Day 39: May 8, 2009

Day 39 - White Springs, FL to Gainesville, FL: Into Gator country

Friday May 8, 2009, 83 miles (134 km) - Total so far: 2,979 miles (4,794 km)

Weather: Temperatures were 69-82, light southwest winds, foggy to clear skies.

Well, this is the next to last day. The ride today was very pleasant. Mostly we rode on smooth, flat, rural back roads with almost no traffic. There were flowers everywhere, pretty rivers, several state parks, and some of the route was shaded by old moss-strewn live oaks. The last few miles of the ride, through urban Gainesville, was along a bike path. But all the roads in Gainesville seem to have well-defined bike paths. Despite heavy traffic, this is an easy town to ride in. We are staying adjacent to the University of Florida, but school is apparently out for the summer as there have been no signs of college students here about. The highlight of today's ride was that SAG was being provided by Charles' son and daughter, Daniel Fox and Anna Fox. They arrived last night with Daniel's two wonderful dogs. At the 60-mile mark, today, Daniel whipped out a charcoal grill and roasted some hot dogs and even had fresh macaroni salad on the side. That is what I call a rest stop!!!! Last night was our final dinner together as a group. We ate at the well known Dixie Grill in Live Oak,, FL. Charles was presented with a nice "Southern Tier" jersey as a tribute to all the work he did in providing food for our venture. Larry graced us with one of his famous poems. Today, after the ride, Will had laughs for everyone and Anna read a poem she had written. We have had the time of our lives on this trip. We have been blessed with good weather for the most part, as well as good fortune. Anna and Neil's tumbles turned out to be minor occurrences, and nobody missed much riding time. Everyone is anxious to see family and head home tomorrow, but first we have 100 miles yet to ride.

until the last post...
Uncle Barry, Flat Stanley, and Share Bear