Suwannee River to Marietta, FL
50 miles
This morning I could not get organized. Felt like I was going in slow motion. It was 42 degrees this morning. It was cold, but my sleeping bag was nice and warm. Hated getting out :-). We were up at 6:30 and riding by 8:10 am.
Today was a very hard day on the bike. 50 miles isn’t much, but fighting head winds all the way really beat us down. But I’m not complaining. No way, it was a cake walk.
About 30 miles into our ride, we stopped at the top of a hill for some water and to catch our breath. As we were recuperating, a couple (husband & wife) coming from the other direction came across the road and stopped to chat a bit.
They had started from El Paso about 6 weeks earlier. The guy was a retired Army officer and asked how long I was in the Corps (he saw my USMC flag). We talked military stuff for a while, then we talked biking.
He is completing going around the perimeter of the whole United States. WOW! Plus, he had done the central route too. On this trip he had broken his chain and had fixed it, but it was too short and he couldn’t use his high gears.
We told him he probably wouldn’t find a bike shop until he got to Gainesville. We said our goodbyes and they headed east. As they rode off Bob said to me, “If I complain about anything on this trip, kick my butt.” I said that goes double for me.
The guy we had been talking to had his right artificial leg strapped to his center tube. This guy was riding with only his left leg.
Kick me if I complain about anything!!!
Today's 50 miler
Seems like you are meeting with people doing biking and getting info at the same time guess your slow start is not too bad after all
We are so proud of you all. We love your posts. Keep up the good work.
So many amazing stories and only Day 6.
Hi Bob, How Ironic, now that you are biking across US with very few amenities, you are now within email reach. Ironic!. Looks like a great trip, I will be tracking you guys. Be Safe. and Have fun goes without saying! Randy
howdy, I am a friend of Terry Johnson who told me about your trip. I did a transam on the mid-continent route in 2010 and loved it. I am going to do your route (the other direction in Feb/Mar) next year so am excited to follow your blog. Had to laugh about a comment about cell service the other day in your blog. The main reason I have Verizon is because of the terrible coverage we had with AT&T on our 2010 trip. Have a great trip!!
This is not a race, just go at your own pace. Don’t set times. Hope you have better weather from here on out. Love ya Joann