Celebration

Dipping our front wheels in the Atlantic Ocean. We started on March 5 by dipping our back wheels in the Pacific Ocean.

St. Augustine FL April 29, 2010

We started the day with a final 40 mile ride through rural northern Florida, farms, mostly growing potatoes and deep woods. We arrived at the firehouse in St. Augsutine where we met our escort for the parade, 2 SUV police cruisers and two policemen on motorcycles. Here we are lining up. They took us through the town itself with all the intesections closed while we passed through. When we arrived at Anastasia State Park on the ocean they turned on their lights and sirens and we had a dramatic ride through the park to the ocean.

Here we are lining up for the parade.

What will I miss most when the tour ends?

Tomorrow we will arrive in St. Augustine. I wonder if I will sleep at all tonight. What will life be like back in the real world? We have spent 58 days together, this band of 22 independent determined women. We have conquered mountains, hills, rain, snow, leaking hotel roofs, and Txas chipseal roads. Tomorrow we will reach the Atlantic Ocean, or goal. As Linda says "3098 miles on a tiny seat."

I will miss the comraderie. I will miss seeing my sister every day. I will miss not being able to eat 5,000 calories a day. I will miss having a chef and needing to do my own grocery shopping and meal planning. In the photo is our chef telling us what she made for dinner. I will miss the countryside and riding and riding and riding.

Perry to High Springs to Patlaka FL April 27 and 28, 2010

Two days of 70+ miles each. Tuesday we passed through pine forest, horse farms and Ichetucknee Springs State Park. The state park was home to beautiful clear springs, the clearest most pristine water imaginable. The color was a turquoise blue. We stood in the cold clear water and soaked our aching legs.

Today started out with lots of logging trucks coming toward us and the faint smell of a paper mill nearby. As we rode the countryisde changed back to farms,mostly cattle. In the afternoon the logging trucks were all going the same direction we were. I never want to see another one from the viewpoint of a bike seat.

We saw this Brahman bull by the radside. I do not ever remember seeing one with floppy ears liek this guy had.

Wakulla Springs to Perry FL April 26, 2010

A short fast ride 51 miles. We had a decent shoulder and road surface, somewhat of a tailwind and the terrain was flat, flat, flat. The miles zoomed by. Mostly it was through pine forests.

uUr lunch stop was at Mama's Italian restaurant, great food, cooked and served by Mama herself. She was a delight to talk to.

Our conversations lately are centering around where we will bike next and trying not to be morose that the ride is about to end. Our friend Patty wonders if she goes out to her driveway after the ride and sits on a plastic chair whether someone will bring her dinner?

Wakulla Springs FL, April 24 and 25, 2010

A rest day at Wakulla Springs. An interesting place. Known for its crystal clear spring fed lake. There are under water caverns. Dinosaur bones discovered here. Movies have been filmed here including Tarzan and Airplane 1976. The lake is full of alligators, turtles and fish. Birds abound in the woods surrounding the lake. It poured rain on Sunday morning. It was so nice to wake up to the sound of rain and thunder and know we did not need to go anywhere.

A special note of interest to my parents and siblings, Edward Ball a plilanthropist and successful businessman, whose name was everywhere and who had the lodge built was a married to to Alfred I. Dupont's sister. We grew up on a farm we rented from the Alred I. Dupont Estate. Small world!

Marianna to Quincy FL Aprill 23, 2010

A short beautiful ride, 54 miles, to the county seat of Quincy.Country roads. Miss Helen at lunch said that htere are 25 Coca Cola millionaires in Jackson County. They took a chance and bought some Coca Cola stock way back when.....

This picture is or my granddaughter Quincy.