Reunited and It Feels So Good!

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!

I may be a living legend but that sure don't help when

 I've got to change a flat tire!
                                                                                                           Roy Orbison

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!

lynnhirsch@yahoo.com

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. 

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! 

The Answer, My Friend, Is Blowing in the Wind!

Some days, the engine gets much more of a workout than other days!

Today was one of those days!

 A Glimpse from Glenn

This was one tough day for us. Riding into headwinds. 
Crossing the bridge at Apalachicola was slow going.  It reminded 
me of the 7 mile bridge in the Keys. This time I didn't have my 
much appreciated SAG person to shuttle us back and forth to
 take advantage of the wind or at least not to suffer because of 
it.  I asked Jim if we could just stop and camp but he has a thing 
about Florida critters so he declined. We had our eyes on the 
lookout for bear considering all the signs we had seen. 

I chose to go this way rather than the route Adventure 
Cycling suggested. That headed north after Pensacola and
I preferred to hug the shoreline. We got our last glimpse 
of the gulf today. Considering how difficult it was to get 
across the bridge, and that was only 20+ miles from the 
beginning, I actually wondered if we would make it. It was 
great to have a biking buddy today!  He was a true inspiration. 
Just watching his legs pump challenged me to go stroke for 
stroke. I can appreciate after two days of hauling gear why 
people without support are pleased to do 40-50 miles a day.  
But more than that it truly makes me appreciate Lynn. 
Thanks, Pal, you are the greatest and I love you very much.
I could not have undertaken this journey 

we began in 2009 without you. 

Carrabelle, a small town southwest of Tallahassee in 

Franklin County, was little more than a small fishing village 

when military leaders decided to use the terrain around

it as an amphibious training base.

A charming fishing town, maybe a little more Cape Cod than Deep South,

 Apalachicola offers terrific seafood, lovely waterfront parks, enchanting

inns and the opportunity to glimpse the Florida Panhandle's oyster,

 timber and fishing history from ground level. 

Enjoying the last few miles of Gulf views before heading inland

Must be some avid baseball fans to have this on their front lawn!

The John Gorrie Bridge carries US 98 and US 319 over the Apalachicola Bay. 

It connects Apalachicola, Florida with Eastpoint, Florida. The original John Gorrie

Bridge was built in 1935, replacing a ferry service between the two towns. 

Say goodbye to Rte. 98

Which way to go?

The Mouth of the Apalachicola River

For all of our Atlanta friends, this is where the 

Chattahoochee River empties!

Saw lots of signs but no critters!

Glenn and Jim arrived in Crawfordville, FL at 4:30 PM.

Thanks to Trip Advisor, we knew that there were no restaurants

or grocery stores in this town.  The front desk let us know, when

Lynn called, that Hungry Howie's Pizza does deliver to the hotel!

Sure beats another Peanut Butter Sandwich!

Today was a very tough day for Glenn and Jim.

The stats don't really tell the story of their exhausting day!

In 7:00:34 of riding time they covered 73.3 miles!

The wind and the heavy trailer kept their speed down to 10.46 mph  

with the maximum speed being 18.18 (down a bridge, no doubt).

They expended 2804 calories and ascended 1916 feet.

Today was the official end of the "Pedaling the

 Panhandle" Section of the ride!  The Panhandle

is an informal term used to describe the Northwest

part of Florida, a strip of land approximately 200 miles

long and 50 to 100 miles wide lying between Alabama,

the Gulf of Mexico, Georgia and the Apalachicola River.

Mission accomplished!  Now to make it to the Atlantic Ocean!

Again we have the flip side of the day

as Lynn, Laurie and Wendy wind up their stay in Seaside!

Back on SAG duty tomorrow!

Laurie at Lunch overlooking the gulf!

Breezy and bright!

Wendy, Laurie and Lynn

Yes, we are Cool and Casual while at the Coast!

Wow...that's strong wording!

Is there something about ALL CAPITALS

meaning one is yelling!?!?!

A few days ago, I asked if anyone could suggest something that

I could buy with my 11 cent winnings from the casino.

Wendy found something!   These penny candies are only 10 cents each.

I have a penny to spare!

This blog would not be complete without a photo 

of Truman's home before we leave Seaside.

While the correct address for the Truman House is 31 Natchez Street, 

located on the white picket fence in front, Truman Burbank’s home in the

 movie was #36. The homeowners kept the number as a memento from 

the film and both can been seen today.

Seaside's Artist Colony

 Ruskin Place includes : 

a business district, a residential neighborhood, 

a vacation destination and an event venue

Although we were not with Glenn and Jim today, clearly

our thoughts were with them.  We couldn't wander too far

without a bicycle, a bicycle sign, or a bicycle souvenir in sight to 

remind us of their journey for today!

Jim's sister, Kate, has been sharing the blog with her friend, Ken,

each morning.  Today Kate passed this note from him on to us!

Ken - thanks for following the ride.  Jim and Glenn would be

honored to have you ride with them! 

"Thank you for sharing this.  Long ride while pulling a cart with supplies.  

Beautiful pictures with a perfectly clear blue sky (severe clear). 

Such a wonderful adventure. Then they get up the next morning and do it 

again.......oh my!  Can't wait to meet these two."

    Jottings from Jim

So let's address the elephant in the room.  You all want to know, so there is no need to beat around the bush.  Yes, my butt hurts.  The technical term is "sit bones", call it what you will.  The good news is that it only hurts when I am in the saddle.  The bad news, that has been about 7 hours each day.  

It appears that I no longer have a fear of heights... I am now fully petrified.  High atop the John Gorrie bridge, a stiff 20 mph cross wind erratically pushed us right, toward the precipice, while speeding trucks added intermittent drafts pulling us left, toward them.  Apparently I am too big for my bridges... just a fat 6'1" sail to catch the wind.  There was an upside, however.  I was very glad to be back pedaling between the boring pine trees.

We do this ride in memory of Ian, and he was once again on my mind today.  I like to imagine him riding along with us.  After all, this is his home state...He might very well have come along.  And at 20, he'd be strong and full of stamina, setting a pace difficult for us to match, then pulling over to let us catch up.  It helps me keep going.  I also like to imagine that we are his eyes, seeing all these beautiful places for him.  All the miles Glenn has ridden, all those wonderful sights and sounds and smells, I like to imagine that they are not simply in memory of Ian, and on his behalf... but literally for him in some way.  

Like we are his surrogates during this ride.  

So I am tired, my butt hurts, and the bridge really freaked me out.  

I am having the time of my life.

As many of you know, we lost our nephew, Ian Besner, to Leukemia nine years ago.  Ian was diagnosed with T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) in January 2006, one week before his 11th birthday and he passed away on May 31. Ian was an extraordinary boy who shared his joy and love of life with everyone who met him. 

Glenn and Jim have dedicated their time, energy and bicycling adventures 

to I Care I Cure in order to help raise awareness and funds for research 

for targeted and less toxic cures and treatments for childhood cancer.

Your support is so important and so very much appreciated!

CLICK HERE TO DONATE NOW :)