Skip to main content

Day 49-Destin, FL

 Our night in the former funeral home was uneventful,. We were undisturbed by the spirits that are alleged to live there. We left out at about eight and went down the main street where a farmers market was set up. It’s a good thing I couldn’t carry anything home as there was lots to choose from. We did stop at Parlor Donuts for the very best donut of my life.


We crossed Pensacola bay along a beautiful bridge into Gulf Breeze.  We appreciate it the separate bike path and kept us away from traffic.


Another bridge followed and we were in Pensacola beach. It was bright and sunny and we couldn’t resist the urge to dip our feet in.


 The water in the gulf is warm and clear and the sand as white as snow. In fact it looked like snow on the dunes as we paddled through the Gulf Islands National Seashore. This narrow strip of land afforded us miles of fabulous riding and views of the coast.


Ankur and I noticed two men who seem to be negotiating over a backpack on the other side of the road. As we passed them, we noticed they had sleeping pets. In keeping with my desire to “ask all the questions,“ we turned around to see what they were doing.

As it turns out, they had noticed us and were curious about us to. Their names are Tommy and Ben and they were on day two of the Florida trail, an 1100 mile walk from the national seashore to big Cypress national preserve near Miami. It’s kind of like Florida’s Appalachian trail. Tommy was from New York City and Ben was from Washington DC. We didn’t find out what motivated them but we did give them all the encouragement we could.  They were traveling late and said they were not far from hobos, Sleeping wherever people would let them. I hope they’re able to make the whole trip.

Several more bridges were ahead of us, and all of them were narrow and highly trafficked. And also without bike lanes. We might knuckled the mall and stopped at a food truck on the far side of the last one to get tacos to steel us for a route 98, a very busy road with a bumpy shoulder (when it had one.) Somehow tacos always taste better when they come from a food truck.

Our guardian angels protect us and Dustin appeared in front of us eventually. It looks like a playground: white sand, restaurants and arcades, and even a pirate cruise ship sat in a protected cove off the Gulf.


Our hotel was on the far side of town. We rode through some neighborhoods before hitting the road along the beach. The beach called to us, and when we were at our turn we pulled into the beach parking lot instead. Off went the shoes and socks. Helmets and backpacks got dumped by the bikes. Ankur and I sprinted to the water and even though the day was cloudy and cool, the water was warm and felt so refreshing, even in a sports bra and bike shorts! Ann followed us in and we played till we’ve had our fill.

We’re now settled in a brand new La Quinta and have had a delicious beef stroganoff dinner. 76 tomorrow so it’s time for bed!

Things I’ve learned today:

  • Acting on impulse is a lost art for adults.

Comments

  1. AnonymousNovember 13, 2022 at 3:42 PM

    When you go by St. George’s Island think of Glen & Dave, they spent a number of winters there…. Nice spot, Gari

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousNovember 14, 2022 at 3:49 AM

    "Acting on impulse is a lost art for adults." I love that quote, and your picture with Ann and Ankur after playing in the water says it all. I am going keep this in mind in my own life. Adults need to just "go for it" and embrace life too. I love your smiles! Debbie

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 50- Mexico Beach FL

 We worried about the cool temps predicted for this morning, but the truth was, 46° in the sunshine was pretty pleasant with the right layers. I had a chance to work out some navigation because ride with GPS gave me an old route that didn’t start at the La Quinta, but at a point 7 miles away. I would’ve done better with a paper map, but struggled enough with the phone to figure it out. Even a little win feels good. We rode the 18 mile Timpoochee trail. It went past several lakes and state parks and through some rather fancy planned neighborhoods.  Ankur made a statement yesterday about how much of what we’ve seen has been man-made or planned by men, often as a result of hurricane damage. I found this to be a great contrast to parts of the southwest where nature seems to be taking back the land, growing up over abandoned houses. When I turned onto 98 E. I noticed beach access and headed down to look at the water. There was a kiosk there about artificial fish reefs that caught m...
1 comment
Read more

Day 37- Silsbee Texas

 It’s Halloween and I’m sorry I could not pull together any sort of costume. I did take a stab at it in Austin, but Target let me down. Ann, however, managed to get her friends to take her somewhere where she got pieces to make a very patriotic character. It was fun to ride with her as the drivers honked their approval. As we prepare to leave Texas tomorrow we are beginning to see more water. This morning we crossed the Trinity river right off the bat.  We made a stop after lunch at the Honey Island General Store and met Chuck, the owner. I asked him how the town got its name, and he said “here’s the story I believe…” The people of the town did not own slaves during the Civil War, and as such, did not want to fight for slaveowners rights. The powers that be didn’t approve and decided to set fire to the area they thought the resistors were hiding in. This area was known as the big thicket, a Jungle-y type area with such thick underbrush that it still has not been developed. The...
2 comments
Read more

Day 35- New Waverly, Texas

 Today’s ride was more of the same — farm fields, horses, cattle, even some cows with floppy ears that made them look like they had been mixed with sheep. My day’s regret was not getting a picture. It’s too bad the weather was still gray when we left because the lake and the beach in Somerville would be great in the sun, but with 71 miles ahead of us we were up and out early. Our first stop was Independence, home of the original Baylor University. It started as a girls school, then Baylor Academy (coed- you go, progressive Texas!) and finally the University before it moved to Waco. Locals told us that the current dean has freshman and seniors come to the site each year; freshmen to learn the history, and seniors to say goodbye. The site also included some early Texas homes from the 1820s. One was called a dog- trot house, called that because it has a breezeway in the middle. The center area was often used as a dog kennel. They also had examples of other homes from the 1820s which i...
1 comment
Read more