FINAL CALL!!

This is one final call for donations! For all of you who were holding out until I finished, it's time to cash in!! Donations of any size are GREATLY appreciated! You can CLICK HERE for instructions on how to donate.

I would like to thank everyone at the Hennepin County Medical Center for their support and all of the riders who participated in the 'Spin to the Finish'. I would also like to thank Lifetime Fitness for the use of their spin bikes and a spin instructor. If anyone ever wants to go for a ride (maybe when it gets a bit warmer) or to a spin class, let me know!

 

To St Augustine

Today was the last day, and it is quite bitter sweet. I would have to say it is a little more bitter than sweet . . . .

It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day, and we had a good 70 mile ride. There wasn't too much to say about the ride other than the epic race we had early on. A couple of days back, we met some other XC riders (Side note - they had a van and a driver, and the driver was a very nice lady who owned and operated a beautiful 'eco-retreat' in Panama City. If you're looking for a nice vacation, seriously check this place out http://ranchodecaldera.com/) who were on the same route as us but they had a van carrying their gear. We were all going to get to St Augustine the same day, so we were watching for them. After about 15 miles, we saw them about a mile or so ahead. Of course, we picked up the pace and chased them down. Just as we caught them, they stopped at their support van for a break/food/water. It was the most anticlimactic race, and we were slightly disappointed.

We kept riding, and soon we stopped at a gas station for water and food. Just after we left the gas station, one of their riders caught up to us and passed us as if we were standing still. Naturally, we would have none of this, and thus began the race of 'loaded' versus 'unloaded'. For the next 10 miles, we were all pushing 22 mph with occasional 'surges' by either us or our 'competitor'. I think this was the hardest I rode for the entire trip. Finally, it was down to me, Milena, Gunnar, and Rick (the others, including Frosty, couldn't keep up . . . just kidding). Rick rode up next to the guy and asked if he wanted to slow down. At the same time, he waved us around him and motioned for us to sprint as to drop him and Rick sprinted away himself. I guess after this Rick was going to slow down and take it easy, but I must have missed that. Now we had about 30 feet between us and the guy so I started treating this as a race. I told Gunnar to sprint for about 30 seconds and then drop back and keep it fresh in the pace line. We did this for about 5 miles, and the distance between us and our biker friend kept growing until we couldn't see him anymore. Then we saw their support van on the side of the road, and we stopped and waited for everybody to catch up. They got in and we all joked about it and took some pictures.
  

 


The rest of the ride was surreal. I still felt like I was in California! We got to the beach and took our farewell photos.

Operation Freddo

Sorry Freddo, it wasn't Rob, Frosty, or the hunters  . . .  and we put them on the night before . . . .

  Above - us breaking into the room . . . .

Day 61: Hawthorne, FL

Wow, probably the best day yet. Florida is beautiful. We got up this morning and went to the diner across the street for breakfast. I started the day off with a Belgian waffle and an egg, which I have decided is my favorite touring meal. I was looking forward to getting into Gainsville and hanging out in a coffee shop/exploring the campus a bit before riding the last 15 miles.

 

We took off, and Milena and I pushed the pace a bit. The boys were a bit behind, but we figured they would find the one turn they needed to take before Gainsville. Wrong... They missed it and ended up taking a different route into Gainsville. After Milena and I figured that out, we tried to go find them and we caught up to them at a gas station just east of Gainsville.

From there, we made our way to a coffee/bike shop downtown that had pretty good coffee and quite the hipster culture. We spent an hour trying on a variety of jerseys from their 'retro' collection, and Milena, Frosty, and I all bought some obnoxious looking jerseys.

 

I texted a friend of mine and told him this, and he told me about Paynes Prairie that is just south of Gainsville where there are wild horses, bison, and lots of alligators. Turns out it was even on our route, even better! We left the coffee shop and headed down to the Prairie where we went into an observation area. After locking our bikes, we walked out, and within the first quarter of a mile we saw lots of gators out sunbathing. We kept walking out, and we were within about 5 or 10 feet of some pretty big guys!

  

 

After spending an hour or two out there, we figured it was time to head to camp. Right after we left, we saw 3 armadillos (alive, for once)!!

 

Camp isn't the best tonight (a motel), but it was a great day. Lets just say when the cost is the same for the motel rooms or camping, you know the motel rooms aren't that great...

Day 60: High Springs, FL

We went kayaking today on the Itchnekunee River! It's a 6 mile river, and we kayaked down about 4 of it. You used to be able to do the entire thing, but a tree fell a couple of years ago that is outside of the national park, so it hasn't been moved and is impassable. The river is fed by springs so the water is crystal clear the entire way. Not only was it relaxing to travel by something other than bike, but we saw some amazing wildlife. Here are some of my favorite pictures.

Day 59: Wellborn, FL

I was starting to like riding at a nice comfortable pace but today ended up being a lot of fun. We took off from the B&B this morning after a delicious Belgian Waffle breakfast. When we left, I was about 20 meters behind the crew, and they started to push the pace. I wasn't awake enough to catch up, so I had to let them take off. After a few miles of warming up, I was getting bored, so I decided to catch them. It took me about 3 or 4 miles to finally catch up, and then I just sat at the back of a pace line to catch my breath. They stopped to shed some layers, so I kept going nice and easy so that I could recover. Soon, they caught back up to me, and I picked up the pace figuring I would pull for a little while. After I had picked it up to a decent clip, Frosty and Gunnar decided to pass me, as it to make some sort of a point. Of course I would have none of this, so I took off and sprinted ahead of them until I had a good 300+ meters on them. It was all in fun, and now that we were all nice and warm, we continued to push the pace for the rest of the day.

We passed through Madison, FL today! Strange, a little taste of home?

We also stopped and had a picnic lunch on the Suwanee River.

 

Day 58: Monticello, FL

We only rode about 30 miles today because we wanted to stay in a B&B in Monticello, FL. The forecast was for rain, and it was pouring in the morning. We waited til about 9:30 to take off because it looked like there would be a nice break in the rain. It was a really nice ride with some rolling hills. 

Our accommodations are amazing!! I didn't think anything could be nicer than the Hilton, but I was wrong! We are staying in Monticello, FL at a historic Bed and Breakfast. This place is great! I have to admit, I do feel a bit out of place when we walk in wearing our muddy spandex shorts and bike jerseys. Here are some pictures of the place.