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..........