Ken and I are taking the weekend off, so bare with us if we aren’t up to our usual 24-hour response time.  Ken is enjoying time with his family and I am enjoying time reflecting on the fun I had during the tour.

Planning for next year and our next tour will start on Monday and we will certainly let everyone know as soon as we do when and where that will be.  For those who enjoyed the tour, be on the lookout for an email and link to the post-ride survey; we look forward to your insights and comments to make our 2013 spring tour as successful if not more so than this year’s tour.

Safe travels to all!

Becky

Next time, I'm using the luggage truck!

Day One Riding:  Tallahassee to Quincy  I was anticipating the weather and packed accordingly. I knew the start of this journey was going to be chilly (by native Floridian standards, er, I mean native Floridian from Tampa Bay standards). I had no fear having spent a winter in Wisconsin and biking in snow and 20 below. I had what I needed to dress in layers, and so I departed Tallahassee on Sunday at 7:40AM with temps in the upper 40’s, a slight breeze and overcast skies.
I spent the first 10 miles wondering what I had gotten myself into. What I got myself into was to ride this route:

The Route (subject to change)

Red dots are the overnights, the moving starts on a Sunday and ends on a Friday. The first leg leaves Tallahassee south, then goes west, northwest and north to Quincy. Second leg goes southwest to Wewahitchka; third leg is southwest from Wewahitchka to Port St. Joe, then southeast to Apalachicola (2 nights), fourth leg is northeast to, well, just past Sopchoppy to Medart; then the last leg is north back to Tallahassee.
Maps of this route will be at Bike Florida web site very soon. In fact, thanks to my recon ride, we are moving a certain rest stop that turned out to be in the middle of a rather long and fast descent.

Homemade Coconut Cream Pie at Angel's Seafood in Hosford - our Lunch stop!

I spent over six hours on the bike riding 62 miles; I only had to walk the bike three times up a few grades getting into Quincy due to the extra weight on the bike. Considering the weather and making notes, I didn’t take very many pictures.  I will say, the traffic was light for a Sunday. I was very happy to get to Quincy and enjoyed a lovely stay at the Allison House B&B.

Day Two:  Quincy to Wewahitchka  Ah yes, my night in Quincy. It rained about an inch and a half throughout the area, but that’s OK because it rained that night, and not while I was riding. Plus, my “Mule” was safely tucked inside a shed at the B&B, so it stayed dry.
I left the Quincy area around 8:20AM Monday morning, a little behind schedule, but it’s hard to motivate yourself to hurry when it continues to be overcast, damp and in the upper 40’s with a mild breeze. Besides, I was gaining an hour with the time change into Wewahitchka.
The ride out of town was something I enjoy, quiet neighborhood roads leading to quiet back roads and out to the countryside. I only had to walk the bike once on a steep incline, but never had to walk it again. The hills out of Quincy are not that bad; it was a slow morning for me and I was just taking my time.
Now then, part of the fun of taking this trip in advance of the tour is not having the rest stops where the rest stops would be if this was the actual tour; no snacks, no Gatorade and no porta-johns strategically placed where needed. Knowing this, I carried three pre-made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, some Nature Valley granola bars and at least enough Snicker’s Peanut Butter Squared bars to have one each day. Oh, and water. Oh, oh, and travel size Charmin and small hand sanitizer. What I didn’t anticipate was having prison workers out cleaning the road side of debris when I needed to rest (I would not stop) and this would happen with the same timing of the only traffic I would see all day passing me when there was the only oncoming traffic I would see all day. What are the odds? It simply never fails, you can be all by yourself, absolutely nothing in sight for miles, then, when a car-truck-RV comes up from behind out of nowhere to pass, here comes the car-truck-RV in the other direction, coming out of nowhere, to make the pass interesting.
Well, the trip to Wewahitchka was nearly 71.5 miles for me and the weather never changed, it was cold, damp and overcast the entire time (6.5 hours on the bike) leaving me no motivation to stop and take pictures. Not even at the lunch stop in Blountstown, where all I wanted was soup and hot chocolate. I settled for Hot & Sour soup at a Chinese buffet. Getting into Wewahitchka, my only thought was a hot shower and a warm bed.
Wewahitchka – population of about 1,600, average income about $28,000 and one traffic light in town. Suffice to say, I love this town. It is filled with charm and character; but you have to stop to really soak it up – a drive by viewing will not do it justice. And there is no better place in town to soak up the local atmosphere then at the Dead Lakes Sportsman’s Lodge: a fish camp 2.5 miles east of the “downtown” and as I found out, owned by the Mayor himself.
The Lodge offers four motel rooms, built in 1959, some original fixtures still in place – clean rooms, comfortable beds and no TV.
There are also six cabins, each with two bedrooms, a bath, a kitchenette and no TV.
These folks, are the only rooms in town; there are no other motel options. And the best part is checking in at the “main office” or store. There is a picnic table in the center of the store and this is the social gathering spot, especially around happy hour. Of course, the store is well-stocked with beer and snacks, making happy hour very happy. I arrived at 4PM to check in, and didn’t get to the room until happy hour was over. But I met a pharmacist, a mechanic, an electrical contractor, and a musician, besides having the pleasure of passing the time with the Mayor and his brother, who manages the lodge and showed me photos from the past. Good company indeed.

Day Three:  Wewahitchka to Apalachicola  And may I mention, I had one of the best night’s sleep I have had in a while at the Dead Lakes Sportsman’s Lodge. Sure, blame it on happy hour, but I say, when out in the country with no TV, computer, cell phone, monster power lines or other radioactive distractions, sleep comes natural.
And as promised, there was coffee at the store at 6AM, but I couldn’t stay too long as I was to lose an hour going back to the eastern time zone; which is weird as I was heading west to do it. The rumor was that the clouds were going to clear and the sun was to bring warmth. I decided to risk it and opted not to wear the rain pants and left the humble Sportsman’s Lodge at 7:30am in 54 degrees of overcast skies.
The ride out was quiet and I could feel that the rain pants were not going to be needed. After 20 miles or so, I was nearing the coast, and when 386 ended at Highway 98, just north of Port St. Joe, it was magical: the clouds parted, the sun shone, and dolphins swam the shore line.
To say I was happy and with sense of accomplishment is an understatement. I know I had made it through a challenging first part of the “tour” and now I was rewarded with coastline and clear skies.

What a Beautiful Day!

If it wasn’t for having to be somewhere later that night (yes, a business meeting was scheduled while I was in the area), I would have played around the beach more.
I did stop for lunch in Port St. Joe at Steamers, known for their dogs and fries:

Yum!

Leaving Port St. Joe with 20-plus miles left until Apalachicola, I was at peace. I opted to take the shorter distance to Apalach by staying on Highway 98. This route seemed endless, which I couldn’t understand. Maybe it was the head wind I was now encountering, but the peaceful sense of victory was becoming a fitful state of ‘why won’t this road end?’. Didn’t matter to reach a bend in the road after mindless pedaling, the turn only promised another long stretch of mindless pedaling and another bend in the far distance. Despite knowing this route and knowing this would end in Apalachicola, I didn’t feel I was getting anywhere and wanted to pull the bike over and cry.
But I didn’t. I kept pedaling, thinking that this would be where folks would start to curse the ride director and that made me laugh because I was part of that guilty party. I noticed, while chuckling, something in the ditch swimming and was marveled at the sight of an otter. I didn’t stop, though, for fear that the stop would be permanent and staying with the pedaling was getting me where I needed to go. Before I knew it, I was at the “rest stop” spot, the last one planned before Apalachicola, and I did pull over for a Snickers induced boost of energy. With the “worst” part of Highway 98 over, I regained that sense of accomplishment and pedaled into Apalachicola victorious yet again!

Day Four:  Layover Day in Apalachicola  No disrespect to Apalachicola or surrounding area, but I’m just not that into oysters. Sure, I’ve eaten them raw, on a bet, but it’s not a seafood I crave, like mom’s pan-fried shrimp or steamed clams.

Tonging for oysters

That said, I can respect the dedication and work that goes into harvesting oysters, and these oystermen take pride in their work and will tell you exactly which raw bar to go to for a taste of what they are harvesting. On my Apalachicola layover day, I took the bike on a ride to St. George Island, but before crossing that bridge, I went to the fishing bridge and got a firsthand look at the oystermen in action.
If you find yourself heading towards St. George Island, take the turn off to the left, before the main bridge, and spend a little time on the pedestrian bridge:

no traffic here

You’ll still have plenty of time to enjoy the island:

St. George Island

I enjoyed myself immensely before having the ride of a lifetime the next day.

Day Five:  Apalachicola to Sopchoppy (Medart)  Truth be told, I stayed at a friend’s beach house on St. George Island the second night in the Apalachicola area. Not that Apalachicola wasn’t accommodating; I’ve nearly become a regular at Cafe con Leche and the shrimp & grits dinner at Tamara’s Cafe was a delightful culinary experience I won’t soon forget.
That said, the distance from St. George Island to Sopchoppy is about the same, and you have to cross the water, so it wasn’t like I was cheating the ride.
So why did I refer this route as a “Ride of a Lifetime”? Well, as you head east on Highway 98 to Sopchoppy, it is all coastline. Not developed coastline, as in lets-block-the-view-with-towers coastline (insert anti-development disclaimer here), but coastline you can actually see. In fact, riding on the southern side of Highway 98, not only are you RIGHT THERE next to the coastline, but you can hear the waves lap against the shore. It’s an up close and personal coastline experience for miles. I’ve heard folks say it is one of the most scenic _drives_ they have ever taken by car, so imagine doing it by bicycle; even with a head wind, you don’t want it to end.
Depending on your speed and departure time, Carrabelle is either a brunch or lunch stop. I got there at 11 am and stopped at Hog Wild Bar-B-Q for the buffet and ice cream.

From the hot buffett at Hog Wild Bar-B-Q

I had salad the night before, so I went with the hot buffet and mint chocolate chip ice cream:

Ahhhh

The folks at Hog Wild are very excited to have our tour come through in March and use their place as a Rest Stop; so much so, there’s rumor of music and Karaoke being set up in the parking lot. By the way, on the day we arrive in March, it will be the owner’s birthday, and I do believe there will be cake to go with that ice cream – but don’t tell ‘em, it’s a surprise.
Suffice to say, I had a hard time leaving Hog Wild Bar B Q, but travel on I did. Off to Sopchoppy. The turn towards Sopchoppy takes you away from the coastline (there will be an option to continue into Panacea), but I was OK with that as the turn meant tail wind. Now then, heading up this stretch of 319, you come up on the Ochlockonee River State Park. There will be a rest stop here and taking a little extra time to explore the park should be considered:

The Ochlockonee River

Based on the times I have been to this park, it isn’t that crowded and thus, the natural beauty truly comes through. It’s just a matter of taking your time to enjoy it. When you leave this park and take Curtis Mill road into Sopchoppy, which I strongly recommend no matter how short 319 seems, you will be treated to a ride through the woods like no other. My description would not do it justice, nor would a photo, but it is a ride you will remember always, an encounter with God and nature to last a lifetime.

Day Six:  Back to Tallahassee  A funny thing happened after the Sopchoppy stay…our potential overnight facility opted not to participate – it happens. So although Sopchoppy will not be our final overnight destination before ending the tour in Tallahassee come March, we will route through it and end Thursday night about 7 miles further over in Medart. This, of course, means the Friday ride back to Tallahassee is that much shorter, should you choose the direct route back.
Meanwhile, I left Sopchoppy in a fog, a drippy fog, but not cold enough to put the rain pants back on. There were a few times when I thought it was raining, but realized it was just the moisture falling off the trees. An interesting start to the day, with the quiet backroads and gray mist leading one to believe they had ridden their bicycle back in time.
I opted the direct route and turned left onto the St. Mark’s Trail. I’ve no doubt most will go this way, it being the last day of the tour and there’s places to get to once reunited with the car. Hopefully, though, a few or more will turn right and go to St. Mark’s. It’s the final opportunity to see the water before heading inland and serves as an oasis of sorts for those coming from the trail north wanting a snack or something more substantial.
For those who want to ride every possible mile, there will be an option for more backroad riding. It’s beautiful country, even in a misty haze. I’ve been out there on my road bike before and loved it.

Ride Start

Ride Finish

By the time I made it back to the fairgrounds, the fog/mist had burned off and I was in the typical clear skies and warm temps for which Florida is known to provide. Yes, it can feel like summer in mid December and it wasn’t long before I was enjoying a cold adult beverage.
So there you have it, the Bike Florida Forgotten Coast Tour Recon Ride. The real ride starts March 24th, 2012. Your level of enjoyment may vary. I had the time of my life and can’t wait to host fellow cyclists on what could be their very own ride of a lifetime.

Happy New Year from the Forgotten Coast!

Looking forward to meeting everyone at the 2012 Forgotten Coast Tour – Becky

Note:  The 2012 Bike Florida Forgotten Coast Tour route is simply AWESOME! It has challenges, great food, friendly folks and coastal vistas that will enriched your soul. I had a wonderful time and you will too, especially if you train and let the tour luggage trucks carry your stuff.  Knowing the route (Ken Foster, Ride Director, and I drove it a few times in the past couple of months to identify rest stop locations, etc) I knew how much water to pack, how much food to pack and where to replenish supplies when needed. This is important to know when riding on your own without SAG support or tour provided rest stops. Of course, SAG support for me was a phone call away and possible three hour wait – I am happy to report I did not have to call for SAG support.  One final note, and this should not be taken for granted: I was physically conditioned to do the ride. For the last two years, I have been able to ride a bicycle an average of 140 miles a week. This is important for several reasons, but for me, saddle time isn’t about speed, it’s about duration and comfort.  Do what you have to do to enjoy the ride!

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