Quincy, FL to Wakukla Springs, FL (39 miles) Saturday, April 24, 2010

Saturday, 4/24/10

We have Cue sheets that tell us when to turn and how far to travel, but on the route today we missed a turn!  Sometimes the roads are not well marked, and other times the mileage on our cue sheets can be a little off.  Fortunately, a half mile out we ran out of town, and it was obvious we missed "Main Street."  (The sign for Main Street was after the turn.)  When that happened, we called our ride leader, Carol, and she was able to get us back on track!

The distance from Quincy to Wakulla Springs, FL was a short hop, only 39 miles.   We arrived before noon, so we felt like Saturday was a free day.  Sunday at Wakulla Springs State Park is our last rest day of the trip, and we were happy to be able to get there early.

We arrived at Wakulla Springs State Park at 11:30 AM, which was too early for them to have our rooms ready.  We had plenty of time to look around and to have lunch.

Wakulla Springs State Park is like traveling back in time.  There are no televisions in the rooms, no Internet, and few of us could get cell phone service.  However, there was time for us to bond; diving off the high dive platform, swimming in the spring, playing games, hiking and taking boat tours.  Amy, Mary and Kathy were our brave ones.  They were the ones who jumped off the high dive platform!
(Diving platform photos courtesy of Karen Cooper)

We had been keeping tabs on the weather which predicted rain in the evening and the next day, so as soon as we could shower and change, many of our group took the boat tour.   I have many more photos of the animals and birds we saw.

Lynn cooked her last meal that night.  She was with us only a short time...like a student teacher...so she could see how things are done out of the back of a trailer.  She already knew how to do the cooking, but cooking out of the back of a trailer has special challenges and tricks.  Now she can "sub" for the chef if there is an emergency.  Linda and Carol will take her to the airport tomorrow.

 After meals, many of us help with dishes.  Amy Derwinski and others bring out their ipods with some fun music during that time, and last night we were dancing, too!

Sunday, 4/25/10  REST DAY

We did wake up to a thunderstorm.  I have not seen a thunderstorm since last summer in Minnesota!  Our ride has been very fortunate with weather over the past two months.  We have had only one day of real rain, and one day of mist/drizzle.  We have had to dress warmly for very cold mornings, but we all agree that cold/cool rides are much better than hot!!  The highest temps have been in the 80's, and only in the afternoons.

The rangers use the one TV in the common room for DVD's that explain the history of Wakulla Springs.  They set it up for a tour group and we all watched it.  It was very interesting!

By noon, the skies cleared, and the sun emerged. Some went swimming/diving, or back onto the boat tour. This has been a really nice place to have our rest day(s).

Tomorrow we head out to Perry, Florida, 51 miles.

Marianna to Quincy, Florida (57 miles) Friday, April 23, 2010

We woke this morning to lots of fog!  It is the first time we have been delayed because of fog.  We usually leave by 7:00, but we had to wait until 8:00 am.  Since it was a short mile day, it was not a problem.

We rode out almost due east.  Today we had the usual flat roads, but also hills.  Now it is not that we haven't done much steeper and longer hills.  Crossing the Southern Rockies was much more challenging!  It is just that we have not done any for at least a week!!  It's all a matter of perspective, isn't it?  I don't have any photos of the hills because we were too busy climbing up them!

Thirty miles out we crossed the Chattahoochee River Bridge.  It was that point that we changed our 5th time zone (Arizona does not observe day light saving time), so we are now in the Eastern Time Zone.

We stopped in the town of Quincy for lunch.  There were some really big up and down hills right in town!  We were dreading the return trip!

The town square looked like the Iowa town squares, with the courthouse in the middle and the shops around the square.  We stopped at "Miss Helen's" for sandwiches before we rode in to the motel.  Helen waited on us, and proudly sold us big chocolate chip cookies she made herself!  She was also helpful in giving us directions back to the route that did NOT involve big hills!  Yes!!  Thank you, Miss Helen!

I think everyone is still tired from yesterday's 94 mile ride, too.


This is an excerpt from Jo Ann Bary's blog:

EVERYBODY LOVES THE SAG DRIVER

Today was my turn as a SAG driver.   As I sat in the car waiting for the cyclists to pass by, I thought long and hard about the duties & responsibilities of a SAG driver.  The main duty is to  provide water and snacks every 20 miles to the cyclists.  Some SAG days are longer than others, today I had 94 mile day with 4 SAG stops, and at each stop each rider had to be logged ¨ in and out¨ to make sure everyone passed by safely.  There are three types of cyclists in our group:   FAST, AVERAGE SPEED, and SLOW.   But, something else came to mind, the emotional support.    And the amazing part of this whole scenario is the fact that they are all happy to see the SAG car and driver.  And, we drivers are happy to see the cyclist.  It is similar to waiting and watching for your lover to come home.  It´s a love affair between cyclists and SAG, that  most people will never understand  unless they´ve been out on the road for days touring.  It is a show of love and compassion like no other..........

Crestview to Marianna, Florida (94 miles) Thursday, April 22, 2010

Today was a big day...we rode east on Hwy 90 for 90 miles.  90 on 90!  With the turn to the motel, the total was 94 miles.  Fortunately, the shoulder was smooth, the wind was from the south, and the drivers were courteous.  I guess they must be used to Southern Tier riders!

Yesterday Linda Baldwin, our chef, gave us a reminder (again!) about eating and drinking enough on a long mile ride.  "Eat something every ten miles, and drink two bottles' worth of water for each twenty miles!"  Good advice!

Linda was able to ride today for 35 miles!  She rarely gets to ride at all, and then it is usually only for 20 miles.  When Carol and Lynn pulled up, Linda reluctantly put her bike on the front of the van.  It was fun while it lasted! It takes an afternoon to shop and prepare dinner for 24 people from the back of a trailer!

Jo Ann Bary was our Sag Captain today.  It is a difficult job, especially on a long day when we get so spread out.  I think riding would be less tiring!

I caught Jo Ann Klassen with her water pack strapped to the front of her, under her vest!  Sometimes you just do what you have to do in a pinch.  We kidded her about the appearance, but we all know how it is when you get a back ache on a long ride from a back pack!  She was a good sport about our teasing.

We rode across the Alligator River today, and I was hoping to see some alligators.  All I saw were some cute turtles on a log!

It really was a good ride today.  We started at 6:45 am and arrived in Marianna by 2:00.  Of course, before we got to the motel, we stopped at a McDonald's for a "reward" chocolate shake!

The first thing I did after arriving at the motel was to don my swimming suit and get into the pool!  It was not a heated pool, but after riding 94 miles in 85 degrees, it was wonderful!!  When Amy Dewinski arrived, she kicked off her shoes, socks and helmet and dove in head first!!

Even Mike put on her swimming suit and enjoyed the instant refreshment of the pool!  Of course, she had to put up with the hoots and hollers about her biker tan!!

Being a chef on a cross country ride, cooking for 25 people every day is quite a challenge.  Linda seems to be able to handle it very well.  Linda and Carol do not get any "days off" like we do!  There are times when a chef may need a substitute, usually in an emergency situation.  WomanTours sent Lynn to work with Linda so she can see the routine, shopping, and where everything goes.  Lynn will be with us for a few days to learn the ropes...kind of like a substitute teacher.  She has to be able to jump right in there and take over should the need arise.

So far we have ridden 2,860 miles with only 320 to go!  Tomorrow we have a short ride...only 54 miles!  A week from today, we will be riding into St. Augustine, and we will end our coast to coast ride.

Pensacola to Crestview, Florida (69 miles) Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Today we rode through the city of Pensacola, Florida to wind our way out toward Crestview.  We had a larger group today than usual, mostly because of the many turns we needed to take.  We did not want to miss the turns, and it was easier with the group.  As it turned out, we ended up increasing our speed!  Even the hills were taken more quickly.

We also had to take US highway 90, which required some concentration because it was so busy.  Fortunately, the shoulders were wide and smooth!  We passed by the US 10 bridge, and continued to a town called Milton.  There we rode on a great bike path for about ten miles.

We continued on our route, aided by some tail winds.  I did not stop to take too many photos today.  We were enjoying the fast ride!  We arrived in Crestview at 1:30.

We are planning to get to sleep early tonight.  We have a 94-mile day ahead of us tomorrow to  Marianna, Florida!