We had a great meal last night out on the back veranda of the boys cottage . . . fresh garden salad, teriyaki/barbeque chicken, roasted potatoes, steamed butter broccoli,  and grilled yellow squash.

I had also bought a German Chocolate cake for dessert . . . .

which Gina cut into first four pieces and then eight . . .

. . . but who was she kidding . . . the four of us ate the whole thing!!!!  We are starting to ‘talk’ about ‘tapering’ our eating and drinking  habits since the ride is coming to  and end . . . just in the talking stage at this point!!!!!

The wifi didn’t reach out to the boys cottage so I sat on the deck of the mansion this morning to work on the journal . . .

. . . what a great space with views of the yard and gardens!!!!

Soon it was time for breakfast today . . .

. . and we all assembled in the grand dining room . . .

. . . where our hostess, Brenda, presented us with coffee, juice, a yummy quiche, mini-muffins and fresh fruit!!!! Let’s bike . . .

So many of the Baptist Churches have a huge bus parked alongside. Not sure what the use them for but a BIG investment!!!!

Amen!!!!

I think this one was just sunning himself out on the tarmac and had not been hit . . . but it didn’t want to find out!!!!

Our first stop today  . . . Madison, FL . . . Connie Cannondale felt right at home!!!

Not sure what this was all about at the local vet’s office but looked fun . . .

. . . as fate would have it, I was about to find out!!!

. . . of all the church signs I have photographed on the trip with clever sayings, I finally met someone working on a sign. Bernard or ‘Berne’. AND he told me the signs at the vet’s office represented folks who had donated $25 to the First Baptist Church student contingent that were heading to Mexico to do some missionary work. What a coincidence!!!!

. . . and here was the Madison County Courthouse located in Madison, FL. Nice . . . almost rivals our state capital in Madison, WI!!!

. . . they must have run out of money when it came time to design the Annex . . .

Here is the Garmin signaling my turn right in front of the courthouse. It also beeps when you are approaching a turn . . . but I can hear it!!!!

So true . . .

Biking through the Suwannee State Forest today. Looks a lot like WI!!!

First of these we have seen in . . . real or fake!!!!

Now this guy REALLY was not friendly and didn’t want ANYONE nosing around . . .

that silhouette looks like it is from the back . . . Yikes!!!!

Great flowers along the way today, especially the vast areas of Coreopsis, the state flower, in the ditches and across many fields. Quiet roads, overcast sky, cool temps, no winds, flat . . . perfect riding!!!!

As I took the photo above I turned to the other side of the road and saw several guys ‘raking’ the forest floor of pine needles . . .

. . . pushing them over to big piles and covering them!!! Must be using them for some type of animal bedding??? Way to expensive as a fire prevention tool, considering the value of the pine . . .

The pine/live oak forests look a lot like northern WI . . . but the forest floor shrub layer certainly doesn’t!!!

Time for lunch and the only option for miles was a ‘mini mart’ . . .

. . . a couple of happy eaters??!!!

Got to do some research on this “Spanish Moss’. It’s everywhere, on nearly everything that’s growing. Don’t stop in one place too long!!!!

WOW!!!! Where did this beauty come from . . .

Smoochie !!!!!!

Wonder how they trim the roadside trees in FL? Here, they do it with a hydraulic powered rotary disk saw that will cut anything up to 10 inches!!!! Wicked machine!!!They had the left lane blocked as we rode by . . . using guys from local the jail, in their uniforms who had been vanned out in the van in the upper left, to direct traffic!!!!

mmmmmmmmmmmm . . . only for the upper crust???

Oh yeah . . . local boy from White Springs, our home for the night.

. . . and here is the Suwannee River itself . . .

. . . great old building in White Springs. Hope they don’t ever tear it down. Lots of character.

. . .and here is the old sulphur spring where people came, up until into the 1970’s, to bathe in the therapeutic waters . . .

. . . not me, not today!!!!

In the past there was a hotel built around the springs . . . today this is all that remains.

. . . we also toured Stephen Foster’s homestead . . .

. . . nice place . . .

. . . and well preserved.

There are some type of tubes that are played in this tower but they were being refurbished, so no music today.

Our home for the night in White Springs . . .

. . . where there is a happy resident pup, KIa . . .

. . .  and everyone gets their own room!!!!

Kia was waiting for all of us when we came down in the morning.

She gets to sleep inside the house. Kia is a rescue pup the prior owners were ready to put down. She was born with only three paws but gets around fine on her stub of a leg!!!! Judith, our hostess, had an Akita that died. She got two others from the Akita Rescue but had to return them because they were too aggressive. Kia is only 1 year old and seems like a keeper!!!

Judith had all four burners going to feed our hungry group this morning!!!!

Fresh juice, blueberry crepes with real maple syrup and a cheese omelet, made with eggs from the chickens in the back back yard . . . and lots of coffee, got everyone ready for a big day of riding . . . 82 miles today!!!

Lots of great little sink/pot holes to check out on the route this morning . . .

We have been paralleling Interstate Hwy 10 for the last week or so, jumping from the north side to the south, staying in towns located 5-15 miles from it. Today we cross it for the last time as we head south and then east to St Augustine.

Great, lush foliage along the way . . . things are wet here!!!

We rolled through Wellborn this morning . . .

. . . and to this planation outside of town that had been HEAVILY thinned . . .

. . . the pine that were left almost looked like palm trees!!!!

. . . with their ‘lollipop crowns’ and thin boles,  I think they would be susceptible to snapping off in high wind storms.

Here was the first backyard observatory we have seen since the one our host at the Marathon Motel and RV park owned, way back in TX !!!! Wonder if this owner has mood lights lit around his at night!!!

So . . . does he???

I stopped to take this photo and noticed a rider coming through me, heading west. He had a blinking headlight and was pulling  ‘Bob’ trailer. As he rolled up on me I asked him where he was going but from his response and expression, I don’t think he understood English. The reason I had stopped was to take a photo of, sadly, the two dead beagles lying in the ditch on the right side of the photo. I took a closer photo . . . but am not posting it. Too sad . . . I hope they were chasing a bunny or something and had a great last memory!!!!

. . . and I wish I had had an apple for this stunning creature. He kept bobbing his head up and down over the fence, like he was asking for one. I tried to take a movie of him doing it but he wouldn’t cooperate!!!

This is interesting . . . in several areas of Florida the rural mailboxes’ face away from the road. The rural carrier drives into the ditch to put the mail in the box. Advantages are the carrier doesn’t need to stop on the road and doesn’t need to sit hallway across the car to put the mail in the box. They just lean out the left side of the car. Makes sense . . . but you need to have a wide right of way!!!!

Probably about the most elaborate memorial I have seen . . . again, on a long straight section of road . . . no bumps, no turns  . . . straight. . .

We have ridden by many, many examples of this type of housing in rural  FL. Haven’t really seen the great numbers of these since AZ. Some are abandoned but many are still being live in . . . yikes!!!

Great root systems . . . we are not in WI anymore, Virginia!!!

Today there was a bike trail, for about  15 miles, that connects two state parks. We  took advantage of it . . . easy and safe pedaling!!!!

We are staying in downtown Gainesville, near the campus. Not sure if the owner of the Continuum, located down the street from us, appreciates this fellow sleeping on the sidewalk, in the middle of the afternoon, out in front of the building he is trying to rent!!!

Only 55 miles miles today, so after our big dinner last night down in the student section of town at, MoJo Barbeque, we decided to sleep in until 7:00am this morning. Guess what . . . at 7:05am we were all hungry again!!! Lots of night spots around, but not many breakfast places. We really had to hunt for one . . .

. . . after breakfast and packing it was time to hit the road at 9:00am. But . . . not before our groups biggest tipper, Gina, left her customary tip for those cleaning the rooms. Oh yeah . . . we are that messy!!!!!

This morning we would ride out of town, for the first 15 miles, on a paved trail, provided by the Florida parks Department  . . . nice

. . . and they are trying to do the right thing in preserving the local eco-systems . . .

One of the great little scenes we passed by on the trail . . . can you spot the fisherman?

After a quick 15 miles, we exited the trail at Hawthorne and onto the open road .. .

. . . this one was not sleeping. Had a chunk taken out of his side, maybe by a turkey vulture . . .

Here is something I haven’t seen in WI, local municipalities posting hearing notices on the piece of land being consider for a Conservation Easement . . .

. . . half mile down the road there was this sign . . . might be a land development fight a brewing !!!

Soon we arrived in Florahome, our half way point today, and it was time for lunch. We had already chowed down when we passed this restaurant on the way out of town. Too bad we were full . . . looked like a fun place!!!

Good point . . .

On the trail, I came across this turtle crossing the trail to the upland side. Unlike my old turtle buddy, Blinky, this guy didn’t look to happy to see me. I named him Crabby . .

Click above to see Crabby fleeing the scene!!!

Just out of Florahome, we came to this cute little store and stopped for an ice cream sandwich. We met Jim and Sandy who were out for a days ride on the trail. A couple of love birds enjoying life!!!!

Paul showed up with some fresh blueberries he had picked at a ’U Pick Them’ type farm  Deliciousssssss!!!

We were told the trail ran all the way from Melrose to Palatka . . . so we were surprised when we came, literally, to the ‘End of the Trail’, with 8 miles yet to go . . . we hopped on the highway and soon were in town.

New plantings on the highway boulevard. Just dig a hole, stick the stem of the tree in the ground and provide support. They will root themselves!!!

Unlike the TransAm I rode in 2007, where we stopped for something like this every night, we have not done that on this Southern Tier crossing. Since, in my mind, today is the last official day of full riding, with tomorrow being just a quick 45 mile run out to St Augustine, today was the last day to have one. YUMMMM (only got a medium size) . . . OK . . .may get another tomorrow!!!!

Nice mural across form the DQ . . .

On the way in to Palatka I had chatted with Nan, on the right, and as I finished my malted milk, I saw her and Laurie roll into the bike shop across the road. I had to go over and finish the conversation. They are 2 of 25 riders who started riding in San Diego, March 5, 4 days behind us. We had heard about their group, Woman Tours, along the way and finally got to meet a couple of their group, one  day before finishing. Their tour is moteling too, but have their own professional chef along!!!!! A company owned by women and for only women riders. Read about it here  . . . Woman Tours.

So ends another tough day on the road . . . Gina and TommyH, the first two in the pool! But hey . . . tomorrow we leave the hotel, turn left and have to climb over that bridge on the way to St Augustine!!!!

Day 60 continued . . . In my view of things, today was our last day of official riding. Just like the Tour de France, where the last day of the tour is a ’ceremonial’ ride into Paris, our last day tomorrow will be a ceremonial ride into St Augustine . . . so why not have a celebratory dinner tonight!!! We all went to Corky Bell’s Seafood at Gator Landing located in East Palatka. Had to cross the St John’s River!!!

We sat out on the deck, overlooking the St. John’s River, and had no more received our drinks when it started pouring. Grabbed them and ran inside . . .

. . . where soon our dinners were redirected to us. Beside fresh fish, Corky’s is known for their tasty cole slaw and crispy ‘hush puppies’’. Since my tilapia and shrimp dish included two sides, I chose them both.  YUMYYY!!!!

. . . still room for dessert. No ice cream, but they dressed it up with a little shipped cream.

then . . . zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Last day of riding today . . . last official day of the trip!!!!!

We will all be glad to sleep in our own beds again after spending so many nights in motels, where you never know what you are going to find. From bedbugs to Holiday Inn pillows in a Quality Inn room!!!! Marriot soap is a favorite of Mom & Pop motels. They must buy it at auctions.

Fame can be fleeting. Wolfgang Puck used to be a big deal in the culinary world . . . but I think his stature may have slipped. He now uses his name to endorse the sugar, creamer, napkin, coffee stirring stick condiment packets that come with the in room coffee machine!!!!

I was ready to go by 8:00am. The others were thinking about touring the historic area of Palatka first, so I headed off towards St Augustine. I really wanted to ride alone today. No iPod . . . just me, the road, the sky  . . . and my thoughts. Thoughts of the two months we have been on the road, the best moments, the most challenging, my family, friends, those living and those who have passed on. And of course my life with Smoochie and how precious it is.

Oh . . . is it? (lost in translation?)

mmmmmmm . . . another house financing boondoggle bubble starting to swell ???

A flat, easy 45 mile ride today into St Augustine took us through large areas of agriculture . . . including hilled potato fields

ahhhhhhhhh . . . this guy might have cut his turn a little too wide . . . teenage driver????

Kudzu might be the vine that is taking over the south but a close second is the Spanish Moss. It seems to grow on everything that does not move. In two to three hundred years it should cover Florida!!!!

Now this guy has a BIGGGGGGGGGGG rack!!!!!  Barbed wire fence to keep out visitors!!

A great old store with lots of farming antiques . . .

located right next to the Florida Museum, that was . . . SHUT!!!!

mmmmmmm . . . we have seen these road directional markings, signaling bicycle route turns, the last few days. I wonder if the Woman’s Tour marks the route for their riders???

Soon the route turned of busy Hwy 207 onto Scenic Hwy 13. MUCH quieter, less traffic and good road surface.

. . . and lots of hidden glades

Like  I said, lots of ag fields . . . where

. . . spuds are king and evidently quite happy!!!! Come to think of it, I never met one that didn’t make me smile!!!!

Spud fields on the left . . .

. . . corn on the right . . . I felt like I was biking around Antigo, WI!!!!

passed this shooting range that was quiet today too . . .

. . . the targets must not be good enough for some, because right across the road this sign had been ‘decorated’. Nice grouping!!!!

. . . the countdown continues

Several funny named towns along the St John’s River route today including , Racy Point . . .

. . . where living is large . . .

haven’t seen one of these since TX!!!

. . . just north of Riverdale there was a 90 degree turn, to the east, and the final run out to St Augustine . . .

. . . as verified by my gps. Can’t miss that turn!!!!

. . . right after the turn, the gps screen changed and I saw the ‘end of the ride’ location at the Atlantic Ocean.

But to get there I had to ride through Molasses Junction . . . where living is, not Racy, but slowwwwwwwwwwww . . .

. . . and I would pass by one last ‘country store’, so similar to hundreds of others we have passed along our journey and many times stopped at. They usually have a little of everything, but usually no bicycle tubes!!!

I rolled over Interstate 95 and was shocked to see this Ghost Bike, telling the story of a young college student who was hit and killed on January 12, 2012 at 4:00pm by a hit and run driver.

The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office was called to the Molasses Junction area when a motorist who stopped to investigate debris in the road between Interstate 95 and County Road 13A found a man’s body in the ditch. Bryan was a student at the University of St. Augustine and a member of a local bicycle riding club.

Could the occidental have been caused by a dangerous, curvy road . . .  bad site lines, you be the judge.

What was worse, another mile down the road I came upon this . . .

. . . and soon after, this one . . .

. . . and right out of St Augustine City limits this one!!!! This 5 mile stretch of  Hwy 214 must be the most dangerous section of road in the US.

One mile out of town I called the others to find out there locations. The plan was to ride in together. We wouldn’t have a police escort, like the Woman’s Tour did this morning, but would feel just as important in accomplishing our ride. Soon we had all met outside Theo’s Greek Restaurant and headed in for the final mile . . . to the Atlantic Ocean.

Connie’s back hooves left the Pacific 60 days ago, and at noon today she soaked her sore front hooves in the Atlantic. My feet got sort of a ‘mud bath. Lots of barnacles!!!!

Why am I holding up ten fingers? Because with the turning of this last mile, we raised over $10,000 in donations for the Cure Alzheimer Fund!!!! Yippee, and thanks to you all for contributing!!!!!!

Our final group portrait . . . even had the year spelled out in flowers!!!!

Time to head to Howard Johnson’s, get cleaned up and eat lunch.

. . .TommyH was worried about the salt water damaging my wheels and used the last of his fresh water to rinse the front wheel. Once we got to HoJo’s, I gave the old girl a compete scrub down. She is now in the ‘back forty’, for a long rest . . .

I had one thing in mind . . . my last DQ malted milk. The one yesterday only whetted my appetite and since today is ‘Officially the Last Day’, time for one more (I wonder if the days driving home count as last days too???) Vi and Andrea did the honors. Vi, on the left is a new employee. She received help from Andrea in making her first malt. Tasted great . . . and less filling, than a large.

. . . along with a iron pan griddle club sandwich. What a finish to an end!!!! Warren Buffet would be proud of me. His company owns Dairy Queen. He often uses the purchase of it as an example of investing in what you know. He must have a ‘sweet tooth’, too!!!

Final thoughts . . . coming soon.

Although the official ride is over it doesn’t seem right without saying a few words about St Augustine, our home for two nights before we start driving north. St. Augustine is pretty much everything our trip, was not. Over commercialized, it could very easy switch places with Mackinaw Island, Wisconsin Dells, Branson, etc., etc. Our trip was an escape to the ‘real, raw’ version of Americana. One we chose. These kind of places are also an escape from reality but of a different kind and serve a clientele looking for that kind of experience. Great place for kids!!!!

There is one natural features, a 650 year old Like Oak that happens to be in our backyard . . . named the Senator!!! I took this shot at 6:30am as I was walking over for breakfast. The orange in the tree is a reflection from the sun coming up.

It happens to be in the driveway of our Howard Johnsons’ and is a stop on the city trolley ride. A trolley comes through every 15 minutes . . . .

The colors are fantastic . . . hope there is some of this in WI when we return  . . .

Our ‘senior’ group was thinking of taking a dip here. No discount for those with wrinkles!!!!

There is an  ‘old jail’ museum you can tour, for a fee of course. Outside they had a display of the  ‘convict labor’ system where, up until the 1920’s, farmer’s could ‘rent labor’ from the country and state jails to work on their farms . . . interesting that all the statues were white skinned . . .

. . . while the photos depicted all those who participated as black skinned!!!

Conditions were terrible and the convicts were often whipped and chained together at night. But it was evidently such a big deal that ‘portable prison’ cells were invented!!!!

I know several ‘Bob’s’ this might fit!!!!

A 207 foot stainless steel crucifix marking the placement of the first cross placed in Florida, 400 years ago.

Folks can donate to help with the upkeep of the grounds  . . . looks like the Gallagher’s, at least the one’s that were M.D.’s pitched in!!!!

At the original Ripley’s ‘Believe It Or Not’ there was a head sticking above a very manicured hedge . . .

It’s a replica of David. One of only two imitations carved out of a solid chunk of marble from the same quarry the original came from in Italy. Believe It, or Not!!!

The town was too big for me to walk around, so I took Connie, the Clydesdale, out of the pasture for a little gallop around town. I thought she was getting a little antsy around David, with her snorting and prancing, until I noticed this handsome guy in the corner of the parking lot. No wonder she was excited. The horse was sculpted out of chrome fenders from 1950 – 60 vintage vehicles!!!!

. . . and right next to it was a log home . . . hollowed from a tree 1,900 years old . . .

. . . sort of a ‘shotgun house’ affair with three ‘rooms’  . . . ‘Believe It, or Not’.

Finally it was on to the Castillo de San Marco, a National Park Service site. I bought my Senior Pass today. $10 and it lasts FOREVER . . . longer than I will.

Very interesting ‘walk around’. I spent several hours there . . . long enough to see the cannon firing demo put on by volunteer docents older than I am!!!!

Click above to see the action. I cut the show short . . . it was really a drawn out affair. In a real life battle, the soldiers could load and fire four cannon balls a minute!!!

The bigger the cannon the further they could hail their payload. Some went 4-5 miles . . . ‘Believe It or Not’!!!

Live, hand on demos kept all the kids entertained. The docent said the musket balls displayed are made out of pewter because the NPS is nervous about people handling lead, the original material used to form musket balls!!!

Next was a leisurely ride across the high  bridge to the first barrier island and the lighthouse. It was being painted so closed for tours.

On the way back I noticed another Ghost Bike on a city street . . . unbelievable!!!!!

. . . and I saw my first ‘Senior Lineup’ of oldsters waiting for the 5:00pm dinner special. Thing is, it was only 3:10pm. They must have a LOT of time on their hands!!!!

On the way back across the bridge I saw the point where, yesterday, Connie dipped her hooves in the Atlantic . . .

I headed down St George St. for some special shopping . . .

. . . not this place . . . special vacation wear??? . . .

. . . nor this Coat of Arm’s dealer, with a last name reference book outside the store that was about 5 inches thick. Close . . . but no cigar. There are some interesting spellings though . . .

I was heading to Kilwin’s for a praline pecan ‘Special Order’ placed by Bikin’ Bob. He said if I picked him up a pound he would up his Alzheimer donation . . . and pay for the pralines!!!!

Wonder how they make those waffle cones? Click above to see Lori in action!!!!

We went to a great Greek restaurant, first one of the trip, and all had yummy dishes. Gina surprised everyone by getting two community desserts. They didn’t last long!!!!

St Augustine does come alive at night with lots of restaurant choices and music seems to be everywhere . . . and light. This  “Magic Globe’ boutique is only open at night for the obvious reason.

One of the many small restaurant options off the St George Street . .

. . . and on the walk back, the 207 foot crucifix was even lit  . . . looks taller at night!!!

. . . even HoJo’s looked magical tonight.  Tomorrow we head north . . . and back to our individual lives!