Day 2: Brake Cables and Warm Showers

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Cheryl updating again tonight for Chuck with info from his phone call.

Day 2: Keystone Heights to Gainesville, FL
53 miles

Chuck called tonight with news that they guys didn’t make it to their original destination of Alachua today due to rain and bike repairs. They had to take advantage of the accommodations provided by Warm Showers, a network of cyclists for reciprocal hospitality for touring bicyclists.

So tonight the guys are staying at the home of Tom Harris, who Chuck says is a really nice guy. He also has a cat, Leo, that can do tricks, including jumping through a hoop! Chuck emailed a picture of their host, but says he’ll have to send the rest of his pictures and video of Leo’s tricks later.

Our fantastic host: Tom and his cat, Leo.

Tom’s house and property is very nice are quite large, and it took the guys about 30 minutes of traveling through the woods from the bike trail just to get to it, but he said it was well worth it under the circumstances and they really appreciate Tom’s hospitality.

Bob on the trail to Tom's house

Bob on the trail to Tom's house

After starting out from Keystone Heights, Chuck and the guys rode part of the way today on the Gainesville-Hawthorne State Park Trail. Around lunch time they stopped in the town of Hampton and ate at Subway. There was a big, black cloud right on top of them, so they thought it was a good time for a break. Bob said, “Come on rain! Rain hard!” Chuck asked him why he was rooting for rain, especially a hard rain. Bob told him that if it rained hard and fast, it would probably rain itself out quicker and they wouldn’t have to worry about it again. Turns out, that’s exactly what happened.

The skies opened up and it poured while they guys ate lunch, staying dry in Subway. It was still raining some when they finished, so they walked over under the overhang in the shopping center to a grocery store and got something for tonight’s dinner.

Bob persuaded Chuck to buy a mircrowave version of Macaroni and Cheese and just use boiling water to prepare it. We tried that before to see how it might work on the road. We were less than impressed and it was barely edible. I’m surprised Chuck agreed. Turns out it worked out perfectly though, because Tom had a microwave and Chuck cooked it the way it’s supposed to be cooked. Again, from experience, Kraft microwavable Mac & Cheese is actually pretty good when cooked per the package instructions.

Once back out on the road, they headed towards Alachua, but when they got into Gainesville they had a mechanical problem.

The guys were stopped at a traffic signal and the road was clear and the light was in their favor, however the crossing signal was red. Chuck slowed to stop, but Bob did not and he tried to stop, but his brake cable was broken. Bob didn’t fall, but they needed to get the brake cable fixed. It wasn’t repairable with their tools and supplies, so they rode around Gainesville in search of a bike shop. They found one on University Avenue and got the cable replaced, but it took a while, putting them behind schedule.

Knowing that they wouldn’t make their destination that night, they checked the Warm Showers network to see if there were any nearby participants. Finding Tom, they had to backtrack to the trail to get to his house — a few extra miles, but necessary under the circumstances.

Everyone is safe and dry and resting up to start again tomorrow morning from Gainesville, FL to (hopefully) Ichetucknee Springs.

Day 1: We’re Off!

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Cheryl posting for Chuck today.

Day 1: St. Augustine to Keystone Heights, FL
80 miles

Bob got up early and started getting his gear prepared. Chuck got up soon after and did the same.

Did someone put weights in this bag when I was sleeping?

O-Dark-Thirty - Early Morning Final Preparations

We had breakfast and checked the map again…

Where are we going again?

Then there was more food to get ready…

Nothing like PB&J

Final packing of gear…

We really taking all this?

Got the microwave?

Tightening the straps

Looks good!

Attaching Bob's B.O.B.

And they’re off from the campsite…

Leaving the campsite

Dipping their wheels into the Atlantic…

Atlantic

Final pictures with Cheryl & Shadow…

Chuck and Shadow

Me, Cheryl, and Shadow

Of course, the start this morning couldn’t be without a harried moment or two. As Chuck and Bob rode up to the campground gates, Chuck came to halt and frantically told me he forgot his SPOT GPS tracker. As he unpacked his B.O.B. bag to see if he had packed it away, I drove back to the campsite to see if I could find it there.

Where is SPOT?

Fortunately I found it at the RV and brought it back. Chuck was VERY relieved. Luckily he noticed it was missing before we got too far from the campground.

Once everything was re-packed and everyone was sure they had what they needed for the next two months on the road, I took a ‘starting line’ picture of Bob and Chuck, hugged and kissed Chuck goodbye, and the guys were off and riding their bikes through St. Augustine.

Let's Go!

Saying goodbye and so happy to finally get going!

I followed in the car and took some more pictures and videos until they crossed Lion Bridge.

first intersection

First intersection of many to come.

As they waited for the light to change at the intersection, they were already getting questions from interested strangers. “Where are you headed? How long will it take you?” I’m sure it won’t be the last time they hear that!

So excited

Chuck called this evening to say everyone arrived safely at their first stop. Chuck sounded good and said he felt tired, but not bad. His first call (at around 7pm) he cut short, saying that they had just gotten to the campground and were feeling sprinkles, so they wanted to get their tents up in case it rained. He called back about an hour-and-a-half later to give more details.

The guys are camping overnight at Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park, where they had made reservations by phone yesterday. They didn’t realize that the park would be an extra ten miles from the destination for the first day of cycling on the Adventure Cycling map, which was Keystone Heights. Turns out the entire day’s mileage was higher than they anticipated and they cycled about 80 miles when they thought they’d be doing about 60.

I asked Chuck where the miscalculation came from. Was it bad mapping; taking a wrong turn; detours? He said they really weren’t sure but they didn’t get lost and that the map, GPS, and actual mileage was all different. Bottom line was, it was a very long day of cycling, and the longest Chuck has done in a very long while. In training, Bob and Chuck’s longest ride was around 60 miles, so they increased they’re mileage by about 35% in one day. Not ideal, but they all seem to be handling it well.

I took a lot of videos today and they are now uploaded on YouTube. Here is one of Bob & Chuck dipping their wheels in the Atlantic to start the ride:

You can see the rest of the videos anytime by clicking the link above or the VIDEOS link in the menu at the top of the blog. I’ll add more videos as I get them.

T-minus-1: Sightseeing St. Augustine

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Cheryl posting for Chuck, as he’s busy getting all his electronic gadgets charged and ready, and getting to bed early to be fresh for the start of the ride tomorrow.

Bob was up VERY early this morning and rode his bike into town and had some breakfast. He came back just as we were having our own breakfast and we all got together for some coffee before heading over to the Salt Run at Anastasia State Park to check out my new Firefly kayak.

On the water

While I paddled out and back for about a half hour, Chuck checked out the oyster beds and all of the tiny crabs running around on the shoreline while Bob caught up on his reading.

Lots of oysters, and all of them sharp

After some lunch at the RV, we toured some of the sights in St. Augustine – the oldest city in the USA. We started with the St. Augustine Lighthouse.

Chuck & Shadow at St. Augustine Lighthouse

Bob said he doesn’t like heights, so he stayed at ground level to check out the lighthouse and museum.

Bob checks out the bottom floor of the lighthouse — and this enormous wrench!

Chuck climbed the 219 steps to the observation deck at the top and tried to figure out which bridge they would have to cycle over tomorrow. There were several bridges to choose from and from high up in the lighthouse, Chuck said it was hard to tell for sure which one it was.

219 steps

Hello down there!

After touring the grounds along with Shadow (they welcome dogs, just not in the buildings or lighthouse, which is much nicer than the Fort — where we were told no dogs allowed) we all drove down to the ‘Old City’ section of St. Augustine and Bob and Chuck toured Fort Matanzas National Monument on their own.

Walking up to Fort Matanzas

Bob checking out one of the canons

Chuck waves from the wall

Together in front of Fort Matanzas Nat'l Monument

After the Fort, and in search of ice cream for Bob, we walked St. George Street, where the prevailing theme was NOT ALLOWED. First, the grounds keeper at a nearby church said their garden was closed and kicked out everyone who was resting and sitting on a bench and locked the gate behind us. As we walked across the street to a city park, we saw this sign in front of a monument:

Monument to the Constitution. But note the sign, "Do Not Enter Inside Chain. Strictly Enforced. Police Dept."

As we continued on St. George Street, Bob pointed out this sign on the entrance to a store. Chuck thought the ‘no photos’ part particularly funny, so he had to test it out with a photo of his own below:

No EVERYTHING?

This sign made up for all the others, though:

Now that's more like it! A welcome sign for cyclists.

The architecture and parks in St. Augustine are really beautiful and a photographer’s dream.

Don Pedro Menendez De Aviles - Founder of St. Augustine statue in front of Lightner Museum

The old buildings are really neat to see, too.

Oldest School House

Bob eventually gave up on ice-cream, as one-scoop was $5 or more everywhere we went and it was just the principal of it all. Eventually we found a little market to get some drinks at near the Lightner Museum where we walked through the beautifully landscaped courtyard.

Just a taste of the visual beauty. The sweet smell of flowers was amazing.

We then headed back to the campground for dinner and final planning for the ride start tomorrow.

We all had a good evening breaking bread together, and I sent the guys off with a last ‘home-cooked’ meal including pot-roast and salad topped off with ice cream and cookies for desert. They need the calories and will burn them off soon enough. Bob keeps saying he’ll have to mail Chuck back to Florida in an envelope if he loses any weight on this trip. Now Chuck has an excuse to eat all he wants, and cave in to his sweet tooth.

conversation & ice cream

Conversation & Ice Cream

After some good conversation and the last bits of final planning (Chuck and Bob plan to dip their tires into the Atlantic before beginning the ride tomorrow morning, as is the custom) we all said goodnight.

I could tell everyone was eager to get going, but the long day and, I’m sure (though they’ll never admit it), some nervousness, seem to have gotten to them as Chuck and Bob both said goodnight early. Won’t be long now…

T-minus-2: Camping St. Augustine

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Today was the day we left for St. Augustine to begin the ride. After picking up Bob and his gear, we all headed to the East Coast with the RV to camp at Anastasia State Park. This park is right on the Atlantic Ocean, and the end point — or beginning —  for many cyclists who ride the Adventure Cycling Association Southern Tier Route.

Chuck & Shadow relaxing at the campsite

We settled in at our campsite, then emptied the RV of bike gear so Bob could do some exploring on his bike.

Bob re-assembling his bike

Later we had a dinner of pigs-in-blankets, BBQ beans, and Bob’s special salad.

Making plans for tomorrow before dinner

Apparently Bob really likes to cook. He made this salad, and he told us about some home-made chili he made this weekend, and he brought some home-made spit pea soup with him for lunch.

Bob's salad

We decided that tomorrow we’ll watch Cheryl test out her new kayak, then we’ll go into downtown St. Augustine to see the lighthouse, fort, and whatever else looks interesting.

Blogging While Cycling

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No blogging while actually riding. Really. :-)

Just a note to say that blogging while riding cross-country might be a challenge. My bride has already told me, based on her own ride back in 2000, that she knows that technical problems like no wifi or cell signal or low power, or me being just too tired, will make it hard for me to write a post and send photos and videos in real-time every single day.

So we decided that when I can’t write myself, Cheryl will fill-in for me. She’ll let you know what’s going on based on my phone calls to her. She’ll also add my photos and videos and my own writing later, when I am able to email them to her.

Final Shakedown & Thanks

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Today started off on a mixed note. I spent most of yesterday re-packing my B.O.B. trailer for our last training ride today. I don’t know where all that stuff came from but my B.O.B. was way over-stuffed. The center of gravity was too high and when Bob and I took off I felt shaky on the bike for the first time.

We were a little late to join the group that we ride with so we just rode south. I was still feeling a little shaky and when we got to Floral City, and my back tire looked a little soft. Duh, over-packed and a soft tire makes for an unstable ride.

My B.O.B. is bigger than your B.O.B. - not a good thing

Bob continued south while I changed my tire. I put on the new tire and tire liner I have been carrying for our trip. When Bob returned we went to breakfast at Shamrock.

When we came out of Shamrock’s there was a small bag of goodies with a card stuck on my B.O.B. A gift from Cindy and Regis for our trip. Kind of made my whole day.

Goody Bag Surprise

Bob then told me he had a gift from Mary & Rick and Mari & Jerry for me, what a nice group of people to think of us in that way; really means a lot. Thank you guys and girls!

Thoughtful gifts for cyclists from Mary & Rick, Mari & Jerry, and Regis & Cindy

Bob’s brother in Rhode Island also sent us very bright bike shirts for our ride. Life doesn’t get much better than this.

Can You "See Me? Wear" Jerseys

Cheryl (my Beautiful Bride ) has been working hard on getting our web site up for the trip and it looks great, I am one lucky guy.

Oh! One other gift I received: my sister did some needle-point on a jacket for me for the ride. I drew-up the design and she did a fantastic job of making it something I can be proud to wear.

Joann, Me and the great jacket logo she embroidered for me

After the ride Bob helped me re-pack my stuff and I feel much more confident my B.O.B. won’t be over-loaded now. So a day that started off a little shaky ended up pretty good.