Southern Tier Day #9 Milton, FL to Pensacola, FL
Southern Tier Day #9
April 6, 2021
Milton, FL to Pensacola, FL 25 Miles
Start 7:12 AM
Finish 10:59 AM
Ride Time 2:25
Ascent 376 Feet
Descent 401 Feet
Tour Total 589 Miles
I slept well stealth camping alongside the Blackwater State Trail, underneath a large oak tree not far from the Munson Highway. We were tucked in behind some bushes and catty corner to the Circle K / Shell station. We got up with the birds chirping and the morning light and and had the rig packed up and on the trail just as the first dog walker was coming through. There had been heavy condensation inside the fly, and small slugs had attached themselves to the tent. A maintenance guy was mowing the nearby lawn at City Hall as we were leaving. Adjoining Stewart Street aka SR 87 was a busy thorough fare, and the traffic had settled down during the night. After a little bit of pedaling the trail ended, and we were back on US 90 in the thick of the sprawl.
A light morning fog hung low on the highway. I had a small shoulder running alongside all the familiar American ticky-tacky franchises. US 90 at this point was a divided highway with four lanes of heavy traffic. We went over a couple of sharp bumps and I could feel my front tire going soft. I had a flat. Front tires are so much easier to fix than a rear. I could leave the bike standing and only the front panniers needed to be removed. I found the culprit - a very thin sharp piece of wire, which I was able to push through the tire. I swapped in a new tube, pumped it up, and we were on our way.
I was wearing my sweater, leg-warmers, short sleeve jersey, and bike shorts. By 8 AM I was getting warm. We entered Pace, population 20,039. It was basically a continuation of the never ending sprawl. The heavy early morning traffic continued. We had a nice bike lane through Pace. My rear tire was feeling a little low, so I pulled over and inflated it. We came to Escambia Bay and crossed on a small thin causeway built on land and various bridges. Early morning fisherman could be seen out in their boats.
The causeway felt like an interstate and I was uncomfortable towing Blanka, as the shoulder was only about 3 feet wide. We crossed the Escambia River and entered Escambia County, our last county in Florida. We took a left onto the Pensacola Scenic Bluffs Highway. It was two lane with a nice shoulder, but lots of early morning motor traffic. As the name implied, the road had a lot of ups and downs. I pulled over to once again inflate my rear tire that had deflated. I removed my leg-warmers and sweater, and put on my sunglasses.
We crossed the Pensacola city limits. Pensacola is the oldest European settlement in North America. It pre-dates St. Augustine, but was not continuously inhabited. At Devil’s Point I flipped the map section to panel # 91. Some lawn worker guys were checking us out and laughing. In reference to Blanka they shouted, “She’s got it made!”.
Toward the center of town we got a bike lane. We rode through the neighborhood of East Hill, and passed a day cyclist going in the other direction. I had to pull over again to put more air in my rear tire. We were exactly an hour ahead of schedule and pulled over at the Coffee Cup where we sat out front on the porch. I ordered eggs Benedict with avocado and tomato with a side of grits. The server brought Blanka ice water with lemon, which was too cold and citrusy for her pallet. While I was organizing files for my upcoming class, Blanka barfed up bile all over the porch. I called and made a camping reservation for tomorrow night at Gulf State Park in Alabama. The site was $60.
Check in at the hotel went quickly. Blanka and all of the gear was ferried up to the room, and I quickly set up all of the damp gear to dry. I showered and was ready for my class ten minutes before start time.
The class went well, and I don’t think my students realized that I was far away form New York on a bike tour. After class Blanka and I walked over to the historic center of town. We stopped at Seville Quarter where we sat out in the courtyard and I enjoyed several Avalanche Ales along with an order of chicken wings. Afterwards we walked over to the waterfront and went to Jack’s Bar & Grille where I enjoyed an order of fish tacos along with two bottles of Riptide Pensacola Bay Brewery. Blanka woofed down a hamburger patty. Back at the room I packed up all of the dried equipment and patched both tubes. The rear tire was now ready to roll.
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