Day 59-- 4/30/2019— St. Augustine FL—WE MADE IT!!! We spent our last night at a Quality Inn in Palatka, before riding in to St. Augustine as a group. We arrived at 10:30AM at Anastasia Island State Park for cold champagne and the chance to dip our tires in the Atlantic. Ken and Jimmie were there to meet Paul and I and we spent the next day with them at Palm Coast mailing our bikes and eating really fresh fish! We both flew home yesterday and are flush with the success of completing the coast-to-coast! Here is this biker’s view of the final five days of our cross-country tour:
Day 55-56– 4/26-27/2019–to Suwanee River State Park and Ichetucknee Springs Family Canoe Park FL — We rode all day out of Tallahassee mostly on hwy 90 with good shoulders and little towns. We stayed the night at "Spirit of the Suwanee Music Festival" grounds (basic), and rode into town for a really good southern meal at an old mansion. Next day we rode another 50 miles (we're blastin') to reach Ichetucknee State Park. Most of the group took kayaks out on the springs and looked at the turtles and alligators.
Day 57-58— 4/28/2019 — to Gainesville FL and on to Palatka FL — Our ride to Gainesville was only 48 miles, mostly on beautiful country roads. Gainesville is plush and spread out and we rode to the eastern side to stay with a Forestry professor and her husband on a 7 acre homesite. She made us 8 different dishes and we slept on their wrap around porch. The next morning we got on a Rails-to-Trails bikeway and rode through two sections of swamp for about 25 miles, or half our ride, to Palatka. Alligators, water lily flowers and more!
Despite my poor reviews of weather, the desert, and some bathrooms, I would urge anyone to ride across country if you get the chance! The combination of using your own physical effort while having time to learn from our country made me feel stronger and more resilient for the next challenge to say the least. Thanks for your support while I rode! Onward!
