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Published: June 30th 2009
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I completed my journey on June 25th, with 18 days of riding covering 1325 miles. Sorry for the delayed post, but I was busy and wanted to get a map made to include. I did not go direct from Peoria to Ft. Myers, as there was the forementioned break in TN, and I actually met Jeff and Jenny north of Gainesville on their way home. Since Peoria to Ft. Myers direct is 1280, I actually accomplished more than the distance I initially thought I'd be covering, though I zig zagged all over and did not restrict myself to the quickest route. Here is a link to the map of my first 8 days in IL and KY (
IL/KY Map), post-Bonnaroo to Tallahasee (
TN/AL/FL Map), and embedded is the final leg (the website used to make the other maps became incredibly slow and inoperable). The first two maps have markers where I stayed the night, but the last does not.
My last post was on a day off I took while staying in Ft. Toulouse National Historic Park in Wetumpka, AL. That night I was invited by my neighbors for dinner and some beers. The guy had done solo kayak trips and cross
country motorcycle tours, so he was interested in swapping stories. He told me of underwater logging he had done, using inner tube tires to raise logs from the bends of rivers. Retrieving sunken logs in water with no visibilty didn't sound like the safest, but apparently it was really easy money. He was also the boating director on the film "Big Fish" which had been filmed in Wetumpka and surrounding counties.
The next morning I set off feeling well rested. I did about 90 miles, and my knee was doing better with the hills dwindling in number and size, though I did get into a road that turned into a red dirt road before becoming deep sand (not conducive to riding, but luckily only lasted about 200 meters. I camped a short way off the road, and got an early start the next day. I made about 75 miles and was off the road by 4 and stayed at Chattahoochee S.P. which stradles the SE Alabama corner with FL and GA. I needed to wash my clothes and relax. The clothes got washed, but someone decided to help themselves to my damp gloves while they were drying. People are
peculiar (only two sets of people even went by there, one a family and the other a guy taking glamour shots of what I presumed to be a stripper from the plus sized strip joint up the road), but at least they left my shorts, jersey, and socks. Also met a young guy from the Quad Cities trying to start over after getting fired and having a "falling out with his baby's mama." He was with his sister and her boyfriend, all planning to live at the campground until they could find work...they invited me over for some food and beer, though I could sense tension was high, and heard some arguing after I'd gone to bed. I was still impressed with their generosity in spite of their obvious desperation.
The next went very smoothly, not least because elevations were in my favor. I dropped into FL, and road about 30 miles before getting my first bit of food (I'd eaten all my snacks the previous night because my neighbors led me to believe there was a gas station nearby). I got a big plate of baked chicken, potatoes and veggies and was surprised when the nice woman I
was chatting with picked up my bill. I later bumped into another guy with a loaded bike (he was heading from Tampa to Rockford) but he was literally living off the bike and was living off of handouts and food stamps. He warned me that the hills were rough the rest of the way to Tallahassee. It must have been for him because I had short inclines followed by nice long descents, which was quite welcome as I expected the opposite. I did completely break off my zip tied pannier on some rough rail road tracks, and duct tape became the main fastener. Still, FL roads in general are so much more bike friendly than AL, and this also made riding a breeze. Arriving in Tallahassee, bike lanes sprouted up all over. I road around FSU campus a bit, then hooked up with a bike path out of town. I ended up riding with a local guy who'd done some tours before, and he gave me some good info on what lay ahead. When looking to camp, I was informed that no campgrounds existed in the Wildlife refuge, but black bear were prolific. I did run across a group of
wild hogs, which are jet black. Eventually I made it to an oasis of a gas station and asked the owner if I could camp in his yard which was on the same property. He gave me the ok, and I was happy to rest after 109 miles that day.
The next day I made the decision to head west and meet Jeff on the interstate rather than push for Ft. Myers. Mostly because I'd get to spend a few more days at his house including the weekend meaning more time out on the boat. So I decided to go for Ichetuknee Springs S.P. and made it there a little after 5. Luckily I didn't arrive earlier because this is an absolutely beautiful river, which best I can tell is run more like a water park (there being an enormous parking lot, tube rentals, shuttle trams, etc.). I decided to ride my bike past all the "river closed" signs because I couldn't understand quite how a river had hours. I was glad I did and enjoyed a refreshing swim before I was asked to leave. I returned to the campground, and discovered I had broken a rear spoke. Between that and my bag barely hanging on, I was comfortable knowing I was only 25 miles from 75 and getting a ride.
Overall, I was pretty pleased with how things went. I'd say bicycle travel is a great way to see a place and its people. Not so slow you get sick of an area, but not so fast you don't get a real taste. Hope you enjoyed reading, and thanks again for everyones help. That's it, now off to the Bahamas!
Cheers,
Kevin
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Cathy
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Finally found your blog on the bike trip
I had reverently followed you through the eastern part of the world, but missed this part until now. All I can say is you are plucky--and lucky to be alive:) Are you posting anything from Andros? Kiss the sand at Forfar for us:) And say hello to the purple throne:) Stay healthy and enjoy! Cathy and Sweet Biscuit