Yes, we still love one another

Dear Readers,

We made it! Our bikes are packed up in the back of our rental car, and today we made over 120 miles up the coast without breaking a sweat. Driving sure is easier but not nearly as pretty.

Last time you heard from us we were squeaking our feet in the quartz-heavy sand on the Emerald Coast. Walking on the bone-white "sugar sand" as it's called sounds like you're washing a window that's already clean. The steady squeaking accompanied us down to the water for our first dip in the Gulf of Mexico at Rosemary Beach.

Squeakin'

The next day, we ate breakfast at the bright pink Sunnyside Grill and rode to Port Saint Joe, mostly hugging the beach along 30A. We got to see Galen, a Potsdam friend down there, and stay with his wonderful Nana. We loved watching The Currys play a gig that night at the Haughty Heron as the sun set behind them.

The Currys are Galen and his cousins Tommy and Jimmy. We had a blast watching them play!

This kid danced until he collapsed.

On Sunday we shot down to Apalachicola, which is known to some as the oyster capital of the world, and filled up on the famous invertebrates. They deserved their fame! And don't worry, we made sure to call our moms and mom-figures. Happy Mother's Day!

Delicious oysters!

We've been averaging one hotel per state, and we decided that we'd stay in our last of the trip in Sopchoppy, FL that night... mostly so we could line it up with our weekly Game of Thrones episode. The Magnuson Hotel was the nicest of the tour and our stay was so comfortable there (they had a great complimentary breakfast!). We totally recommend it to any cyclist looking for a little respite from the intense heat and humidity.

Cruising through the pine plantations.

After a long, humid day through rural, middle of nowhere, beautiful Florida pine forests, we arrived at our favorite campsite of the tour. We were so lucky to stumble on the Suwannee River Rendezvous Campground.

I don't like camping at RV parks, and I don't like that so few campgrounds even allow tent camping these days, only allowing more lucrative site rentals to campers and RVs. Grandma Susie, as she's called at the campground, explained that although they make most of their money at the RV park, they maintain some isolated tent sites right by the river. The upside is that they still have some nice amenities usually reserved for RV parks. Thus, we got to swim in the crystal clear Convict Springs by ourselves and then warm up in a really nice, clean hot tub.

Wildflowers- our constant companions. The species changed, the flowers hung on.

Historical note! Convict Springs was named as such because it used to be the site of a prison work camp. The prison was closed because the area was so hot and muggy that it was considered cruel and unusual to require hard labor there. Outside of the cool refuge of the spring we can attest that yes, that part of Florida is hot and muggy to the point of cruel- even by mid-May.

Suwannee River Rendezvous Campsite. Can you find the tent in the lower left quadrant?

We rode a short day to Ichetucknee Springs State Park on Tuesday and floated down the river for about 90 minutes surrounded by pileated woodpeckers, turtles, and cypress trees. I highly recommend it! We rented some rafts from a nearby RV park and ended up spending an ant-covered night there before riding to Gainesville on Wednesday.

Floating in the Ichetucknee

Cypress trees, like some other swamp trees, frequently have weird "knees" poking out of the muck. Their function is likely gas exchange but is still argued.

Once in Gainesville, we drank Gatorade (invented for the Gators football team) and hung out with a long-lost cousin on Will's side, then stayed with a family friend, Jonathan. We ate an amazing dinner and drank some tasty Florida beers at The Top (thanks Jonathan!), then had a great night's sleep before our LAST DAY!

I didn't know what my emotions were going to do as we rode into Saint Augustine. It was one of the hottest days of the tour, and riding was more comfortable than standing still. At least we got a breeze while we moved. Luckily, we had a smooth and shady bike path to lead us the first 20 miles out of Gainesville. The road got steadily worse as we approached our final destination.

Gainesville bike path

The bad roads culminated with the closest near-miss we have had with a car as a driver lost control of her vehicle and swerved off the road and into the ditch. She was covered in mud as she emerged but everyone was alright. We were again faced with how lucky we have been, and how safety is nothing to take for granted. Drive safe out there.

Saint Augustine's city gates.

So we rode. My eyes stung as we approached the beach. Maybe it was sweat, maybe not. We smelled brackish water.

Finally, the moment of truth. We dragged our creaking bikes across the sand and dipped our tires in the surf. No trumpets sounded, no parades came through, but we were there. We were done. We leaned the bikes against one another and jumped in the ocean.

We did it!

Stay tuned! Our tour is over, but we'll add details of our packing list and other information of interest to prospective bike tourists. We're so grateful to all of our hosts including Gloria and Steve in Saint Augustine, Bob and Charlotte in Savannah, and soon Melissa in Greensboro, NC. What a ride.

-SLL