Southern Tier Day #8 DeFuniak Springs, FL to Milton, FL
Southern Tier Day #8
April 5, 2021
DeFuniak Springs, FL to Milton, FL 69 Miles
Start 7:53 AM
Finish 9:46 PM
Ride Time 7:06
Ascent 845 Feet
Descent 1034 Feet
Tour Total 564 Miles
As we rode back through Defuniak Springs a local business owner was out in front of his establishment hoisting an American flag up the pole. We took a right on US 90 and re-joined the route. There was no shoulder throughout town. Defuniak Springs was founded along the railroad and it’s historic downtown flanks the tracks. The main thoroughfare features handsome buildings, but they’re now all neglected and unused. All of the business traffic and activity has moved out to US 90 which is brimming with the standard American franchise sprawl. The railroad tracks should eventually be turned into a bike trail. It would be a fantastic greenway linking numerous historic panhandle towns to revitalize them.
Towards the west end of town the curb finally ended, and the nice wide shoulder returned. I passed Defuniak Springs airport to the left with the railroad tracks in between. It would be so awesome to see cyclists pedaling up on that berm. We were on Southern Tier map section 6 and panel #94. Most of the route today would be on US 90.
We left Saint Augustine exactly a week ago, and it’s been an awesome adventure. I’ve really been enjoying myself. I don’t know why I always get so anxious before these tours. I shouldn’t doubt myself. Bike touring is really fun!
US 90 merged down to two lanes. There were trees on both sides of the highway. The railroad ran just to the side of the highway, and I passed a large gravel operation. I’ve never seen so many churches in my life. The grade was flat on this stretch, and there was considerable motor traffic. I-10 cozied up to the other side of the railroad tracks, and all three arteries commingled.
I noticed that my bike computer had died. I think it was the battery in the sensor. I hate when this stuff happens. I can still get my total mileage, but I prefer the redundancy. I use the odometer to gauge where I’m at. With the computer not working, I could no longer know my speed.
Over on the railroad tracks, we passed a line-up of empty hopper rail cars stretching for over a mile. On the other side of the highway, road crews were mowing the grass. I spied a bald eagle flying circles above us, and I passed a small fruit stand to the right. I saw another fruit stand which advertised itself as a Cajun fruit stand. A confederate flag hung out front. I’ve lost count.
I called and made a dentist appointment for when I get back to Brooklyn. I also called the bed-and-breakfast in Dauphin Island to verify that I could bring Blanka and to get an early check-in. Everything was in order.
I stopped at the Raceway in Mossy Head, where I got a blueberry muffin and a Starbucks Frappuccino. Two good-ol’ boys were sitting out front, ostensibly already drunk. I love how all the female clerks here call me sugar or baby. I heard from Bill this morning who finished his Southern Tier in San Diego yesterday. Mark and Sandi would be reaching Palatka today and St Augustine tomorrow. I let Blanka eat the muffin crumbs and she devoured the paper cup. I hope she doesn’t throw that up. I removed my sweater, lathered myself with sunscreen, put the brim on my helmet, and donned the UV protectors on my extremities.
After a few miles of pedaling we entered Okaloosa County. The railroad tracks were still to the left and the Interstate had split away to the south. We still had a wide shoulder. Trees lined both sides of the roads and there was intermittent traffic.
I stopped at the Dollar General to get a replacement battery for the bike computer and I realized that my Cyclemeter app had crashed, so today’s data would need some adjusting. I was surrounded by pine and the grade was flat. I’ve been seeing references to the Emerald Coast, and we just rode past the Emerald Coast Zoo. I noticed huge plumes of smoke to the southwest, perhaps from the power plant at Fort Walton.
We crossed over the Shoal River and flipped to map panel #93. The copper colored river was one of the clearest I’d seen, so we pulled over and coasted down to the boat ramp. I figured Blanka would want to take a swim. She got her feet wet and lapped some of the cool water, but neglected to take a plunge. I flipped the map panel and we headed towards Crestview.
As we entered Crestview the shoulder ended and the curbs began. It was a busy four-lane highway. We passed the Okaloosa County Department of Corrections, sporting a razor wire fence and a mote. By 11:30 AM it was getting warm. I stopped at Thai Siam Cuisine where I ordered the Curry Jumbo Shrimp and two Cokes. I calculated the loss of mileage and need to add 5.5 miles to Cyclemeter data and 22.75 miles to the odometer. With an elevation of 235 feet Crestview is one of the highest points in Florida.
We rode curb gutters and sidewalks to get to the edge of town where the shoulder returned. It was 79° F, with not a single cloud in the sky. Eventually US 90 merged down to two lanes. We crossed the Yellow River, which actually had a muddy brown color. We entered the town of Milligan, no population listed. US 90 crossed over the railroad tracks and they were now to my right. We encountered a bit of a headwind.
We pulled into the small town of Holt, no population listed. I noticed a post office that seemed to still be open, so I stopped for some postcard stamps. The clerk had actually just closed a few minutes earlier, but allowed me to purchase the stamps. Continuing through town I passed a Marathon Food Mart which was flying a half American / half confederate flag. Boycott Marathon.
We exited Highway 90 on some small country roads headed towards Blackwater River State Park. There was no traffic and it was delightful. We were still following the Great Florida Birding Trail. There were small homes and trailers, and generally a simple life around here. We crossed over the Blackwater River which was copper in color. We were now in Santa Rosa County.
We crossed over Big Juniper Creek and then climbed out of the valley. We had the following roads completely to ourselves; Bryants Bridge Road, Bob Pitts Road, and Indian Ford Road. It was a lovely afternoon. We took a left onto Munson Highway and again had to deal with high speed traffic . We crossed over Big Coldwater Creek, which out west would be called a river. We noticed Bob’s canoe and tube rental.
Roseville Community wasn’t even listed on my paper map. Here we took a left on the Blackwater trail, on our final stretch into Milton. We were passed by many day cyclists out on the trail. Blanka needed a break and my chain needed to be cleaned so we pulled over. Blanka did her business and ate some grass. I got ride of all that transmission noise before any of my cycling buddies gave me a had time on Instagram.
As we pedaled into Milton I was scouting for stealth camping sites. It was either camp along the trail or ride back four miles to a campground east on US 90. We assed another confederate flag on our final approach into Milton.
We went to the Beardless Brewery where I ordered several Oatmeal Cookie Brown Ales, along with a few Irish Red Ales. I ordered fish tacos from Brew Angels across the street, as well as a hamburger patty for Blanka. The brewery was located in a former gas station, and we sat out front at a picnic table while locals played corn hole. It was a gorgeous evening.
After the brewery we backtracked to a stealth camping site that I had spotted earlier.
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