Cycling Ellen

February 22, 2009

Leaving the snow behind, I boarded a plane for Florida at 6 a.m.  Landing in Jacksonville, Judy and Mary popped out from behind a column in the airport to take me to Mary’s house in Gainesville.  What a treat to be with my riding buddies again!

February 23, 2009

Borrowing Mary’s hybrid bike which almost fit me, we headed out in the morning in the Florida sunshine (but cool temperatures) with backpacks on to ride to Cedar Key 45 miles away.  Memories of riding Florida’s back roads with great women floated through my head as we all got used to sitting on a bike seat again.  Judy and I saw our first live armadillos on the side of the road (we saw plenty of dead ones on the Southern Tier).  The wind was at our backs and we made good time completing 45 miles to our destination, The Island Hotel, built in 1859!  The owner treated us to a slice of the best Key Lime Pie we’ve ever eaten.  Here we are on an eat and ride trip again!

February 24, 2009

Feeling bold after an easy day of riding the day before, we challenged ourselves to go the long way home to visit Manatee Springs State Park.  Challenged we were as we headed into the wind.  The ride was longer than we had expected – 68 miles – but we enjoyed the beautiful state park with its boardwalks and beautiful springs.  The manatees were there but hard to see out in the water where the springs meet the Suwanee River (which we crossed last year in Florida).  Going home was hard into the wind on the long straight roads.  Fortunately, a gas station at about mile 55 with peanut M&M’s gave us the rocket fuel we needed to get back.

February 25, 2009

On the road again, but this time in Mary’s camper van and Judy’s car to travel south to Sanibel Island.  Before we left town, we stopped in Gainesville to visit Kate, my niece, who is doing an internship at a bakery there and who supplied us with delicious cookies for the trip.  After setting up camp, we met up with Jane and her partner Pam at Maria’s, a hole-in-the-wall restaurant in Fort Myer’s Beach where they have been staying in February.  What a treat to share dinner with such laughter, good wine and good friends.

February 26, 2009

Jane brought us delicious breakfast biscuits at our campground in the morning and then joined us for an island bike tour led by Judy who visits Sanibel regularly.  We enjoyed riding to the lighthouse, the wildlife refuge (where we saw our first white pelicans and other rare birds) and the beach.  Just after spotting an alligator lazing along the canal, I felt something wrong with my front tire and prevented a blowout by releasing some air from my bulging tire.  I was with the right women as we quickly changed the tube and patched the tire with the old dollar bill trick.  It got me back to the campground with only one extra burst of CO2 along the way.

February 27, 2009

Judy and I felt sorry for Mary who had to head back to Gainesville for a nursing course after a delicious breakfast.  While she drove north, Judy and I drove up to Captiva Island to sightsee and then spent the afternoon on the beach.  Judy cruised the beach for shells while I snoozed in the sun trying to bake out my head cold.  We stayed out of the water as there were several sharks swimming just off shore.  We also saw some dolphin fins out there but didn’t want to swim with the wrong creatures!  Later in the day, we headed for Fort Myer’s Beach where we stayed in Jane’s rental for the night.

February 28, 2009

Back to the Hungry Biscuit for breakfast but this time indulging our sweet tooth with the best cinnamon roll I’ve ever shared.  In Judy’s car we headed east over to Stuart to visit my relatives enjoying the back roads through citrus groves and fields.  Kathy told us about a farm stand where we stocked up on citrus, peppers, and real tomatoes.  We enjoyed the view along the Indian River as we headed north over miles of interstate back to Jacksonville.  Judy and I enjoyed a dinner near the airport.

March 1, 2009

Through the night, thunderstorms rolled through and the rains were heavy in the morning. The forecasts were heavy rain and a tornado watch for Judy for her drive back to North Carolina, and snow north for me. After a teary goodbye, I took the shuttle to the airport where I was advised that I would be lucky to get to Washington, D.C. for the first leg of my trip 3 hours late and that I might have to spend the night there due to the predicted storms.  Fortunately, the snow held off and I got the one flight that was not cancelled to Hartford.  Jackie, my daughter-in-law, picked me up for the ride back to Vermont.  Here I sit, watching the snow and feeling grateful for the wonderful time I had in Florida.  It makes me even more excited about our Southern Tier reunion here in June.

Roughly 1800 miles by car and plane

3 a.m. is not my best time of day.  Barely 40 degrees and raining is not my best kind of weather.   Still, I was happy to be home in the early morning hours of May 3 after the last set of adventures on this bicycling journey.

Our celebratory banquet was a little surreal for me.  There were women wearing makeup and some clothing I hadn’t seen before.  We ate at tables with real chairs and though the food was good, not as good as Linda’s fine cooking.  The ambient room noise was really loud as people raised their voices to be heard and pictures were taken around the room.  You could tell when the food started to arrive by the direct correlation of decibel levels sinking.

Michelle and Linda had tabulated a few statistics about the amount of food and drink we had consumed over 8 weeks.  I’ll keep the numbers of bottles of beer, wine and tequila a close-held secret but we also used up about 48 jumbo size jars of peanut butter and 750 pounds of bananas.  I wonder how many of us learned the snap a banana in half using your bare hands trick.  I didn’t say we ate all of those bananas!

As the plates were taken away, and the coffee cups emptied, the hugs began.  I noticed a couple of women sneak out the side door to avoid the good byes as others circulated the room, tissues in hand (or not), wishing everyone well, making promises to get together or stay in touch or put off the good byes until the shuttle to the airport in the morning.  Many of us found our way back to the parking lot of the hotel where the family members were putting our beloved plastic chairs back into the trailer.

In the morning, it was comforting to see some of the familiar faces gathered in the lobby of the hotel.  A few of us headed down the waterfront for a good breakfast before the day really began.  Tom and I played tourist for a little bit visiting the fort briefly and a spin around the outside of the old jail that I had toured as a child.  We walked through the old town and reluctantly, headed back to pack up, meet up with Debbie and drive up to Jacksonville for our flights home.

On the way, we needed to fill up the rental car with gas and I indulged my nostalgia one more time at a roadside fruit and souvenir store.  Debbie and I tasted some of the free tangerine samples; picked up some gifts to take north and in conversation with the staff were given a free box of coconut patties in celebration of our completing our cross-country ride.  One of the things I will take away from this journey is a sense of gratitude that most of the people that we met over the 8 weeks on the Southern Tier were so kind.

At the airport, Debbie and I changed back into our cool weather clothes and I said my last goodbye.  Well, I thought I was saying my last good bye at the time.  After Tom and I turned away from the airline counter, the ticket agent chased us down the hall to tell us that we would not make our connection in St. Louis, as the weather was bad there and delaying flights.  She re-routed us to Miami on a flight that wasn’t leaving until 2 hours later than our first one.  She went out of her way to catch us and spare us a frustrating day of missed connections and late flights.  Another good person…

At the bookstore in the terminal, there we found Debbie, so we sat down for a leisurely meal together.  Eventually, we said goodbye again and headed through security out to the gate.  It was packed with people waiting for flights that had been delayed including our original flight to St. Louis, now over 2 hours late.  As I walked through the crowded gate area, I heard a little pssss sound.  Turning around, I was delighted to see Candice and Carmen waiting for their plane as well!  We had time for some more conversation, a couple of final photographs and off they went through Dallas.

I enjoyed the flight to Miami in our little prop plane buzzing along south down the coast.  We made a big arc over the Everglades as we landed in Miami.  There we found another crowded airport filled with people frustrated by airline delays because of the tornados in the mid-section of the country.  We were fortunate that our flight was only an hour or so late.  We snoozed as best we could on the way home, anticipating the hour and a half drive back to Vermont.  I had my eyes closed as we entered the state but they were wide open when we stepped into our house.  Uncharacteristically, I headed for the thermostats instead of the woodstove to warm it up.  I was freezing!  In the morning, we got the stove going again.  Isn’t it May already?  At least the snow has melted.

Now, the task at hand is to weave myself back into my life at home.  I’m taking it really gradually and seeing it all with fresh eyes.  Driving my car to my mother’s house, I felt like I was 15 again just coming out the cemetery (where I learned to drive) onto the real roads.  I found myself looking at hills that I have seen all my life and thinking how they would feel on a bicycle now.  I was shocked at how quickly I got from one end of town to another and how isolated I felt inside the confines of a car.  This is all going to be an adjustment but I’m happy for the perspective that being away for 8 weeks is allowing me.

At the risk of sounding like an Academy award winner, before I finish, I need to thank all of you for whatever part you played in my journey.  It’s not a cliché to thank my mother first for helping with so much of the funding for the trip as otherwise, it would not have happened.  Thanks to all of my friends and family and coworkers who covered for me so I could be away for so long.  Thanks to the many contributors to the BMC and the NBCC.  Thanks to those of you who shared your stories of women living or dying from breast cancer.  They were always a part of my ride.  I’ll keep the fundraising going until the end of the year in hopes of getting closer to my goal.  Thanks to all of you, my faithful readers for your comments and encouragement.  Finally, thanks to all of the women who shared my journey.  Spending 8 weeks with such an inspiring and fun bunch of women was such a privilege and a real joy.

My final bit of advice, if there is a challenge that you have been avoiding because you don’t think you can do it, give it a try.  You might be surprised at what you can do if you just take it one step at a time.  I rode my bike across the country!

49 miles today
3068.3 final total

My husband and Debbie are on their way to UPS to ship back our boxes filled with our precious cargo, the bikes that got us all the way from San Diego to St. Augustine.  I’m grabbing a free moment to let all of you know that we all made it here and without any flats to the beach today.  The ride to the fire station outside of town was typical of so many of our rides – farmland, fields, houses and side roads.  We passed a tractor harvesting potatoes (so cool the way the potatoes fall into the gathering truck while the dirt falls out the other side back into the field), more cows, sheep and horses and a couple of lakes.  Phyllis did her last sag duty at mile 20.  So many women had left really early to make sure they made it to the station in time for our 10:30 gathering, that I was one of the last there.  The mood was celebratory with an edge of fear that something might happen to prevent us from doing our last triumphant ride.  I saw a few people checking their tires, including me, to make sure there weren’t any problems in store.  After my flat yesterday, I gave it some extra air just to make sure I’d get in ok.  No one wanted to ride to the beach in the sag car at the back with Michelle.

At the fire station, we gathered for pictures and eventually arranged ourselves in roughly age order with Barbara, in her recumbent and Jeannie, in her trike, leading the pack.  Two by two we lined up as the police cars made their motorcade.  I had serious goose bumps looking ahead to the role models of successful aging in front of me and the exuberant youngsters behind.  We headed out for the last five miles of our journey with sirens going and whoops and hollers from the cyclists.   People on the side of the road waved back with enthusiasm, probably confused as to what this line of women on bicycles was all about.  No matter.  It was a parade and everyone loves a parade.

As we pulled into the state park, we spied the welcoming committee of friends and family gathered there.  Confusion reigned as we found our loved ones and tried to make sense of our accomplishments.  We were really there!  We carried our bikes down to the ocean, dipped the front tires into the Atlantic and gave celebratory hugs and shouts.  After the last group picture with our bikes, a few of us left them on the sand and headed out into the ocean.  The Atlantic never felt so warm.  A V of pelicans cruised overhead and I had to stop and catch my breath to appreciate the moment I was living.  It still hasn’t sunk in that all those riding days added up to this.  We have ridden from Ocean number 1 to Ocean number 2 on our bicycles, over mountains, across deserts, past dogs, along swamps and along the Gulf Coast.

Introductions were made all around.  Our friends probably felt as we did back in San Diego trying to keep all the names and faces straight and probably just as unsuccessfully as we did then.  Now, though, those familiar faces carry stories that have become part of us and our history making together.  Tonight, we’ll share our final moments together at a banquet just for us (as significant others gather in the motel parking lot with our tables and white plastic chairs for a celebration of their own).  Judy got me teary at breakfast this morning which reminds me to bring the box of special lotion tissues I bought when I was sick back in Texas tonight.  I have a feeling we’re going to need them.

I’ll write one more time after I get home late tomorrow night.  In the meantime, raise your glass and enjoy a sip of our celebration.  We’re all here safe and sound and feeling so grateful.

74.3 miles today
3,019.3 total

Never mention a shutout.  Last night at dinner, we were tabulating who had had the most flats.  The statistics will be shared at our banquet tomorrow but several people were up into the double digits.  I was the one with the least number – one – and that one was in a motel room when I woke up with a flat.  I consider myself quite lucky that my second one happened today.  I was riding with Mary and Carol, two ace tire changers, and we were just pulling into the 40 mile sag stop where the sag has a floor pump and the gas station there has a restroom to clean up afterwards.  If you’re going to have a flat, there are no better circumstances that I could arrange!  Since they wanted to get going, they made quick work of my tire.  Mary pulled out a piece of metal with her teeth since we didn’t have tweezers and it was in quite far (but told me not to tell her dentist).  I pumped up the tube, put on the tire and we were back on the road in short order.  Thanks, Mary and Carol!

Before that, we had been riding on some beautiful backcountry roads through farmland and fields.  Mary lives in Gainesville and was right at home, literally.  We passed a couple of produce stands and got to eat some fresh cukes and tomatoes that Debbie had picked up for the sag.  I probably won’t get as fresh a tomato until August in Vermont.

The last 30 miles were not as much fun as they were all on SR 100.  There was a little bit of a shoulder but lots of truck traffic and a fair number of climbs.  Along that stretch, I passed the 3000 mile mark of this trip.  These miles have really added up.  In Palatka, just before the bridge over the huge St. John’s River (one of the few rivers that flows north), we stopped at Angel’s, the oldest diner in Florida.  I used my one last excuse for a recovery milkshake, my first with a maraschino cherry on top, and a crab cake sandwich for lunch.  There we got talking with Shelby and Brandon and their mom about our trip.  Shelby wants to ride her bike across the country some day.  You can do it Shelby!

I had to take advantage of the pool for our last regular day on the tour.  There’s nothing like cool water on your legs after a ride in the sun.  Jane stopped by the pool with some bits of calamari and fried alligator.  The alligator did taste a bit like chicken only a little chewier.  A little music on the I Pod, the sun to dry me off and the day was complete.  Almost complete actually, as we have one more of Linda’s delicious dinners to anticipate.

Tonight, we’ll all try to get a good night’s rest for our final ride into St. Augustine.  If I don’t get a chance to post tomorrow, be patient and I’ll give you a final accounting in the next day or so.  Maybe we’ll even have tailwinds tomorrow (shhhh and no flats)!

83 miles today
2945 total

After last night’s free cocktail party at the Hampton Inn and the strawberries dipped in chocolate, I thought it might be a slow start for some this morning. We all laughed so hard last night. Maybe it was coming through a rainy day, maybe feeling the end is near and being appreciate of each other’s company or maybe it was the free drinks, but we all had such a good time together. But bright and early, we were out in the parking lot ready for another day on the road.

Today was the opposite of yesterday. It was a cool start but the sun came out and warmed us nicely. We wove through neighborhoods on our way out of Perry and were mostly on country roads and even a couple of bike paths. It was a fun ride for many of us because of the stops along the way. In Mayo, there was a café where I ordered cheese grits. Check out the photos to see why I was surprised when they arrived.

We crossed the Swanee River (spelled Suwannee here) and sang as many of the words of the song as we could remember. About 50 miles into the ride, we all stopped at the Ichetucknee Springs State Park. This area is full of springs and state parks to go with them. The spring had crystal clear water where you could see the fish from a good distance. When I put my feet in, they surrounded my legs. When Debbie went in for a swim (before I got there) what she didn’t see right away was a 4 foot water snake swimming in the water near her. When I arrived, I decided that wading was good enough for me!

We rode along with fields of dairy cattle, barns full of poultry and some sheep, donkeys and horses. The road was mostly flat and a bunch of us kept a pace line going for most of the day. There were beautiful pink and yellow wildflowers along most of the roadway reminding us of the Texas wildflowers that seem so long ago now.

In High Springs, where we were originally scheduled to spend the night, there was a great diner called Floyd’s where we sat outside under a hot pink canopy and enjoyed the recovery ride milkshakes and other diner fare. It was an easy seven miles into Alachua for our night’s lodging.

The mood today was so light and friendly. Everyone rode at a leisurely pace, not worrying about making it in in time. It was only 83 miles. What strong riders we have become and what good friends. We only have one more day of riding before we don the WomanTour jerseys for our final ride into St. Augustine. In the meantime, we’ll savor these last couple of days together.

54 miles today
2862 miles total

On today’s ride, I felt like I was living one of those math problems we all struggled with in school. If you leave Wakulla Springs, riding in a pace line with Judy and Hannah, going about 18-19 mph, will you ride up to the rain clouds ahead of you before the rain clouds behind catch up with you? I’m not sure which set of clouds was which but the result was that we all got soaked on today’s ride. When I left the Inn this morning, clad in my We Can Do It jersey (always go for the psychological advantage), my raincoat, my rose colored glasses and my stylish shower cap over my helmet, I thought that maybe I would avoid the heavy rain. At the sag stop, I put away the raincoat, took off the shower cap and just got wet from the road spray. At about mile 35 though, the heavens opened up. Back on went the raincoat and the shower cap as the logging trucks sprayed us with their road spray from the side. We also had to be careful to dodge all the bits of bark and sticks along the shoulder that come off of the trucks. Today’s ride was almost all on State road 98 which goes through privately held forest. I saw the paper products plant here in Perry as we rode in.

The rain didn’t last long so at the next stop, I put away the raingear again. Inevitably, not that far down the road, the next set of clouds had their turn and this time I just decided to get wet. It wasn’t that cold and we weren’t that far from our destination. I had thought that the last time I did my laundry was it for this trip but with all the dirty, wet clothes (and I mean dirty!), I got the laundry detergent out of the trailer and we started the final, I hope, laundry list. Now, my clothes are clean and dry and the next washing machine I use shouldn’t have any lines at all. As Sandra reminded us the other night, next time I hear a neighbor say she’s doing her wash, I shouldn’t ask if I could just throw in a few things!

One other math problem I was trying to work in my head during that pace line is how many more contributions it would take to double the amount of money that I have fundraised so far. I have raised about $8,000 (although I don’t have a recent accounting) and if 100 people gave $50 that wouldn’t quite do it. If you have been reading this blog all these weeks, consider how much you have valued the chance to participate in our journey vicariously and make a donation if you can. If you were waiting to see how many miles I will have cycled and want to donate an amount per mile, it will be just over 3,000, I think. I’ll keep you posted.

Many thanks for all of your comments, contributions and e mails. I know I have a few more entries to make but since this was a short day, I have time to thank you all. I do, really do, appreciate your support!

16.5 miles today
2808 total

The river was full of thrills today.  Four of us biked up to the kayak rental place on the Wakulla River this morning.  Mary and I each got our own boats.  Hannah and Debbie shared a tandem.  When we arrived at the rental place, there were people there pointing into the water at a manatee.  By the time, I unclipped my pedals, it was gone but we knew it was out there.  We loaded up our boats with our picnic lunch and headed up the river for the 3 ½ miles to the next bridge.  As I had my camera out to take a picture of Hannah and Debbie on the river, we all heard a snort nearby.  There was our first alligator within a paddle’s length from their boat.  Yikes.  I’ve never paddled with alligators before and I was out of there as soon as I clicked a quick picture.  As Mary said, “he knew we were out there long before we knew he was”.

Later down the river, we spotted another huge alligator.  We learned yesterday that the distance between the eyes and the tip of the snout in inches roughly correlates with the length of its body in feet.  Oh, it was a big one, about 12-14 feet long.  I laughed watching Debbie try to get closer for a picture while Hannah was paddling in the opposite direction to get away from it!  There’s a reason I got my own boat!

We saw lots of turtles of many sizes swimming in the reeds and hanging out on the fallen timbers in the water.  Fish, mainly gullet and some bass and gar, swam beneath of us and were quite visible in the clear water.  Above, we spotted a huge nest that may have been an eagle or an osprey.  There were two parents there, attending what were probably chicks.  We watched an anhinga catch a huge fish and struggle to get it in its mouth.  It eventually dropped it into the water, dove under to retrieve it and then popped it into its long, now bulging throat.  We saw another anhinga, flapping and drying its wings.  Unlike ducks and other water birds, they don’t have the oil glands to repel the water and have to dry out like we do.

At one point, I was looking down into the water and spotted a huge flat tail.  For a few seconds, I struggled trying to identify what creature would have such a big tail.  Then, it dawned on me – it was a manatee!  I followed its bubbles until I was alongside and then we paddled together for a while.  It was as long as my boat – 14 feet.  What a delight to see one so close in the wild!  My wish came true.

Now, it’s time to get my bike ready for the last four days of our adventure.  I’ve reset my bike computer to Eastern Time, ready to mark off the final minutes to St.Augustine.  Last night, watching the movie made about this trip, I think we all got a bit choked up watching the last scene as the cyclists walked into the Atlantic Ocean.  It was only then that I realized that we will be doing the same very shortly.  These great friends I’ve made here will be dispersed across the country in less than a week’s time.  What will we all be doing next Sunday?

60.1 miles today
2791.3 total

While on the riverboat tour at Wakulla Springs State Park this afternoon, I learned that the Creature of the Black Lagoon and the first two Tarzan movies were filmed here. National Geographic is here now, filming a documentary about the archeological digs and the underwater caverns. Last night, I learned that Demi Moore was staying at the motel next door as she is filming a new movie nearby. With all that professional filming going on, my pictures today are a little disappointing as so many of them were taken from the boat. Still, I hope you’ll be able to get a taste of all the wildlife that we saw from the river. There were alligators hanging out on the surface, three kinds of herons, white egrets, mother ducks with their ducklings and huge mullet swimming along the side of the boat and leaping out of the water. Scientists differ as to whether they are trying to rid their gills of parasites by their leaps or whether it’s just mullet fun but the sight of fish flying isn’t one I’m used to seeing.

This area is full of limestone, caves and springs. In one of the springs on the side of the river, there were two manatee babies born this year. The ranger said that they have gone down the river for a couple of weeks and tomorrow I hope to paddle that river and see if I can get a glimpse of them.

Our ride today was great. There were more Florida hills to climb (usually there is a creek or river at the bottom and then the road climbs back up again) and National Forest full of tall, straight pines. Many of us found that it was a great day to cycle full out at top speed with a short ride, straight smooth roads and not a lot of traffic. With a rest day coming up, there was no reason to conserve energy and we wanted to have enough time to spend at the state park on the way. I waded in the swimming area in my bike clothes and loved the feeling of the cold, alkaline water on my skin.

It was about 15 miles back to our hotel on busier roads with the ubiquitous strip malls and Walmart. Debbie, Mary, Hannah and I stopped to pick up items for a paddling picnic on the river tomorrow. On the way, Debbie had her second flat of the day and used my extra tube. Apparently, the patches don’t hold up well in the heat and it’s always good to have another person with you if you run out of tubes.

I was so excited to get to our rest stop here at the Wildwood Inn. As we walked in the lobby door, it was the first time the entire trip that I have seen recycling bins! This was started by a Vermonter as an eco hotel. It has been so hard to throw away bottles and cans and even paper for the last seven weeks. The South is not the Northeast or Northwest where recycling has become a way of life. The owner said it is a struggle to get people to use the bins here. I hope his efforts will make a difference.

After dinner, we are going to watch a documentary that was made of the Southern Tier trip three years ago. Michelle was a guide for half of that trip and we’ll be ready to hoot when we see her.
Before I close, I have to remember to tell you that Sue was the winner of our poker day yesterday. She’s a card shark from Vermont and her face lit us when she showed us her straight. Congratulations, Sue.

52 miles today
2731.2 total

This morning, Pat, a fellow Vermonter and my roommate for the night, and I both woke up about 4:30 a.m.  We must have been anticipating the time zone change today back to Eastern Time in Chattahoochee.  I think we were also anticipating a run across the street from the motel where there was a donut shop with a great reputation.  My easiest 90-mile day was the day in Texas where I had an apple fritter early in the day.  Even though today was only 50 miles, both Pat and I couldn’t pass up the chance for an exuberant day on the bike fueled by sugar.

Indeed, many of the variables that made yesterday challenging were still there – the heat, the humidity, an early start, the headwinds – but for some reason it was an easy ride.  So, maybe it wasn’t the apple fritter.  Maybe it was because it was mainly on beautiful country roads for the most part and only half the distance.  There were a few major hills, though, enough to use some of the lower gears that haven’t been used for weeks.  I was surprised by the number of climbs along with some fun rollers.  Funny how quickly we forget about climbs and how quickly our bodies remember what to do with them.

Today’s fun was also because of Mary Kay’s plan to make this a poker day.  Debbie, our sag driver today, was in charge of the card dealing.  First thing this morning, we all put in a dollar and got three cards.  At the first sag stop, we had the option of continuing for another dollar and getting 1,2,3 or 4 cards (you had to trade some in for more than one).  At the last sag stop at mile 40, you could get another card for another dollar.  At dinner tonight, we’ll find out who won the whole pot.  I was hoping to win and put the money toward my fundraising but given my cards, I think I stand the same chance as a snowball in the parking lot today.

There was another challenge thrown out last night by Michelle, our leader.  If we could prove that we took a detour to Georgia on today’s ride, we could have another state line party tonight.  Mary, Pat and I headed north, found the line, took the required pictures and then went a little further up the road to check out the lake formed by a dam there.  It was a beautiful spot and represented Georgia well for those women for whom that’s all they’ve seen.

When we arrived here in Quincy, I was thrilled to receive a package with my prescription biking glasses.  The lens cracked a long time ago so I sent them back (under warranty) in early April.  I’ve been wearing some industrial sized ones from Walmart that fit over my regular distance prescription lens.  I’ve taken my share of ribbing from the group about them (but they worked!) and you may have noticed them in my pictures (even though I tried to remember to take them off most of the time when I saw a camera).  Sorry, everyone.  The fun’s over on that count!

94 miles today
2763.8 total

There are a lot of elements that make for a challenging ride. Today had many of them. It was an early start (the alarm went off at 5 a.m.), it was basically 90 miles on US 90, the road was usually straight with just a few long gentle ups and downs and there was a constant headwind. The heat was in the 80’s with high humidity levels. We went through several towns: Mossy Head, DeFuniak Springs, Argyle, Ponce De Leon, Bonifay, Chipley, Cottondale, and our destination, Marianna. Most of them consisted of a gas station, at least one church and not much else. The lunch stop was a peanut butter sandwich I made this morning with a bottle of chocolate milk from a gas station.

There was one scenic detour in De Funiak Springs, which was a delightful ride around the lake there. This was a site for Chappaqua, which was an intellectual colony started in New York state and a second site was established here. There were Victorian homes and little cottages around the lake – a nice respite from US 90.

So, at the end of this long ride, I took a refreshing dip in the pool and a shower. In a few minutes, we’ll finally have our state line margarita party that the hotel last night wouldn’t allow in their parking lot. Last night at dinner, Sandra made us all laugh with her tips for re-entry into the “real” world next week. These included such things as not to take our bicycles into our bedrooms (like we do in every motel) and to remember not to pull up a white plastic chair, sit in our driveway and expect dinner to be ready. We have started making plans for our final picnic in St. Augustine and arrangements to ship our bikes home. Hard to believe that a week from today, we’ll be at the Atlantic Ocean!