Skip to main content

Day 53- Perry FL

 We had a very windy night which made for a great sleeping. I set an alarm for 1:00 AM so I could see the Artemis unmanned moon rocket launch, but when I got up I found it had been pushed back and well, 70 miles, so I chose sleep over history.

It was gray when we got up, and gray as we headed out. And chilly! I wished I’d opted for leggings over my shorts but was happy to have gloves. Small victories.The temp said it was almost 60 – my body threw the BS flag. I was cold all day.

Not much to say about this ride. We had a 20 mile bike path that took us off route 98 for a while.

We met another Bike traveler named Tony who had been on the road since June 26. 

He started in Connecticut and rode to Indianapolis, then back towards Pittsburgh where he rode the trails to DC. He then went to Key West and is now on his way to New Orleans. We asked questions about his gear (there wasn’t much!) and traded a few stories and wished each other well.

We got off the trail and crossed the St Marks River in Newport.


There isn’t much between here and Perry, our destination, except road construction and bad shoulders that were virtually unrideable. We spent about 10 miles trying not be pushed off the road by impatient drivers. We were marginally successful. 

We’re now nestled into the Perry KOA, where we expect temps to dip into the 40s before daybreak. My tent will be very cozy. I’ll be sleeping with my hat on.

Things I learned today:

  • Life is short. Eat the M&Ms
  • Everything is funnier around a campfire.

Comments

  1. AnonymousNovember 17, 2022 at 4:38 AM

    For sure, eat the M&Ms, preferably the almond ones. So, will you be done next Wednesday? What are your Thanksgiving plans?Debbie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousNovember 17, 2022 at 5:45 PM

      Thanksgiving will be in Melbourne with Greg’s awesome 99 year old aunt, her daughter and Greg’s sister. Leaving for home on the following Saturday with the rest of humanity.

      Delete
  2. AnonymousNovember 18, 2022 at 5:00 AM

    Sounds wonderful....you certainly you can eat many extra pieces of pie! I am interested in hearing how it feels to sleep in a bed again. All the ladies and I have so many other questions for you. It would be great if you can set up a zoom call with all of us when you get back. Love to you. Debbie

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 1- Ocean Beach to Alpine

 Day 1 is in the books! Great day that started at Dog  Beach and a back wheel dip in the Pacific. Tad, Kathy, and Charlotte met me down there. It was great to see them as we headed out. The ride was flat for the first 25 miles or so, but hot! Temps were in the 90s with blazing sun and clear blue skies. We separated out early into smaller groups. I found good peddling with Sue and Ann. We also crossed paths with Adam and Kelly, the tandem riders. Our route took us to through Mission Gorge regional park which was absolutely gorgeous. A nice pass that cut through the mountains and made it possible for us to miss an incredible climb. No worries; there are plenty more ahead of us. At 30 miles we made sure we were fully loaded with water and electrolytes. I’m not sure if I’ve ever consumed this much fluid in a single day. Then the climb began. On the map it looked evil, almost straight up. In reality it was less steep than it was long. It was 6 miles at about three or 4% grade. It d...
7 comments
Read more

Day 45- Poplarville MS- Rest Day

 Today was our first day of rest after 12 days of riding, so of course I woke up at 1:30 AM. I was absolutely sure it was 6:30 AM and I was ready for the day. I love all these perks of getting older. As luck would have it, there was a lunar eclipse starting right around this time.  I was, of course, wide awake for it. I peeked out of the tent, took a look at the moon,  read for a while, peeked at the moon again, and decided I was hungry. I snuck out to my bike to grab a bar, there being no milk and cookies readily available like there are when this happens at home. I finally called it a night again around three. 630 finally came around for real and I was ready. The Snowflake Donut and Taco store. Beckoned and a bunch of us that off for coffee. The tacos looked pretty good but I held out for brunch back at the campground. After brunch, most of us loaded into the van and headed into New Orleans. We parked in the French quarter and headed right to café Dumond, will became im...
3 comments
Read more

Day 46- Gautier MS

It was a perfect day for an 80 mile ride. We got up really early, planning to get on the road quickly since it was going to be dark by five and we had so far to go. This was no mean feet for me as sleep was hard to come by last night. My bladder woke me at one and four, at which time I was treated to Matt singing the song of his people. And I didn’t need my alarm because the water dripping from the condensation On my tent onto my face was hard to sleep through. Kelly and Adam were on the road by 615. We followed far behind, rolling out an hour later. The roads were awesome right from the beginning. Great pavement and low traffic throughout. Mississippi offered up some treats and some oddities. The first was as we headed into McHenry. On a one and a half mile stretch of road, I counted eight old fire hydrants. And hardly any houses. This roused my curiosity. I passed a man walking a dog and asked him about it. He looked exactly like I expected a rural Mississippian to look, except the d...
1 comment
Read more