Done!

The riding part of the tour came to an end today as we rode to the beach in St. Augustine and dipped our front tires into the Atlantic. We have a celebration dinner at a restaurant near our hotel tonight to say our goodbyes and then tomorrow morning we all go our separate ways. For me endings and goodbyes are always a challenge. All the hoopla seems a bit too much to me. While I feel extraordinarily lucky to have had the opportunity to make this journey and have enjoyed so many aspects of it.....the comaraderie, the day by day close up views of the southern part of the US, the exhilaration of feeling such confidence in my strong body.....I hardly feel heroic. Lucky! Just really lucky!
And I am ready to go home and reclaim my daily life, build up my gardens for the coming season, get my grill set up on my deck, reconnect with family and friends, and yes....head out on my bicycle to enjoy some of the challenging rides in the Bekshires that I have not done for the past few years. Life is good!

One more detail I forgot....on our entire journey across the US we never rode in the rain! Amazing!

Hose clamp and duct tape

Just when you think you've got it in the bag life offers you a different option! Stopped at the SAG at the 40 mile point to fill up my water bottles. All was going along just fine. But when I cleated in to ride the last segment my chain jammed. Looking down it was totally obvious that something was wrong with my front derailleur. Walked back to the SAG to get an allen wrench to reposition and tighten it and discovered, with the help of Lisa (our SAG driver), that the clamp that attaches the derailleur to the down tube had snapped. Uh oh! Not an on the roadside fix. So we racked up my bicycle and I rode in to our nightly accommodation. There our trip guide rummaged through their tool kit and found a hose clamp that she attached under the derailleur clamp and then duct taped the whole thing together to the down tube. So I am now fixed gear in front with my middle chain ring but still have gears in the back. In flat Florida that will easily get me through the police motorcade into St. Augustine tomorrow on the final miles of the tour to the beach. What's amazing really is that my original Campy equipment has lasted through the thousands of miles I have put on my bicycle until today. I can hardly complain! It may mean that I will have to buy some new components when I get home....
Tomorrow is going to be hectic with the motorcade (about which I have little excitement), a picnic at the beach for the riders and who ever has come to welcome them and then a final celebration banquet for riders only in the evening. Then Friday morning a shuttle to Jacksonville airport for my flights home. The adventure is coming to an end!

Wild flowers

The ride today was 78 miles as I did it...which did not include a side trip into a state park with a spring fed pool. Several riders took that option, but I have learned that on a ride of more than 60 miles if I don't get into town and find real food I will be struggling at the end. So I headed directly to our motel, arriving around 2:00, and immediately ran to the diner across the street for lunch. Phew!
The first 45 miles of the ride were more of what we have been riding.....a two lane state highway with a shoulder and some traffic....and so flat that passing cars disappear into the horizon. These miles were rescued from tedium by the presence of glorious wild flowers....pinks, yellows, pale blues. Most of the morning the sky was overcast so the heat and humidity didn't begin to rise until closer to noon. The second part of the ride followed a bike path for a while and then some less traveled roads before putting us back on a state route for the final miles into town. Who knew Florida was so flat?!
More on fried pickles.... I have it on good authority that while it may not be considered a vegetable it is definitely considered a staple! Sorry for us in the north!

A one gear ride

Those of us who come from parts of the US that have terrain have a hard time imagining that one could ride for over 50 miles and never need to change gears....but that is what we did today. Not even a bridge or overpass to disrupt the cadence. It isn't the ride I would choose for everyday but today it was fun. Just sitting and spinning and watching the road go by. Very Zen!
We are all aware that our adventure is coming to an end and that this group of women who have become "family" to each other over the past eight weeks will be separating to go back to our normal lives. While there is much positive anticipation attached to returning home there is also now an under layer of subdued sadness at something so amazing coming to an end. Shared experience is such a powerful connector!
Three days of riding left to reach St. Augustine and the Atlantic. San Diego and the Pacific seem so long ago......

The beauty of fog

There was fog again this morning when we headed out for our 48 mile ride. Within the first few miles the fog was on my glasses as well as in the air so I stopped to remove them. The beauty of riding in the fog is that you can only see a short distance down the road in front of you. Not seeing what lies ahead you are forced to ride in the present moment. If there is a hill or a section with heavy traffic or no shoulder you don't know it until you get to it. So you just ride it and don't waste energy fretting over it. I loved the ride today. Even though the fog lifted about half way through the tone for the ride had been set and stayed with me to the end.
Tomorrow is our last rest day on this journey across the country. Although there is excitement about finishing most of us are also pretty tired from the past 8 weeks of sustained effort. We need this day off our bicycles and off the road. Four more days of riding and we will be in St. Augustine! I wonder what that will be like?

Who let the dogs out??

Theme song of the day: Who let the dogs out? Chased by all manner of dogs today...and my record of not having met a dog I couldn't outrun remains unbroken. I will say though that there were three large dark brown athletic looking dogs that I was very grateful to observe were securely inside a fence. They looked like they could have given me a good run! You think you're pedaling along at a good clip but when confronted by a dog it's amazing how much faster you can ride. Spontaneous interval training.
It was somewhat misty when we left this morning but it didn't take long for the sun to burn through and take the humidity and temperature up. By midday I had completed the 54 mile ride and was at the hotel and out of the sun. Yesterday I had some trouble with sore elbows and numb outer fingers (not my usual carpal tunnel stuff) but today, being more aware of flexing my arms and reducing the weight on them, I did fine.
I'm really struggling with the food at this point. I walked into the hotel provided breakfast this morning and knew immediately that I was out of luck. Lucky Charms or premixed waffles with HFCS syrup were the main options. A banana was the only thing available that I was willing to consume. So I rode 54 miles on a banana and a small can of V8. For lunch I managed to find a package of tuna and crackers at a convenience store next to the hotel, gave the crackers away, and ate the tuna with another V8. I'll be starving before dinner is served but I'll survive. Lean protein and veggies don't seem to be on the dietary map in major parts of this country. Are fried green pickles considered a vegetable???!

Humidity!

Today we rode 64 miles through some rolling terrain, working our way inland from the coast. Not a particularly long or difficult day in most regards. But today we got hit with the humidity factor and by the end of the ride most of us were depleted and very happy to arrive at our hotel in Crestview. It looks like the humidity will be with us for the next few days. No shortage of challenges on this ride! Seven riding days left......