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

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 mo...

Southern Tier Day #7 April 4, 2021 Marianna, FL to DeFuniak Springs, FL 65 Miles Start 7:39 AM   Finish 4:49 PM   Ride Time 6:37 Ascent 889 Feet Descent 721 Feet Tour Total 493 Miles Details at: https://cyclemeter.com/3f1ef27914a4c684/Cycle-20210404-0739-62926 I slept great last night at Florida Caverns RV Park & Campground. We went to bed early and slept for a long time. I woke up at 6:30 AM Central and it was cold out. There was quite a bit of condensation and the tent fly was completely soaked. My clothes, that had been left on the line, were damp and cold. It was a deliberate slow pack-up. We were now in Central Time, and it would be an easier day today. I was finally feeling that I had the itinerary under control. Blanka was constipated this morning but she kept in her big dinner from last night, and there was no whining during the night. She enjoyed the campground, and she was extremely well behaved. She relished laying in the grass and listening to the sounds. I los...

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 Details at: https://cyclemeter.com/3f1ef27914a4c684/Cycle-20210405-0752-47431 I slept well camped alongside Juniper Lake at Bass Haven Campground. It got cold last evening and Blanka retired into the tent early. I sat out at the picnic table for another beer amidst to cacophony of chirping frogs. It was a slow pack-up this morning. Blanka scavenged other campsites while I took down the tent and put everything back into the panniers. There was condensation in the fly so I stowed it underneath my rack pack. The fly wasn’t nearly as soaked as yesterday. I was wearing a sweater, short-sleeve jersey, and bike shorts. It was a little chilly, but I could tell that the sun was going to blaze.   As we rode back through Defuniak Springs a local business owner was out in front of his establishment hoisting...

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 Details at: https://cyclemeter.com/3f1ef27914a4c684/Cycle-20210406-0712-64953 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...

Southern Tier Day #10 April 7, 2021 Pensacola, FL to Gulf State Park, AL 39 Miles Start 9:27 AM   Finish 5:33 PM   Ride Time 4:17 Ascent 108 Feet Descent 150 Feet Tour Total 634 Miles Details at: https://cyclemeter.com/3f1ef27914a4c684/Cycle-20210407-0927-15404 I slept well at the Days Inn in room 354. Blanka slept with me, and her soft furry body is a delight to cuddle to. I had weird cycling dreams and woke up at 6 AM. I rolled over for another hour. Before leaving the room I took advantage of the WiFi and did some grading. I brought the rig down to the parking lot and loaded everything up. We rode back down Palafox Street to the park so that Blanka could do her business. The Pensacola   historic district was beautiful and reminded me of New Orleans. We criss-crossed the historic center and basically covered the same ground as yesterday’s walk. We rode back to Coffee Cup for breakfast. The server remembered Blanka from yesterday and her vomiting episode. There weren’t e...

Southern Tier Day #11  April 8, 2021 Gulf State Park, AL to Dauphin Island, AL 35 Miles Start 5:45 AM   Finish 10:35 AM   Ride Time 4:03 Ascent 98 Feet Descent 104 Feet Tour Total 668 Miles Details at: https://cyclemeter.com/3f1ef27914a4c684/Cycle-20210408-0545-91716 I slept great last night until about 5AM when I began hearing drops hit my tent. I had to water a tree, so I went outside to do my business. The alarm had been set for 6 AM and I could feel the rain getting stronger. It made the most sense to just get up and try to get some mileage behind me. I got the tent emptied out and gear stashed. I quickly folded the tent and footprint. But heavy showers hit before I could fold up the fly. It was going to be a rough morning. It was still dark and I turned on my lights. Cracks of thunder and flashes of lightening filled the sky as we pedaled out of the campground. I remembered the route back to the bike trail. My phone was in my rear pocket, and I double-checked every q...