Day Fifty - Palatka to St. Augustine

EFI

We woke up this morning feeling a little nervous, a little excited, and a little emotional. We gathered in the hotel for our last breakfast together. Nobody could talk about it being the last day without tearing up, so we just didn't go there. Amy had colorful streamers for our helmets. We put them on and hit the road. We were to ride 40 miles to the fire station where we would pick up our police escort for the ride through St. Augustine and onto the beach. I don't know how they worked it out, but the road was great, the scenery was beautiful, the weather was perfect, and we didn't see any alligators. We had plenty of time, so we rode at a nice slow pace that allowed us to savor every minute of it. The group had spread out quite a bit until we hit a construction zone where we had to wait to be let through. It was great because it allowed us to regroup and we all stayed together for the rest of the ride. We paired up for the escorted part of the ride and I was very honored to ride in beside Amy. If there had been a vote for Miss Congeniality, she would have won it hands down. She is a very special person. Barbara and Frankie, our two oldest riders, both in their 70s, lead the way. It was a thrill riding through town with the lights flashing and the sirens blaring. We hit the beach and dipped our tires in the Atlantic Ocean. Wow! We did it! We really did it! 3081 miles. I remember thinking at about mile 1000 of Goldie Hawns comment in the movie Private Benjamin, "Excuse me, this isn't the army I signed up for". Well, now I feel very much like she did in the end. I know I can do things I never would have thought possible by just taking them one day at a time, and the bonds you establish by sharing this kind of experience are very special and will never be forgotten. Can I go home now?

Day Forty-Nine - High Springs to Palatka

Well, today is our last big day of riding. We have 73 miles to do. We expected it to go pretty smooth. Wrong! They really mean it when they say it's not over until the fat lady sings. I started by having a flat tire at about mile five. I heard a clicking sound as I peddled and stopped to see what it was. Well, it was a big fat nail sticking out of my tire. I pulled out my spare tube and changed the tire. I could not get the new tube to take any air, so I had to call the van to bring me another one. Luckily, we were at a gas station and were able to at least get a cup of coffee while we waited. They brought me another tube and we were off again. Then we came across a construction crew that had a crane stuck in the mud and we had to wait while they got it out. We finally reached our first sag stop. We were the last ones there. We took a brief break and started out again. For the next 25 miles we had horrible shoulders. They were very rough and littered with tons of debris from logging trucks. The traffic was very heavy and fast. It was not pleasant. We only stopped one other time. We just wanted to get off the road. We got into town about 2:00pm and found a Blues Bar and Grill to have lunch. They had statues of the blues brothers out front. It looked like it's probably the hot spot in town. They said they were having music tonight and that we should come back. We didn't make it. We usually have our own music after dinner. I have a little video of our after dinner dish washing party. I hope you enjoy it. Well, tomorrow is our last day! I'm praying for good roads. We ride 40 miles into St. Augustine, and then we have a 6 mile police escort to the beach. We dip our tires in the ocean and that's when the party begins.

49 days down and 1 days to go.

Day Forty-eight - Perry to High Springs

We rode 76 miles today. We took it easy and just kept a steady pace. The ride was very similiar to yesterday's ride. A lot of back roads, great weather etc. We crossed the Suwanee River, and rode through the town of Branford. Our cue sheet led us to the Ichetuckee Springs State Park. That's were we decided to stop for lunch. Carol told us that some of the tours stop there for a swim. She also said to look out for snakes. Well, I think we all know who wasn't getting in that water! We took a couple of pictures and got back on the road. We headed for the local bike shop as soon as we got to town. We're all trying to get socks or something that represents Florida. We just aren't having any luck finding anything. We did however, find an ice cream shop right behind the bike shop so it wasn't a wasted trip into town. We had dinner and about 30 minutes later there was a huge tropical rain shower that chased everyone inside. We called it a night and went to bed.

47 days down and 3 days to go.

Day Forty-seven - Wakulla Springs to Perry

We got on the road about 8:00am this morning. It was a pretty nice day. The storm had passed and the roads were great. We have come to really love Florida roads. They're smooth, they have great shoulders without a lot of debris, and the traffic is light in most cases. I was still a little paranoid about the creature thing and about fell off of my bike when as we crossed a bridge, Linda said, "there's an alligator". I yelled WHERE? She had seen one down in the water. After that, I jumped at just about everything I saw including a black rubber gas cap that I thought could possibly be a coiled up snake. She had also seen a snake on the side of the road, but decided not to bring it to my attention. I thanked her for that. We rode about 52 miles without a lot of change in scenery. I only took a few pictures of some flowers. There just wasn't anything else that I hadn't already taken pictures of. We had lunch at a great little Mexican restaurant and went to our hotel. This hotel had a happy hour inside. We didn't have to drink in the parking lot. We took full advantage of it.

46 days down and 4 days to go.

Rest Day - Wakulla Springs

We got to sleep in today, which means I was awake by 4:00am. The lightning and thunder had started in full force. I went downstairs where I could see it better. It was great. I love a good storm. Some of the women were going to go kayaking today and were a little disappointed with the weather. I had taken the boat tour yesterday and seen the alligators in the water. No way would I even consider getting in a kayak. The rain finally stopped around 2:00pm. There was a high dive platform on the water that some of the girls had jumped off of yesterday. It was in the swimming area that was roped off. I thought that they must have a net or something in the water to keep the alligators out of the swimming area. They told me I had to do the jump and I agreed. After the rain stopped, I thought I would go down and get some pictures of the place. I walked down by the boat house and took a few pictures of the platform and water area. I walked toward it and passed a couple that had been out there. I let them pass and saw the beware of alligator sign and had to get a picture. There was a lot of trees and bushes on my left and I could hear things moving around in there so I was looking to my left as I walked up the ramp onto the platform. I took some pictures and turned to walk back down the ramp when I saw the alligator ON THE BEACH! I had walked right passed it. It was about 15 feet away from me and I didn't see it. If it had been hungery, I would have been lunch. There was no way for me to get back to the lodge without walking passed it again. NO WAY! I had seen Sue on a bench on her phone on my way down and I called to her. She didn't hear me. Just about that time, I see the couple coming back with a park ranger. They had seen the alligator and were on their way to let someone know about it when I passed them earlier. The park ranger shooed the alligator back into the water and I made a beline for the lodge. I refused to go back outside until we left the next morning. I gave Sue my camera and she went out and got a video of it. Everybody has heard the story, and they now call it Pam's alligator. I told the couple that I would have never gone down there if I had seen it. They said they thought I saw it and were amazed at how brave I was. I'm never coming back to Florida.

45 days down and 5 days to go.