Southern Tier Part 1 ┄┄ a.k.a. ┄┄ Blanka’s Panhandle Wagon Tour

• Introduction • The Drive Down • Southern Tier Day #1 St. Augustine, FL to Hawthorne, FL • Southern Tier Day #2  Hawthorne, FL to Ichetucknee State Park • Southern Tier Day #3 Backtrack to Gainesville for wagon tires - Off Day for Blanka • Southern Tier Day #4 Ichetucknee State Park, FL to Lee, FL • Southern Tier Day #5 Lee, FL to Tallahassee, FL • Southern Tier Day #6 Tallahassee, FL to Marianna, FL • Southern Tier Day #7 Marianna, FL to DeFuniak Springs, FL • Southern Tier Day #8 DeFuniak Springs, FL to Milton, FL • Southern Tier Day #9 Milton, FL to Pensacola, FL • Southern Tier Day #10 Pensacola, FL to Gulf State Park, AL • Southern Tier Day #11 Gulf State Park, AL to Dauphin Island, AL • Southern Tier Day #12 Dauphin Island, AL to Ocean City, MS • The Drive Back • Other Tour Logs ⥢ prev   -home-   next ⥤

Thick Blue smoke hung over my Brooklyn neighborhood and a fire blazed on my corner for the annual Passover Chametz burning. It was a weird beginning for our spring bicycle odyssey.  I was particularly nervous. My tour had a lot of complications; a dog, remote teaching, and timing with little room for error. I had reserved my round-trip rental car months ago for an entirely different itinerary. My plans had changed and I was unable to alter my reservation or book a new one-way rental to Florida, ostensibly because of COVID and/or spring break. The plan was to now drop off the car in St. Augustine and pay the consequence.  It was a 6-1/2 hour drive to Virginia Beach where I would be spending two nights with Klaus and Eileen, whom I cycled with on my 2018 TransAm tour. It was the first nice day of spring. I passed blooming cherry blossoms, forsythia, dogwood, and magnolia as I drove south. Just yesterday I had been running my heater while wearing a sweater and jeans. After the Chesapeake

Southern Tier Day #1 March 29, 2021 St. Augustine, FL to  Hawthorne, FL - 72 Miles Start 8:51 AM Finish 8:43 PM Ride Time: 7:21:14 Ascent: 398 feet Descent: 244 feet Tour Total 72 Miles Details at: https://cyclemeter.com/3f1ef27914a4c684/Cycle-20210329-0851-30020 I slept well in St. Augustine. I stayed at the Days Inn on Ponce de Leon Avenue, right across the street from the Fountain of Youth. I woke up at 7am and was at the rental car place shortly after 7:30. It was in the mid-60's and overcast as I cycled back to the hotel. The sun was out by the time we were set up and ready to roll. It was such a relief to be free of the rental car and hotel. I was wearing my short sleeve jersey and cycling shorts. I almost wore my sweater but changed my mind at the last moment. The route began just south of the fort at a historic block where stood the Cathedral Basilica of St Augustine, Flagler College, and the Lightner Museum. The architecture was extremely ornate and I felt like I was in Sp

Southern Tier Day #2 March 30, 2021 Hawthorne, FL to Ichetucknee State Park, FL - 64 Miles Start 8:40 AM Finish 5:17 PM Ride Time 6:59 Ascent 486 Feet Descent 537 Feet Tour Total 136 Miles Details at: https://cyclemeter.com/3f1ef27914a4c684/Cycle-20210330-0739-08444 I slept fairly well stealth camping alongside the Gainesville-Hawthorn State Trail. I woke up a few times when I realized that Blanka was standing up looking at the wall of the tent. I figured something was probably out there, and I tried to settle her. She slept by my feet and then alongside me. There was a light rain shower at 5 AM.  I had set my alarm for 7 AM because I didn’t want to get caught. Yesterday I passed a Florida prisoner chain gang and I didn't want to be part of one. My fly was wet from the rain and had to be folded and stowed under my rear rack pack. Blanka watched me pack from a hundred feet down the trail, and appeared to be raring to go. I was wearing my cycling shorts, short sleeve jersey, and swea

Southern Tier Day #3 March 31, 2021 Backtrack to Gainesville for wagon tires - 81 Miles Start 8:14 AM Finish 5:09 PM Ride Time 7:13 Ascent 387 Feet Descent 445 Feet Tour Total 216 Miles Details at: https://cyclemeter.com/3f1ef27914a4c684/Cycle-20210331-0813-94235 The school kids partied hardy last night in the campground. They hooped and hollered until midnight. Blanka and I slept pretty well. I awoke to loud bird squawking before sunrise. I packed up the camp and stopped by the bath house for a shave before leaving. I was back at level one and could make a favorable impression in case I needed someone’s help. I left my trash there in the garbage can. About a mile down the road I realized that I had forgotten to take a photo of the camp site. The road was empty and it was foggy. Birds were chirping and dogs were barking. The one that chased us was fortunately behind a fence. A beautiful old yellow hotrod approached us from the other direction. Pink flames were painted on the hood and s

Southern Tier Day #4 April 1, 2021 Ichetucknee State Park, FL to Lee, FL - 71 Miles Start 8:01 AM Finish 7:18 PM Ride Time 8:34 Ascent 512 Feet Descent 598 Feet Tour Total 286 Miles Details at: https://cyclemeter.com/3f1ef27914a4c684/Cycle-20210401-0801-84520 A squall hit our camp last night while Blanka and I were sitting at the picnic table. Everything was already secured and we quickly jumped into the tent. Aside from the vomit episode I slept well. Blanka started whining in the middle of the night and I should have been more attentive. She missed the tarp that I put inside the tent and barfed a large pile on the tent floor. I scooped it up with my bare hands and threw it out onto the grass. I went and got napkins for the final wipe. After I was back in the tent I realized that I’d left a pannier open, so I had to go back out to close it. I had weird dreams. I awoke with the birds squawking and began folding up the tent.  Blanka didn’t eat this morning. She’s definitely not been fee