These past days have been such a blast. I've fluctuated between highs of excitement and lows of utter exhaustion. And since I haven't written in so long, I'm going to just take things day by day and summarize some memorable moments :)
Jacksonville to Callahan: 60 miles
We took a ferry midway through our ride and I also got my period (surprise!) on this day. Most of the time I LOVE being a woman, but that SUCKED...
We camped at an RV park and my chore group improvised dinner and made some killer beans. We all have "chore groups" named after different Star Wars characters (ours is Obie Wan Kenobie.) Chores include: laundry--which can be pretty stinky with sweaty biking shorts called "chamois" for the pad that softens the friction between the rider and seat, breakfast, dinner, trailer crew (they load up the trailer in the morning with the coolers of food, Gatorade, and water), and other motley and critical things which I cannot remember...
Callahan --> Lake City 81 miles
This was a beautiful ride. We passed through farms and rolling fields.
There was a large pasture of gorgeous cows that looked like they were from the Lord of the Rings and we biked through a chunk of Georgia for 15 miles. We met farmers who sold cucumbers and peaches on the side of the road and they willingly donated their goods for us to taste!
Oh, we also biked the entire length of the Osceola National Forest.
Lake City-->Perry 76 miles
Looong ride since we stayed on one highway for 45 miles. We took lots of stops and there was a huge storm that we managed to miss! Perry, FL is a quaint, almost creepy little town where everything looks straight and orderly. We slept in Taylor County Middle School's gym and they provided us a free dinner of BBQ! Any food OTHER than peanut butter is embraced with open arms. The next morning, a few of us went to Johnson's Bakery (highly recommended by the locals) and I ate the BEST yeasty, pudding-filled doughnut ever. It was warm and sugary and perfect.
Perry --> Sopchoppy 63.2 miles
In addition to stopping to swim with manatees and buying Mayhaw jelly from a boyish vendor on the road, our host was awesome.
We arrived at our destination hot, tired, and wet from a thunderstorm. Our destination--"Sopchoppy Southern Baptist Church." They welcomed us with poppy seed chicken, mac n' cheese, tupelo honey, biscuits, corn bread, lentil loaf, mashed potatoes, sweet tea, and peaches: a huge Southern feast upon which we gorged ourselves. It was delightful and delicious. We then attended their youth services and gave a presentation to the children of the church.
Only downside: they had MILLIONS of EVIL yellow flies which latch onto your skin and give you welts.
Sopchoppy-->Apalachicola 45 miles
I was on sweep, which means that I am one of the last two riders and we make sure that everyone gets to the destination before we do. We also fix flat tires and all that jazz. The ride was along the Gulf and it was quite stunning. Apalachicola is hurting from the oil spill (well, not yet but all the residents whom we spoke to are panicky and upset.) 50% of Apalachicola's economy is dependent on tourism and their seafood (both of which are now teetering dangerously after BP's mess.) We were fed oysters by a very gracious fellow and got a free dinner (paella!) from a Mediterranean restaurant called Tammy's. One of the waiters later treated me and Meira (one of my dearest friends on this trip :)) to a slice of key lime pie.
We slept in an abandoned high school gym (where our riders spent hours cleaning out its black mold infestation...) It was creeeepppyyy.
Apalachicola-->Panama City 67 miles
Long ride along the Gulf. Stopped at Mexico Beach and swam with Agata and Cassie (two of our trip leaders...they are like older sisters to me) in the ocean for a break. We didn't have bathing suits so we just swam in our sports bras and chamois. When we arrived to Panama City, traffic wasn't very friendly. We had a half-day off that Saturday so we spent it at the beach.
Panama City-->DeFuniak Springs 62 miles
We received alot of warnings about DeFuniak Springs but people there seemed pretty friendly.
We had to shower with a hose.
DeFuniak Springs-->Gulf Breeze/Pensacola 88 miles
Today was the roughest ride we've done so far. We all arrived at the host site in a daze. The sun was very strong today and the roads didn't seemed to end:
-We rode on a highway the locals call "The Bloody 98" (which we later re-routed so we could avoid the terrible drivers)
-I got knocked down by a school bus at a traffic light. (Not a scratch on my body :))
-Hans, our trip leader brought us popscicles (this made me very pleased)
-We rode through Navarre Beach (so pristine but since it was our last 25 miles it felt like a dessert)
I've never ridden so slowly or felt so utterly hopeless on a ride before...
Overall:
-I ride an average of 13-16 mph
-We wake up at 5 or 6 am
-We thrive solely on the goodwill and kindness of strangers (we are staying at an AWESOME church right now and they bought us SO MUCH lovely food!!)
-I now have no qualms about asking for something. I ended up getting our whole group (33 people) free food from Chik-fil-a because I ASKED. And it fed us for breakfast, lunch, AND dinner ;)
I miss you all. I get lonely sometimes but I think of all the wonderful people I have in my life back home who are rooting for me :) Thank you for all your messages and love and support. It doesn't go unnoticed.
:) Alia
