Southern Tier Day #5 Lee, FL to Tallahassee, FL

Southern Tier Day #5
April 2, 2021
Lee, FL to Tallahassee, FL - 69 Miles
Start 8:21 AM Finish 5:47 PM
Ride Time 6:46
Ascent 1001 Feet
Descent 1058 Feet
Tour Total 355 Miles
Details at: https://cyclemeter.com/3f1ef27914a4c684/Cycle-20210402-0821-03911

I slept fairly well at our campsite at the Deerwood Inn & Madison Campground. It was located next to I-10 and the roar of traffic was loud throughout the night. It got cold and the weather app said it went down to 39° F. My sleeping bag was toasty and Blanka provided additional warmth. In the middle of the night when I went out to pee, Blanka took an extended excursion around the campground. By morning all of my devices were at 100%. The charger cable had remained precariously balanced throughout the night. Blanka and I had a nice snuggle in the tent before we got up. Her nose was cool and moist, healthy and normal. We were up by 7:30.

Blanka chased squirrels while I packed up the camp. The proprietor had come from Poland when she was in her 20’s. It was $29 to camp, which has been the going rate. It was chilly out on the road. My fingers were cold and I pulled over to put on my hood. I was wearing my jacket, sweater, and leg-warmers. I pedaled six miles on State Highway 53 to Madison, to get back on route. I was headed north and the wind was better today. I could tell by the roadside flags that there was a slight headwind.

I climbed my first significant hill and a series of Florida rollers that took me up and down. They would be easier without a wagon and a 68 lb. dog. I came to a quarter mile section of raised reflectors and markings in the shoulder that warned motorists of an upcoming narrow bridge crossing. My fillings rattled loose riding over them, and I cycled in the roadway as much as possible. Florida DOT there’s got to be a better way.

Madison was a nice little town. I found Grumpy’s on my map and headed there by way of Lake Shore Drive riding partly around Lake Francis. Grumpy’s was slammed, and I was told to expect a wait. I sat out front with Blanka, where I met Jessica the owner, aka Mrs. Grumpy, who facilitated faster service. I had the Big Grumpy Breakfast with eggs, sausage, grits, and a biscuit. Blanka had a hamburger patty with cheese.

After breakfast I removed my rain jacket for the ride west. We rode past the beautiful courthouse and other architectural landmarks with rolling ups and downs leaving town. We set a tour speed record of 24 miles an hour down a hill. It was chilly speeding the down hills and just about right climbing the uphills. The hills were gentle rollers and I got a good workout. There was very little traffic on US Highway 90 aka US bicycle route 90.

I pulled over to flip to map panel 101. I smeared sunscreen on my face and swapped my leg-warmers with UV leg-covers. We were starting out on the road again and I realized my rear tire was flat. I replaced the tube and the break was longer than I had anticipated. Blanka enjoys the breaks. She rolls around in the grass and eats grass blades.

I noticed some wear on the right wagon tire, but it wasn’t significant. We entered Greenville on Ray Charles Memorial Parkway. Charles grew up in Greenville and Blanka and I stopped to pay tribute. We visited the Ray Charles statue in Haffye Hays Park in the center of town. Leaving Greenville we passed the second Biden Harris sign seen on the tour. A few miles down the road we saw the tour’s third.

Fellow long distance touring cyclist Bill, whom I met last summer in Glendive Montana on the Northern Tier, is currently cycling part three of the Southern Tier. He started in El Paso Texas and is cycling to San Diego California. He’s posting his updates on Facebook and is having many of the same issues as last year; flats, saddle soreness, and riding on interstates. He warned us to watch out for dogs in the Panhandle.

We crossed the black Aucilla River and entered Jefferson County. There was road construction and the shoulder was grooved, so we had to ride to the left of the white line, except when motorists passed. We crossed a small stream and I saw the biggest turtle I’ve ever seen on tour. I hope reptile guy chimes in on Crazy Guy with an ID. It looked Prehistoric.

We cycled through the handsome town of Monticello. The town hall stood in the middle of the roundabout at the intersection of US Highway 90 and US Highway 19. It would have been shorter and faster for us to have stayed on US 90 straight to Tallahassee, but I decided to remain faithful to the route. We took a left on Old Lloyd Road. There would be less traffic which was good for cycling, but bad if we had a serious breakdown. We needed to get to the bike shop before 6 PM.

We were chased by a big brown dog that ran after us out onto the road. Fortunately we were riding at pretty fast clip, and were able to outrun him. Soon afterwards we ran into east-bound touring cyclists Mark and Sandi whom had begun their tour in Waco Texas. They had started on March 1st and were pedaling forty to fifty miles a day. They spent last night in Tallahassee and said that I would probably be able to stay at Bike House. They were going to Greenville today. They mentioned a few other touring cyclists; a couple on a tandem, another couple doing a year-long ride circling around the United States, and a solo cyclist named Justin. They’re blogging their tour on Facebook. Running into fellow touring cyclists is the benefit of staying on route.

We passed the fourth Biden sign, and a few miles later were honked at by a motorist in a blue car. I flipped to map section #100 and crossed back over I-10. There were no services in Lloyd so we kept going. We crossed over the Leon County line. Blanka has no idea what I’m doing when I’m dictating to the phone. The air was chilly all day, but the sunlight was strong. Joy Mart was closed in Capitola. I was overdue for a Gatorade stop. Ostensibly there was a store in three more miles. We pulled into a Chevron at the intersection of US Highway 27, where I had a Gatorade, peanuts, and a banana.

We took a right on four-lane 27 heading west. We passed an east bound cyclist pulling a trailer, but it was too difficult to cross to the otters side and meet him. We entered Tallahassee through the sprawl madness. It was four lanes of traffic with no shoulder. We got honked at, and I rode up onto the sidewalk. I missed the turn and we rode straight to the capital on a harrowing uphill. I got turned around because of construction and a road closure, and used Google maps to navigate to the bike shop. We ended up on the fabulous Capital Cascade Trail that took us to the Railroad Square Art District. There was a large Black Lives Matter pavement painting at the intersection of Gaines Street and Railroad Avenue.

We went to University Cycles who had three 16” Schwable Marathon tires. I purchased additional inner tubes, and asked the mechanics for their opinion. They suspected the Michelin tires weren’t up to par, and said that the treads were for mountain biking and not touring. They also noticed that the left wagon wheel was out of alignment. Blanka and I should now have enough tires and inner tubes to make it to Pensacola on Tuesday.

Next we rode over to Bike House where we met Scott and Cassie, their daughter, and two of their dogs. I had read about bicyclehouse.org and the fantastic work that they do refurbishing bikes and working with the community. Scott mentioned a recent $20,000 grant they had received. He said they were trying to create a Bike House in Brooklyn. They told me where I could sleep and take a shower. I have never been surrounded by so many bicycles and bicycle parts. Scott and Cassie are awesome!

After a shower, Blanka and I walked over to Railroad Square Craft House for a California burger, fries, Caesar salad, three Hooter Brown Ales, and a burger patty for Blanka. We sat out back in the courtyard while a band played. I was wearing my sweater and it was a bit cold. That said, Brooklyn had snow flurries today. The Tallahassee Arts District had a great vibe. There were colorful murals, interesting boutiques and eateries, and a diverse interesting mix of young people. Walking back to Bike House I was able to see stars in the sky.