When I woke up at the hotel defuniak I was so comfy that I really did not want to ride. Still I got up and put on my nice salty chamois shorts and was ready to make my breakfast in the dining room. It was 5 in the morning so all the lights in this 1920’s building were off. They said make yourself at home so I had to skulk around for the lights. Once I located them I was in business. Now all I need was to figure out the hot water and I was set.
It was a strange thing having cutlery. It was even stranger to be eating at a table and not eating out of a pot. It actually made me realize I like eating straight out of the pot it just feels normal to me. While enjoying my breakfast I heard some really odd creaks and cracks in the building. My mind raced to the conclusion that it was haunted.
After getting a warm goodbye from the housekeeper I was on the road. Now I evidently missed the page where the time changed so that’s why it’s been so dark in the mornings. Now that I have changed my clocks it is light earlier.
For the past few days at around 9am I get into this weird funk where I want to stop early and abandon the day. This is also the time I start fighting with my eyes to stay open, and my mind to stay alert. With rumble strips on the road today whenever I felt myself slowing down I hit them to shake the pee out of me. You know how new cement gets shaken to get the air bubbles out. Well the same thing happens to the human body.
One really special thing happened today. Along the side of the highway rested the original highway 90 built in 1921 of brick. I couldn’t not ride on it so I ripped off the highway into a pile of sand almost wiping out and proceeded to get shaken to pieces on the bricks. It some of the most fun riding in Florida.
I was feeling good. I was making time and was ready to pass Pensacola. That was until I hit a fork in the road. Do I take route 90 or route 90 alt. Well me thinking logically route 90 sounded like the fastest way? It was almost eerie the situation because I kept riding along this beautiful shoreline and rolling hills (the exact same as the ride into horseshoe bay in Vancouver) and I thought “why am I still along the coastline, I should be heading inland”. I went through the exact same process as in Newfoundland except this time when I asked if I was on the right road they told me yes. I pressed on and kept going down this road for an hour. I then took a second to look at my map and low and behold I was taking the road right into Pensacola. It was a detour yes but a beautiful one so I was not to bothered by it.
After getting some lunch I was on my way to Alabama. Because of my trek I mentally prepared myself for a 230km day. I got into Alabama in good time, and was making progress along blank road that were spot with the odd house.
It was once I got onto route 53 that I hit my first town in Alabama and almost as soon as I started leaving the town I picked up a construction nail that gave me a nice flat. I knew it was going to smooth. I knew I couldn’t have energy at 190km’s, a good temperature, and no problems on the mind. So I change the flat in good time and start rolling. I get 50metres and went to shift. Nothing happened. I shift it back and try again. SNAP. Great. The cable snapped in the shifter and locked me in my hardest gear… of course. I tried fishing the cable out but it was stuck.
At this point my mind is thinking now I have to flag a car in the patron state of shooting stuff. After 10 minutes of trying I was starting to loose hope. Then a suv pulls a u-turn in the middle of the highway. The flashing lights started blaring. Now im thinking “o Jesus another ticket and this time I am not even riding”. Fortunately investigator Brad M. Burke of the Baldwin County sheriff’s office was stopping to help while he was on duty. We loaded my bike in and he took me to Eastern shore cycles (www.thebike-shop.com). The ride was very pleasant because we got a chance to get to know each other.
When we got to the bike shop the guys looked at me as if I was drunk. I was asking for the moon, and when they looked at my broken wheel they all came to the same conclusion “this is one crazy bike tourist”. What I said in response to justify my busted wheel was “it was a new wheel or food for the months”. To which they got a good chuckle out of. Of the 3 bike shops I have been in during the trip this was easily my favourite both for the service and the staff. I forgot to extend this offer when I was in the shop but if you guys are ever in BC I would more then gladly give you a crash course on BC riding.
They fixed my bike and got me on my way. I was spent. Mentally because of the mishaps and miss directions, and physically from the 200kms in some of the worst humility I have ridden in yet. So I just took the closest motel. Unfortunately I was in the upper end of daphine so it legit blew my budget but I really don’t care. Figuring my budget was broken for the day I decided to try Firehouse subs. It is a sandwich change that two people named Charles and Ali turned me onto and we don’t have it up in Canada. If you are not familiar with Charles and Ali they are Internet vlogers that actually turned me onto blogging. Check them out on youtube just search ctfxc. They live here in Florida and I wanted to stay with them but unfortunately they never responded to my email but I understand they are busy.
What a crazy day. I am sleeping in and taking a short day tomorrow.
Trip Distance: 201km
Ride Time: 8:55hr
Avg. Speed: 22.51km/h
Total Distance: 13063km
Total Ride Time: 6:06hr
Destination Daphine, Alabama
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Thank you, Brad M. Burke of the Baldwin County sheriff’s office , for saving my son's bacon and getting him to a bike shop to get his issues sorted out.
ReplyDeleteGood samaritans really help to sort out a Mom's anxiety!
Chin up Ev.....you are out of Florida now and I am hoping that your luck takes a major turn for the better. The tour should be renamed the "Tour de flats'!!