Bike Florida- Day Six

Thursday, March 26- 41 miles

Rain was threatening from the outset so we tried to get off to an early start and chose the shorter option. However, not before getting all the Coasters (6 from 2014; 3 from 2013; 1 from 2010 and two Wolfpackers) in a group portrait:

The rain held off for two hours but finally came down heavily the last hour home. We were motivated to keep going while maintaining 20 mph in a pace line. Several of us bummed a ride by car back to Indian Pass (a true wide spot in the road) to feast on local oysters for lunch. Yummy!

That was followed by an afternoon of almost steady rain. Lil, Mike and I hid out in a nearby museum commemorating the signing of the Florida State Constitution. We learned that Port St Joe came within one vote of becoming the capital of Florida. That was all before the population of 12,000 in the 1820's was reduced to 4000 by Yellow Fever and then things really got bad. The remaining town was soon blown off the map by a hurricane, leaving behind no survivors.

Bobby, my ride home, proposed leaving early to avoid another day of riding in the rain. I readily agreed and we set off after indulging in a feast of jambalaya and ice cream. Bobby dropped me off in Atlanta around 12:45 am before heading to his home in Athens, GA.

What a perfect way to prepare physically and mentally to resume the Coast2Coast tour in April.

Bike Florida- Day Five

Wednesday, March 25- 85 miles

Another move day South from Marianna to Port St Joe. Mostly flat, light winds and cool weather made for an ideal day for cycling. Mike and I rode together again and were joined by Lil, another 2014 Coaster. Here's a picture of us with yet another 2014 Coster, Pete, at a rest stop near Wewahitchka, aka Wewa: 

Note: The UNC jersey was not enough to stop Wisconsin from winning in the NCAA Men's Basketball tournament the following night.

The ride ended with a 15 mile slog heading East into a headwind along the coast. We did finally reach camp safely and treated ourselves to a dinner out at the aptly named Sunset Grill. Here are a couple of pictures with the fading sun after dinner and with Wayne, a 2010 Coaster:

Bike Florida- Day Four

Tuesday, March 24- 58 miles
 (including minor detour off the route and trip to and back from a laundromat)

Circle route today to the West of Marianna. We began the day choosing the shorter of the two options, both of which brought us to another State Park and CCC project. This one Falling Waters, as seen in these pictures:

This area is another example of limestone erosion that in this case created a hundred foot chasm, or sinkhole, to capture water. This was, as might be expected, a popular site for the native Americans and early settlers unlike the caverns from yesterday that were dark and too narrow for habitation.

The ride itself was uneventful and the shorter duration allowed for an early return and time to do some much needed laundry. Several of us toured what to us was a surprisingly large and prosperous downtown Marianna after a dinner catered by Dixie Grill from Live Oak. 

Bike Florida- Day Three

Monday, March 23- 72 miles

Move day from Blountstown to Marianna; just 20 miles if you drive directly but we had three choices of 60, 72 and a 100. Mike and I chose the middle route. We set out in a cold misty rain that finally relented after two hours. Saw several horse farms and cattle grazing closer to Marianna. We also passed a number of lakes full of lily pads. Very little wildlife except the occasional roadkill of possum and armadillo.

This year's event is called Caverns to Coast Tour and in the afternoon we learned why. We took a shuttle bus out to a State Park on the Northern edge of Marianna. We joined a guided underground (40-50 ft) walk through limestone caverns. We learned the difference between a cave which is an opening underground a cavern which has formations of precipitated rock, known as stalagmites and stalactites. Which is which, I am still confused. These caverns were discovered quite by accident in the 1930's when a tree blew over in a storm and its root ball opened a cavity. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) took on the project of creating a tourist attraction by removing rock to open passageways from the existing 2 feet to 4-6 feet in height over a five year period. They also left behind a rock sided visitor center that is still in use as a gift shop. We saw a few sleeping tiny bats. Here are just a few pictures:

Bike Florida- Day Two

Sunday, March 22- 70 miles

Circle route started North and then headed West through fewer and lower hills and more agriculture than yesterday. We set out earlier as well to get back before the same rains did in fact occured again.

Mike and I rode with rest stops but at a brisk pace. We rode past several what appeared to be abandoned real estate developments around lakes. No pictures today, sorry.

We attended in the evening a presentation by an author of his book about growing up along the Appalachacola River basin.

Bike Florida- Day One

Saturday, March 21-62 miles

One of the appeals of this week's tour is that moves are limited to three. So, most days offer a selection of circle routes that begin and return to the starting point.

Today we rode East from Blountstown toward Tallahassee first crossing over the Appalachicola River on a wide, new bridge. We rode primarly through uninhabited pine forests after turning North from the main road. Nothing worth stopping for a picture.

There are seven of us (Mike, Lil, Linda, Bob, Pete, Hargy and me) who rode together on the 2014 Coast2Coast tour with Bubba. Here is a picture of six of us (Mike missing):

We saw longhorn cattle and buffalo here which prompted us to stop:

We rode on through what we all considered surpringly hilly terrain. The highlight was the rest stop at Torreya State Park. A very enthusiastic and knowledgeable ranger shared with us the following:

1. Torreya was the first state park in Florida established in 1935.

2. Torreya is a subspecies of cypress tree and only found in one location in the world. The Torrey pine found near San Diego, CA is similar but a different subspecies.

3.  A blight attacked the trees in the 1950's and reduced their number to just 80. The Atlanta Botanical Garden has helped develop trees that are resistant to the blight.

3. The CCC established a camp at the site and built the basic facilities and moved a plantation house from the West side of the river and rebuilt it over 5 years. The Gregory House now has a spectacular setting on limestone cliffs overlooking the river and rich agricultural land to the West.

We endured light showers and two heavy downpours after we returned to camp. Several tents were flooded and had to be moved. After dinner and the rain abated we walked to the little and charming downtown. There was a small festival and band playing. 

Then it was back to bed and a very much appreciated sleep.

Bike Florida

Friday, March 20

My friend, JJ, drove down with me from Atlanta. We took a route by Columbus, GA and across the Chattahoochee River into Alabama. We passed by Phinnix City and South through Eufaula, which appeared to be the bass fishing capital of the world with an historic downtown. We proceeded down by Dothan and on into the panhandle of Florida West of Tallahassee. We stopped in Marianna to split an excellent Greek pizza (lots of goat cheese, olives and ham) for dinner.

JJ tented overnight and returned my car to Atlanta in the morning. I checked into Bubba's Pampered Zone and found my tent for the upcoming week of rides in preparation to resume the Coast2Coast tour in mid-April.