Southern Tier Day #6 Tallahassee, FL to Marianna, FL

April 06, 2021

Southern Tier Day #6
April 3, 2021
Tallahassee, FL - Marianna, FL 73 Miles
Start 7:43 AM Eastern
Finish 3:55 PM Central
Ride Time 7:32
Ascent 1577 Feet
Descent 1624 Feet
Tour Total 428 Miles
Details at: https://cyclemeter.com/3f1ef27914a4c684/Cycle-20210403-0742-48148

I slept well at the Bike House in Tallahassee. Blanka whined twice during the night had to be let outside. She had diarrhea, probably because she’s not used to eating so much hamburger meat. She’s still refusing to eat her dry food. The room was pitch dark and absolutely quiet. I slept on a mattress in my bag-liner and sleeping bag. Blanka alternated between the other mattress and the floor. The alarm was set for seven and we almost made a 7:30 departure. I forgot to take a photo of the bedroom. It had gone down to 39° F and I was wearing my sweater, leg-warmers, and jacket. The hood was over my head for extra warmth. It was cold out and my fingers were freezing. The sky was clear and a half moon could be seen to the south.
Tallahassee has a public scooter program and I saw them everywhere. Scott promised me that leaving town to the west would be much nicer than the way I came in, and he was right. I flipped the map to section #99. We headed north to US 90 which would take us west. Much of the southern tier route centers around US90. The mechanic yesterday at the bike shop said that he had ridden to San Diego on US 90 instead of the ACA route.

I crossed the Ochlockonee River and entered Gadsen County. Mist could be seen rising from the dark water. Outside of Midway I passed a truck stop with several fast food options, as well as a Waffle House across the street. I was starting to feel hungry, but it wasn’t the fare I wanted, so I pushed on. I waved to the driver of a large dump truck and he gave me a toot on his horn.
I heard back from Reptile Guy on Crazy Guy. The turtle photo that I posted yesterday was of a snapping turtle. This time of year, the females in the south begin looking for a good place to lay eggs. They usually stick to the water. It takes a team to create these reports.

I stuck to the route and cycled down County Road 268. The county roads don’t have shoulders and there was a fair amount of motor traffic. US 90 has had a shoulder for much of the distance I’ve pedaled, as well as marked bike lanes, because it’s a US bike route.

I pedaled up and down a bunch of rollers again today, and was famished by the time I got to Quincy. I settled on El Torero Restaurante offering Mexican and Salvadoran food. I had a pork burrito along with two mandarin flavored Jarritos. Blanka got an order of shredded pork. I ordered in Spanish and the women I talked to were from El Salvador and Honduras. While waiting for my order I called and made a reservation with Florida Caverns RV in Marianna. It would be a seventy mile ride day today, and a shorter day tomorrow to reach DeFuniak Springs. On Tuesday I want to be able to teach my remote class from Pensacola.

After breakfast I put on sunscreen, removed my jacket, and swapped the leg-warmers with the UV leg-protectors. I also turned on WFMU’s Sheila B on my iPod. There were more hills out on the road we passed the tour’s fifth Biden sign. Coming into Gretna we were chased by four large dogs. A female was particularly aggressive, and I pepper sprayed her in the face. We later had two more dog chases. The first came from the other side of the road with oncoming traffic approaching. Then one came from our side of the road, and we were able to out run him.
There were a bunch of steep hills coming into Chattahoochee. A little brown barking dog startled me, and I yelled at him to go away. Before continuing west on US 90 we pedaled a mile to the north to cross the Georgia State Line. When the final tour stats are tabulated, I suppose Georgia will have to be included.

We re-joined US 90 west and before leaving town, we stopped at Riverside food Mart for Gatorade and peanuts. There was a huge downhill towards the Apalachicola River and we set a tour speed record of 32 miles an hour. Perhaps it was a little unsafe to be towing a 68 pound dog at this speed on a busy highway. We crossed the Apalachicola River and entered Johnson County and Central time, gaining an hour.

US 90 divided and became four lanes of traffic as we were coming into Grand Ridge. There was traffic but a great shoulder to ride on. We stopped at Blondie’s Food & Fuel for more Gatorade and a bag of local fried peanuts. Following the route we veered away from US 90 to take County Road 164A, where we had two back-to-back dog chases that weren’t serious. I didn’t have to spray them or sprint. This area is home to Florida Caverns State Park and I was seeing signs advertising cave diving tours. That sounds so cool, and I wish I had more time here.
We had to backtrack east on US 90 to get to Florida Caverns RV. It was divided four lanes of traffic with no shoulder, and was harrowing. The campground had no tree cover or picnic table, but it was clean and professional. I set up our camp while Blanka rolled in the grass. We were surrounded by RV’s. I took a shower and did laundry to take advantage of the hot afternoon sun for drying.

We walked over to Up the Creek where I ordered a dozen grilled shrimps with cheese grits and fries. I purchased a few Modelos from the Shell station and we sat at a table in back of the restaurant, while I edited this report.