly reviewing route options. 

It's hard to believe tomorrow is May 1, and we only have five days left. Much of the past seven weeks is a blur, and even when someone mentions a particular town or stopover, I have a difficult time picturing it. I'm thankful I've been consistent with this posting, as it will be my memory trigger. 

Yesterday was a bad day, but I'm confident the remaining days, rain soaked or sunny, will be a positive experience. 

Day 52 - Tuesday, April 29

Florida Caverns State Park, FL to Tallahassee, FL - 75 miles - 2880 total. 

Today was a hard, wet day. 

 The overnight rain did not materialize overnight; however the lightning and thunder became noticeable around 3:00 am, although at a great distance. That began to change about 5:00, just when Paul  came around to our tents to advise us to get up and packed, as the storm was expected to hit us by 6:00, and there was a tornado alert as well. Needless to say, that got everyone moving quickly. 

We then spent the next couple of hours sheltered at the restrooms, as the lightning flashed, the thunder boomed, and the rain pelted down. Thankfully, the tornado failed to materialize. 

By 8:30, the rain had abated somewhat, so many of us made the decision to begin our ride to Tallahassee, despite not having breakfast or being able to put together lunch and snacks. That was an even bigger decision for me because in my concern about the mosquitos last night, I forgot to secure my rack pack, and found my bike this morning lying on its side, the pack open, and my leftover snacks gone. The pesky raccoons had struck again. Four of the riders decided to ride with Nicole in the van. 

At the time, it was still quite warm, and I chose just to wear my rain jacket and helmet cover, and left my rain pants and booties in my bag in the van. That was a decision I would come to regret. 

By the time Nicole and the four passengers in the van passed JB and me, about 10 miles down the road, I had realized not only did I need the pants and booties, but I was getting chilled, and thought I should don a long-sleeved shirt as well as my full-fingered gloves. 

Given today's conditions, I hoped to see the van parked beside the road at the 15-mile mark, and was prepared to dig out my necessary items. No van. Not there, or at the 24-mile or 30- mile marks. That's when I realized the ride was going to be a bit more difficult than anticipated. I was cold, very wet, and tired. It was reminiscent of the MS ride last September, but warmer, although today's temp was close to 30 degrees cooler than yesterday. We rode the 75 miles in a full-blown torrential thunderstorm, complete with countless flashes of sheet and forked lightning. It got a bit hairy at times. 

Once Nicole had driven to Tallahassee, and checked everyone in to the motel, she did go back up the highway to pick up two riders who had decided enough was enough, but that didn't help JB or me.  We arrived at the motel, cold and wet, before she returned. The first thing I did on entering my room was turn on the heat. Then I had a hot, hot shower. 

Tomorrow is a rest day. Laundry is on the agenda, as well as trying to dry out things that got soaked in my handlebar bag, like my passport and wallet which were in a Ziplock baggie. 

One highlight of the day is my turn in the room assignment rotation giving me a single. After seven weeks of sharing bedroom and bathrooms, this is a treat! 

Aside from that, who knows. The weather is supposed to be iffy for the next few days, which is not a great way to end the tour, especially considering how wonderful we've had it over the past seven weeks. Fingers crossed. 

No pictures today. The focus was on finishing; everything else was secondary. 

Day 51 - Monday, April 28

Crestview, FL to Florida Caverns State Park, FL - 92 miles - 2805 total. 

No wifi today. 

It was a 90s day; 92 miles down Hwy 90, with the temp hitting 92, and the humidity in the 90s. Fortunately, the roads were good, the shoulder wide, and the winds sometimes not head on. But it was still tiring. 

This park at which we are staying was closed because of flooding until last Saturday. One of the negative results is the proliferation of mosquitos, which are eating us alive! This is the first time the bug spray has been needed, and man, is it needed!

As I type this, it's 7:40 and dark, and all are inside their tents, driven there by the bugs. Unfortunately, it's still very hot and humid, there's no breeze, and my tent is a sauna. The fly is on because of the threat of overnight rain, but the flaps are open for ventilation. I'm dripping wet, and don't know how I'm going to sleep. Could be a long night. 

It turns out there is still room on the Trans-Am ride I mentioned earlier. And, if I wish, I can get a ride with Nicole and the van and trailer up to Williamsport, Virginia, and on May 18, begin the ride to Florence, Oregon, arriving some time in August. 

Just kidding, Janet. 

The route took us through a small town that has some beautiful heritage homes, most of which had plaques attached indicating their status. The street they were on circled a small lake, making for a picturesque setting. 

Tomorrow we head to Tallahassee and a rest day on Wednesday. 

Taking a break at the 50 mile mark of the 92 mile ride. 

Day 50 - Sunday, April 27

Gulf Beach, FL to Crestview, FL - 78 miles - 2713 total. 

An uneventful ride. Left camp at 8:00 am, pulled into the motel in Crestview at 2:30. However, we, JB and I, only rode for 5h15m, the rest were breaks. 

We passed by the Pensacola Naval Air Station, home of the famous Blue Angels, but it being Sunday, and relatively early in the morning, nothing and no one was in the air. 

The weather continues hot, high 80's, and humid. Rain is apparently in the forecast, but so far so good. 

We're faced with some high mileage over the next few days in order to complete the trip within the allotted 58 days. As Paul pointed out, the optimum length for the tour is 62 days, but the powers-that-be at ACA have deemed the shorter time span in order to have the van and trailer available for the Trans-America tour that leaves in mid-May from Virginia. Originally, we were supposed to have 11 days off over the 8 weeks, but Paul and Nicole had to reduce that to 7, including our first intro day in San Diego, in order to get us to St. Augustine in time. It's a good thing we're all stronger than we were at the beginning, or the next nine days would be most difficult. We do have a rest day in Tallahassee later this week before our final push to the end. 

Tonight's map meeting will have us pulling out the seventh and final map of the tour. Another indication of how close we are to the end. 

I've run into an interesting situation with my camera. Recently, it has labelled three photos as unidentifiable, and when I attempt to import them to the iPad, another photo is overlaid on the original. Weird!

Which leads me to today's photo collection. The first is just one of red dirt, because I'm impressed with how red it is. The other three are the ones I mentioned earlier. 

See, I told you it was red!

This was a shot of a unique example of Dauphin Island architecture. I have no idea from where this came!

A close-up shot of an oil rig in Mobile Bay. 

The first photo I took of the sign. 

Go figure. 

Day 49 - Saturday, April 26.

Dauphin Island, AL to Gulf Beach, FL - 44 miles - 2635 total. 

No wifi today. 

Well, it was almost Paradise Lost last night. 

The campsite next to ours was occupied by two couples from Louisiana, who had been sitting and drinking for much of the day. Of course, the inevitable happened, and the screaming and swearing went on till the police showed up around 1:00 am. At the same time, another couple were camped close by with two Labrador Retrievers who were bothered by the commotion, and added to it sporadically. On top of that, two young men who had pulled into the site next to mine had a spat, and one decided to sleep in the car, a decision which resulted in the slamming of doors and tearful pleadings until after 2:00. 

Needless to say, none of us, in fact no one in the tenting section, got much sleep, especially since we cyclists had to be up at 6:30 for the day's trip. 

The only thing that saved it for me was going to the beach and doing my Tai Chi set while watching sea birds diving on a school of fish as the sun rose. That was magical. 

Today's trip began with a 35-min ferry ride from the island to Fort Morgan, a trip that took us past one of the many oil rigs that inhabit both Mobile Bay and the off-shore of the Gulf. Then we had a 15-mile ride along the peninsula past scores of beachfront homes raised up on stilts and coloured by every shade on the pastel palette. 

The big attraction in Gulf Beach today was the annual mullet toss, which, as far as I could gather, was a contest to see how far one could throw a fish, not an 80's holdover. In reality, it looked more like Spring Break, with the roads and beaches clogged by cooler-toting young men accompanied by skimpily-dressed girls. Testosterone was rampant. 

Completely off topic: school buses in this part of the world have white strobe lights on the roof at the rear of the bus. Supposedly that makes them more visible. 

Today we're camping along the Intercoastal waterway, and are having dinner at the beach while watching the watercraft, and the occasional dolphin, going past in both directions.  And to top it all off, the resident alligator which lives in a small lagoon in the park stuck his head up as we passed by on the boardwalk on the way back to our campsite after dinner. A good way to end the day. 

Fort Dauphin Island. 

Day 48 - Friday, April 25

Vancleave, MS to Dauphin Island, AL - 77 miles - 2591 total. 

Another day in Paradise. Well, not quite, but so far Alabama has been a nice change from Mississippi. Smooth pavement, good shoulders, NO dogs, and tonight we're a stone's throw from the beach and the Gulf of Mexico. The only major disappointment so far was the lack of a 'Welcome to Alabama' sign on the secondary road we travelled. I guess maybe it was too secondary. ;)

Dauphin Island is accessed from the west by a 10-mile causeway and bridge that separates the Gulf from the Bay  of Mobile and the Intercoastal waterway. It's a recreation and vacation playground, with colourful rental properties and boats galore. 

Although travel by bicycle is appreciably slower than automobile, and we are therefore more aware of our surroundings, there are still occasions when the perfect subject for a photo goes by before we can react. That's when the regret, and the 'should have' kicks in. Yesterday it was two men riding on a horse-drawn wagon, both seated in LazyBoy-style recliners. Unfortunately, they were climbing a hill we were descending, and although it would have been a great shot, chasing them up the hill was not an option. 

Today,  when we passed over the Eseatawpa River, we saw a number of fishing shanties along the shoreline, reminiscent of the movie 'Mud' that Janet and I viewed just before I left on this trip. 

The only saving grace is that for every shot missed, I've found others to take. 

Tomorrow, we're off to Florida across the bay. Three states in three days. Not bad. 

 

Dauphin Island. 

Pelican roost. 

Day 47 - Thursday, April 24

Poplarville, MS to Vancleave, MS - 81 miles - 2514 total.

Disaster averted!

The ride today was originally scheduled to end at the White Sands RV Park in Vancleave. However, when we arrived, the site manager told us there was a slight problem; although the showers were up and running, the toilets would not flush. Period. We could use both of them, all 14 of us, but we could not flush! And she really couldn't understand why we weren't impressed!

Luckily, today Paul was driving, and with the help of his smartphone and negotiating skills, he managed to find another RV park that had room for us. The down side was that we had to ride an additional 6 miles, at the end of a 75-mile day, but working facilities made the extra distance worth it. 

As a bonus, adjacent to this park is a barbecue restaurant where we're having dinner, so everything has come together nicely. 

On these long days, stopping for a rest and a snack after the first 20 miles, and every 10 miles thereafter, helps break the distance into manageable segments. One of the down sides to that system is when I get back on the bike after even the shortest of breaks, my knee ache painfully, and continue to do so for the first few minutes. And then I get back into the rhythm, and churn out the next set of miles. The neat thing is that JB and I are averaging 14-15 mph over 70+ miles, while climbing 1500-2000 total feet each day,  and we still feel rested at the end. 

Unleashed dogs coming out at us are beginning to be a big problem. No one has been bitten yet, but there have been some close calls. Different riders have different ways of dealing with dogs; some squirt water from their bottles, some try to sprint away, some take the other way and actually stop and get off their bikes in hopes the dogs will also stop. I shout "No!" in my best 'teacher voice', which sometimes works, and other times elicits even more ferocious attacks. No system is perfect, but all enjoy a modicum of success. 

Tomorrow will be another 70+ mile day as we cross into Alabama. Interesting note; we're about 25 miles from the gulf, and 10 feet below sea level. 

Sun rise in the mist this morning. 

Pond and gazebo as mentioned yesterday. Not the best example, but the only one I saw today. 

Day 46 - Wednesday, April 23

Kentwood, LA to Poplarville, MS - 78 miles - 2433 total. 

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, it was another good ride today. I admit it was difficult to get going after the scrumptious breakfast laid on for us, but I persevered, and eventually moved on down the road. 

Once again, much of the ride was done on back roads amidst park-like settings, which negated any sense of urgency despite the distance. One of the locals explained that the absence of livestock on the vast reaches of pasture was twofold; the collapse of the dairy industry in Louisiana led to the sell-off of dairy herds, and when Texas began recovering from its drought as few years back, Louisiana ranchers sold their herds and hay to the Texans for a sizeable sum, and have yet to bring their own holdings back up. 

Many of the acreage ranches we've passed have large ponds with docks and gazebos where one could sit and enjoy the sights and sounds in idyllic surroundings. Now, that's my cup of tea. 

Today we crossed into Mississippi. The first thing we noticed is that the quality of the roads has deteriorated from Louisiana's high standards. They haven't sunk to Texas' level, thank goodness, but they are disappointing. As a matter of fact, our intro to Mississippi was a busy two-lane state road with the rumble strip taking up half of the shoulder, causing us to either try to ride the remaining foot-wide paved area, or take our chances in traffic.  After about a mile on the shoulder, we opted for traffic-roulette, and luckily made it to our turn-off without any major scares. 

Tonight we're at a RV park in Poplarville, and our host will be cooking us a dinner of Parmesan pork chops, green beans, and French fries. He's also made available a jam jar of apple-pie moonshine, which is 50 proof, and tastes of apple cider and cinnamon, which I may or may not sample later this evening. He also has a jar of straight moonshine which he claims is 150 proof, and which I definitely will avoid. I can't imagine trying to ride another 70-plus miles with a headache/ hangover. 

It's hot (87) and humid, and the forecast is for more of the same. I'm loving it. 

Poplarville town hall. Town population is 2100. 

Day 45 - Tuesday, April 22

Warm Showers Acreage, LA to Kentwood, LA - 56 miles - 2355 total. 

Choosing the Tier route was definitely the right choice. There was very little traffic on a newly-paved road that wound its way past acres of forest and farmland. The only sounds were the hiss of our tires and the wondrous birdsong that surrounded us.  For much of the first 40-some miles of the day, JB and I rode beside each other; it was if we had our own personal bike path. Fantastic! One of the best days of the tour. 

Had to throw out my biking gloves today, the ones my older son, Ryan, gave me for my birthday a couple of years back. Six weeks of constant use, mixed with sweat and sun damage, just wore them out. When I went to put them on this morning, they literally ripped apart from thumb to forefinger. They served me well, but they had to go. Luckily I had packed a second pair, so no harm, no foul. 

Members of the Kentwood United Methodist Church have been shuttling us, two at a time, to their homes for showers, since there are no such facilities at the church.  This is hospitality above and beyond! And they're cooking dinner, (broccoli and cheese soup, pulled pork, roast beef, three salads, and four dessert choices) and I believe, breakfast for us. 

We were supposed to pitch our tents on the church lawn, but there is a chance of a thunderstorm tonight, so many of the group have elected to sleep on the floor in the church hall. However, since I had to put up my tent to dry out after the heavy dew this morning, and since there is a covered shelter next to the lawn, I've decided to put my tent under shelter and sleep there. After all, with the Thermarest, there's no difference between a floor made of linoleum or concrete. And the tent gives me some sense of privacy, nylon walls and all. 

This is our last stop in Louisiana; the people have been extraordinarily kind and friendly. This is one state I would not hesitate to revisit. 

Tomorrow we head to an RV park about 80 miles away in Mississippi. 

Plantation home, circa 1870. 

Kentwood blooms. 

Our host. 

Day 44 - Monday, April 21

 New Orleans, LA to Warm Showers acreage by van - 0 miles - still 2299 total. 

For the uninitiated, Warm Showers is an online registry of places touring cyclists can find assistance and/or overnight accommodation around the world. Each location listed will indicate length of stay allowed, amenities included (tenting in yard, in-house bed, meals or kitchen provided, pick up and transport, etc.), number of guests at one time, how much advance notice required, etc. 

Many of the hosts are cyclists who have been guests in the past, others are merely touring cycling advocates. 

The online site is self-monitoring, and there are opportunities for positive and negative reports re both the hosts and the touring guests. 

Our hosts at this acreage are Perry and Lep, passionate bicycling advocates in Louisiana, and sometime cycling tourers. They have an outdoor shower, bathroom, and wooden patio deck with picnic table and chairs for their guests, and a large open grassy field for our tents. And tonight they're providing a jambalaya and gumbo-over-rice-topped with potato salad dinner for us. Since their location is listed on the back of the ACA maps we're using, they receive a steady stream of visitors during most of the touring season. 

Interesting development at tonight's map meeting. Before Nicole began going over tomorrow's route, Perry interjected that there was a more direct path to Kentwood with wide shoulders that would shave about 15 miles off the distance. Thus ensued a spirited discussion re the merits of Perry's suggestion versus following the ACA map. My take on it is that I signed up to ride the Southern Tier, and I will do so unless the road is dangerous. There have been other days when a shorter way presented itself, and I chose not to deviate from the map; tomorrow will be no different. Unfortunately, most of the others don't see it that way; I think only two others will be riding the route. 

 We'll be staying at a United Methodist church tomorrow, so there's no rush to get to our destination.  As a bonus, we'll be hosted at dinner by the Ladies Auxiliary. Gotta love this Southern hospitality!

There's a small pond on the acreage. As I type this, we're being serenaded by a chorus of tree and bull frogs, with cicadas providing background. Beats trains!

Lep checking the gumbo in the iron pot over the fire. Shower in the background. 

Day 43 - Sunday, April 20

Easter Sunday in New Orleans. Rest day. 0 miles. 

It was an interesting day. Six weeks of touring has ingrained early rising, so, true to form, I was up with the sun and wondering how I would fill the day. And now that the day is winding down, I look back and wonder how I was able to do so little, yet spend so many hours doing it. 

JB and I met up around 8:00 am, and walked over to a nearby Golden Arches for breakfast. Not exactly healthy, but a change from my daily intake of oatmeal on the road. 

Then, because we had so much time to kill, we decided to walk the two miles to the French Quarter instead of taking the trolley. In a way, I wa a bit disappointed because I could have gotten the seniors' discount, and only paid 40 cents instead of the regular $1.50. It's a great service; a car goes by the hostel every 16 minutes. 

So we wandered around, grabbed a coffee and beignet, and window-shopped the artists who were displaying their wares around Jackson Square. We then visited the Katrina interactive exhibition, which was very moving. I felt a rush of pride when I saw the urban rescue team from Vancouver was prominently mentioned for their quick response and enormous assistance immediately after the storm struck. 

Finally, it was time for the Easter Parade, which, I must confess, was a bit of a disappointment, as we had been led to believe it would rival the earlier Mardi Gras parade. No such luck, but it was somewhat colourful and entertaining. 

The rest of the afternoon was spent enjoying the various street performers/buskers along Royal Street, some raucous music on Bourbon Street, and another smaller parade for the LGBT community. 

Tomorrow, we head back up to where we left the bikes and gear, and will camp there overnight.  Then it's back on the road on Tuesday. 

There's no wifi at the farm, and perhaps none at the following day's stop, so I may be off the air for a bit. 

Living Statue. 

And again. 

This pretty much says it all.