Crestview to Marianna, FL
We knew it was going to be a hot one, so we got permission to leave at 6:45 am in the lightof the dawn to start heading down the road so we could get our 90 something miles in before the worst heat of the day. That meant we were up at 5:30 am to get our gear out to the trailer, bike tires pumped up, and snacks packed before breakfast opened up at 6:00am. We were on the third floor, but at least this hotel had an elevator. We have been in many that do not and are sometimes on the second floor. We are all pretty good about lifting our bikes and carrying them up a few flights, but elevators are always a nice option.
We headed out of the parking lot, past a motorcycle accident under the underpass and on to a busy route 85 for a mile and then went through neighborhoods until we got back on Highway 90. We rode through towns like Mossy Head, Argyle, Ponce de Leon, and Bonifay, Chipley, Cottondale, and finally Marianna.
Of most interest was a scenic optional route in Defuniak Springs around a lake. There were old Victorian homes and cottages built in the late 1880's somehow associated with the railroad that was there. We followed a two mile circle around a lake and saw these quiet streets with tree lined Victorian homes. It was a nice break from the asphalt of US 90, which we were on for most of the day. They call this ride "90 on the 90! "
To add a little excitement, some of us played poker on the way for $1 to enter and get 5 cards at the beginning of the ride, $1 at mile 20 and $1 at mile 40, if you wanted to stay, or trade in some or all of your cards. The only thing is that they used three decks of cards in case everyone wanted to play. I was dealt 4 hearts and traded one spade for a spade which didn't help. Then I traded for a spade for a heart so I had a flush. After dinner, we showed our hands, and my Queen high flush, barely beat a Jack high flush that someone else had so I won the $24.
I will donate my winnings to the Diabetes Association. By the way, if you haven't yet contributed and wish to, there is still time. Either send a check made out to American Diabetes Ass. toRobin Sewell, 60 Foster Street,Littleton, MA 01460, or you can go online to:
http://main.diabetes.org/site/TR/TourdeCure/TDC005008030?px=4582692&pg=personal&fr_id=5560
Many thanks and appreciation to all of the people that have already contributed. My dad had diabetes later in life and so many people I know are impacted in some way by this disease.
The three of us zipped along for a solid pace for the first 40-50 miles or so, stopping for snacks and water at about mile 20, 40, and 60. Susan and I continued along at a slightly faster pace for the rest of the journey, wanting to get most of the journey in before 2:00 o'clock. The temperature did get up to 89 degrees. I thought it was more humid in the morning though as every time we stopped I would start dripping again. I looked down and noticed beads of moisture between my skin and this filmy white sunscreen all over my arms and legs. It reminded me of the bubbles of vanilla cooking on the stove beneath that filmy skim coat that develops. Regardless, it was pretty gross. I wore my thin white sleeveless top which didn't stay white too long with all the dust and road gunk that just stuck to everything. My feet were hot most of the day and I know my feet were a bit more swollen than usual.
Large sections of the road surface were newly paved and you could feel the heat coming off the new black pavement. Still, I felt pretty good and we continued along through the countryside and small towns at about a 16 mph pace average and taking full advantage of the downhills when we had them while slowly going up hills to conserve energy.
In Cottondale, I asked a guy in a tow truck at the red traffic light if there were any places to eat in town and he told us that about a mile down the road there was a McDonald's. A cold drink out of the heat of the day at around mile 78, sounded great so we headed on after the green light searching. Well, he was a bit off, but there was a McDonald's on the left, as he said, but about 8 miles down the road in the next town. We pulled in and brought our bikes inside as it wasn't crowded. One of the managers that was outside asked us about our trip and 4 older guys having coffee motioned us to come over and tell them what we were up to. Most people have been so interested, kind, and encouraging. It's been great talking to everyone along the way...
After my apples, yogurt and walnut snack salad and cold drink we headed out the last few miles to our motel at about mile 92. Someone invited me to join them on there first century ride, but I wanted to go in and wash this salty lotioned crud off my body more than I wanted to ride my second century. The thing is, I know that I could have easily done it. We are all so much stronger, faster, and more skillful riders now. Today was the last big ride of over 90 for this trip. We have some lower mileage days coming up, a rest day, and then a few 70 something mile days before next week.
On the road again,
Robin
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Crestview, Florida
Today I wanted to travel our route quickly in order to meet up with some people that used to live in Littleton and now live in Florida. We had about 56 miles and I was aiming to be in Crestview between 12:30 and 1:00. I had a back up plan if I was running late which was to have the van pick me up along the way if I was late. As it turned out the van and I arrived in Ｃｒｅｓｔｖｉｅｗ ａｔ ｔｈｅ ｓａｍｅ ｔｉｍｅ ａｒｏｕｎｄ １２：１５． Ａｆｔｅｒ ｓｏｍｅ ｄｅｌａｙｓ， Ｉ ｄｉｄ ｍｅｅｔ ｔｈｅ Ｄａｖｉｓ’ ｆｏｒ ａ ｌａｔｅ ｌｕｎｃｈ． Ｏｕｒ ｄａｙ ｗａｓ ａｇａｉｎ ｂｅａｕｔｉｆｕｌ， ｗｉｔｈ ｂｌｕｅ ｓｋｉｅｓ ａｎｄ ｔｅｍｐｅｒａｔｕｒｅｓ ｉｎ ｔｈｅ ｈｉｇｈ ７０’ｓ． Ｗｅ ｔｒａｖｅｌｅｄ ｏｎ ａ ｂｕｓｙ ｒｏａｄ ｔｈａｔ ｓｔａｒｔｅｄ ｗｉｔｈ ａ ｓｈｏｕｌｄｅｒ ａｎｄ ｔｈｅｎ ｎａｒｒｏｗｅｄ ｏｕｔ ｔｏ ｓｏｍｅ ｐｌａｃｅｓ ｗｉｔｈｏｕｔ ｓｈｏｕｌｄｅｒｓ． Who knows what I did to get to this font? Hopefully I can change it later. Sorry folks!Time for supper!
Enjoy your warm day tomorrow!
Robin
Ｗｅ ｗｅｒｅ ａｌｏｎｇ ｔｈｅ ｗａｔｅｒ ｆｏｒ ｓｏｍｅｔｉｍｅ ａｎｄ ｔｈｅｎ ｈｅａｄｅｄ ｔｏ ｔｈｅ ｃｏｕｎｔｒｙｓｉｄｅ ｔｏ Ｐａｃｅ ａｎｄ Ｍｉｌｔｏｎ ｔｏ ａ ｂｉｋｅ ｐａｔｈ ｔｈａｔ ｗｅｎｔ ｉｎｌａｎｄ． Ｔｈｅ Ｂｌａｃｋｗａｔｅｒ Ｈｅｒｉｔａｇｅ Ｓｔａｔｅ Ｔｒａｉｌ ｉｓ ｔｈｅ ｗｅｓｔｅｒｎｍｏｓｔ ｒａｉｌ ｔｒａｉｌ ｉｎ ｔｈｉｓ ｓｔａｔｅ．Ｔｈｉｓ ｆｏｒｍｅｒ ｒａｉｌｒｏａｄ ｌｉｎｅ ｆｏｌｌｏｗｓ ａ ｐａｔｈ ｆｏｒｍｅｒｌｙ ｏｐｅｒａｔｅｄ ｂｙ ａ ｌｕｍｂｅｒ ｃｏｍｐａｎｙ ａｎｄ ｌａｔｅｒ ｗａｓ ｒｅｂｕｉｌｔ ｔｏ ｓｕｐｐｌｙ ａｖｉａｔｉｏｎ ｆｕｅｌ ｔｏ ｔｈｅ Ｎａｖａｌ Ａｉｒ Ｓｔａｔｉｏｎ．
Ｗｅ ｗｅｎｔ ｔｈｒｏｕｇｈ ｐｉｎｅｙ ｗｏｏｄｓ， ａ ｃｙｐｒｅｓｓ／ｂａｙ tｒｅｅ ｓｗａｍｐ ａｎｄ ａｃｒｏｓｓ ｓｅｖｅｒａｌ ｃｒｅｅｋｓ ａｎｄ ｓｔｒｅａｍｓ．
Enjoy your warm day tomorrow!
Robin
Ｗｅ ｗｅｒｅ ａｌｏｎｇ ｔｈｅ ｗａｔｅｒ ｆｏｒ ｓｏｍｅｔｉｍｅ ａｎｄ ｔｈｅｎ ｈｅａｄｅｄ ｔｏ ｔｈｅ ｃｏｕｎｔｒｙｓｉｄｅ ｔｏ Ｐａｃｅ ａｎｄ Ｍｉｌｔｏｎ ｔｏ ａ ｂｉｋｅ ｐａｔｈ ｔｈａｔ ｗｅｎｔ ｉｎｌａｎｄ． Ｔｈｅ Ｂｌａｃｋｗａｔｅｒ Ｈｅｒｉｔａｇｅ Ｓｔａｔｅ Ｔｒａｉｌ ｉｓ ｔｈｅ ｗｅｓｔｅｒｎｍｏｓｔ ｒａｉｌ ｔｒａｉｌ ｉｎ ｔｈｉｓ ｓｔａｔｅ．Ｔｈｉｓ ｆｏｒｍｅｒ ｒａｉｌｒｏａｄ ｌｉｎｅ ｆｏｌｌｏｗｓ ａ ｐａｔｈ ｆｏｒｍｅｒｌｙ ｏｐｅｒａｔｅｄ ｂｙ ａ ｌｕｍｂｅｒ ｃｏｍｐａｎｙ ａｎｄ ｌａｔｅｒ ｗａｓ ｒｅｂｕｉｌｔ ｔｏ ｓｕｐｐｌｙ ａｖｉａｔｉｏｎ ｆｕｅｌ ｔｏ ｔｈｅ Ｎａｖａｌ Ａｉｒ Ｓｔａｔｉｏｎ．
Ｗｅ ｗｅｎｔ ｔｈｒｏｕｇｈ ｐｉｎｅｙ ｗｏｏｄｓ， ａ ｃｙｐｒｅｓｓ／ｂａｙ tｒｅｅ ｓｗａｍｐ ａｎｄ ａｃｒｏｓｓ ｓｅｖｅｒａｌ ｃｒｅｅｋｓ ａｎｄ ｓｔｒｅａｍｓ．
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Pensacola, Florida!
It's very hard to believe that we crossed the border into the state of Florida! Yipee! YaHOO!
Early in the morning we left beautiful Dauphin Island on the first ferry, and went past many oil platforms out in the gulf. They look like they are mini cities from a different universe out there. A helicopter flew some people out to the rigs early in the morning. While we were waiting for the ferry, the gnats were swarming us and making life miserable for us. It was good to get moving across the water and over to the mainland of Alabama.
The road was new, smooth, and we really could cruise along. We even had a bit of a tailwind for a while and were often at speeds of 20 mph without much effort! It was great fun looking at the palette of colors of homes along the waterway. There were houses the color of apricots, lemons, wintergreen mints, pink cotton candy, as well as the colors of teal and magenta too. We entered an area called Floribama and a few minutes later we saw the sign for The Sunshine State!
After about 50 miles, we stopped at a bike shop and asked for a good place to eat. We found the Fish House in the old part of Pensacola to be just wonderful. We were so under dressed in our black spandex bike pants and colorful bike jerseys but we hiked our bikes up the steep stairs and nestled our three bikes together along the edge of the restaurant and went in anyways. I tried their special item, cheese grits, and ordered some grilled shrimp. Both were divine! I am not a grits fan, but if you add enough Edam cheese and cream and they were scrumcious! It was a treat to have cloth tablecloths at a sit down table and chairs with artfully placed food with a view of the water.
Tonight we had fried catfish, pesto pasta salad, spinach leaves with mozzarella cheese and tomatoes and a small sliver of coconut creme pie. A quick storm came through about dinner time but we ate in two of our hotel rooms. We
re off to Crestview tomorrow and am hoping to connect up with some friends.
A reporter from Hammond, Mississippi wrote an article about our group last week and it is listed below if you are interested.
http://www.hammondstar.com/articles/2009/04/19/top_stories/8989.txt
Thinking if you in FLORIDA!
Robin
Early in the morning we left beautiful Dauphin Island on the first ferry, and went past many oil platforms out in the gulf. They look like they are mini cities from a different universe out there. A helicopter flew some people out to the rigs early in the morning. While we were waiting for the ferry, the gnats were swarming us and making life miserable for us. It was good to get moving across the water and over to the mainland of Alabama.
The road was new, smooth, and we really could cruise along. We even had a bit of a tailwind for a while and were often at speeds of 20 mph without much effort! It was great fun looking at the palette of colors of homes along the waterway. There were houses the color of apricots, lemons, wintergreen mints, pink cotton candy, as well as the colors of teal and magenta too. We entered an area called Floribama and a few minutes later we saw the sign for The Sunshine State!
After about 50 miles, we stopped at a bike shop and asked for a good place to eat. We found the Fish House in the old part of Pensacola to be just wonderful. We were so under dressed in our black spandex bike pants and colorful bike jerseys but we hiked our bikes up the steep stairs and nestled our three bikes together along the edge of the restaurant and went in anyways. I tried their special item, cheese grits, and ordered some grilled shrimp. Both were divine! I am not a grits fan, but if you add enough Edam cheese and cream and they were scrumcious! It was a treat to have cloth tablecloths at a sit down table and chairs with artfully placed food with a view of the water.
Tonight we had fried catfish, pesto pasta salad, spinach leaves with mozzarella cheese and tomatoes and a small sliver of coconut creme pie. A quick storm came through about dinner time but we ate in two of our hotel rooms. We
re off to Crestview tomorrow and am hoping to connect up with some friends.
A reporter from Hammond, Mississippi wrote an article about our group last week and it is listed below if you are interested.
http://www.hammondstar.com/articles/2009/04/19/top_stories/8989.txt
Thinking if you in FLORIDA!
Robin
DAY OFF IN DAUPHIN ISLAND, ALABAMA
Dauphin Island, Alabama
Crossing over the huge arched bridge it felt like we entered another world. At dusk it was a a glorious sunset with the sky starting to clear while the remaining western rays sprinkled glowing yellow splotches on the murky bay water. It was a calming feeling to walk along,scraping and scrunching the bottom of my bare feet along the fine-grained sandy beach. Our condos were right on the water.I kept my window open all night so I could hear the gentle slap of the waves and the cries of the gulls as they circled about.
To welcome us to the state of Alabama we had our usual margarita. For dinner, Linda prepared a spicy jambalya with shrimp and crawfish, rice,and corn bread and salad. For dessert, there was a special and sinful Paula Dean recipe of “Not yor Mama's Banana Puddin” that was a creamy caloric delight. I spent a good deal of time reading a book, The Ten Year Nap by Meg Wolitzer.
I awoke fairly early on the morning of our rest day, and walked down to breakfast at the Oar House just down the street. Afterwards, I ventured across the street to the beach access for a long lazy walk in the quiet of the morning. Tiny arched patterns of variety of bird tracks guided me to the shore where impressions of scalloped waves were gently etched into the slope along the water line. I was alone walking and enjoying the solitude accompanied only by the company of the birds around me.
I felt a little sad that more people can not or do not take the time to stop and notice the ripples in the sand dunes or the flicker of running feet of the sandpiper. I closed my eyes and listened to the sounds of the various birds around me and the lap, lap, lapping of the water with the breeze whipping the ends of my hair into my face and snarling it again.
I feel a little sad as I know this remarkable journey that I have been on is starting to come to an end. My routine, the bonds, the food, the sights I have seen, or heard, or smelled will change again soon. I remember the enormous and meticulously maintained homes oozing with prosperity on one side of the street while in another part of town or further down the road on the other side I remember dark, hopeless, and more desperate lives of humans and animals in shacks or trailers just trying to make it through one more day. I remember the Apache Reservation land that was dusty, devoid of water, desolate and brown in sharp contrast to the bright green growth of the farms only miles away that had access to the water with its power and potential.
I remember the purple colored mountains that majestically rose up in the distance,the hundred year old saguaro cactus that stood on the ridges welcoming us though the desert. I recall the sight of the dusty clay red of Louisiana grasses blowing, and I can still hear the never ending roar of the wind in my ears from the hills of Texas.
I recall the vast openess of so many places in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, the powerful muddy Mississipi,the ferry crossings, the bridges, the back roads, the highways, the pecan trees that arched over the roadways. I recall the bumpy ride on chip seal that we traveled over and the numbing sensation in my hands. I remember the euphoria of climbing 8,8842 feet to Emory Pass and completing my first century ride and the sense of pride for taking a risk and doing something unique.
I cling to the spirituality found amongst the massive pine forests and of the rock formations that have been there for eons. I wish to hold on to the peace, serenity and balance that I have rediscovered. So many spectacular images of places and people from this journey across the southern tier of the USA.
Crossing over the huge arched bridge it felt like we entered another world. At dusk it was a a glorious sunset with the sky starting to clear while the remaining western rays sprinkled glowing yellow splotches on the murky bay water. It was a calming feeling to walk along,scraping and scrunching the bottom of my bare feet along the fine-grained sandy beach. Our condos were right on the water.I kept my window open all night so I could hear the gentle slap of the waves and the cries of the gulls as they circled about.
To welcome us to the state of Alabama we had our usual margarita. For dinner, Linda prepared a spicy jambalya with shrimp and crawfish, rice,and corn bread and salad. For dessert, there was a special and sinful Paula Dean recipe of “Not yor Mama's Banana Puddin” that was a creamy caloric delight. I spent a good deal of time reading a book, The Ten Year Nap by Meg Wolitzer.
I awoke fairly early on the morning of our rest day, and walked down to breakfast at the Oar House just down the street. Afterwards, I ventured across the street to the beach access for a long lazy walk in the quiet of the morning. Tiny arched patterns of variety of bird tracks guided me to the shore where impressions of scalloped waves were gently etched into the slope along the water line. I was alone walking and enjoying the solitude accompanied only by the company of the birds around me.
I felt a little sad that more people can not or do not take the time to stop and notice the ripples in the sand dunes or the flicker of running feet of the sandpiper. I closed my eyes and listened to the sounds of the various birds around me and the lap, lap, lapping of the water with the breeze whipping the ends of my hair into my face and snarling it again.
I feel a little sad as I know this remarkable journey that I have been on is starting to come to an end. My routine, the bonds, the food, the sights I have seen, or heard, or smelled will change again soon. I remember the enormous and meticulously maintained homes oozing with prosperity on one side of the street while in another part of town or further down the road on the other side I remember dark, hopeless, and more desperate lives of humans and animals in shacks or trailers just trying to make it through one more day. I remember the Apache Reservation land that was dusty, devoid of water, desolate and brown in sharp contrast to the bright green growth of the farms only miles away that had access to the water with its power and potential.
I remember the purple colored mountains that majestically rose up in the distance,the hundred year old saguaro cactus that stood on the ridges welcoming us though the desert. I recall the sight of the dusty clay red of Louisiana grasses blowing, and I can still hear the never ending roar of the wind in my ears from the hills of Texas.
I recall the vast openess of so many places in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, the powerful muddy Mississipi,the ferry crossings, the bridges, the back roads, the highways, the pecan trees that arched over the roadways. I recall the bumpy ride on chip seal that we traveled over and the numbing sensation in my hands. I remember the euphoria of climbing 8,8842 feet to Emory Pass and completing my first century ride and the sense of pride for taking a risk and doing something unique.
I cling to the spirituality found amongst the massive pine forests and of the rock formations that have been there for eons. I wish to hold on to the peace, serenity and balance that I have rediscovered. So many spectacular images of places and people from this journey across the southern tier of the USA.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Dauphin Island, Alabama
WOW! Another day, another state...and we lucked out again with the weather. It was really cloudy and stormy looking so we pedaled fast to get to where we had to be with very little stopping or picture taking along the way. We did stop briefly at the border to get a picture of the" Welcome to Alabama" sign.
At about mile 33, we got a view of the bridge that we would be crossing ahead of us at mile 36, even through the murky gray haze. We could smell the gulf,and knew we were near our destination for the day after we crossed that bridge. We knew we were in fish country. A lot of the catch is frozen. An oyster shucking factory was on our left. There were hills of oyster shells mounded up in enormous piles. Along our ride today we saw houses and even trailers high on stilts and wondered if these newer houses were because of the hurricanes that have been in this area. Even one of the streets was named Hurricane Blvd.
The bridge crossing was awesome. We started out on a long fairly flat bridge for about one and three quarter miles heading out past the pelicans and into the gulf. You could barely see the outline of oil platforms. Then the bridge arched up steeply so that large vessels could navigate beneath it. It was a steep climb and I headed back down to my granny gear to make the last 100 yards or so to the peak. I haven't been in that gear for quite a while with all the “fairly” flat terrain we've been doing lately. The wind was blowing strong, and it was a headwind for most of the climb as we completed the 3.5 mile bridge and headed over to Dauphin Island.
We decided to pull into Barnacle Bill's for lunch today. My lunch choice after going over that bridge was called, and I quote here as written in the menu, “ A Big Ass Salad!” The salad was enormous and I was the last one still eating at the table and left half of my salad. Afterwards we pedaled the last 2.0 miles to the Dauphin Island Beach Club where we are staying in some wonderful condo units right on the beach. I lucked out and got a queen sized bed in a room to MYSELF. I guess sleeping on the sofa bed in the other cottage got balanced out... We have two pools right outside out door and white sand beach beyond the pool gates. My bike tan has become more pronounced and I am sure I will look striking in my 10 year old bathing suit with my bike short, bike glove, bike shoes, striped tan lines. So fetching...
We have a day off here and I am truly looking forward to that and will post whenever I can get a connection to the internet that will work.
Love to all,
Robin
At about mile 33, we got a view of the bridge that we would be crossing ahead of us at mile 36, even through the murky gray haze. We could smell the gulf,and knew we were near our destination for the day after we crossed that bridge. We knew we were in fish country. A lot of the catch is frozen. An oyster shucking factory was on our left. There were hills of oyster shells mounded up in enormous piles. Along our ride today we saw houses and even trailers high on stilts and wondered if these newer houses were because of the hurricanes that have been in this area. Even one of the streets was named Hurricane Blvd.
The bridge crossing was awesome. We started out on a long fairly flat bridge for about one and three quarter miles heading out past the pelicans and into the gulf. You could barely see the outline of oil platforms. Then the bridge arched up steeply so that large vessels could navigate beneath it. It was a steep climb and I headed back down to my granny gear to make the last 100 yards or so to the peak. I haven't been in that gear for quite a while with all the “fairly” flat terrain we've been doing lately. The wind was blowing strong, and it was a headwind for most of the climb as we completed the 3.5 mile bridge and headed over to Dauphin Island.
We decided to pull into Barnacle Bill's for lunch today. My lunch choice after going over that bridge was called, and I quote here as written in the menu, “ A Big Ass Salad!” The salad was enormous and I was the last one still eating at the table and left half of my salad. Afterwards we pedaled the last 2.0 miles to the Dauphin Island Beach Club where we are staying in some wonderful condo units right on the beach. I lucked out and got a queen sized bed in a room to MYSELF. I guess sleeping on the sofa bed in the other cottage got balanced out... We have two pools right outside out door and white sand beach beyond the pool gates. My bike tan has become more pronounced and I am sure I will look striking in my 10 year old bathing suit with my bike short, bike glove, bike shoes, striped tan lines. So fetching...
We have a day off here and I am truly looking forward to that and will post whenever I can get a connection to the internet that will work.
Love to all,
Robin
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Wiggins,MS, to Pascagoula, MS
We traveled about 68 miles to get to Pascagoula, MS. We traveled over a lot of country roads and through state pine forests. One of the sections that we passed had a sign warning of Smoke Ahead. It looked as if they had just finished a controlled burn in part of a forest, probably getting ready for logging. Some of the spots were still smouldering and there was sweet smell in the air.
Standard breakfasts at the hotels we are staying at are starting to get boring. There seems to be a lot of pastry, bread, and biscuits. At least today, they had some fresh fruit that was pretty good and our cook brought in some hard boiled eggs so we would have a little bit of protein for our ride. Today I was very hungry early on so I ate my cashews, craisins, and power bar early. Every once in a while, I'll take a bite of my 1/2 peanut butter and jelly sandwich too.
I usually have a pretty big plate of food at supper. Last night we had beef, with lentils, rice, salad and chocolates for dessert. Of course we had our standard margarita for crossing another state border yesterday. Two more states is all we have left, Alabama and Florida. Lately during the day we have not been near any places that serve lunches so for a bathroom break, we usually find a gas station. I always look for chocolate milk for a quick pick me up.
On the way in I couldn't help but notice a flashing sign at Walgreen's warning people of a flood warning that is in effect until tomorrow night. We managed to skirt around the rain clouds that were about all day and got our complete ride in. I'm not sure what will happen with tomorrow's ride. One day at a time...
Looking forward to a day off at a beach resort in Alabama. Here's hoping the bad weather goes by us quickly!
Love to all,
Robin
Standard breakfasts at the hotels we are staying at are starting to get boring. There seems to be a lot of pastry, bread, and biscuits. At least today, they had some fresh fruit that was pretty good and our cook brought in some hard boiled eggs so we would have a little bit of protein for our ride. Today I was very hungry early on so I ate my cashews, craisins, and power bar early. Every once in a while, I'll take a bite of my 1/2 peanut butter and jelly sandwich too.
I usually have a pretty big plate of food at supper. Last night we had beef, with lentils, rice, salad and chocolates for dessert. Of course we had our standard margarita for crossing another state border yesterday. Two more states is all we have left, Alabama and Florida. Lately during the day we have not been near any places that serve lunches so for a bathroom break, we usually find a gas station. I always look for chocolate milk for a quick pick me up.
On the way in I couldn't help but notice a flashing sign at Walgreen's warning people of a flood warning that is in effect until tomorrow night. We managed to skirt around the rain clouds that were about all day and got our complete ride in. I'm not sure what will happen with tomorrow's ride. One day at a time...
Looking forward to a day off at a beach resort in Alabama. Here's hoping the bad weather goes by us quickly!
Love to all,
Robin
Friday, April 17, 2009
HERE WE ARE IN MISSISSIPPI
It's hard to believe we are through Louisiana and into Mississippi! Today we had a choice of a route and most of us chose the longer route. Last year there was an issue with two dogs that bit people, so they added an alternative route which was 26 miles shorter but on a road with little or no shoulder and lots of logging trucks.
Last night we stayed Bogalusa and the odor I kept smelling was from the paper mill in town. I guess that is where the logging trucks were all heading.
I was surprised that the section we rode on today was quite hilly. We also saw some beautiful open pastures filled with yellow flowers, some horses, some llamas,and a few cows here and there. My legs forgot how to climb or at least they weren't as efficient as they once were a few weeks ago! We did see some dogs and several started to come out at us but we talked or really YELLED them back into their yard/space.There were storm clouds around for a few hours, and I thought we were going to get wet but it held off. The wind was blowing a little bit today so it made the ride a bit harder, but all in all it was a good day.
Have a great weekend!
Love,
Robin
Last night we stayed Bogalusa and the odor I kept smelling was from the paper mill in town. I guess that is where the logging trucks were all heading.
I was surprised that the section we rode on today was quite hilly. We also saw some beautiful open pastures filled with yellow flowers, some horses, some llamas,and a few cows here and there. My legs forgot how to climb or at least they weren't as efficient as they once were a few weeks ago! We did see some dogs and several started to come out at us but we talked or really YELLED them back into their yard/space.There were storm clouds around for a few hours, and I thought we were going to get wet but it held off. The wind was blowing a little bit today so it made the ride a bit harder, but all in all it was a good day.
Have a great weekend!
Love,
Robin
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