Day 46 - Milton, FL to DeFuniak Springs, FL

54.4 miles today
2,352.3 total trip miles
13.1 mph average
974’ climbing
FF - 4
MP - my daughter-in-law Ruth Payne - when I decided it was time to get healthier, she became my teacher, coach, inspiration & cheerleader on how to proceed.  She knew the right balance between not overdoing it & still challenging me.  I probably wouldn’t have envisioned a Coast 2 Coast bike trip without the example she set during her own quest to reach the Ironman World Championships.  Most important of all we have become great friends & I know she is becoming the best hospital chaplain anywhere.

We spent lots of time on US Hwy 90 while we were in Texas & now we are back on that same road in Florida.  Well, it is also named US Hwy 90, but the difference in the road is significant.  In Texas it was mostly a rough chip seal surface with a shoulder no one wanted to bike on because it was even rougher than the road & filled with debris.  In Florida it is smooth asphalt with a nice smooth shoulder.  I guess it’s good we had the bad part first because there might be mutiny if it were the other way around.

Today we had some hills, but nothing steep.  We are away from the gulf so the scenery isn’t as interesting to view.  This gave me some time to think about bike tires.  I have been fortunate to not have had any flat tires so far on the road, but I did have that encounter with some mud so I wondered if there might be a nice combination tire that would have great traction & still be flat resistant.  Just as I was considering this idea, look what I saw.

Think those might work?

I also realized today that I really haven’t talked a lot about the variety of overnight accommodations we have experienced.  There are 3 main varieties - 1. camping in tents, 2. indoor at churches, armories or YMCA’s, 3.  Hotels.  Each has its advantages, with hotels being my favorite, but not every city we stop at has a place where over 60 people can stay.  Bubba also puts some energy into providing some local perspective to different places so we have heard talks from local historians, mayors, an astronaut & tonight we have a concert at the campground we are staying at.

It is basically a guy with a karaoke machine singing.  In fact he is performing  right now as I write this post.  Unfortunately for me his favorite stuff is country which I am not very compatible with.  I appreciate the effort anyway.

The other unique thing about this tour is that lots of extra services are provided that most bike tours don’t do.  Things like having our own chef make breakfast & dinner for us, having a bike mechanic that travels the route every day to help with needed repairs, opportunities to get carried in by car if a rider can’t complete a day of biking for whatever reason (like when I needed medical attention after my bike fall),  a massage therapist that comes in occasionally to help those with  sore muscles & the thing that surprised me most was this:

That’s right, our very own barber!  She is actually one of the “Wolfpack”, a group of about 7 young adults who do most of the heavy lifting.  Putting up tents, carrying bags, restocking soft drinks etc.  She went to school for hair cutting & just needs some experience before she can get licensed .  She is doing this bike trip job to make some extra money.  Did a nice job on my hair!

WDYLT - ILT we have 7 riders who have survived life threatening medical conditions including cancer, heart disease & serious accidents.  Their ability to come back  & bike C2C after those situations is especially inspiring. 

Day 45 - Pensacola, FL to Milton, FL

31.5 miles today
2,352.3 total trip miles
11.1 mph average
1,007’ climbing
FF - 2
MP - brother-in-law Mike & family.  He is the youngest of 9 children, but never felt compelled to follow or copy his siblings (except he married the sister of a woman his brother married, but I don’t think that counts).  He has made his own life & career based on what makes him & his family happy - I admire that.  He’s also the biggest hockey fan I know.  He likes to both watch it & play it.

This was an easy day - almost too easy.  A couple of hills leaving Pensacola, but not much mileage.  I kind of took my time, stopped a lot, didn’t pedal hard & still reached our destination by noon.  I kind of wonder why Bubba doesn’t add some miles to today & take them off somewhere else.

The views of the Gulf were also better today.  Yesterday as we went through Gulf Shores there were lots of hotels & resorts that blocked the view, but today everything seemed to open up.

Those of you who have been following me across the country may remember that in Texas it was a big deal to have an entry gate at your ranch to make a statement.  I noticed in Louisiana, Alabama & now sometimes in Florida that they don’t so much have entry gates, but they sometimes put a lot of energy into their mailbox enclosures.

It probably prevents vandals from knocking over the mailbox, but it would never work up north because when the snowplow hit it there would be some real damage (maybe to the snowplow).

Last night for the first time on this trip we stayed overnight at a YMCA.  It was a great facility with lots of warm showers & modern facilities.  I think Bubba should look for more opportunities like that.  The men’s locker room also had a scale, the first one I’ve seen since I left Wisconsin.  One of the topics of discussion among the group has been “Have I lost any weight after biking over 2,000 miles?”  We sure haven’t been watching our diets much.  I think I have eaten more food in the last 7 weeks than I have eaten in the previous 7 months.  So . . .

WDYLT - ILT I have lost a total of 7 pounds so far on this trip.  That means I am going to have to really change my eating habits when it’s over or I might explode. 

Day 44 - Dauphin Island, AL to Pensacola, FL

62.1 miles today
2,320.8 total trip miles
14.6 mph average
761’ climbing
FF - 3
MP - Frank & Rita Goodwin & family.  Joanne & I have 5 daughters, the Goodwin’s have 4 daughters, so we have enjoyed together watching them mature into 9 wonderful women.  Frank & Rita regularly nudge me out of my comfort zone & that has inspired me to do more with my life than I would have otherwise - always to bring Glory to God.  As we all age, we need to continue to be inspired to serve God by serving others.

Today started out like no other day on this trip.  We had tornado warning sirens overnight while in our tents, but fortunately no tornado.  There were heavy rainstorms & we woke up to high surf advisories.  That presented a challenge because the first thing we had planned was a 30 minute ferry ride to the mainland.  Bubba worked his magic & the captain agreed to do 1 trip today so that 43 bike riders could continue their journey to St Augustine.

Once we reached land, the bike ride was easy.  A short day, flat terrain, sunshine & even a bit of a tailwind.  One of our riders is a retired military pilot & he arranged that some of us who were interested could bike onto the Pensacola Naval Air Station & visit the museum there.  It added a little bit of mileage to our ride, but was well worth it in my opinion.  It is the home of the Blue Angels & in addition there were dozens of planes from all different era’s.

We also reached another milestone, our 8th & last State - Florida

The reality of this adventure ending a week from tomorrow is beginning to sink in.  There is a lot of biking still to do, but the end is in sight.

WDYLT - ILT there are many more varieties of folding wing aircraft than I ever imagined.  I knew they had them for storage on aircraft carriers, but I never knew there were so many styles.

Day 42 - Ocean Springs, MS to Dauphin Island, AL

77.8 miles today
2,258.7 total trip miles
13.4 mph average
1,295’ climbing
FF - 5
MP - Cathy Mahaffey - a good friend & a true health insurance professional.  When a group of community organizers came to her with the idea for a health insurance cooperative, she shifted her career attention from being an agent to helping us create the Common Ground Healthcare Cooperative.  Creative, persistent & a true leader - I believe she is the best Health Insurance CEO anywhere.

We biked to the Gulf of Mexico today & it almost seemed like I could feel salt water in the air all day long.  We crossed a bunch of rivers & as we approached the Gulf the road leveled out.  We could see for miles down the road on a pancake flat surface.  That is something we have not experienced much on this trip so far.

Then we took a right turn & saw this in the distance.

That bridge leads to Dauphin Island where we are camping tonight.  The bridge hill to climb is a little imposing, but we have done longer & steeper.  The thing you need to know is that I am the person who won’t get in a hot air balloon because I am positive that I will fall out, even if the basket reaches up to my neck & I am connected in with multiple straps.  You can imagine what I was thinking when I got here.

Nothing but water on both sides & about a 4’ tall concrete wall to hold me in.  What to do?  I didn’t come this far to let some irrational fear stop me.  I pedaled to the top.  Unfortunately I had to do it with my eyes open.  And here I am at the Dauphin Island Campground to be able to tell the story. Tomorrow is a day off & I am happy to report that when we leave the island it will be on a ferry going east to the mainland so I don't have to climb this bridge again.

WDYLT - ILT in Germany when they serve raw beef & onions, it also includes a raw egg on top.  I’ve never had this feast, but adding the raw egg doesn’t make it any more appetizing to me.

Day 41 - Poplarville, MS to Ocean Springs, MS

69.4 miles today
2,180.9 total trip miles
13.3 mph average
2,162’ climbing
FF - 5
MP - my brother Bill (RIP) - I was the typical “little brother”, always wanting to tag along with him & his friends.  Looking back, he was extremely tolerant of me at that time.  He left home for college in Platteville at 18 & made his own life in the SW Wisconsin/NW Illinois.  Great baseball fan, especially of the Milwaukee Braves.  Cancer took him far too young.

Today was a great day to go for a bike ride!  Sunshine & 80 degrees.  Lots of rolling hills, so it wasn’t like there was no work to do, but only 1 hill that was a challenge.  The roads were mostly smooth with very little car or truck traffic.  There was a headwind for a good part of the day, but we have come to expect that.

I had what I am calling a 3 brownie lunch.  Our lunch stop was at a church out in the country, provided by members of the congregation at no charge.  They do it every year.  All the riders put money together for a donation.  It was homemade & delicious.  There were 3 varieties of brownies, so of course I had to sample each.

It was the first day of the trip that I didn’t see any of those little green city signs.  Maybe Mississippi doesn’t do that?  This was a very rural area with many pine plantations.  Here is what it looked like for most of the day along the road.

Do you remember in Harry Potter where in order to take the train to Hogwart’s they needed to enter at gate 9 3/4?  That would take them into a totally different reality & they could get on the right train. Had that kind of change in reality as I came around a corner on the bike & saw a big horse farm.  Then I saw this.

I thought I had been transported to Africa!  What an adventure this is.

My knee is feeling better each day, but I continue to limp when walking, which is more difficult for me than riding the bike.  I’m hoping that goes away soon too.  One more riding day before our last day off of the trip.  

WDYLT - ILT I skipped dessert for the first time on the whole trip tonight.  Chocolate cake with coffee frosting!  Who would think that is a good idea? (I don't believe in coffee for those of you wondering what I'm talking about)  Good thing I had the 3 brownie lunch.

Day 40 - Franklinton, LA to Poplarville, MS

45 miles today
2,111.5 total trip miles
13.2 mph average
1,423’ climbing
FF - 5
MP - brother-in-law Larry & his family.  He explores & learns about more out-of-the-ordinary things than anyone I have ever met.  I usually don’t even understand some of the concepts he comes up with.  He’s the 1st person I know personally who had a recumbent bike.  I always admired him for working full time & going to school at the same time.  I didn’t have that discipline.

Today was the shortest scheduled ride since our 1st day.  That happened because of the location of places we stay can’t make every day a consistent 65 miles, which is our overall average.  It wasn’t quite like a day off however because we had lots of climbing for so short a day & some pretty rough roads that added to my knee pain.  I’m glad it was short.

We did cross over into our 6th state & unlike some other states, they had a nice sign that allowed for a picture.

One nice thing about the shorter day is that the group tended to stay more together.  There is usually a group that leaves earlier, spends little time in SAG stops, maybe even skips lunch & arrives at our destination hours before others.  There is then a middle group that maybe doesn’t leave as quickly, rides a little faster, takes their time at SAG stops & arrives after the 1st group is already showered & settled in. (That is my group).  The last group either rides slower or leaves later (or maybe both), takes full advantage of picture taking & exploring the country & arrives after the 4 PM snack has been served.  Today that all condensed & we actually had lunch in our destination city.  It allowed for a couple of pictures - a string of bikes a block long outside the cafe most people ate at & some riders sitting at an old fashioned ice cream counter in the back of a drug store across from the cafe.

WDYLT - ILT there was a global project that produced a picture of a black hole today, but there doesn’t seem to be any agreement if, or how, England is going to leave the EU.  This prompted one cynic to comment “we’re now more certain what a black hole looks like than what Brexit looks like”

Day 39 - St Francisville, LA to Franklinton,LA

86.7 miles today
2,066.5 total trip miles
13.7 mph average
2,913’ climbing
FF - 7
MP - Jerry Wick & family - he was my best man & I was his. We’ve been through many adventures together, both good & bad.  My best teacher on how to be a grandparent because he loves it so much.  I know I can always count on him to give me “the” answer to any question, dilemma or problem. (and I’m amazed at how often he is right!)

In some ways today’s ride was a bit of deja vu from Texas Hill Country.  We had a bunch of rolling hills like in Texas, but fortunately they weren’t as steep because my knee didn’t want that yet.  The knee gave me a little more trouble today because of the hills, but I never doubted that I would finish.  I have already done an initial dose of icing before dinner & will do another after I’m done here.

The weather was great today - 70’s & 80’s with sunshine & no oppressive winds.  This is timber country & the most common trucks we saw on the road were filled with logs.

This load would be of no interest to us as Kettle Moraine Hardwoods.  Too small diameter pine, but it is impressive to see the length they bring out of the woods.  I’m not sure exactly what they do with this stuff - maybe OSB or particle board.  I do know that when they are traveling down the road there is a regular cloud of wood dust & bark chips that flies off the load which adds an extra challenge to riding a bicycle near them.

We were mostly on 2 lane roads, sometimes with little or no shoulder & I have been impressed with how courteous the drivers have been to 43 bicycles taking the same route they are.  One of the staff got a nice picture of me riding.

Kind of a short post tonight because it’s starting to get late & I need to get ice on the knee.

WDYLT - ILT an apparent delicacy in Louisiana is “pickled pig lips”. It is exactly what the name says.  Someone in our group actually ate one.  It wasn’t me.