RO and I get an early start for us, out before 8 AM, but last as always. I ride slow today no hurry to finish … I lag behind RO … Not sure quite how I feel, no sense of accomplishment yet, that will come, but feeling a sense of loss and ending.

We stop for a coffee in St. Augustine and I am feeling great now. I am on familiar turf, I have been to this Starbucks several times before. It is a nice place to sit in the shade and relax with an iced Chai latte and watch people. Only 40 miles so far but we are about an hour early so have plenty of time before lunch. I talk to Bennett, my long time touring companion on the phone. He is already in St. Augustine waiting to meet us for lunch. He drove down from Quitman, GA this morning and is at the hotel on St. Augustine Beach.

RO and Bennett are both RF Engineers, strange. RO is our pure engineer and ham, Bennett is RF EE and artist. I’m the EE and computer guy … But we three talk the same language and cling to trying to understand and explain everything. Down Hill Bob was our great drinking companion because as an ME his mind works the same way. We drive everyone else crazy.

Strange I’ve never been to St. Augustine Beach before … I’ve driven, motorcycles, and bicycled very close to but have never gone to the beach.

We gather at the McDonald’s for a group picture.

Bubba and Dawn leads us to St. Augustine Beach where we dip our front wheel in the ocean. we dipped the rear wheel in San Diego so we dip the front wheel at St. Augustine.

We have a final dinner together that night and say our goodbyes. Back to our real lives tonight for some and tomorrow for the rest of us. I am very pleased that Bennett came down to meet me.

Before dinner I ride down to A1A Bicycle. They will be shipping my Surly LHT back to New Hampshire. They make it very easy, thanks so much guys.

Bennett drives me to Jacksonville the next day and I fly home. I know I have accomplished something but need some time to gain perspective.

Jeanne meets me at the airport in Boston that night … We have missed each other so much.

I am ready for the tour to end and get home. It has been a great experience and I’ve have made great friends but I am missing Jeanne and my New Hampshire home.

The day starts by saying goodbye to Camp Kaluka … A pretty camp but no drinking.

Lunch at Burger Barn. Just after this the road is very busy and blocked, a car hit a young bicyclist near the McDonalds, we are reminded that Florida has a lot of cycling accidents very dramatically. I hope the cyclist is OK and so glad it wasn’t one of our riders.

We are spending the night in the Palatka National Guard Armory. It is air conditioned and we are glad to have it. We have been so lucky with weather on this trip. Bad weather has been around us but we seem to have escaped all the way.

I feel very quiet and down now that the adventure is basically over. My body has been living a very quiet and small life, very soon back to the world and the withdrawal that comes when you stop riding 65 to 80 miles 6 days a week.

RO’s front tire is flat so we are even later and decide to grab breakfast on the road. We stop at Burger King just a few miles away.

The day is cool but beautiful, clear blue sky and crystal clear air with almost no wind or a slight tail wind, perfect cycling weather. Plus the road is smooth and has a shoulder, what more could we want.

The first stop is at Live Oak, FL for the “World’s Best Bread Pudding” at the Gypsy Grill.

Just down the road we leave US 90. We have been following this road since California.

We are now on quiet back roads and fly along, this is beautiful cycling. The 78 miles just fly by.

This has been the best cycling day of the trip.

About a half mike from camp we stop at a seedy local bar for a few beers, no more drinking for next 2 days at 7th Day Adventist Camp.

At the camp we are sagged the 1 1/2 miles to the cabins because the road is sandy.

That night DHB cooks burgers and franks.

Rest day Krash cooks French Toast for breakfast. Then we go into High Springs to explore the town. Most of the day is sent napping.

The rain let up around 10 AM and a local ride showed us his route thru Tallahassee. We nicked named the route, the 100 hills of Tallahassee, who know any place in Florida is that hilly.

Jim’s route was quite an adventure, along sidewalks, thru parks, on bike paths, residential streets and a visit to an ancient Live Oak.

After 20 miles, Jim left us to complete the rest of our 70 mile ride to Madison on Rt. 90.

At about 50 miles, we stopped to see the Ray Charles Statue in Greenville, FL, Ray Charles childhood home. The day has stayed dark and overcast so it has been a comfortable riding day.

The last part of the ride is quiet until we get near Madison. Lighting and thunder for the last few miles into Madison. Then a deluge just as we enter town.

The day is filled with more and steeper climbs than anyone would expect in Florida plus many river crossings.

At camp after the ride, Texas Ted is the only who can just sit out in the sun when the temperature is in the 90s.

A new rider joins us today. Diane rode the tour last year and is here for the last few days with her Full Size Poodle.

DeFuniak Springs is a cute old town on a lake, one of the original Chataqua towns.

Nice to be riding with a shoulder in fairly flat area. The weather is hot and humid but we do have the cooling head wind RO is asking for.

Lunch is at 40 mile point Bear Bar-B-Que, I go for the Blossom salad. It must have a pound of bacon on it.

Our campground is pretty and on a bayou. It is hot and the gnats have just come out. They are swarming us and driving everyone crazy. I fall asleep before supper in a chair and wake up with my nose and throat full of gnats … Yuk. The next day during the ride I am still spitting them out. No more need for the sleeping bag, it is in the mid 70s at night. The frogs are really active but don’t bother my sleep.

The riding is pleasant and easy today but because the mileage is short we seem to ride with less purpose than normal. Only 7 more riding days including today, we are starting to feel that it is time for the trip to be over and go home.

The blue bunny rides inverted today, it’s not Easter. Along the way Lora sees a carved tree that no one noticed last year.

We stop for lunch at a quaint Bar-B-Que. Today Super Steve has to be last. He waits us out at every stop. Electric Dave tells me he had leg cramps every night during last years ride.

We arrive at camp around 3 PM and I go the pool instead of the showers. It feels very cool and refreshing in the pool.

Dinner is Grouper and Key Lime pie at Lily’s. The biscuits and pie are good, the pie is very tart. I can’t touch the Grouper and the creamed broccoli … They seem strange to a New Englander.

I catch up on my postings and fall right to sleep at midnight, tomorrow I’ll be up again at 5 AM and finish them. Upload speeds are very slow.

The sky is bright and clear this morning, not fog today. Plus we start our day with a ferry ride across the bay to Gulf Shores, AL.

The number of gas rigs in this area is very surprising, we can see about 15 as we cross to the main land. They look like something from the movie “Aliens”. On the mainland side we are greeted by lots of pelicans.

Today is our first day that we have a shoulder or bike lane to ride in for the whole day. That is really good because there is a lot of traffic and a strong headwind. But we’ve been riding with headwind for so long that it just slows us down now. The Gulf Shores area of Alabama looks very new and much more up scale than the area of Florida that follows. It is a joy to be riding in an area with lots of interesting things to see along the road.

When we stop for a donut we notice that the local paper is called “The Mullet Wraper”.

At the Florida border we see the Florabama, home of the mullet tossing festival.

Across the bridge, the first of 5 bridges today, we see Pensacoloa. This is definitely a much nicer part of Alabama than it is of Flodia.

After Pensacola, the road quiets but there is still a shoulder and good riding. Off to camp for the night.

A long but great cycling day ends quickly as the weather cools and we run for out tents.

It is very humid and foggy as we start our ride but starts to clear around 9:30.

The road is very rural today, very few cars as we start our ride. Not many hills so we start at a fast pace not the usual first hour of warm up. It is already warm and humid.

We stop for a smoothie around the 20 mile point, our first sag. The owner gives us ice for our camelbaks, an amazing treat.

Soon after the sag we hit the Alabama line, Rand is with us from the coffee shop. The traffic and the headwind both increase. Our easy ride has become a lot harder as we fight the wind.

Lunch stop at 48 miles, Cajun Salad, crawdad and shrimp salad.

Long causeway leads to Daulphin Island bridge.

Pretty camp at Daulphin Island, lots of trees and beautiful beach. We go for a swim and water temp is 80 deg.

Quiet rest day, sleep late, read, tour of island.

A little swim in the Gulf before supper with RO as Steve recharges his super powers on the beach. Then a relaxed dinner of Bubba’s Chicken Picata.

Steak dinner from last night hangs heavy in my stomach this morning. It is very foggy so RO and I wait until 8 AM to leave. Our new French riders decide to sag to the first stop.

It is still very foggy and the road has no breakdown lane but once we cross the interstate we turn onto a quiet road with no traffic.

It feels like we are riding in the rain but it is just fog. The fog lifts by 9 AM and the day starts to warm. I feel very drowsy on the bike in the morning today.

Today we see flowers along the road. At about 35 miles, Rand joins us again today. We are glad to have his company. I do love his fine Virginia manners and gentility.

I drag into a box lunch on the road but a few mikes after lunch my energy returns.

We stop at 70 miles for a popcycle and then motor into camp. It has been a quiet day.