Chattahoochee

Leroy crossed the Apalachicola River, viewed the George Woodruff Dam, with Lake Seminole backed up behind it only to discover that I was back five miles as there was no motel in Chattahoochee. He called and I picked him up. We are staying in Sneads, Florida which is in the Central time zone, but the Eastern time zone is just five miles down the road from here.

Today was his 28th day of riding. Today was pedaling into an East wind again, overcast with a light rainfall, warm and very humid. Even without rainfall when Leroy takes his gloves off at

the end of the day, they look as though they have been in dishwater all day. The bicycle spends the night in the motel room with us so the handlebar cushioning grips can dry somewhat.

Today is the first day we have viewed kudzu, which is a lush growing vine that grows very fast and covers everything in sight slowly killing any other growing plants and trees. The farther we travel into Florida the more Spanish moss we see hanging from trees. It is very pretty, but it also eventually kills the tree it is attached to. Cotton harvest is in full swing along the roads we traveled today. We also observed peanuts being harvested. Boiled peanuts are sold at every stand, mini mart and community grocery store along the way, as well as yummy fresh roasted and salted.

Miles Traveled Today = 88

Total Miles T raveled = 2,411

Trivia = Visited more scarecrows in the decorations of all these small towns than I have in my entire life. Fall decorations here are neat; businesses compete; towns compete; counties compete.

Pensacola to DeFuniak Spring Florida

Today was warm and more humid than we have experienced elsewhere in the South. It was overcast all day, which seemed to make it worse. Leroy took off at about 7 a.m. this morning and I drove about ten miles up his route and found a bicycle trail called the Blackwater Trail in Milton, Florida. I rode it to the end and then it changed into the Old Military Trail which ended at the entrance gates to Navel Air Station Whiting Field.

The trail was great with many wild flowers blooming along the way. Most of the ones I saw were familiar ones to me. The goldenrod is blooming here as it is in Washington right now. There were wild honeysuckle, beautiful blue morning glory, and a couple I didn't recognize. The trail/road sign just had to be included for one of our donors.

Leroy's route was simple to follow as he was on the same road all day. The shoulders were good , but he battled that Easterly wind again all day. Compared to riding along the beach of the Gulf Coast it lacked some scenery. Three towns that he biked through were very historic with one town having 250 places on the National Historic Register. Beautiful old Victorian styled homes, original train depots, 1800's styled store fronts and very old churches were nice to view.

This is a White Top Pitcher Plant which I have never had the opportunity to see before.

We are staying in DeFuniak Springs, Florida tonight which is a very

historic town. The town is located on the shores of Lake DeFuniak said to be one of only two perfectly round lakes in the country, and this one is spring fed. The oldest continually operated library in the state is located here on the lake -- very neat building with leaded glass windows and doors.

Miles Traveled Today = 88

Total Miles Traveled = 2,323

Trivia = Gas prices have been a high of $4.06 in California at the start of our trip to a low today of $3.21 in Pensacola, Florida.

Today is October 6 - exactly one month since the start of this bicycling odyssey.

Sunday in Pensacola

There are spectacular ocean beaches surrounding Pensacola, Florida with sugar-white sand.

How nice it is to have a day off! We actually slept in, something I seldom can accomplish. We enjoyed a waffle breakfast here at the hotel before we went to church. We noticed last night that a large Baptist Church was located about a block from the hotel. We normally do not attend churches that hold over 500 so were just a bit concerned what we might be getting into when considering this huge facility. Much to our surprise we were truly blessed by the entire worship service. The choir was 75 members strong, accompanied by a 25-piece orchestra and a praise team of ten outstanding singers. The music director was a very talented person in both his leadership and ability to lead the congregation in singing. The sermon was based on Isaiah 55, 1-7 entitled, The Great Invitation.

Following church we went for a short ride to view the sites of Pensacola and checked out the start of the ride for tomorrow towards De Funiak Springs.

This evening as we were headed out for a bite to eat before retiring, I noticed a person riding into the hotel parking lot with not only panniers hanging off the bike but he also had a tow behind trailer. I stopped him to inquire about his destination. Was I ever surprised when he told us he is on at least a two-year ride that will crisscross America, Canada and South America. He plans on pedaling about 40,000 miles. You can check out his blog at les3Ameriques.canalblog.com. This gentleman is loaded down with about 240lbs of gear plus himself. He generally camps out 3-4 days, then finds a hotel for a day and starts the cycle all over again. I know this is beyond my ability but I certainly admire somebody that can make progress each day pulling that kind of weight.

Florida and a small portion of Georgia to accomplish my goal of cycling across the USA!!!

Another Great Day Along the Gulf

Since we stayed at a bed and breakfast place last night and breakfast was not served until 8 AM getting started was delayed today. We then needed to board a ferry off Dauphin Island, which did not leave until 9:30 AM. We reached the mainland of Alabama at 10 when I finally got to make some serious progress towards Pensacola. Since we were biking very close to the Gulf all day, I spent most of the day with a serious headwind. The great part of the trip, however, was all of the beautiful scenery of Gulf waters and sugar white sand along the way. Once again the only hills that I encountered today were bridges that went over various waterways that arc way up in the air to allow boats to pass under them without having to open the bridge. Most of the cities along the gulf have some very big time growth going on. I’m not talking about small homes; these are huge condo complexes that look to be at least 20 stories high. Millions upon millions of dollars are being spent on these very luxurious places.
Our ferry held a total of 18 cars and took us out past some off shore natural gas towers in Mobile Alabama Bay. We learned that this area happens to be the largest natural gas reserve in the United States. We were also very privileged to see many birds and they were very willing to pose for us. This area of Alabama is known for its many birds and it is migratory season now.

As usual each day we get to see some very unusual items along the way. Today we spotted a mailbox. When Libby stopped to take the picture, she discovered the individual had a whole yard full of very unusual creatures.

I suspect the most striking feature that really catches your eye is the mile upon mile of the white sand. Since each day is still in the high 80’s there are many people out swimming and enjoying the beaches. I will have to admit that since this has been a long tough week of riding there were times I gave serious thought to just calling it a day and joining them on the beach.

Miles Traveled Today = 72

Total Miles Traveled = 2,238
Trivia = Riding along the beach in Orange Beach, Alabama, I witnessed a young motorcycle rider do a block long wheelie not realizing two cars behind him was the local community police. The police must not have been as impressed as I was about his skill since his colored lights came on almost immediately.

Gulfport MS to Dauphin AL

White sandy beaches that were already cleaned up after the last hurricane and some still in progress was the view for about twenty-five miles upon leaving Gulfport, Mississippi.
Highway 90 provided an excellent route as many parts of it were under construction leaving barriers for me to ride behind. After spending the day yesterday shifting gears every half mile, today the only time shifting was necessary was to cross bays and inlets via large arching bridges. The longest of the bridges was three miles to get onto Dauphin Island, Alabama where we are spending the night at a bed and breakfast. Not only was the land level but also the views of the Gulf of Mexico were spectacular (Gulfport, Ocean Springs, Biloxi Bay, Pascagoula Bay, Mississippi Sound and Mobile Bay).

Traveling along through Gulfport, we could view directly much of the damage still left from Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Rita and now Ike. The many oak trees that were killed during Hurricane Katrina are still standing and are slowly being converted into carved works of art. Some that were just recently damaged by the surge of salt water from Ike will recover, we have been told. Houses that were torn off their foundations and pillars have been removed with only the base left standing on which to hopefully rebuild. There are numerous piers that only parts are left hanging out over the water as evidenced in the pictures.

Dauphin Island, Alabama is the first European colony founded in Alabama in 1559 and is very picturesque with much local history; such as the signing of the Louisiana Purchase being completed here. Also Fort Gaines built back in 1850 is located here, and in 1861 was seized by the Confederates but fell in 1864 to the Yankees in the Battle of Mobile.

One of the major problems following storms on the island is the white sand moving off the beaches and onto the island roads. As you can see from the picture it is plowed and piled up just like snow on the sides of the road. It all has to be removed and put back on the beaches.

Miles Traveled Today = 88
Total Miles Traveled = 2,166
Trivia = Was able to cover 17 miles in one hour with a slight wind at my back and flat terrain.
Flat number 12 occurred directly in front of the Hard Rock Casino, which is shown in a picture on yesterday’s blog.

Wondering Through the Woods

It is amazing what one can learn when travelling through small town America by just reading the local water tower.

We left Bogalusa, Louisiana with a definite plan on how we were going to get to Gulfport Mississippi. Once we crossed the Pearl River that separates the two states we discovered the plan might not be the best idea. What had been a road with wonderful shoulders in Louisiana turned out to be a road with no shoulders whatsoever in Mississippi. After traveling 20 miles hugging the white line while being passed by logging trucks and pulp carrying trucks; we decided it was time for a new plan. This new plan put us on very rural roads weaving in and out of various draws for a very rough 35miles as well as too many hills to count. By the time we found a spot to eat, I had ridden 55 miles of very tough terrain. At this point it is always tempting to eat too much that makes the rest of the day uncomfortable. I have told Libby to make sure she really limits my mid-day eating since the price you pay after eating and riding hard is not worth the gratification of a big lunch.

The afternoon ride was a straight shot down Hwy 49 to Gulfport an additional 32 miles. It was rolling hills with a slight wind but the temperature was in the low 80’s so it was very pleasant. The last few miles into Gulfport was full of off and on ramps so my rescue angel hauled me in the last three miles.

After a shower and a short rest period we went down to the beach and drove some of the route I will ride tomorrow. We were told that there is still a lot of damage from hurricane Katrina and that some parts of Hwy 90 were closed. Much to our delight we found that the road is open, but there are many places that I will have to ride around short detours.

Much of Gulfport has been rebuilt, with the casinos being the first. Tourism is alive and well and going strong around all of the construction.

Miles Traveled Today = 87
Total Miles Traveled = 2,078
Trivia = I saw my first wild boar. It looked to be about 300 lbs and I was surprised by how fast it could move. The back rural roads were full of dogs but thankfully all they did was chase and bark.

Big City to Back Country

Today our escape from Baton Rouge was on Hwy 16 through the suburbs of Denham Springs to the very rural areas of Northern Louisiana. On the way through Denham Springs one could not help but notice the numerous large churches of every faith. I suspect in a six-mile area I saw at least 15 churches that had multiple buildings and it looked as though most of them could seat at least a 1,000 individuals for a service. In most cases you could tell by the reader boards that they had a minimum of three worship services on Sunday morning.

Since I spent most of the morning riding mostly north I found myself gain elevation up and out of the bayous and into the rolling hills. The country was as scenic as any that we have viewed on this trip. Lots of gentleman farms as we left the suburbs of Denham Springs which then turned into legitimate farms of various types. About 20 miles out of town I actually rode past a very large dairy. By the number of cow shades I would estimate it to be a 2,000-cow dairy. Later in the day we passed a couple of more dairies but they didn’t seem quite as large.











In traveling through Louisiana, we can't get over the number of cemeteries, many times located next to or part of a local church. Gravestone monument businesses in every town have replaced the taxidermys of Texas towns. The cemeteries are all very large with mostly above ground crypts and large monuments.

Many of the 87 miles were rolling country through tree farms that feed the large pulp mill here in Bogalusa, La. I suspect if I could have kept track of vertical gain today that I climbed well over 4,000 ft. Instead of riding my normal 12-13mph I spent 8 hours and 15 minutes going the 87 miles. The weather remains absolutely perfect as far as temperature, but a little less in-your-face wind would be appreciated. One sight that caught our attention was a beautiful horse ranch with a sign that reminded us of our dutch heritage out here in the middle of Louisiana!






As I venture through small towns I enjoy asking people for best routes to the next community. Today I had the choice of two routes for the last 24 miles of the trip. When I asked a mechanic at a local shop what route he would take if he was riding a bike his response was prefaced with, “First that would never happen, Second you would be a total fool to take the one route since at least 12 trucks would run you over before you reached your destination.” I took his advice and here I am able to share this story with you.


Miles Traveled Today = 87
Total Miles Traveled = 1,191
Trivia = La. must be fox country, I saw four foxes today, three of them had made bad choices as to when they were going to cross the road and the fourth one was checking out his friend after he made the bad choice. He didn’t stick around long when he spotted me.

More Trivia = Home-grown-moving job. Saw a lamp with the shade attached fly out of the back of a pick up as they were traveling down the road. They didn’t bother to stop and pick up the multiple pieces.