Day 59 - Success!

Palatka, Florida

Our last night was spent in a Quality Inn in Palatka, Florida. It was nice to have a bed for a change and we all ate as a group at a restaurant called Musselwhite's Seafood & Grill. Several family and friends were able to join us. As an example of how nice this group of riders are, they gave Denise and I a 50th anniversary card and a bottle of champagne! And...everyone wrote a note on the card. We were very touched and will cherish the card once again in August on our anniversary as we toast the group with the champagne.

St. Augustine, Florida

32 miles, 219 feet of climb

The pilgrims have made it to Canterbury, so to speak. We began our quest on March 6th and ended it on May 2nd, 3,100 miles and eight states later. The last day started in Palatka, crossed a big bridge and then rode on 15 miles of bike path. It was a beautiful, sunny day and all was well with the world. The remainder of the ride, however, was on a highway, followed by busy city streets. We had a bike lane, for the most part, and no particular problems. Six of us wound up riding into St. Augustine together. The only drama was seeing emergency vehicles stopping traffic in the opposite lane. We found out later that it was a bicyclist that had been hit and had to be taken to a hospital. No such drama for us.

The group's rendezvous point was in front of a coffee shop across the street from Flagler College. From there, we all crossed over The Bridge of Lions that leads to the beach together and finally, dipped our front wheels in the Atlantic Ocean. Alan is in a solid yellow jersey behind James in a red jersey.

Row 1

• Alan dipping his front wheel in the Atlantic

• the group at the ocean

• Alan feeling triumphant!

Row 2

• Alan with his sister Diane and brother-in-law Marc who came to help Alan celebrate

• Denise and Adrienne with Alan. Adrienne flew in to surprise her dad at the end

• Alan and Adrienne at the Atlantic

REFLECTIONS

The Southern Tier ride took a total of 59 days. We camped 45 of those days, once behind a police station (where they thoughtfully allowed us to use the bathrooms and locker rooms to shower, after they did background checks on us), stayed in three different churches, and had a total of eight rest days. There were thirteen riders and two co-leaders. One of the thirteen did not complete the trip after falling and breaking her elbow. There were mountains we climbed and deserts we crossed. Texas seemed endless. The coldest night was 28 degrees and it never was hotter than the mid eighties. It rained, mostly at night and only once torrentially. There is nothing more fun than pitching a tent in the rain or taking down a wet tent in the morning. Then there was the wind, the wind, the wind.... Once the wind was strong enough to literally blow two of the riders off the shoulder of the road and into the ditch. We rode on the shoulders of interstate highways and state highways, on roads with narrow shoulders and some with no shoulders at all. Occasionally, we had access to bike trails, some were very pleasant and some were rough and full of potholes.

However, the people we encountered were wonderful! The Historical Society in Merryville, Louisiana, allowed us to camp on their grounds and then fed us dinner (including alligator) and breakfast. In Sanderson Texas, we stayed at a church where the pastor and his wife also fed us dinner and breakfast. The American Legion in Oberlin, Louisiana, fed us dinner, and near Gainesville, Florida, Tom and Martha opened their home to us, allowed us to camp on their grounds, and again, fed us dinner and breakfast. These are only a few examples of the warmth and generosity people extended to us.

We passed through urban areas and very remote areas with limited facilities. There were quirky places, like Marfa, Texas, places robust and thriving, as well as places where time has not been kind. We saw spectacular scenery and dismal swamps.

What does it all mean? I don't really know yet. It will take some time to process and come to some kind of understanding. I know that I have been transformed by the experience. Undertaking a journey of this magnitude on a bicycle can seem overwhelming. Every day you have to consider what's in front of you. There was the tyranny of miles. How many miles? How much climb? What's the weather going to be like? Will it be windy? What direction? Headwind? Tailwind? What's the route? What kind of roads will we be on? You develop a kind of tunnel vision in order to get the job done. In the process, it's easy to miss the ride. Harris, one of the riders, said "It's not the places you stop, it's the places where you don't stop that you regret." Especially in the early part of the ride, there were limited to no lunch options as the areas were too remote so lunch became an adventure once when the area became less remote. Some of the best food on the ride was found in small town cafes or even gas stations. I also made and ate more ham and cheese sandwiches than I care to think about, ate more bananas and haven't munched on more peanut M&Ms since the fourth grade.

Some of the best moments of the ride were the side trips we took. The best was our trip to Mamou, Louisiana, to visit Fred's Lounge. According to a plaque outside of Fred's, "French Renaissance (Cajun Music, Language, and Culture) after WWII originated at Fred's Lounge." We heard some of the best music and saw some dancing and people just flat out having fun. It was electrifying.

Physically, I lost 35 pounds training for this ride and another ten on the ride. It was the trans-continental weight loss plan. I ride faster and stronger than I ever have. The ride, however, was as much a mental challenge as it was a physical one. I had to dig deep inside myself, sometimes to continue a climb or face the unrelenting wind in my face. I'm happy that we started on the west coast and headed east. The mountains came first on this route and the hardest climbs were in New Mexico. West Texas was dry and sparsely populated. The southeast, and especially Florida, tended to be flat. The food, music and welcoming people of Louisiana made Louisiana my favorite state.

BONDING AS A GROUP

We have heard stories of other groups being dysfunctional and even getting in a fist fight over a tent spot. One group even fired their leader via text, after taking their baggage to a bus station. The group I rode with were all incredible people and without them It certainly would have been more difficult to complete the ride. We bonded early on and always mutually supported each other. We took turns shopping and cooking for dinner and breakfast. The leaders were supportive and knew when to stand back and allow us to run the show ourselves without acrimony. The friendships we developed will last a lifetime. The oldest rider was 76 and the youngest 58 years old. I was the third oldest rider at 70.

Early on we sort of paired up and rode with the same people most of the time. For me, that person was James. We could talk about anything when we could hear each other over the traffic noise, had compatible riding speeds and shared the same nature break timetable. Some of the best food on the ride was found in small town cafes or even gas stations and James was a master at seeking out good food and bakeries.

WOULD I DO IT AGAIN?

Yes, but maybe not right away. There is a lot of country to see and lots of routes to take. The Southern route is only one of three coast to coast routes offered by Adventure Cycling. This ride has opened my eyes to a larger community of people who have one thing in common: we all love to ride our bicycles, frequently for long distances. Hopefully we can meet up again for another ride. Mark (from Georgia), Bennie (a leader from New Hampshire), Steve (from Indiana) and I will all be riding on RAGBRAI (Iowa's cross state annual bike ride) this year. There is talk of more of us riding on next year's RAGBRAI. I can't wait!