Sunday, May 4, 2008
I spent a couple days with my Aunt and Uncle in Crawfordville, FL. After meals comprised of steak, hamburgers, biscuits and gravy, etc I was well fed and well rested, and felt strong getting started pedaling toward Chattahoochee today. Before I left Crawfordville, we did a little tour of the area on Saturday. The tour included the town of Sopchoppy. I was sad that I missed the Worm Gruntin' Festival in Sopchoppy. But that doesn't mean you have to...
http://jc-research.com/jim/img-fla/people-events/slides/worm-grunting-folks.html
and
http://www.wakullacounty.org/worm_festival.htm
OK, back to the ride. Hwy 267 was great heading north, then combined with Highway 20 for a bit before parting ways again. Where it ran with Highway 20, I sdtopped in to a small gas station in the middle of nowhere. The plan was to stretch my back on one of the picnic tables next to the station and grab a drink. As I emerged from the station, the police were rolling into ther parking lot. Behind them, a group of 10 or so bicyclists. After talking with one of them, I found out it was a Policeman Memorial bike ride from Panama City to Tallahassee. The riders will then get up to Virginia Beach to ride up to DC and that group is expected to be about 1,000. Impressive. A nice group, and I wish I had a photo, but I don't. Oddly enough though, one female rider recognized me from the restaurant in Monticello. "You broke a chair at Sage in Monticello", she said. I laughed. Who knew I would ever see someone from that restaurant again???
So, on up Highway 267 North. The hills started rolling. This was not a flat part, and one of the police cyclists had told me the views at Chattahoochee are great, but you pay a price to get there by bike. That price was some left Quad pain again.
In Quincy (popln 6,982), I stopped at Walgreens and bought a knee brace. The theory was that compression would keep the knee functional. What happens after the brace is removed? We would see. At Walgreens I talked with Gerald, a young man from Fort Lauderdale who had been with Walgreens for 10 years and moved to Quincy to help his mother who lived in the area. Gerald was a nice fella and interested in the charity angle of the ride. I told Gerald I would mention him in the blog.
After Walgreens I ate at KFC right next door. Not sure that was a smart move since my belly was upset later that night. Maybe biking in 88-degree+ temperatures and greasy chicken (sorry, Colonel) isn't the combination for success. Regardless, it was tasty.
After Quincy, I ran into the town of Gretna (popln 1,709) along County Road 268. I met a trio of donkeys (I think they were donkeys) in a field between Gretna and Quincy. They seemed as curious as most people as to why that white boy was carrying so much stuff on his bicycle and riding on such a warm day. Gretna had some interesting building like this Baptist church, though I made no stops since my bottles were topped up on fluids.
As I came closer to Chattahoochee, the roads were rolling again. Once I finally made it to Chattahoochee, I made a wrong turn, but was advised by a nice man who wished me a safe trip before he drove off in his Buick LeSabre. Knowing tonight was a camping night, I stopped at the grocery store where there almost seemed to be a town meeting going on. A group of customers and checkers were discussing the price of gas, the US borrowing money from other countries, and how they are barely able to get by with the rising price of groceries. I stayed out of the discussion, but I have heard similar versions throughout Florida.
Armed with pasta, spaghetti sauce, and some Powerade (I am tiring of Powerade), my next task was to find the campground. I knew I was close and so decided to turn down a sideroad as the camp was located on the Eastbank of the Seminole River. There I met T.J. and Thomas, two young guys on their bikes just riding around in the shade outside T.J.'s house. I asked about the campground, and T.J. asked "you want me to show you?" Um, sure! So the three of us rode toward the campground and T.J. took my photo at the Georgia state line.
At the campground I met Russell Day, the campground attendent. Russel has worked for thr Army Corps of Engineers for years, having last been stationed at Coffeeville, Alabama with his wife. Russell stated that he left two things in Coffeeville: Highway 84 and his footprints and he doesn't intend to go back for either one. After checking me into a lakefront campsite meant for RVs, he came to check on me, finding my little bike resting against the picnic table while enormous RVs were parked at the sites adjacent to mine. I liked the fact it was so different.
I met others there at the campground: Phil, a Fort Meyers fella who took great interest in the ride, as well as true southerners Herbert & his wife next to my site, and a retired man and his wife from Racine, Wisconsin. Of the three groups, I enjoyed talking to Phil the most as his questions about the bike and the trip helped renew my interest. Whether it is someone's pleasure after asking "where ya going?" as I ride by and my response "San Diego" or Phil's simple answer "No shit?!" followed by a series of questions, these things make me ride faster and stronger, if only temporarily.
start riding: 8:15am
stopped riding: 5:00pm
ride time: 4:52:56
miles: 61.58
calories: 4,742
average speed: 12.61 (max speed 31.75 mph)
elevation: rolling from 280' to 80' and back up again.
http://www.cowboylyrics.com/lyrics/jackson-alan/chattahoochee-6527.html
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