Description: Completed the 55 mile ride today in Palatka Florida. Tomorrow will be my final day of biking and the ride will be less than 50 miles to St. Augustine. Yee haa!
I could put everyone to sleep with details about what time I woke up today or what I ate for breakfast, or how many sandwiches I had for lunch, or how strong Theresa and Kevin rode today, or how many flats Theresa had today. Nope, I am not going there today. Today, Carl (and he is feeling much better) and I are now just one day away from completing our incredible adventures. For me, it has been 40 days of riding with one rest day on Christmas. I have ridden the Mean Green Machine for just under 3,000 with Wilson always at my side. For Carl, it has been 98 days with around 20 days off and 3,400+ miles. We both have had an amazing adventure but are ready to hit the Atlantic ocean tomorrow and complete our treks. Carl has ridden with me since eastern Texas and the Smit's joined us (a big surprise) at the Texas/Louisiana border and been with us for the final 1,000 miles. Also, I cannot forget to mention my parents shocking me with the Starbucks visit in the rolling hills of Texas. They provided outstanding Sherpa services for 2 and a half days which I greatly appreciated and was the best Christmas present. Kevin and Theresa have also been an incredible help and the best of friends. Carl and I would both highly recommend their Sherpa service to anyone and they could clearly make a living doing this. Theresa is really mastering the art of getting great motels at tremendous prices. Her after ride "happy hours" have helped sooth the aches and pains of many long rides. Every night we have laughed over the day's adventures and poked fun at each other. As a team, we have had the best time and I will never forget this experience.
So, the bottom line is that I am not going to talk about today's windy ride that was just a transport day from Gainesville to just outside of St. Augustine. I can see the end nearing and have already been thinking about how much I will miss this lifestyle and absence of stress. Tomorrow's ride will be fairly short and easy as we wind our way into St. Augustine. I have 3 great friends (George, Tim, and DT) coming down from Raleigh to witness my final miles to the beach, join me in a celebration tomorrow night, and then take me home Saturday afternoon. I can't wait until tomorrow but will surely miss my days on the road....
Good night and happy New Year!
Weather: Chilly, very windy, and overcast this morning and it never really warmed up. The wind was in our face all day which was NO fun.
Performance Metrics:
Miles: 55 Trip: 2,924
Total travel time: 6:00 Trip: 306::30
Bike Riding time: 4:52 Trip: 234:53
Avg speed: 12.93 Trip: 12.96
Max speed: 26.58 Trip: 41.87
Total ascent (ft): 669 Trip: 62,612
Avg pedal RPMs: 77 Trip: 85
Avg heart rate: 97 Trip: 108
Max heart rate: 167 Trip: 195
Calories burned: 3,993 Trip: 177,290
Weather Statistics:
High temp 60 Trip: 77
Low temp: 47 Trip: 27
Hours of rain: 0 Trip: 13:30
Hours of snow: 0 Trip: 0
Total days of rain/snow: 3
Wind factor: Major against.
Total good wind days: 14
Total bad wind days: 26
Misc. Stats:
Flat tires: 0 Trip: 11 (Theresa got her 3rd flat today).
Mechanical failures: 0
Hotel or camping today: hotel - Quality Inn.
Total hotel nights: 39
Total camping nights: 2
Cups of coffee: 3 Trip: 124
Pints: 3 Trip: 78
Mood rating (1-10): 10 - ONE DAY TO GO. I feel great and am in the best mood!
Thursday, January 1, 2009
OK ESN:0-7458562
This is Steve and I am checking in to let everyone know that I have finished my ride for the day safe and sound.
ESN:0-7458562
Latitude:29.6482
Longitude:-81.6277
Nearest Location: N 1st St, Palatka, FL, US
Distance: 0 km(s)
Time:01/01/2009 12:09:08 (US/Pacific)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=29.6482,-81.6277&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
ESN:0-7458562
Latitude:29.6482
Longitude:-81.6277
Nearest Location: N 1st St, Palatka, FL, US
Distance: 0 km(s)
Time:01/01/2009 12:09:08 (US/Pacific)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=29.6482,-81.6277&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
The Wind Gods are VERY Angry!
We have been pounded with high winds all of the way out of Gainesville. I believe the wind gods have mounted their final defense of the east coast. Carl says that nothing can stop him now! We all just finished a quick lunch in Melrose and are now bundling up for the afternoon assault.
Gotta roll.....
Steve
Gotta roll.....
Steve
Day 40 - Wednesday, December 31
Description: Finished the 75 mile ride in Gainesville Florida. Tomorrow, the plan is to ride to Palatka which is a little less than 50 miles from St. Augustine! Yup, just 2 days of riding left and I can smell the barn.
I got up at 6:30 this morning to get prepared for the day's ride. Breakfast was fair, at best, at the Best Western motel. The coffee was real bad and tasted like it was in the pot since yesterday. I had a bowl of cereal with a banana plus a muffin and OJ. Everyone else also ate a light breakfast. Kevin loaded up the van and blasted off to High Springs to drop the van off at the 50 mile mark and ride back to meet us in Branford. Theresa, Carl, and I wore lots of layers as it was real chilly when we started just after 8. We had a nice NNW wind that gave us a little push as we headed south toward Branford. Theresa showed no signs of her wreck based on how strongly she rode today right from the motel parking lot. I could barely keep up and warned her to pace herself several times. She did develop a very nasty bruise on her hip and a sore neck from yesterday's "Incident". After 22 miles, we got on a great bike path that we followed for over the next 18 miles through Branford, along the Suwannee river, and then over to Fort White. Have I mentioned that Florida has awesome roads and trails for bikers? Theresa and I stopped for coffee and a Little Debbie cake in Wellborn and waited for Kevin and Carl to catch up. Carl is riding at a slower pace as he is still not feeling well but is better than prior days. Carl stopped in O'Brien to buy some fresh boiled peanuts which he has grown fond of. We all collected at a gas station and then rolled on down the bike path to High Springs for lunch. Carl busted out early and the group reeled him in within the first 5 miles. High Springs was a cool little town that was home of The Great Outdoors Restaurant and Outdoor Bar. The town also had a quaint downtown with a dive shop, bicycle shop, and lots of little shops. Lunch was outstanding as we sat outdoors and cooled off with some local micro-brewed "hoppy" beers. We all had a cup of their award winning New England clam chowder (A+). Kevin, Theresa, and I shared a fried Gator tail appetizer that "tasted like chicken". I had a huge plate of nachos, Kevin went with a spinach salad, Theresa with a fried shrimp appetizer, and Carl had a veggie burger and fries. All of the food was outstanding and I was stuffed. Only problem was we had 25 miles left to our hotel in Gainesville. We packed up Theresa in the van and she drove to the hotel to get some well deserved rest as she had a personal best speed for 50 miles at 16+ mph. Us boys barely could get our guts over the top tubes of our bikes but somehow managed to roll forward. Then, all of a sudden, Kevin had an out of body experience and took off with a pace that his bike has never seen. With a helpful cross wind, he was pressing a 20-22 mph pace and held it for the next 8-10 miles. I was enjoying my lunch over and over as I was gasping for breath trying to keep my lunch down as I pursued him. Then we had a local racer (Carlos) join us about 5 miles outside of Newberry. This guy rode next to me and behind Kevin's wheel. He and I were yapping back and forth and discussed my cross country trek. At the same time, Kevin kept turning up the throttle as we were rolling at 24+ mph and it looked to me like this guy was struggling. When we hit Newberry, we busted a left and headed toward Gainesville and our new friend continued forward. I think Kevin broke him with his pace and he turned before he got dropped. Suddenly, we had a strong tail wind and Kevin was feeling strong on his Scott Carbon bike. He rode the 14 miles to town at 22-28 mph. My GPS and Spot tracking system could hardly keep up with the pace. We flew and almost beat Theresa to the hotel. Today was by far the strongest that I have ever seen both Theresa and Kevin ride. Kevin should drink beer before riding every day. With 2 days left I think they have reached one of their goals of getting into great biking shape. Watch out Thorns and Roses back in Cary! Carl was behind us a little and unfortunately missed the turn for the hotel. He rode an extra 5 miles today which he really did not need based on how he felt. He does appear to be looking and feeling better but is still fighting some sort of bug. We checked into an awesome Best Western that Theresa got for us for $49 per room with a special coupon. She is an excellent Sherpa! We cleaned up and then had dinner in their sports bar. The got free appetizers and margaritas to go along with very good food. It was a good and filling meal. I had a Rubin, Kevin a burger, Carl a salad and rice, and Theresa had French onion soup. After dinner, we hit the hot tub to soak our weary muscles.
Today was one of my best riding days of the trip!!!!
Happy New Year and good night. Also a Happy Birthday to my sister Holly.
Weather: A little chilly early (40's) and then a beautiful warm Florida day with Carolina blue skies and winds at our backs. Very low humidity - perfect for riding.
Performance Metrics:
Miles: 75 Trip: 2,868
Total travel time: 8:00 Trip: 300:30
Bike Riding time: 4:28 Trip: 230:01
Avg speed: 16.70 Trip: 12.90
Max speed: 29.82 Trip: 41.87
Total ascent (ft): 661 Trip: 61,943
Avg pedal RPMs: 87 Trip: 85
Avg heart rate: 102 Trip: 108
Max heart rate: 173 Trip: 195t
Calories burned: 5,026 Trip: 173,297
Weather Statistics:
High temp: 72 Trip: 77
Low temp: 44 Trip: 27
Hours of rain: 0 Trip: 13:30
Hours of snow: 0 Trip: 0
Total days of rain/snow: 3
Wind factor: Favorable - cross wind early and then at our back for most of the afternoon.
Total good wind days: 14
Total bad wind days: 25
Misc. Stats:
Flat tires: 0 Trip: 11
Mechanical failures: 0
Hotel or camping today: hotel - Best Western
Total hotel nights: 38
Total camping nights: 2
Cups of coffee: 2 Trip: 121
Pints: 3 Trip: 75
Mood rating (1-10): 10 - perfect day and I only have 2 days left. Feeling great and looking forward to St Augustine.
I got up at 6:30 this morning to get prepared for the day's ride. Breakfast was fair, at best, at the Best Western motel. The coffee was real bad and tasted like it was in the pot since yesterday. I had a bowl of cereal with a banana plus a muffin and OJ. Everyone else also ate a light breakfast. Kevin loaded up the van and blasted off to High Springs to drop the van off at the 50 mile mark and ride back to meet us in Branford. Theresa, Carl, and I wore lots of layers as it was real chilly when we started just after 8. We had a nice NNW wind that gave us a little push as we headed south toward Branford. Theresa showed no signs of her wreck based on how strongly she rode today right from the motel parking lot. I could barely keep up and warned her to pace herself several times. She did develop a very nasty bruise on her hip and a sore neck from yesterday's "Incident". After 22 miles, we got on a great bike path that we followed for over the next 18 miles through Branford, along the Suwannee river, and then over to Fort White. Have I mentioned that Florida has awesome roads and trails for bikers? Theresa and I stopped for coffee and a Little Debbie cake in Wellborn and waited for Kevin and Carl to catch up. Carl is riding at a slower pace as he is still not feeling well but is better than prior days. Carl stopped in O'Brien to buy some fresh boiled peanuts which he has grown fond of. We all collected at a gas station and then rolled on down the bike path to High Springs for lunch. Carl busted out early and the group reeled him in within the first 5 miles. High Springs was a cool little town that was home of The Great Outdoors Restaurant and Outdoor Bar. The town also had a quaint downtown with a dive shop, bicycle shop, and lots of little shops. Lunch was outstanding as we sat outdoors and cooled off with some local micro-brewed "hoppy" beers. We all had a cup of their award winning New England clam chowder (A+). Kevin, Theresa, and I shared a fried Gator tail appetizer that "tasted like chicken". I had a huge plate of nachos, Kevin went with a spinach salad, Theresa with a fried shrimp appetizer, and Carl had a veggie burger and fries. All of the food was outstanding and I was stuffed. Only problem was we had 25 miles left to our hotel in Gainesville. We packed up Theresa in the van and she drove to the hotel to get some well deserved rest as she had a personal best speed for 50 miles at 16+ mph. Us boys barely could get our guts over the top tubes of our bikes but somehow managed to roll forward. Then, all of a sudden, Kevin had an out of body experience and took off with a pace that his bike has never seen. With a helpful cross wind, he was pressing a 20-22 mph pace and held it for the next 8-10 miles. I was enjoying my lunch over and over as I was gasping for breath trying to keep my lunch down as I pursued him. Then we had a local racer (Carlos) join us about 5 miles outside of Newberry. This guy rode next to me and behind Kevin's wheel. He and I were yapping back and forth and discussed my cross country trek. At the same time, Kevin kept turning up the throttle as we were rolling at 24+ mph and it looked to me like this guy was struggling. When we hit Newberry, we busted a left and headed toward Gainesville and our new friend continued forward. I think Kevin broke him with his pace and he turned before he got dropped. Suddenly, we had a strong tail wind and Kevin was feeling strong on his Scott Carbon bike. He rode the 14 miles to town at 22-28 mph. My GPS and Spot tracking system could hardly keep up with the pace. We flew and almost beat Theresa to the hotel. Today was by far the strongest that I have ever seen both Theresa and Kevin ride. Kevin should drink beer before riding every day. With 2 days left I think they have reached one of their goals of getting into great biking shape. Watch out Thorns and Roses back in Cary! Carl was behind us a little and unfortunately missed the turn for the hotel. He rode an extra 5 miles today which he really did not need based on how he felt. He does appear to be looking and feeling better but is still fighting some sort of bug. We checked into an awesome Best Western that Theresa got for us for $49 per room with a special coupon. She is an excellent Sherpa! We cleaned up and then had dinner in their sports bar. The got free appetizers and margaritas to go along with very good food. It was a good and filling meal. I had a Rubin, Kevin a burger, Carl a salad and rice, and Theresa had French onion soup. After dinner, we hit the hot tub to soak our weary muscles.
Today was one of my best riding days of the trip!!!!
Happy New Year and good night. Also a Happy Birthday to my sister Holly.
Weather: A little chilly early (40's) and then a beautiful warm Florida day with Carolina blue skies and winds at our backs. Very low humidity - perfect for riding.
Performance Metrics:
Miles: 75 Trip: 2,868
Total travel time: 8:00 Trip: 300:30
Bike Riding time: 4:28 Trip: 230:01
Avg speed: 16.70 Trip: 12.90
Max speed: 29.82 Trip: 41.87
Total ascent (ft): 661 Trip: 61,943
Avg pedal RPMs: 87 Trip: 85
Avg heart rate: 102 Trip: 108
Max heart rate: 173 Trip: 195t
Calories burned: 5,026 Trip: 173,297
Weather Statistics:
High temp: 72 Trip: 77
Low temp: 44 Trip: 27
Hours of rain: 0 Trip: 13:30
Hours of snow: 0 Trip: 0
Total days of rain/snow: 3
Wind factor: Favorable - cross wind early and then at our back for most of the afternoon.
Total good wind days: 14
Total bad wind days: 25
Misc. Stats:
Flat tires: 0 Trip: 11
Mechanical failures: 0
Hotel or camping today: hotel - Best Western
Total hotel nights: 38
Total camping nights: 2
Cups of coffee: 2 Trip: 121
Pints: 3 Trip: 75
Mood rating (1-10): 10 - perfect day and I only have 2 days left. Feeling great and looking forward to St Augustine.
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