Can it really be Day 7?
Glenn and Jim departing from Crawfordville at 8:15 AM getting
back on Rte. 98! The trailer and gear is history. They were left
behind at the hotel for the SAG vehicle to retrieve later!
(notice the tape on Glenn's nose....his form of sunblock!)
A Glimpse from Glenn
This is a short entry. My suspicions about riding away from the coast
proved to be true. We left our hotel and were back on 98. Here I thought
I was done with that yesterday. Once again the road was straight and
tree lined. It was monotonous, to say the least. We had some wind to
contend with but, instead of pulling the trailer, I tried my best to pull Jim.
Drafting behind someone reduces the wind resistance but even that
can be a challenge if the pace is too fast. I trust it helped some.
Jim has been a great companion on the rides the last two years and
I will miss him these next two days. I decided to call it quits today 36
miles short of the bed and breakfast at which we are staying. It would
have been 129 miles had I done it but fatigue is setting in and
my second flat did not help. Tomorrow is another day!
Glenn assured Jim that they would not have to contend
with log trucks on this trip. Last year's Oregon-California
adventure had it's share of scary log truck moments.
Lo and behold, there are logging areas in Northwest Florida!
Since Jim and Laurie live near St. Pete, Glenn wondered if
Jim wanted to just head home from this point.
No way! His ride was on her way!
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Laurie and Lynn
have packed up and prepare to depart Seaside for
parts unknown to retrieve the trailer and gear and
then find Jim and Glenn somewhere on Rte.98 or
Rte. 27. No clearer instructions were given!
We let the Waze App guide us on a very boring but
not heavily traveled route....not much too see, few photo
opportunities, no place to stop for gas, drinks, bathrooms!
No cell service, no phone data service!
Thank goodness for satelite radio!
This went on for 2 hours and 40 minutes when we
reached Crawfordville and stopped to pick up the
gear and trailer. It took us just hours to cover the
ground that it had taken Jim and Glenn two days to
accomplish! As Laurie said, "Be thankful for your car!
I felt compelled to take some photos of the
trip from Seaside to Crawfordville.
If you look closely, you can see that they are
different photos but the scenery is very similar in each!
I call these drive by shootings! Only safe when you are
one of two cars on the road!
Meanwhile, back in Seaside, Wendy was enjoying another day
with much better scenery than we had on the road!
TRIVIA QUESTION FOR TODAY
I passed through the town of Clarksville, FL and started
singing Take the Last Train to Clarksville to myself.
Realizing that it was not Clarksville, FL mentioned, I
wondered how many states have a town called Clarksville.
Be one of the first 3 people to email me with the correct
answer and WIN A PIN!
Just in case we hadn't seen enough trees today, we entered the
Apalachicola National Forest!
The Apalachicola National Forest is the largest U.S. National Forest
in the state of Florida. It encompasses 632,890 acres and is the
only national forest located in the Florida Panhandle
Not exactly the Redwood Forest but
pleasant scenery.
My caravan buddy ahead of me!
Laurie and I heading to the hotel then to
find our husbands!
A screen save of my Waze App.....interesting
not to see any roads in sight on this part of the trip!
Just when I thought I had seen my last Palm Tree!
We met up with Jim at 2:30 in Perry, FL. He did an
incredible 65 miles today before heading back to
Dunedin, Florida with Laurie!
Jottings from Jim
My work here is done. My real job called and they want me back. Not a minute too soon, either. Kate's friend Ken commented on getting up the next day and doing it again. Riding a third day, again into a stiff headwind, took all I had left in the tank. I don't know how Glenn does it. Not just physically, but mentally... Wake up, pack up, push off, and pedal on. He will do it again tomorrow, when I'm comfortably in endless conference calls... And it'll be Day 8 for him. And then again and again until he reaches the coast. He must have a butt of steel, and focused willpower to match.
We all know that Glenn likes to ride, and that he is determined to accomplish personal distance goals that leave the rest of us perplexed. But I have seen his even higher objective...To help others. As a doctor, he does it every day. As a mentor, he's patiently taught me how to ride better, longer, smarter. As an ambassador, he tells every stranger who will listen about I Care I Cure. Sure he loves the ride, and maybe he'd do these crazy routes anyway, but raising both money and awareness in Ian's memory drives him. Provides purpose. He is doing it for Ian, for Beth & Brad, and for all those kids who will find themselves center stage in a parent's worst nightmare. Perhaps they will have a better outcome as a result. I've done these rides with Glenn enough to times to tell you they are not easy, and yet on he goes. Glenn, you have my greatest respect.
Lynn, you work the magic behind the scenes. From food and shelter to SAG and blogging, you are key to Glenn's success. Just ask him how fun it was to tote his own supplies for two days. My hat is off to you.
And finally, thanks to Laurie, my supportive and encouraging wife. You've taught me to reach beyond my comfort zone, to have a service mindset, and yes... to attain Grandma Shirley's famous "feeling of accomplishment". I love you.
Glenn was excited to see me when I found him past Perry, FL.
Most excited because I had his much needed pump in the car!
After he changed his flat tire this AM, his little pump was not
sufficient to fill the tire fully. He needed the SAG vehicle for that!
We had planned to stop in Mayo, FL tonight but
we could't find any accommodations that sounded
safe and clean so we decided to push on to the
next town which is High Springs.
Glenn's goal was to get within 25 miles of High
Springs to make tomorrow's ride a little less
overwhelming. He finally gave in to the fatigue
36 miles before reaching our overnight destination
so we traveled by car and will return to that pick up
spot in the morning.
This was the most interesting thing in Mayo, FL.
Homage to our youngest grandson, Fletcher!
When we announced our itinerary ,our friends, Mel and
Myrtie Schoychid emailed to say that they are living
near High Springs, our stop for the night. Thanks to Mel
and Myrtie and their friends, Lynne and Bob for the
wonderful dinner and the celebrity treatment at the restaurant!
Here are today's map and the stats. It's incredible that this far
into the trip, Glenn is still able to pedal these distances.
into the trip, Glenn is still able to pedal these distances.
Tomorrow's ride will be determined as the day goes on.
We see the light at the end of the tunnel and thank
you for taking this journey with us!
I don't know the trivia answer without cheating, but now I have that song stuck in my head! Luckily it's a good one. :)
ReplyDeleteIt was stuck in my head all day too :) I assume this is Lisa....thanks for following the blog!
DeleteI look forward to your fantastic blog each day, and both Glenn's and Jim's entries make it even better. How nice you were able to see the Schoychid's and the Paredes' for dinner! --Sue
ReplyDeleteIt was wonderful to see Mel and Myrtie. They seem so happy and active here!!
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