NASD2SA2022

 Sat Apr 30th Ride started at 8 AM   Looked like it would be light winds, Easterly and we will be headed East and South to reach our destination at Oleno State Park. It only took about 10 miles today for my legs to return to productive pedaling. Today was one of the more scenic backroad rides   Light traffic for most of the ride   The finish was approximately 10 miles on a paved trail that connected 2 state parks.  And finally we can start talking about NO rain encountered during this epic journey   Yes we had some downpours during nighttime or off days but other than a little drizzle one morning in Louisiana, I haven't gotten wet on the bike.   We can’t say the same about wind, but rain is far worse and much more dangerous. Two more rides in front of us.  Will we make it to St Augustine Beach  in dry conditions? Total  miles today were 55.4, at an average speed of 13.9 mph, climbing 820 feet and burning 1,779 calories.  A very pleasant day to ride.   Tomorrow is a long one with a

 Friday Apr 29th Long ride today, part way through, John Corey fell on the top tube of his Carbon Fiber bike and the top tube cracked and partially shattered.  He happened to be next to an Ace Hardware so proceeded to go shopping.  Bought a few pieces of bar stock, epoxy and gorilla tape.  An hour later he has a presentable frame that rides ok.  A creative Doc thats for sure.  Rode successfully the final 30 miles and declared his repair a success. He will continue to ride this bike to St Augustine Beach on Monday   My start to the ride today was slow and legs were not happy.  The prior day riding into Tallahassee was extremely difficult for the last 15 miles.  It demonstrates the importance of an occasional rest day.  So today I would say that I wasn't feeling comfortable until 20 miles into the ride. At noon time, with 50 miles behind me, I arrived in Madison, and stopped at a Mexican Restaurant and dined outside next to my bike.  Didn't see any Coasters anywheres in that litt

 Thursday Apr 28 Last nights Campground was on a Bayou/Lake.  There were fisherman out there when I got up today at 5 AM.   We had a short stint on a Parkway that charged a fee for vehicles, but since that toll gate was unmanned it was free for bicycles.  I did keep my head down when going under that thing, so no photo of me. We are staying in a Quality Inn tonight, which just converted to a Red Roof Inn.  Each room has A/C, and a shower and toilet, amenities that we have missed for a long time.  Todays ride took a toll on most everyone, normal headwinds and dealing with several shoulder-less roads once we approached Tallahassee.  Today was probably the second most difficult ride, surpassed only by that day in Texas ending up at Seminole State Park in a dust-storm. And we are now back on Eastern Daylight Savings time. The last riders arrived as we were sitting down to dinner at 6 PM.  Mileage was 86 miles at an average speed of 13.5, climbing 2,705 feet and burned 3,354 calories.  

 Wed Apr 27th Yesterday evening as we walked to dinner it looked like the forecast was going to come true. And while eating inside the Park Clubhouse we had a very significant downpour but it only lasted about 20 minutes.  My tent was totally dry inside and we woke to clear skies this morning. The residents at the Park provided our dinner last night and breakfast this morning.  They underestimated food quantity last night but recovered well for breakfast.  At 7:30 we moved on towards our next destination.  Another day riding mostly on US Rt 90.  Moderate traffic and an ample smooth shoulder.  The “A” Team dealing with a flat tire.  We haven't had a lot of flats in the last few weeks.  It sure makes a difference when you aren't riding in Texas battling the Goat-heads, and also are no longer on the Interstates. Today we had variable light winds and a great road surface.  I managed 60 miles by noon as we arrived in Mariana still 8 miles from our Campsite.  Lunched with the “A” Tea

 Tuesday Apr 26th George from Tucson wearing this outrageous Flamingo Jersey that his wife picked out for him.  Not happy but once worn he can now forget about it.  So speaking of bathroom facilities on this trip.  Major shutdown of the septic system at our KOA.  It was not up to accommodating the needs of 35 bikers for two days, eating twice as much as the typical Camper.  Not a good time to fail but we managed to share the facilities at the pool and departed at 7:45 AM.   This is our Good Sam campground tonight.  There are at least 6 of these identical shower facilities. Very impressive considering what we have experienced since March 12th.  You can see that I am running out of discussion topics for this blog.   No scenery shots today.  Traffic was reasonable on US Route 90 and it had a very bike-able shoulder for the entire distance today. At mile 43 we stopped for barbecue at 11 AM. Then finished the ride and got here at 1:15.  Thunder and lightning in the distance now at 4 PM.  We

 Monday April 25th Slept well last night.  The temperatures have been pleasant at night, no wind and the usual birdies waking up at 4:30, chirping happily as they wake up all of us bikers.  Going no where today, cleaned bicycle hopefully for the last time this trip.  We have a comfortable well shaded campsite to spend our holiday.  KOA campsite photos. Hung out around camp today resting up for the final push to St Augustine.  

 Sunday Apr 24th We left our Condos on Dauphin Island this morning at 7 AM to catch the ferry at the other end of  the Island. Everybody made the trip timely and boarded the ferry successfully.  It was about a 35 minute trip to the mainland.  Wind as usual was in our face and there were more than a few swells that tossed the ferry around during our passage.   An excited biker, knowing that soon we would be in Florida! One of the numerous oil rigs spotted in the gulf. They must all be operational as they were brightly illuminated at night.  A tired biker in Pensacola upon realizing that it was nearly 2 PM, just eating lunch and that we still have thirty miles to ride before our next Campsite. After exiting the ferry we rode along the coast for perhaps 30-40 miles of hi rise buildings, a state park and all of the businesses that one associates with tourists/beach goers.  A lot of new construction - all multi story buildings maybe 15-20 stories tall. Gulf Shores appeared to be the largest

 Saturday April 23rd View of the beach from our 3rd floor Condo.  I can see 8 oil rigs not that far off the beach, have no idea if they are currently active.  Yesterday there were two helicopters hovering right above the water for over 1/2 hour.  Could see the water spray under them.  Perhaps they were Military/Coast Guard doing practice rescues.   Too far away to make out any markings, but seemed odd at 5:30 PM on a Friday.  Two Great Blue Herons this morning looking for breakfast in one of our two pools. On another topic, yesterday just after we crossed into Alabama, the first 4-5 homes all had multiple dogs waiting to run out into the road and give us the welcoming greeting.  Fred was just in front of me and was nearly caught by one of them.  She said the owner was standing in her driveway and appeared to be encouraging the dog to catch a biker.  I was attacked a minute later by a large mutt dragging an 8’ leash.  Got out my water bottle and had a perfect score = a blast of water in

 Friday Apr 22nd Another milestone as we enter our next to last state.  And yes we still have our favorite headwind.  One of the locals said he has never seen so much wind in the spring like this day after day.  We left the park and stayed relatively close to the shore along the marshes and seagrasses.  Rode over a large bridge past the Ingalls Shipyard as we entered Pascagoula.  Not a good opportunity to stop on the bridge for photos plus the wind was quite strong on the bridge.   Lunch was at a little restaurant.  My fish was overcooked, no surprise there, overcooked fish seems to be the followed USDA standard at most restaurants. The boat on the left is probably available and could get back fishing with likely only a minor expenditure.  Riding the causeway to Dauphin Island.  There is a strong side wind, more than one Coaster expressed concern about the wind and debris along the side of the road. But apparently we all survived.  Tonight and tomorrow we are staying in some rental con

 Thursday Apr 21st Sunrise at our RV Camp this morning.  They are flying a Confederate flag here, and as noticed during todays ride, quite a few more Confederate flags at homes throughout the days ride.  It was suggested to our leader that they not visit this park in the future. Plus the bathroom facilities hit a new low-point for the trip. We rode on lots of very back roads today, including this picture of an interesting small lake with a “sink hole”. It was a drain pipe to keep the lake at a constant level, but we couldn't see where the outflow was going.  This “Ranch” had a very impressive front gate which usually defines the status to the neighbors I guess.  And two of these striped horses, looked just like Zebras.  This guy came over to the fence when I called him.   To night we are camping at the Davis Bayou Gulf Island National Seashore.  Todays ride was pleasant, back Mississippi Roads with very little traffic, and of course the head wind was ever present.  Shrimp n Grits f

 Wednesday April 20th We are getting close to the state of Mississippi this morning. Many streams and small rivers look like this.  My Garmin keeps warning me to be aware of flooding in low lying areas. We haven't directly seen any rain so this condition must reflect weather that has already happened to the North of us, like the other night when we had some substantial rain.  Another state behind us.  Roads were still shared with the lumber trucks until late morning when we got on many lightly, traveled quiet sections. This lasted until nearly noon when we arrived in Poplarville MS.  Ride over for the day. Waiting for my Tuna Melt in Poplarville MS. I didn't get much protein for breakfast and the donut at mid morning didn't really provide enough energy for a satisfactory completion of todays ride.  I guess I have to go back to the morning oatmeal to better fuel my rides, especially the ones over 50 miles. But anyway it was a nice morning to bike, the daily headwind always i

 Tuesday April 19th Ann’s excellent gumbo with Crawfish tails.   One of the people (Pat) from our ill fated 2020 C2C showed up on todays route.  Pat came back last year and finished the ride successfully. It was nice talking to her for a few minutes. A perfect sunny and not too hot day, only reaching the mid 70’s.  We rode 86.8 miles, at an average speed of 13.2, thanks head wind, climbed 2,636 feet and burned 3,429 calories.  And are staying in a Baptist Church tonight.  Downside is no alcohol allowed on church property.  But we had  4 showers and 3 thrones available.  Sleeping in the gymnasium too, tents still wet from last nights heavy dew. 

 Monday April 18th Well sometimes a photo does show up as requested. That is the Mississippi River bridge in the background. After showering and changing clothes each day we check the next days forecast.  It looks promising going forward but storms tonight?  Ann our Chef served us Ham, Scalloped Potatoes, Green Beans and Salad for our Easter dinner. Cherry pie for dessert. I crawled into my tent at 8 PM, closed my eyes and about half an hour later was awakened by an impressive rain storm complete with thunder and lightning.  Fortunately my tent didn't leak or float away.  The same couldn't be said about a few of the other Coasters who suffered wet sleeping bags and gear.   But by morning all was dry and sunny, glad to have escaped that storm while riding. 

Easter Sunday April 17th Camp site at Girl Scout Camp, St Francisville LA The Mississippi River The weather forecast for today is just the same as it has been for the past several days.  40-50% chance of showers and thundershowers in the afternoon.  But as we started out it was just quiet and overcast. Traffic was as expected on an Easter morning, not much happening other than the occasional smell of barbecue/smokers preparing for Easter Dinner.  A long ride today 90+ miles and we were released to ride at 7 AM.  The morning went quickly, very few stops or breaks.  I rode much of the day with Brian, a similarly paced rider and Lawyer who still has a day job and manages to get in a few billing hours daily after we reach our destination. We crossed the Atchafalaya River around mid morning.   A few dogs were interested in giving chase but never caught us. Lunch was a PB & J sandwich that I made at breakfast and stuffed in my jersey pocket. We didn't expect any restaurants to be ope

 Saturday April 16th A good nights sleep in a hotel helps get us going in the morning.  Forecast is the same as the last few days, possibility of showers, and thunderstorm's after noon.  All of the creeks and small rivers that we crossed today are running over their banks.  Makes sense as I have read that the lower Mississippi is at flood stage.  Maybe we will get lucky and have a campsite flooded out and be forced into another hotel night.  These are crawfish farms/bogs.  There wasn't a lot of activity, the season is winding down.  Next I believe they plant rice, then when the rice is harvested, switch back to crawfish for the fall/winter-season. I rode about 25-30 miles with crawfish ponds on both sides of the road.   This is the crawfish harvester.  That big wheel at the rear rests on the bottom of the bog and propels the machine thru the bog, somehow scooping up the crawfish.     Apparently our leader made a change in our schedule so we are staying at an RV park in Mamou Lo

 Friday April 15th Again today, rain promised. A high of 85 forecasted for our overnight stop.  Most of us slept very well inside the gymnasium last night.  Finally, the sign we have been looking for.  The weather today was so much better than expected.  We had light drizzle for about an hour at the start, and just a few light sprinkles at other points.  We did have a downpour at 3:30, several people were still out on the road and got soaked. No other photos today, I intended to stay ahead of rain showers and it worked.  Total distance today 74.2 miles, 14.8 average speed, 866 feet climbed and 2,342 calories burned.  A good day to bike, and we are staying in a hotel!  

 Thursday April 14th Last nights campsite.  Today is only 59 miles.  No photos taken.  Everything looked just like yesterday except the sun shined all day.  And Texas log haulers took great delight blowing their horns and forcing us off the road as they passed.  I won’t miss Texas biking, or at least until another state manages to take over the title.  Todays stats 59 miles, 13.5 average speed, 743 feet climbed and I burned 2,033 calories. I still like riding my bike!

 Wednesday April 13th Last nights forecast was for high odds today of rain, thunder, wind etc.  This was our first train delay.  Its a 90 mile day and most of us hit the road right at 7:30 AM. Extreme overcast, but no rain, normal Texas wind hitting us from all directions.  Finally a photo of me in action.  We were riding thru the Sam Houston National Forest.  I was packed for a rain event, good insurance because all we had was some light drizzle for the last 12-15 miles.  Shepherd Sanctuary in Shepherd TX.  An eclectic hodge podge of a facility.  A few private rooms were given out to the April Birthday Coasters, whom all turned out to be “couples” on the ride.  The rest of us in tents, ok, it was a calm pleasant night, low in the 50’s.   I befriended one of the permanent residents at the “Sanctuary”  Todays ride stats 89 miles, 14.2 average speed, 3,010 feet of climbing and I burned 3,106 calories.  A nice ride, even considering the length.  On a long ride such as this I stopped mid m

 Tuesday April 12th Not much to do at this campsite   Jim, relaxing after dinner outside his tent   Today is a rest day at a less than desirable Camping location.  But sometimes there are no other options.  For some reason, perhaps weak cellular, photos are not coming down out of the cloud at the moment.  The only activities offered at this campground besides sulphur water consumption, are kayaking if you want to drag, carry, haul a boat to the rivers edge or a homemade teeter-totter is available   Neither were used by our group.  And we are visited by mosquitos, lots of them, the first “camp bugs” of the trip. Today a few small groups went to College Station, home of Texas A&M.   The rest of us cleaned and lubricated our bikes, in preparation for tomorrows 89 mile ride.   The weather forecast doesn't look promising for tomorrow but we can always hope the Weatherman is wrong.