Done and done.

So after months of carrying on, griping about the weather (and then luxuriating in the sun and sand), eating only PB&J on tortillas for lunch everyday, having 3 changes of clothes, being cold, wet, sweaty, tired, sick, elated, frustrated, hurt, and sometimes a little bored.....we made it to the Atlantic! Clearly this should be rise for a little fanfare, but like many things that take time to come to fruition, it just kind of happened. Biking/scooting had become such normalized lifestyle that reaching the end seems almost like a letdown in a way. This not only signals the end of a great trip and adventure, but the loss of friendship-making through nightly Couchsurfing experiences and the return to a world with ever more choices. It is now clear why some people just never stop biking.

That said, I do have some catching up to do on our last few days for I'd hate to leave you without a taste for northern Florida. So in short: bikinis, beaches and bibles. Done. Our ride along the coastal panhandle of FL was both naturally stunning while also carrying vibes of Pleasantville on steriods and rural Bible Belt. We had a great visit with my college friend Amanda and her son Noah at their new house in Niceville (which reminded us that FL does have hills!)...and then we hit Panama City beach....during spring break. If you ever want to dip yourself in hormone soup again, go here. This was probably the most amusing and most terrifying biking I've yet done as I had to negotiate my way about 8 miles up a road while dodging half dressed, half baked college students in cars, on scooters and in packs in the road. Needless to say, we didn't stop as we were waaaaay overdressed in our biking garb.

Panama City, on the other hand, was a much more relaxed experience. We stayed the night with Jan, a nurse, and then headed straight for Tallahassee. This day was momentous as it was Dot's first real day back on the bicycle in "dog country" (ie not beautiful coastal roads). While it was still nerve-wracking, it was a great step to take. We have now started splitting the days 50/50 on the bike with Dot taking the morning shift and I took the afternoon. In Tallahassee we spent the night with a family who has been biking for years, often internationally, on their three seat tandem bicycle! They were self -proclaimed "tight knit".

Riding out of Tallahassee was beautiful, hilly and hard for me. I seem to have contracted some pesky bug that seemed to rile my insides and wear me down so it was all I could do to push my half of the ride to Live Oak. This town is apparently a great birding destination, but from our Econologe hotel room it wasn't much to write home about...nor was the ride out the next morning to Gainesville when Dot now felt sick. (Perhaps this is due to the fact that we knew the trip was ending so we let down our guard?) Despite being under the weather, we pushed through an alligator hike, tour around Gainesville and then delicious tacos and homemade margaritas made for us by our Couchsurfing hosts...it's just too bad neither of us could appreciate it much.

After 11 hours of sleep (and lots of thoughts about having to take an official sick day), we both woke up feeling remarkably better...I more so than Dot who is now being trampled by spring allergies. Being the final day we were eager to make it happen and Mother Nature was kind enough to give us clear blue skies and mild winds, for at least the first half of the day. Most importantly, we could now officially talk about the weather without worrying about jinxing ourselves!

We rolled into St. Augustine Beach just around 5:30pm and were greeted excitedly by Paul and Linda, parents of Dot's college friend and perfect greeters for the end of our journey! We will be staying with them until my parents arrive shortly with Dot's car and its new hitch so that we can tow the Genuine Buddy scooter home to Connecticut.

Before signing off on this adventure saga, I do want to take a moment to do some serious thank yous. While at times this seemed like a two girl mission, it was 100% supported by a caring community far and wide, some who knew us and some who didn't. Despite a few oddball situations, we have loved and appreciated every person who opened their home to us, fed us delicious food and made the trip more than just a daily bike ride. Thank you to Don at Danielson Adventure Sports for gearing us up and doing tech support from afar...you are awesome. Thank you to Wayne from Solano Scooters in Las Cruces for helping to make Dot's switch from bicycle to scooter much less traumatic. Thank you to Urban Motor Sports in Austin for giving the scooter its first servicing for free! And THANK YOU to everyone who donated to my camp scholarship campaign and/or Dot's scooter fund. We successfully raised enough to send a child to camp for two weeks AND Dot got across the country...win-win. You either have some good karma or nice pottery comin' atcha!

Over and out y'all....until the next adventure!

If it weren't for those ominous clouds, I might have just been interested!

 

Didn't expect to see these in NE Florida!

Don't worry friends, fanny packs are back!!

 

He/she seemed just as scary in person

 

Our welcoming committee in St. Augustine, Paul and Linda!

 

 

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