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.

Day 57: Rest Day, Tallahassee, FL

It's still early in the day, but I think it may have been better to keep riding. There doesn't seem to be much to do here. I hear that if you go towards the Gulf Coast there is a lot more to do, but it's a little far to ride there for the day. It is nice to get a day off the relax and catch up on things though.

ONE MORE WEEK!

Alright, one more week left!! It has been an amazing trip, and I feel very fortunate to be healthy and able to complete this ride. If it wasn't for the folks at the Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, MN, I would never have even been here today. So, if you've been following this, please consider making a donation to the Knapp Rehabilitation Center at HCMC. Donations go to purchasing new equipment for the patients at Knapp, who, like me, are suffering from traumatic brain injuries. For more information, click here, or please feel free to contact me. Donations of ANY amount are greatly appreciated. To make a donation, you can click here. Again, if you have any questions or have trouble with the link, please e-mail me (Lupokj@gmail.com). Thank you!!

Day 56: Tallahassee, FL

We had a nice, flat ride into Tallahassee today. Again, the weather was beautiful, and we followed highway 90 most of the way with very nice and clean shoulders.

There isn't much near where we are staying tonight on the Florida State University campus, so I guess I'll have to explore a bit tomorrow.

Day 55: Marianna, FL

One more end of ride resolution
3. No more sweets, at least for 48 hours

If anyone finds me breaking my resolutions, I own them $5. After making my first 2 resolutions, we stopped for lunch today, and I had a piece of cheesecake. As delicious as it was, it only made me feel worse! I don't think I've had anything with vitamins in it for the past 2 days. This needs to change.

Otherwise, a beautiful ride again. We stopped at the Fountain of Youth in Ponce de Leon county and took a little swim. I feel younger already! I guess there is another one in St. Augustine, so I think I should be able to to lose a few years of age on this trip!

Camp is right next to a gorgeous swamp area as well tonight.

 

Day 54: Defuniak Springs, FL

It's a beautiful day for a ride! Today, it certainly was. After some tire issues with Milena's Schwalbes,

 
the rest of the day was a piece of cake. I believe Schwalbes have proven to be the WORST tire, despite all of the rave reviews they get. IF YOU ARE TOURING, DO NOT USE SCHWALBES. If you do, you better always have a spare tire with you.

We stayed at the Super 8 in Defuniak Springs tonight, and right next to it was a vineyard. Anyone who knows me knows that this is trouble. We tasted and naturally bought a couple of bottles. Unfortunately, I hadn't eaten too much and I was likely a bit dehydrated, so I was feeling it pretty quickly. We went to dinner at a seafood buffet next door, and I don't think I have ever eaten so much fried food in my life. Disgusting (but the fried jumbo shrimp were pretty tasty).

END OF RIDE RESOLUTIONS
1. No more drinks until St. Augustine
2. No more fried food of any kind

Day 53: Milton, FL

A sad day leaving the luxury of the Hilton, but luckily we are staying at a KOA tonight, akin to the Hilton of campgrounds.

A couple of miles into the ride, Milena and I saw a guy riding in front of us, and he didn't look to be one of us. We chased him down, and it turns out he's around our age and also riding coast to coast. He left a little after us and has been averaging 80+ mile days I think. We rode with him, Richard (who we named 'new Richard') to camp where he spent the night with us.

We passed through Pensacola today, and the Blue Angles had their Homecoming show. We passed the base to get some lunch in town, and I stayed back because I wanted to catch the show. I also had some friends to catch up with, so I figured I'd just chat with them while I waited. After everyone left, I realized that my rear wheel was becoming more and more out of true. I decided it wouldn't have been wise to ride back to the base and subsequently add another 10+ miles when my bike wasn't doing that great (also having derailluer issues). So, I went to the bay, and I hoped I would be able to catch some of the show from there. Unfortunately, I was too far away, and I didn't see anything. After about 20 minutes, I decided to go because I needed to make it to the bike shop in Milton, FL, before it closed at 5:00 (and beat the daylight to camp). I made it to Truly Spokin' by about 4:00, and this is by far the best bike shop service-wise we've had the entire trip. The guy fixed up my wheel as best he could so that I could still make it to camp before dark. I bolted from the store at about 4:45 with about 5 more miles and managed to make it with about 10 more minutes of daylight.

Day 52: Orange Beach, AL

Here is the view from our balcony.

Day off on the beach! Here are some pictures of the sunset.

Day 51: Orange Beach, AL

Today we crossed into Alabama!

We rode 91 miles to the Hilton on Orange Beach on the Gulf Coast.

 
I took off in the morning and rode my own pace (and surprisingly didn't get more slack about it) and met up with everyone on Dauphin Island to take the ferry across Mobil Bay.

Once we got off, we didn't have very much daylight left, so I booked it to the hotel. This place is great. Pictures tomorrow...

Day 50: White Sands RV park, Vancleave, MS

Unlike yesterday, we all rode into camp together today. It was a nice ride, and no one pushed the pace too much. We stayed at a very nice (perhaps the nicest?) RV park yet called White Sands RV Park. The managers drove us to dinner and we had some great Mexican food. They said that the place used to be a big water park but most of it was burned down some years ago. It was pretty chilly again tonight, so Milena shared my tent with me as hers often collapses on her when the temperature drops too much. Beautiful and  clean RV park, and the lake looked a little eerie in the morning with the fog over the water.

  

Day 49: Haascienda, Poplarville

It was a beautiful ride . . . alone. MY version of the story goes something like this.

I started out with Frosty, Milena, and Gunnar at a nice pace. About 5 miles later, Milena started to pick up the pace. I figured it would be temporary, and the boys would stay with me. Wrong. They took off. A few miles later, they stopped to shed some layers, and I caught back up. By now, I had turned some music on because I had no one to ride with (with the exception of Rick, who was blaring his own music and cannot (does not want to?) hear you if you talk to him), and Frost exclaimed, "You've got music!" I replied, "Yes, because you all dropped me." He chuckles to himself, and takes off. The first time they dropped me, it was more of a 'passive' drop. The second time they dropped me like a hot potato.

The remaining 60 miles, Rick and I peddled along through the beautiful forests. We came to the first town (30 miles away) and couldn't find any restaurants, so we rode to the next town (another 20 miles) and finally got something to eat. 25 more miles and we made it in to camp. The funny thing was that we were actually the second ones in to camp. Apparently, after they dropped me, they proceeded to get lost and came in about an hour and a half after us. It reminds me of a little story called "The Totrise and the Hare".

Day 48: Church camp, Kentwood

Still tired.

Day 47: Microtel Baton Rouge

New Orleans is beautiful, and I cannot wait to go back. Despite the fact I am absolutely exhausted from last night, we wandered the French Quarters a little more. We got some tea and sat in a beautiful park, and suddenly a little blues band started playing about 30 yards away. We chilled in the park for a couple hours listening to the music and basking in the sun. I bought a cd from them as we left.

In the afternoon we drove back up to Baton Rouge where we stayed in the Microtel again. It's going to be rough camping again after the last couple of days! Sooooo tired from last night . . . .

Day 46: Hostel New Orleans

New Orleans, here we come! We rented some cars this morning in Baton Rouge and drove to New Orleans. It is only possible to bike to New Orleans from the east (unless you hitchhike, as some fellow Minnesotan cyclists pointed out to me). We got to New Orleans (of course making a stop at a local bike shop), and check in to the India Hostel. Excellent hostel. We headed to the French Quarters and did some sightseeing before the night began...

 

Me on the Mississippi

We all met up and went to Pat O'Brians, home of the famous Hurricane drink.

After some time at the bar, we stumbled down to a resturant that is supposed to have the best fried chicken in New Orleans (delicious chicken). There, we a group of guys and one had on a University of Minnesota shirt. After chatting with them, it turned out they were staying at our hostel as well, and they had just finished biking to New Orleans started in St. Paul! We took off and went to a jazz bar,

where Rick's son (in town for Rick's birthday) and company met us.

Nick works for The Onion, so Rick may have appeared in a few issues. Take a look at this or this - notice any of the same people in the pictures and my pictures?

My crew took off around 11, and I stayed out, umm, kind of late, with Nick and my new biker friends who caught up with us at the jazz club. I want to go back.