Week 13, August 23 to August 30: De Funiak Springs to St. Augustine

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Total Tour Mileage to date: 4,831 miles
Total odometer mileage including side trips: 5,242 miles

Day 6: Flat tire at Biggs, ID (266 miles rear, retread wire puncture off I-90)
Day 49: Flat tire in route to Dyersville (2600 miles front tire - tube failure)
Day 50: De BuQue, IA. Replaced; Tires Armadillo 700/23C with Bontrager 700/28C and brake pads (2600 miles)
Day 67: Relpaced middle chain ring, chain and seat at Grand River, MO (2700 miles)
Dyersville, IA

Day 92, August 30: St. Augustine. Distance 36. Overcast temp in 80s.

Our final ride was south on A1A. I arrived in St. Augustine about 11:00 AM behind the others as I gave Keith a lift to the Jacksonville Airport earlier. After some difficulty with locating the motel I picked up my rental car around noon. I then drove to motel and took a complementary swim and changed into shorts and T-shirt for driving. Later, I met all the folks but Ron at the Pizza Alley restaurant in St. Augustine and was able to give farewell hugs and say goodbyes. Ron called as I headed north on US 1 so we exchanged best wishes and farewells on the phone. A sweet and solemn time of reflection as this dream come true comes to an end. Lots of lessons learned on this trip: less is more when cycling cross country, why drive when you can cycle, America is still a land of caring and loving people with many “God Bless You” heard along the way. Most cyclists ride with vigilance to be as safe as possible. Happy driving and riding to all and lets share the road. God Bless you all, Cal

Day 92, August 30: St. Augustine. Distance 36. Overcast temp in 80s.

Day 91, August 29: Jacksonville Beach. Distance 68 miles. Sunny temp in the 80s.

We made it to the Atlantic Ocean! We rode A1A all the way and dipped our bikes into the Atlantic at 2:00 PM. Later we celebrated by presenting Rich and Sandy gifts for their daily support and untiring dedication to our ride. Keith surprised the rest of us with certificates of completing our cross country ride. We finished the day with a group dinner at Joe's Crab Shack on the beach. Words are inadequate to describe our feelings of pride, jubilation and sadness that our ride together was coming to an end.

Day 91, August 29: Jacksonville Beach. Distance 68 miles. Sunny temp in the 80s.

Day 90, August 28: White Springs to Callahan. Distance 95 miles, Clear skies high 90s.

Leaving White Springs on US 41 the foggy morning led to some unpaved roads off US 441. A new route took US 441 north all the way to GA. About 12 miles into GA we turned south-east on GA 94 and followed it to Florida where it became FL 2. This long and straight stretch of road borders the Okefenokee Swamp where we saw some wild pigs. It was noon and 65 miles into our ride when we saw our first place to get a cold drink. Our route continued where FL 2 took us to CR 121 north to to River Road (Old CR 108) east to Callahan. The four of us rode a line for the entire day and ended the day with a century and an average speed of a little over 17 mph. GA 94 and FL 2 were desolate with only a few lumber trucks. US 441 was also very low traffic. The busiest traffic was encountered entering Callahan on River Road where we passed a school just letting out. Our 3 months of riding prepared us for this ride and although hot and long it was a lot of fun.

Day 90, August 28: White Springs to Callahan. Distance 95 miles, Clear skies high 90s.

Day 89, August 27: Monticello to White Springs. Distance 75 miles, Scattered showers - 80s

Our B&B in Monticello had a super breakfast for us and got up extra early to ensure we had a good meal before riding. Kudos to Pat and the 1872 John Denham House B&B. Wheels up while dawn is breaking at 7:00 AM. We had a little fog as we left Monticello but it soon burned off as the sun came up. Our route was east on US-90 passing through the towns of Greenville, Madison, Lee and Live Oak. We stopped for a break in Lee and met early riser Keith there. In Live Oak we connected to CR 136 and had lunch while waiting for a storm to pass by. CR 136 took us into White Springs. The roads were smooth with light traffic and a nice shoulder on US-90. We had mostly flat riding today which helped our average speed. All in all, another beautiful day for a bike ride.

Day 90, August 27: Monticello to White Springs. Distance 75 miles, Scattered showers - 80s

Day 88, August 26: Tallahassee to Monticello. Distance:52 miles. Partly cloudy w/ temp in 80s.

Today's ride was direct to Monticello on US 90 and then a short ride down to Waukeenah and back. Leaving Tallahassee on US 19 at 7:00 AM we had to ride west to catch Magnollia Ave to avoid closed roads in our path. Once on US-19 we had little outbound traffic but no shoulder until we passed the Interstate-10 exchange. We had smooth roads all day with a south wind and gusts up to about 20 mph. In Montecello we stopped at a cafe for coffee and pastry then took US 19 and CR 259 to Waukeenah. An excellent lunch was had at the Tupelo Cafe in Monticello. The Sage Restaurant will be used for dinner completing another day of great riding.

Day 88, August 26: Tallahassee to Monticello. Distance:52 miles. Partly cloudy w/ temp in 80s.

Day 87, August 25: Tallahassee Rest Day

Today was a day of rest. Outside the weather was cloudy with intermittent showers. Our motel was the Homewood Suites by Hilton and was a blessing in that we had large suites with free breakfast and dinner. Time was spent drying out cycling clothes, drying the front and rear bicycle bags and their contents, getting caught up on blogs, planning an alternate route for Thursday and making reservations for a car rental in St. Augustine. Last night we all went to Olive Garden for dinner. Today was a good day to catch up on things and relax.

Day 87, August 25: Tallahassee Rest Day

Day 86, August 24: Marianna to Tallahassee. Distance 76 miles. Partly cloudy w/ showers, low 80s.

We left Marianna about 6:30 AM. We had a fast 11 mile ride to Chattahoochee where we stopped for breakfast. We continued on through Gretna and Quincy where we paused at Quincy to avoid a dark sky downpour. About a mile east of Quincy we were told by a west bound motorist that the US 90 bridge was closed. We called *FHP and were told that water was covering the bridge and we could take County Road 268 out of Quincy. We stopped at the police station in Quincy to see if any other route was available and were told that CR 268 was also now closed. The only route left was SR 12 to CR 230 to US 27. On SR 12 we crossed a critical bridge that took us over a river that had flooded over its banks. During this segment of our ride we saw the most effects of the winds and water from Fay with several down trees, flooding and power outages. We arrived at our hotel in Tallahassee about 2:30 PM. All arrived safely, so another GOOD day of riding.

Day 86, August 24: Marianna to Tallahassee. Distance 76 miles. Partly cloudy w/ showers, low 80s.

Day 85, August 23: De Funiak Sprins to Marianna. Distance 54.5 miles, WET!

An after hot breakfast start from our motel got us on the road at around 8:00 A.M. The weather forecast for the day was rain and north wind. Our route took us east on US 90 through the towns of Argyle, Ponce De Leon, Westville, Caryville, Bonifay, Chipley, Cottondale and finally to Marianna. The rains were light at first but increased through the late morning hours and tapered off at the end of the ride. The winds were from the north with some early morning gusts of 15 to 20 mph. The good news is there was not much traffic as it was Saturday and most folks were staying home on account of the rain. We were all glad to arrive at Marianna and hopeful that the worst of tropical storm Fay was now behind us.

Day 85, August 23: De Funiak Sprins to Marianna. Distance 54.5 miles, WET!

Week 12, August 16 to August 22: Livingston, AL to De Funiak Springs FL

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Total Mileage to date: 4,374 miles

Day 84, August 22: Milton to De Funiak Springs. Distance: 60 miles. Sunny then overcast temp in 70s.

We got off to an extra early start this morning riding about 30 miles to Crest View for breakfast. After breakfast we continued on US 98 to De Funiak Springs arriving about 11:00 AM. US 98 was a good road smooth with a wide shoulder for most of the ride. We could see evidence of clouds moving in from the east and north and had a north breeze for most of the ride. After we arrived in De Funiak the cloud cover increased and we are expecting rain this afternoon and tonight. This completes another great day for a ride.

Day 84, August 22: Milton to De Funiak Springs. Distance: 60 miles. Sunny then overcast temp in 70s.

Day 83, August 21 Orange Beach, AL to Milton, FL. Distance 55 miles, Sunny with easterly wind.

Today we said goodbye to Alabama and hello to Florida. Our route took us east on CR 182 along the Gulf of Mexico coast to the Florida state line where we picked up CR 292 through Gulf Beach, Pleasant Grove and into Pensacola where we connected to US 90. After a 25 mile ride we stopped in Pensacola for breakfast and then a stop at the Bikes Plus bicycle shop. While having breakfast we were able to see the US Navy Blue Angles practicing their maneuvers. We followed US 90 through Pensacola over Interstate-10 and the towns of Riverview, Pace and into Milton. Our Gulf Coast ride was smooth with a wide shoulder. Traffic through Pensacola was heavy and the road turned rough and very busy as we rode on US 90. The temperature warmed up by noon to the high 80s and the easterly breeze was light. All in all, another great day for a bike ride.

Day 83, August 21 Orange Beach, AL to Milton, FL. Distance 55 miles, Sunny with easterly wind.

Day 82, August 20: Mobile to Orange Beach. Distance 55 miles, Sunny, 80s and breezy.

We began before sunrise traveling east on US 90/98. We followed US 98 along the shoreline of Mobile Bay through the towns of Montrose, Fairhope and Point Clear then east to Magnolia Springs. We stopped for breakfast in Fairhope at a small downtown restaurant. From Magnolia Springs we took some county roads over to SR 59 through Gulf Shores to the Gulf Coast turning east on SR 182 into Orange Beach. We arrived at our motel at 11:00 AM and I did some body surfing in the Gulf finding the water pleasantly warm and refreshing. The ride was flat and smooth, with an easterly breeze later in the morning. Our ride east on SR 182 had an estimated 10 mph headwind. Another great day of riding was completed. Some of the team took an 80 + mile route around Mobile and to Dauphine Island where they ferried over to Fort Morgan and rode SR 180 to SR 59.

Day 82, August 20: Mobile. AL to Orange Beach, AL. Distance 55 miles. Sunny and 70s - 80s.

Day 81, August 19: Mobile, AL Restday, Sunny and warm.

No riding today. The morning was spent with laundry and catching up on the blog. The afternoon was spent taking pictures at the Alabama Batleship Memorial Park going through the Aircraft Pavillion, SS Drum submarine and USS Alabama battleship.

Day 81, August 19: Mobile, AL Restday. Sunny and warm

Day 80, August 18:Atmore to Mobile. Distance: 54 miles, Lifting fog then sunny. 70s and 80s

Ron and I get an early start leaving Atmore on US 31 heading west arriving in Bay Minette for our morning breakfast. This segment of our ride was about 30 miles with fog on a smooth two lane highway with a small shoulder and lots of commuter traffic going to work on a Monday morning. Just south of Bay Minette we turned west on to CR 138, a smooth country road with little traffic. A short 8 miles later we intersected SR 225 turning south. A few rolling hills and about 12 miles later after climbing a hill we see the Gulf of Mexico at Spanish Fort. We then connected to US 98 west a four lane highway across Mobile Bay. Soon we see the battleship USS Alabama and arrive at our motel at Battlefield Park with beautiful blue skies. Another great ride comes to an end. Tonight we all load up in the pickup 5-front and 5-back and drive into Mobile for dinner at the Wintzell's Oyster House where signs cover all walls with entertaining quotes. Most folks had seafood and we give it 5 stars!

Day 80, August 18:Atmore to Mobile. Distance: 54 miles, Lifting fog then sunny. 70s and 80s