The “excellent” adventure is over. We dipped our front wheels into the Atlantic Ocean at St Augustine beach after an easy 30 mile ride this morning.
Thanks to my sister Nancy for coming to St Augustine to greet me at the “finish line”. We hung around about an hour saying goodbye’s and taking lots of pictures.
Thanks to Margaret for letting me go on a once-in-a-lifetime vacation. We’ve never been apart this much and I’m looking forward to seeing her soon!
I’ll write a prologue in a week or two reflecting on the trip, but for now, here are some final day pictures.
Much of today’s ride was on bike paths again. A great way to finish. I’m getting close!!!3000 miles across the country and I got stopped by a train today for the first time. Crossing the Matanzas River in St Augustine over the Bridge of Lions draw bridge. We stopped for one final coffee to regroup before riding the final 2 miles to the beach. Arriving at the beachSuccess!Let’s go dip our tires. The Atlantic Ocean!It’s official. I made it!Thanks Nancy for seeing me finish. The end…
Today’s ride took us from Gainesville to Palatka, FL. We again had good roads and bike paths. Florida has generally been a good state to ride in.
We left our host’s home this morning and Martha led us out on trails through their land. She stopped occasionally to talk about their land and the trees. It is nice to see people that truly love the land they live on.
We rode through Paynes Prairie State Park which was a beautiful ride and home to thousands of alligators. I saw none! I spent a long time riding and talking to Simona through that park which was enjoyable to share our last thoughts about the adventure.
We rode to Interlachen, FL where I joined Chris, Brent, and Roy for lunch at True Grits.
By about 2:00, I made it to Azalea City Brewing in Palatka where I joined Dana, Felix, and Chris for our last beers together. Then about a mile to the Best Western Hotel to finish the penultimate ride in this excellent adventure.
This evening, we all celebrated at Corky Bells seafood restaurant and finished the night with a champagne toast.
One short ride tomorrow morning and we’ll all have completed our journeys.
This is Tom and Martha whose home we stayed at last night. Our “menu” at Tom and Martha’s home. Gathering in front of Tom and Martha’s home before riding out this morning. Togan, Brent, Dana, Mark, and Felix as we rode the back trails out to the park road. Martha showed us one of the oldest and largest trees on their property that they affectionately call the dinosaur tree.Can you spot the dinosaur and other creatures?They are also proud of their plantings of long leaf pine trees which are native to the area. One of their neighbors carved the owl and snake in this tall stump. A soldier at the Saint John’s River bridge in Palatka. Our celebration dinner. Simona, Chris, Dana, Togan, Mark, Tammy, Roy, Felix, Tom, Pat, and Brent.
Pedal The Cause just announced their 2025 donation total of $5,042,167. This annual event has now raised over $56 million over its 16 year run. 100% of that amount gets used to fund critical cancer research. My blog readers helped raise over $4,000 this year. Amazing! My final THANK YOU to all that donated.
And…back to our regularly scheduled programming…
Today we rode from Ichetucknee Springs to Gainesville, FL. Six of us in the group chose to kayak in the Ichetucknee River this morning. We rode our bikes about 5 miles to the state park launch area. We were in our kayaks by 9:30 for a one-hour ride. We paddled up river against the current first and then had an easy float back to our starting point. It was a beautiful ride through the state park with clear spring water where you could see to the bottom of the river.
This was only the second time in my life I’ve been in a kayak. The first time was about 20 years ago in Lake Petersburg near Springfield, IL. The lake was perfectly calm and I remember how easy it was to slowly glide in the kayak. Well…not so much today. Even though the current on the river was slow, I didn’t feel as confident in the kayak. Don’t worry, I didn’t tip over, but I didn’t go nearly as far as the others. After about a half hour paddling upstream, I decided that was enough. I then let the kayak just float downstream to where we started. That was amazing. It was so quiet and beautiful being alone floating down the river. A deer came to the edge of the river for a drink while I floated by. After about 20 minutes, I reached the launch area and managed to get myself out without getting wet! About 15 minutes later, the rest of the group arrived and I helped them get out of their kayaks. Everyone enjoyed the experience.
Now back to biking. By 11:00, we were back on our bikes and had about 45 more miles to Gainesville. That gave us enough time for a ride with a few stops along the way. Once again, we had a combination of bike paths and good roads along the way.
Felix picked the High Springs Brewery as our first stop, but we arrived too soon as it didn’t open until 2:00 on Friday afternoon. So we took a short break at the pizza place across the street.
Back to riding and a new destination, the Daft Cow Brewery about an hour down the road. It was open! Felix and Dana and I enjoyed a nice afternoon break there.
We then rode the last 15 miles through Gainesville. Traffic through Gainesville was heavy on a Friday afternoon, especially because there was a University of Florida football game tomorrow vs Tennessee.
I reached the final big milestone of 3000 miles today. It’s crazy when I think back to all the cities, states, campgrounds, sites, and people I’ve seen along the way. I’m so glad I recorded some of it in this blog to jog my memory of the many things I’ve been able to experience.
Today’s camping site was at the rural home just outside Gainesville of a couple that enjoys hosting cyclists. We camped on their 5-acre property and they made dinner for us. Just another example of all the generous people I’ve met along the way as this adventure is getting close to the end.
Tonight will be the last night in my tent, as we will stay in a hotel tomorrow night. I didn’t like putting the tent up and taking it down on a daily basis, but I slept very well in the tent. I am pleased with my tent, sleeping pad, sleeping bag, and camp pillow I purchased for this trip. They did their job!
Our hosts allowed us to use their showers, and one of those was an outside shower. It was a beautiful 80 degree day so I used the outside shower. As I was showering I thought to myself that this will likely be the last outside shower I will take in my life! Even though it was a wonderful shower, I’m okay with it being my last outside…
Our host, Tom, loves fire and he made a roaring fire in a large fire pit while we sipped a glass of bourbon. A nice way to end the day.
Getting ready for the kayak adventure. Felix, Simona, Dana, Pat, and Chris with life jackets and paddles heading down to our kayaks. They told us the life jackets had to be in the kayak, but we didn’t need to wear them. We all wore them!Pat and Simona up the river in front of me. The other three were even further up the river. I didn’t take many pictures from the kayak. I wasn’t confident enough. But the next couple pictures were from Pat and Simona. Here I come!Having fun. I think!What form!!!I made it back and got my kayak out of the river. Success!I didn’t take a picture of the deer I saw when I was kayaking, but this deer came over to the other side of the river while I waited on the dock for the rest of the group. DanaChrisFelix and PatFelix, Tom, and Dana at the Daft Cow Brewery. Inside the Daft Cow brewery on one of their bar swings. A campfire at the end of the night.
Today we rode from Perry to Ichetucknee Springs State Park near Fort White, FL. I struggled a little on today’s ride. I’m not sure if it was the slight headwind or if all the riding is finally catching up with me. But looking forward to a fresh ride tomorrow. Today’s ride was along Highway 27 for the first 40 miles.
We rode through Mayo, FL which is the Lafayette County seat with a nice courthouse, but not much else. They had a sandwich shop called Mayo Subs. Is it okay to say “Hold the mayo” when you order there?
We also rode through Branford which is along the Suwannee River. Let’s do one more sing-a-long before this journey ends.
“Way down upon the Suwannee River, Far, far away. That’s where my heart is yearning ever, Home where the old folks stay.”
We took a walk down to Ichetucknee Springs to the main crystal-clear natural spring which creates the 6-mile Ichetucknee River. Tubing and Kayaking are popular here. We hope to take a short kayak ride in the morning. Stay tuned.
A random farm stand along Highway 27. They had peppers, salsa, and pepper jam. I was hoping for cookies!The county courthouse in Mayo, FL. The Suwannee River near Branford. The Suwannee River.A great bike path near Branford. Taking a walk to the springs in the State Park.This was where the main spring was feeding the pond and river. Saw some wild turkeys walking back to camp.
Today we rode from Sopchoppy to Perry, FL. This route was very rural. We rode near some wilderness areas and wildlife management areas. Much of the land is owned by logging companies. There were no towns of any significant size along the way and limited places to stop other than gas stations. On the positive side, the first 25 miles of the ride was on a beautiful dedicated bike path and the rest of the ride was on a nice smooth shoulder, so the riding was very comfortable.
Now is a good time to talk about all the road kill we’ve seen across the country. Of course there were the typical squirrels, rabbits, raccoons, and deer. I also saw coyotes, armadillos, opossums, porcupines, skunks, javelinas, frogs, snakes, and a fox. There were many types of birds, hawks, owls, etc. Today I saw a couple wild hogs at the side of the road. But the weirdest road kill was a huge hog laying in the middle of the road in Texas. There were about a dozen turkey vultures on it when I approached it. You see a lot of road kill when you ride across the country.
An interesting side note about Perry, FL is that Dana worked here in the logging business in his late 20’s and he hadn’t been back in about 40 years. He was able to meet up with some of his co-workers from that time. Dana said the town was flourishing when he was there, but now is struggling because the main logging employer shut down the plant a few years ago. He is glad he didn’t stay in Perry.
Bike path in the woods just off the highway. Sometimes the bike path was next to the highway. There were several rivers along the route today and I stopped at some to look for alligators but have yet to see one. I found Chris and Brent sitting by the side of the road, because there were not any good places to stop along the way. Time for a short break and a picture!Here comes Pat!And Roy is close behind!We had a nice fire in the campground tonight. Togan, Chris, Pat, Felix, Roy, Mark, Brent, and Dana. Road kill – a wild hogs in Florida. Road kill – a large hog in Texas with Turkey Vultures. Here is the hog after the vultures flew away.
Today we rode from St George Island to Sopchoppy, FL. Today was our seventh and last day riding along the Gulf Coast. I loved all of the views I had of the Gulf during this time. It was spectacular. Near the end of today’s ride we headed north, away from the Gulf. We will now cut across northern Florida on our way to St Augustine.
Leaving St George Island, we had to ride back over the 5-mile bridge we took to get here, because that’s the only bridge to the island. That took us to Eastport where I took a quick coffee break with Togan, Mark, Pat, and Roy. There was only one small town along the way, Carrabelle. I stopped there with several others at a food truck. A grilled pimento cheese and bacon sandwich did the trick. Tammy was riding sweep and caught up with us. She went to the shop next door where they were squeezing fresh orange juice. She brought us each a cup and we all agreed it was great. It even tasted creamy to me.
We are camping at Sopchoppy city park and it’s very nice.
I walked to the beach this morning to see the sunrise. The sun was coming up behind the trees but it was still pretty. Looking away from the sun at sunrise. The sun is hitting the bridge in the distance. Lighthouse on St George Island. Back over the bridge. The new bridge was completed in 2004. The old bridge seen on the right was built in 1965 (before that they used a ferry). The old bridge became structurally deficient and had to be removed, but some sections remain. A morning coffee stop. View of the Gulf. More Gulf. Rest area on the Gulf near Carrabelle.Last view of the Gulf Walkway in the city park where we camped. A view from the walkway. Our tents across the water.
Today we rode from Mexico Beach to St George Island. Mexico Beach was hit hard by hurricane Michael in 2018. As I rode through this quaint area, everything seems new and fresh, since much was rebuilt after that hurricane. The area is known as the “Forgotten Beach”. This is not a touristy area compared to other parts of the Gulf Coast. As I rode out at 9-10 in the morning, I did not see one person on the beach. It was so quiet and beautiful, and I see why they call it forgotten.
In the RV park where we camped last night, we saw an RV trailer completely flipped over on its top. We found out that a tornado hit that campground one month ago and several campers/RV’s were toppled over. It was a reminder of how lucky we’ve been with the weather on this trip.
Soon after we rode out of Mexico Beach, we crossed into the Eastern time zone. It is the fourth and last time zone we will travel through on this trip. Did you know that part of Florida’s panhandle is in the Central time zone? We had a question about that at a trivia night at Pebble Creek and got it right!
Along the way was the city of Apalachicola, the self-proclaimed Oyster Capital of the World. I did see oyster boats, oyster plants, and ate a dozen raw oysters later in the day. They were quite good so they can keep the title for now.
I made two stops in Apalachicola. Togan had stopped at a coffee shop and said they had affogato! I had no idea what that was, but soon found out it is a scoop of gelato with a shot of espresso poured over it. Awesome. Once I finished that, I saw a note that Felix and Dana were two doors down at the brewery, of course! I had one beer with them before we finished the ride to St George Island.
St George Island is about 5 miles off the Florida coast and we had to travel two long bridges to get there. One was 4 miles long and the other was 5 miles long. It’s been interesting seeing so much water and such large and long bridges, because I don’t see that in Arizona!
On the first bridge I saw two pelicans dive for fish while I was riding. I didn’t know that pelicans do a head first dive straight down like an Olympic diver to get the fish. It was really cool to see.
Felix and Dana and I went to a place called Paddy’s on St George Island. That’s where I had the dozen oysters. We enjoyed Paddy’s so much we walked back to it from our campground after dinner and this time Roy and Chris joined us. They had a trivia night and Monday Night Football. Another fun day and night.
Mexico Beach had a lot of these access ways to their beaches. I enjoyed the quietness of this area.Made it to the Eastern Time Zone. I was on top of the bridge near Port St Joe and saw this boat coming, so I waited for it to get closer. An oyster boat!A random sea bird sitting on a random log. Saw this along the way. We shouldn’t have to worry about it!The Oyster Capital of the World. What caught my attention at this oyster plant was the large mound of oyster shells. Chris and Brent at the place I had my first affogato!And time for a beer too!The 5-mile bridge to St George Island. Dana and Felix ahead. Oysters at Paddy’s. Dave, I had the local brown ale, not the Yuengling advertised on the platter. Paddy’s after everyone left after trivia. Roy, Chris, Dana, and Felix at the picnic table. “A sunny place for shady people”.
We rode from Miramar Beach to Mexico Beach FL today. This was the last long ride scheduled at 75 miles. The rest of the way we will have rides of 65 miles or less.
Today’s planned route kept us on Highway 98 about the first 30 miles. But after talking with my friends James and Katie last night, I discussed a change that would take us closer to the Gulf coast and go through some coastal communities. I had decided to take that alternative route for a couple reasons but the main ones were that it had a bike path the entire route and it also went very close to James and Katie’s house. Pat had also met up with a friend who recommended the alternative route and by the end of the discussion we all decided to take that route which was Highway 30A.
Now James and Katie live only 3 blocks off of Highway 30A so I swung by their home and visited for a brief 10 minutes. They are getting ready to move into their carriage house for a whole house renovation. It was great to see their style of beach house living and to connect one more time before riding off.
Some of the cities along the way were bustling with bikers, walkers, and farmer’s markets. Santa Rosa Beach, Seaside, Rosemary Beach and others all had many restaurants and shops along the way.
I didn’t take many pictures along the way because it was a longer ride and I wanted to get to Mexico Beach in time to watch or listen to the end of the Packers game. I was able to listen to much of the game on my bike through SiriusXM radio, but then my phone died and I couldn’t find my battery pack (I found it later). I was only a few miles from my destination…a brewery in Mexico Beach. But without my phone navigation I went about a mile past it and had to ask a local where it was. He pointed me back and I made it in plenty of time to catch a few beers with Dana and Felix and hear the end of the Packers victory over the New York Giants. Go Pack Go!
As soon as the game ended, we finished the final 3 miles to camp and then Dana and I were in charge of cooking.
We took a simple approach this time. We had fried chicken from the grocery store, Dana steamed some corn on the cob, and we had a salad to go with it. And a grocery store apple-pear pie for dessert. Simple, but everyone enjoyed it.
Took one last picture of the activity center and fishing pond outside our glamping tent. Can you spot the turtles?This picture could have been awesome. I knew Pat was riding about a minute behind me so I stopped to get a picture of him coming through. I wasn’t quite ready when he came racing through the bridge and I took the picture, except I hit the wrong button and didn’t get it. Darn it!A bike shop along the way with a unique bike sculpture and lots of bikes for purchase or rent. Tom and James in front of their house in the Water Color community near Seaside. A large pier in Panama City Beach. Note the strong wind at our back today. Nice!Did a hurricane turn this building upside down? No, it’s an indoor amusement park in Panama City Beach. There were lots of go-karts, mini-golf and other activities along this stretch. A view near Tyndall Air Force Base. Made it to the Forgotten Coast Brewery in Mexico Beach. It was a nice place.
I spent a leisurely day in Miramar Beach, FL. This morning I joined a group at Bistrology for breakfast. It was an eclectic breakfast/brunch spot. Their menu had 4 pages of coffees alone. See the picture of my mocha below.
One of the things I did today was patch my sleeping pad. A few days ago it started leaking air at night. Since it’s a combination of memory foam and air, it wasn’t terrible, but I thought I’d try to fix it today. I put the air mattress in the swimming pool to find the leak and then patched it with some silicon glue according to the instructions. We’ll see tomorrow night whether it worked!
I walked down to the beach and relaxed there a little bit this afternoon.
The highlight of my day was catching up with friends, James and Katie, from Springfield, IL who now live in this area. I went to mass with them at their Catholic church and then we ate dinner at an Italian restaurant. It was great seeing them and catching up. Thanks James and Katie for a great night!
Our glamping tent. Inside the tent. Mocha at Bistrology.“Camping on the Beach”Miramar Beach Everybody’s enjoying the beach Time to relax. Me too!Sand art turtleSand art alligator James, Tom, and Katie. Great friends!
Today we rode from Pensacola to Miramar Beach, FL. We passed through coastal cities like Navarre, Fort Walton Beach, and Destin. They each had their own vibe from single family beach house living to massive buildings of condos and resorts. This is the first time I’ve traveled through the Florida panhandle and it’s quite impressive.
But nothing beats nature. We rode a bike path through the Gulf Islands National Seashore and it was amazing. The grasses growing in the white sand dunes was beautiful with views of the Gulf along the way.
This area of the panhandle had great bike paths and bike lanes for most of our ride today. It was quite enjoyable.
Lately, our rides have consisted of a break in the morning for coffee and snacks with a larger group and then a stop for a beer or two or three in the afternoon mostly with Felix, Dana, and me. We continued that trend today with a stop at McGuires Irish Pub in Destin. We enjoyed some pints and Jamieson glazed chicken wings before finishing our ride to Miramar Beach where we will have a rest day tomorrow. The accommodations are quite nice where we’re staying in what they call “tents”, but compared to what we have experienced so far, this is glamping at its finest.
The First Methodist Church in Pensacola dates back to 1821 with this current church building opening in 1910. We stayed in the youth building next door last night. In the distance is a 3 mile long bridge which we will take out to the Gulf Islands. Going over the bridge with Pat up ahead. Loved this natural area. A great bike path. These pictures don’t do it justice, but you get the idea. Brent and Felix took a stroll to the Gulf. Brent riding ahead of me. A view of the Gulf and these wide beaches. One more of the Gulf and beach. Tough riding in the sand! Not really, I was on the pavement. Florida’s Emerald Coast. Coming into Destin area. Our afternoon stop today. Saying hi to McGuire himself!Felix couldn’t wait to get inside. The small bar we were in had $80k of bills. The large bar and restaurant had $3.5M, or so they said.
Tom's Excellent Adventure 