We woke to rain and as you can see from the graphics below  . . .  rain was the order of the day . . .

 

Going to be wet for the next week. Hope we don’t grow gills!!! Barb headed out today, as did Brian and Karen.  We will miss them!!! We are back to the core group and we are heading northeast. We’ll be veering off the ACA trail for several days in order to break up some of the 90+ mile days we would have had. After our break in New Orleans we need to get back in riding shape again!!!

Finally the rain slowed a bit, so at 9:30am and it was time to finally pack up and make a dash for it. 1/2 mile down the road one of our gang wiped out around a flooded corner!!! Road rash, a couple of scrapes on the leg but luckily no head or other injuries. However, the derailleur hanger was bent so it meant an emergency run to the local bike store for a quick repair.

Soon it was time to duck in for some lunch . . . I had a pastrami sub . . . about 1/2 pound of meat!!!

Oh yeah . . . there were a few challenges on the ride today, besides the rain. ACA lays out their routes for various reasons, one which is safety. We are off the route. Here is a bridge we had to cross that at least had a shoulder. Five miles down the road there was a 4 mile long bridge over a bayou with NO SHOULDER. Quite dangerous, so a call was made to the local Sheriff’s department who provided an police escort across the bridge. NICE!!!! Hopefully we will not have anymore surprises like this for the next 3 days. Once we get to Dauphin Island, we are back on route!!!

Speaking of route . . . when we came to the Mississippi River in New Roads,  there was a Mississippi River Trail sign. The route starts in MN and follows the river all the way to New Orleans which is just south of us. Fun to see the sign . . . a nice memory from home!!!

Went to eat tonight at Satterfield’s where we were introduced to Omar . . . a local legend!!!

Denver Tom couldn’t pass up the five for 7 dollar special!!!!

The name of the game tonight . . . try to dry things out. 80% change of heavy rain tomorrow morning  (1-2 inches) . . . then tapering to thunderstorms. Batten down the hatches!!!!

Woke at 5:00am. No Rain!!! Checked the weather app on my phone . . . said drizzle at 5:30am . . . they sort of got it right. At 5:45am it started raining . . . another wet day. Denver Tom and I went downtown to eat breakfast while the rest at cereal in their room. By the time we were done eating at 8:00am, we were fueled and ready to go. We headed out. The forecast was for rain all day with most of it between noon and 4:00pm. Needed to get some miles under out belts before noon!

Right out of town, I came to another BIG bridge. Thought I had made a wrong turn north and was in Mackinaw City!!!!

. . . at least there was a good shoulder.

. . . got to the top, the rain had slowed so stopped for a few pics . . .

. . . Old Man River, the mighty Mississip! I turned to take another shot and there was a light so bright I thought I was on my way home . . . but it was lightning, followed by a deafening set of booms . . . I packed up the camera and got off the middle of the bridge . . . just as it starting pouring again!

By the time I got to Slaughter, LA I needed a little second breakfast  . . .why not stop at the Home of the PawPaw burger!!!

Audra was on duty, running the whole place herself, thus the Superwoman shirt! Ends up a PawPaw burger is double meat patties, several kinds of cheese, bacon and some other meat I can’t remember. I settled for a egg, sausage, biscuit . . . not lunchtime yet!!!

I had not more left Slaughter and the rain started again, and continued for another 40 miles to Amite, our home for the night. Did see this guy along the road. The roadside samples of this species seem to be getting bigger!!!! We have eaten several appetizers with legs about this size . . . tastes like chicken!!!! Looks like he is smiling . . . must have had a nice thought at the moment of impact!!!

Nice place . . . reminds me of the bike trip Smoochie and I took to Normandy, FRA last fall!!!

Wrong turn south???? . . . Bamboo Forest!!!!

. . . Amen!!!!

Really wanted to pull into this private cemetery and see what the dates on the headstones might have been compared to the age of this behemoth!!! Posted private property though, so I didn’t enter.

Just before I rolled into the Comfort Suite in Amite, dreaming of the HOT shower I needed, I saw this place that gave a whole new meaning to the phrase many  Caribbean resorts use, ‘outdoor shower’ !!!!

Thirty minutes later having showered, and eating cheese, crackers and drinking Pinot Gris . . . the world seemed pretty good again!!!! Good thing there is a WalMart across the street . . . I need more vino!!!

but . . . looking ahead to where we are going tomorrow . . . notice a pattern here?????

The Weather Channel said 70 percent change of rain today . . .  but we lucked out. We are moving, the clouds are moving, the storm cells are moving, hopefully all in a different direction like they did today. Not a drop on our heads before we got to Poplarville, MS our home for the night!!!!

As I rolled down the highway, I heard a locomotive horn, but hadn’t seen a track or train. Ends up it was blasting from the truck pulling this double wide trailer, ‘advising’ me to move to the side of the road. There was a truck coming from the other direction and there was not room for all three of us!!!!!

As soon as I moved over, the truck coming toward us moved over, and as the double wide moved back over the fog line, one of the tires blew when it hit the rumble strip. Déjà vu all over again!!! There was a loud bang and what looked like liquid spewing from the tire. The truck vanished over the hill and by the time I climbed the hill, it was sitting at the bottom of it. The driver was directing traffic and three assistants’ . . .

. . . were, like an Indy pit crew, under the trailer changing the tire.  I asked the driver if he had the same air horn as a locomotive and he said, “Yes, It tends to get peoples attention!” Five miles down the road I saw their pilot vehicle go by me, I was coming up to a bridge and there was not room for the tow of us, so I pulled over on the shoulder and gave them a big wave as they blasted by!!!

With all the rain the last three days, the USGS water level sensing stations positioned on all the rivers must be getting a workout. Lots of flashflood warnings. Luckily the flooding has not been an issue for us.

Local logging operation. mmmmmmmmmmm . . .I wonder if they know about Water based Best Management Practices.

Dead turkey vulture. Must be an adult because of the red head. Not it’s lucky day. After seeing, this I noticed that most of the vultures I saw the rest of the day had black heads . . . juveniles????

Oh yeah . . . Gina will be stopping at this in Bogalusa!!!!

About a week ago, I stepped in a red ant hill when taking a photo and quickly had ants climbing my legs and and biting me. Today I had a flat. Gina and Paul stopped to help, I bent down to pull out the tube, put my foot off the pavement and stepped into a mound like this. OUCH . . . Gina came to the rescue by spraying my leg with her water bottle to blast the ants off my leg!!!!

Yikes . . . this was a problem for someone!!!!!

Yippee . . . another state under our belt. On to Mississippi!!!

Interesting businesses right on the state line . . .

. . . and another one. Not a real great welcome to Mississippi . . .

However, they are trying to do the right thing with litter . . .

. . . except some of the folk evidently don’t know what to do with their empty ‘dads!!!!

. . . I was getting hungry, wonder if there are any morsels left in them critters?????

Nice place here in Mississippi, with their own pond  . . .

About 1:30pm, we arrived in Poplarville, our home for the night. We have two cabins, with three rooms in each. This was the boys house . . .

Nice living room . . .

TommyH’s room . . .

. . . my room.

This was the girl’s house. Denver Tom was the last boy in, so he ‘won’ the honor of the third room in the girl’s house. They would not let Tom, Paul or me in the house . . . so NO PHOTOS!!!

Bubba’s Pampered Peddlers are in Poplarville tonight, too. 43 peddlers, that started 6 days behind us in San Diego, and our groups finally meet up . . . some of us in this old time drugstore soda fountain. Two LARGE scoops of Praline Pecan Ice Cream . . . $1.64!!!! Their gang is staying in the Hurricane Evacuation Center tonight, not because there is a hurricane coming but because they have been camping in the rain for 4 days!!!!

Since we had two cabins last night, with full kitchens, we decided to eat in rather than going out. The girls bought all the fixin’s for spaghetti with meatballs, and since the boys had the bigger kitchen, Chef Tomas was called into action . . .

. . . here he is supervising Sous Chef, Paul, during the preparation of the tapenade to spoon on the broiled French bread, also  topped with extra virgin olive oil!!!!

BIG salad . . . enough to feed an army. We still had one bag left!!!!

. . . let’s eat!!!

a great meal and there were certainly enough for second or thirds. Some ate left overs for breakfast . . .

You cannot have a great meal with out a little entertainment! Click the video above to see what it was all about!!!!

. . . full tummies, full night of rest . . . and a sky full of clouds when we woke this morning. 70% change of rain in Ocean Springs, our home for the night, 68 miles down the road!

One last check for stuff in the room and in the closet . . . shhhhhhhhhhh . . . some were still sleeping!!!!

mmmmm . . . one thing we have not seen so far on the trip is Crocodile wrestlin’ . . . maybe there is still a chance. They are tasty little devils!!!!

VERY heavy overcast, mist and high humidity as we rolled on down the road . . . and even a few hills. Nice change of pace from all the flat we have been encountering the last week or so.

as the saying goes, ‘dust to dust’. This piece of paradise is gradually returning to dust again!!!

let’s see . . . what’s that other saying,  ‘measure twice . . . cut once’ ?????????  Little long here!!!

The morning line up . . . from the curiosity displayed, not too many bikers come along this way. Lots of dog’s today. I was riding with Gina and Tom. As the pooches’ would come out to greet us, some more enthusiastically than others, Tom in a VERY commanding voice would tell them to go home. Most actually turned around and ran back to their homes!!!!!

New flowers along the way today . . .

Here was a little place about half the size of the ‘Sunday Houses’ we rented several weeks ago. Might be a Mon-Fri version!!!!

Another persons dream to ‘live out in the sticks’. Of course, the first thing one does is cut down all the trees in order to make a lawn . . .

. . . must be quite an operation lining everything up and leveling both pieces!

The last 15 miles of the day were on Hwy 67. It actually had a nice paved shoulder designated as a, ‘Bike Lane’. The road surfaces today were wonderful, with very little traffic. Perfect riding day!

All the rain has made these gazebos, ‘down by the river’, a little soggy for outdoor seating.

Here was where we were supposed to stay tonight in Oceans Springs . . . looks like a little fire problem . . .

Instead, we are staying at a Studio 6, Extended Stay, the ‘boutique’ version of a Motel 6 and owned by the same parent company. Here’s one of the residents vehicles. Either it is an EXTREMELY low, low rider, the air shocks are shot or the tires are low!!!!

Lucked out again today . . . not a drop of rain!!!! Yippee!!! Tomorrow we head to Dauphine Island for another mini-vacation!!!

On to Dauphin Island today, 60 miles to the east, for a three day mini-vacation. Yippee!!! I needed cash the last several days but every bank I went to charged $5-6 dollars for an ATM transaction. RIP-OFF!!!

Finally went to the Peoples’ Bank . . . just the usual $3.00 charge. Power to the People!!!!

On the way out of town I stopped at the Ocean Springs Vietnam Memorial . . .

Really well done . . . a very solemn space, with many folks walking the paths this early morning

Photos of everyone in the area that died in the conflict . . .

This is a BIG ship building area along the coasts of Mississippi and Alabama . . .

Here is one of the big ones we passed, situated right on the ocean . . . 

. . . mmmmmmmmmmmm . . . looks like not everybody in the ship building industry is happy!!!

Mississippi humor . . . .

On the way out of town there were LOTS of billboards to read as one pedaled along at 15mph. Here is one reason American’s might be so overweight. Pushing deals on soft drinks BEFORE 10:00am!!!!

Here is what riders in the south think a hill is. Interstate or canal overpass!!!! The most elevation gain we have seen in weeks!!!!

Our first view of the ocean . . . hopefully many more to come!!!

Every community seems to have a lighthouse to welcome you. The ride today is basically 60 miles of urban stop light, to stoplight riding. Not so good!!!

Don’t even want to think what might have happened at this intersection!!!!

Another one to add to the list . . . a dead beaver!!!!

Finally went by Gator Dan’s emporium. Everything about or related to gators . . .

. . . swamp boat rides . . .

and the enclosure where Dan wrestles the gators’. Too bad they were not open yet when we passed by!!!!

Yippee . . . another state line crossing!!!!

Two pups came out from the right to REALLY enthusiastically greet me . . . but eventually turned around and went back home without snapping or biting . . . unfortunately there was this one down the road that was chasing something and came up against a car or truck. Too bad. First dead dog we have seen on the trip. Owners REALLY need to keep their dogs penned or chained up in the yard!

Interesting mix of business and religion . . . is the implication that Jesus could/would have been a happy, satisfied customer?

mmmmmmmmmm . . . selling ‘stuff inside’, that sort of narrows it down. Didn’t need any stuff, so I kept on pedaling!!!

. . . another snake for the list. Beautiful specimen!

At about 53 miles, I saw the bridge to Dauphin Is. Hope I don’t get a nose bleed from the change in altitude . . .

. . . brought to you by the Army Corp!

That’s some bump in the middle . . . 5% grade, 90 feet of elevation gain . . .

. . . and it looks like a bridge to NOWHERE!  I thought I could see Russia from it!!!!

. . . over the top and Dauphin Island coming up fast . . .

We are staying right in the yacht harbor for three days. It’s the weekend when we landed here and there is a three day minimum stay so it will be a nice break!!

Our complex . . . ready for high water!

Home sweet home . . . I was the first rider in today.

Nice living room with plenty of room to lay around.

Big kitchen . . . Gina bought groceries for all of our meals. Let’ s get that barbie fired up!!!!

The girls got the room with the king bed, the Jacuzzi tub and the private deck . . .

. . . I got the room with a queen bed and private bath . . .

. . . while Paul, Tom and Tom were in the bunk house!!!

. . . 2:45pm, starting to nache away and drink!!! Some drank more than others. TommyH and Paul had six flats today,  shared between them!!!!

BBQ chicken tonight as Chef Tomas gets things going in the grill area . . .

. . . his ‘recovery’ drink of choice . . . Bud Light on ice.  One beer for each flat !!!!!

Look who showed up just as the barbeque was lit . . . Pete the Pelican. Think theses critters know the routine????

Time for everyone to chill and relax for a few days, and do their own thing . . . Linda brought out her watercolors . . .

. . . and a half hour later, Wholla!!!!

. . . soon it was time for FOOD delivered to  the deck. Denver Tom provided cover from swooping pelicans!!!!

Tators, chicken, corn bread, broccoli, cookies . . . YUM . . . .

Great dinner tonight as we watched the lightning show to the west, from our deck. LOTS of lightning = LOTS of rain. Glad we were tucked into our humble abode for the night. Bubba’s Pamper Peddlers are camping tonight!!!!

We ended the night with a final nightcap, out on our middle veranda, watching the lightning show to the west. What a night for sleeping . . .

Seven hours later, several of us were up sitting there again, drinking . . . coffee, that is,  and watching the sunrise . . .

Nice . . .

View from my window, down the road . . . shotgun homes only one room deep!!!!

8:00am time to eat again . . . breakfast!!!

Enough food again, for second or thirds . . .

. . . I only had one ‘modest’ plate. Got to start cutting back . . . only about 10 days left of riding!!!

Letting things settle a little in the tummy . . . before getting too excited about today’s activities. May involve just lounging around here all day.

Great view from the deck . . . you can see our private pier in the lower right. Our condo yacht should be delivered about 10:00am!!!

. . . look down from the deck and there is our pool!!!

Our steeds enjoying several days off . . . guaranteed no flats for the next several days!!!!

I thought this may have  been modern art next store . . .

. . . but it’s a building lot for sale. A foundation on stilts looking for a buyer!!!

Thanks Greg for this info . . . got to watch out for all those gray hairs in FL driving their old Cadillac’s and Buicks’ !!!!

It started raining on and off for most of the day  . . .  as we explored the island. Tomorrow the bird sanctuary!!!

We didn’t go hungry tonight  . . . nice steak fry . . .

With all the fixins’ . . . we are hoping for dryer weather tomorrow!!!

Woke to a BEAUTUFUL day . . . but by the time we left for the ferry to transport us off Dauphin Is, it was overcast!!! What happed to the week of upcoming  sun!!

East meets west as Gina and Tom discuss the last several weeks journey with Julie and Mark, from the UK. We have been hopscotching with them since TX. They spent three days in NOLA and had a GREAT time. The fella next to Gina is also from the UK. Julie has been corresponding with him on CGOAB and now just met him in person!!!

Pennsylvania and Virginia meet Wisconsin and Colorado!!!

The literature said there was a restroom on the ferry . . . that is going to be one BIG first step for anyone who needs to use it on the 4 mile trip!!!!

. . . more bicycles than cars on this first 8:00am ferry!!!

A final bird watcher . . . with one big lens!!!

Close up of the natural gas rig we saw yesterday from shore. It’s being visited by a resupply ship.

Mobile Bay only averages ten feet deep so to get the ocean going ships in and out of port there is a channel that is constantly be dredged. 400 feet wide and 75 feet deep. You can see the red and green buoys marking the channel as we crossed it.

Pete the Pelican, and his family, flew over from the condo to greet us on the mainland at Ft. Morgan. Sorry gang, no more handouts!!!

Time to roll off an hit the trail again after three days’ of R&R on Dauphin Is.

We no more got rolling and of course it started raining. I tied up with Paul and TommyH, who had enough sense to get out of the rain, and were enjoying a beignet. I had a cream cheese Danish!!!

We hit the ocean again at Gulf Shores . . . here there were some nice dune areas . . .

. . .but the ride really ended up being about 50 miles of condo development stretching from Gulf Shores to Pensacola, FL

Another sweeping bridge as we enter Florida . . . thought I saw Anita Bryant at the ‘Welcome Center’ handing out Orange Julius’s!!!!

A highlight for me was a stop at the Naval Aviation Museum on the Pensacola Navy Airbase . . .

. . . really well done. ‘Smithsonian grade’ level of presentation . . .

. . . hard to believe this amphibious plane ever got off the water!!!

. . . or this more modern WWII vintage PBY, used to find Rusky submarines.

Great dioramas and cutaways on the models . . .

A mockup of the atomic bomb the Navy helped deliver to Japan. Hard to believe something only 10’ tall could do that much damage.

The Maries are part of the Navy so of course they had to have a retired version of ‘Marine One’. You see this most of the time ferrying the President from the South Lawn of the White House, to Air Force One based out of Andrews Air Force base.

Nice digs, and although it is usually a short ride, it  looks like their might be time for a cocktail . . . especially if you have a had a bad day at work.

. . . ‘Tricky Dick’ had sort of a thousand yard stare . . . may have had one to many as they circled Washington!!!!

I felt like I was in Madame Toussaint’s Wax Museum!!! Creepy!!!!

Speaking of President’s, here is the plane ‘W’ landed on the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln when he made the great announcement on Abe’s deck of “MISSION ACCOMPLISHED’, in Iraq.

. . . just wanted to be one of the boys!!!!!

….speaking of boys, here is a ‘Squadron Car’ some of the navy staff passed down from one generation of flyboys to another as they rotated through Pensacola. The Navy does not provide transportation to those in training or on deployments, so many times a hat was passed for funds and whatever the gang could gather was used to by a ‘party car’ used to get around town. Some were ‘redecorated’, so to speak. Notice the refueling tube coming out of the roof on this model!!!!  In the movie ‘Top Gun’, Tom Cruise had a fast motor bike to get around town . . . this model was probably closer to the truth for the fly boys!!!!

We woke to a beautiful day in Pensacola . . . blue sky, but only 58 degrees!!!! Needed a ‘light wrap’ on the way to breakfast.

. . . and right next to us was a 24 hour ‘Whataburger’ that served breakfast. Denver Tom and I were in our booth by 6:15am, drinking coffee!!!

Denver Tom ended his ride with us in Pensacola. He needs to get back to Denver for some social obligations. There were hugs all around, and then it was time for us to roll out down Pensacola Blvd. We got separated at the first stoplight with Gina and I in the lead. We would eventually tie up with the rest 20 miles down the road in Milton. We came across Sadie, a starving artist, who is working, waving an oil change sign on the side of the road. We have seen folks doing this, for a variety of businesses, all across the US. Most are listening to iPods, or talking on the phone but Sadie was the first one to reading a book while she was shaking the sign. The job pays $8.00/hour and she is working to save some cash in order to remodel her house and studio!!!!

We rolled across several large bridges on our way out of Pensacola that had some great views . . . wonder if there were any gators down there?????

mmmmmm . . . it was a little dicey getting out of town during rush hour . . . hope we didn’t make a wrong turn somewhere!!!!

Another one for the list . . . Rocky actually look ‘peaceful’ . . .

After 20 miles we came to Milton, where we would pick up a PAVED state trail for the next 9 miles . . .as we rolled up to it Gina spotted a bike store right off the trail . . . guess which way we went!!!!

The diva and her carriage!!!!! Holds four!

Gina has been having problems with her front wheel, so asked the boys to take a look at it . . . soon the rest of our gang joined us. Gina is holding a ‘water bottle’ shaped container that has a tool kit inside . . . (Brian, check that x-mas stocking hanging from the mantle in a couple of months!)

Here was a great ‘local product’, a bike made out of bamboo that had been grown locally . . .

OK, so before we left the bike shop  . . . we filled the queen’s carriage with a few of her serfs . . .

Nice trail riding for 8 miles . . .

. . . and here was a good way to track ridership on the trail rather than using the standard rubber air tube counter stretch across the path . . . an electronic eye system.

Neat house along the trail painted with a map of the gulf area . . .

For Gina . . . (our little groups, inside joke)

mmmmmmmmm . . .Bob’s Riverside Canoe Rental, if it says Spring Green on the sign ahead we did make a wrong turn!!!!

We turned off the Highway 131 onto Indian Ford Road and were immediately presented with this little piece of art evidently done by one of the locals . . .

. . .but it was sweet riding today . . . even a little elevation today . . . Hey, what happened to that shoulder?????

. . .much of the afternoon was spent riding through the Blackwater State Park and Forest . . . peaceful, very little traffic, 72 degree temps, no wind and BLUE SKY. Made one almost forget about the two weeks of rain we had!!!!

Nice name. I’d like to live on this road . . . and it’s a dead end!!!

Now this guy either REALLY like fences, is a mason himself, or has an unemployed son-in-law that needed something to do!!!

mmmmmm . . . wonder if they have ‘raw milk’ sale issues like we have in WI between the Amish farmers and our Department of Ag????

Now here was a sweet little one room getaway . . .

Down the road was the site of a future G.I. Joe Theme Park. Not sure how long this has been in the planning stage but the front wheels on the truck were flat. No evidence of earthmoving . . . but of course a GI Joe doll theme park could be a ‘REALLY’ small affair!!!

We rolled across this State Forest bridge on the right. Wire mesh deck but you can see the concrete inserts where tires are supposed to ride. Sort of tricky on a bike . . .

. . . next to it was the ‘new bridge’, that had not yet been completed. Don’t want people to drive across it yet? . . . use a blown down tree to block it!!!!!

We rolled into Crestview, our home for the night. I saw this near a school . . . not sure what happened but something not good. Many of the messages were from Melissa’s Day care. People REALLY need to pay attention when they are driving . . .

We are staying at the Quality Inn and everyone was in the pool by 2:30pm. Nice afternoon of floating around!! Next door is a Hooter’s and a Cracker Barrel. About a block away is El  Rhumba, a Mexican Restaurant. Not sure which one we will go to!!!!

UPDATE: All across the US we have had a girls room, with three in it, and a boys room, with three in it. Since NOLA, when Dan and Margie left the ride because of family obligation, Gina and Linda having been sharing a double. Denver Tom joined us in Austin and after Dan left, we went two to a room, too. Last night was the last night of us each having our own bed EVERYNIGHT because Tom left to go back to Denver. Beginning tonight, and for the rest of the trip, it would be three boys back in one room. It didn’t take long . . . about an hour and a half for us to realize how nice it was to each have a bed instead of one sleeping on the floor every night. Here is a view of our Quality Inn room with our bikes, our gear and us in it!!!

Here was TommyH’s ‘personal sleeping space’ for the night, currently occupied by his gear and Paul’s bike.!!!!

. . . and  a half hour later, here was TommyH new ‘personal sleeping space’. We decided to get two rooms every night with whomever was supposed to sleep on the floor that night rotating to the single room.  My turn tomorrow night. Nice!!!! To celebrate our decision, let’s eat!

We chose La Rhumba where we found the margaritas were as big as your head  and only half price . . . Sara delivered our drinks and set them on the table behind Gina and Tom. I asked her to pick them up again so I could get this shot . . .

. . . after she set them back down to serve, the tray tipped over and onto the floor the ingredient’s and two of the glasses went . . . I left her a BIG tip!!!!

More margaritas were delivered as well as our dishes. Three of us had the Vera Cruz Shrimp . . . and one had chicken mole.  YUM!!!!

By the time I left, not a bite left!!!!     zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz . . .

GOOOOOOD nights sleep last night . . . how do I know that?  Why  . . . because my new Withings watch tells me so!!!

I’m right on course with my alternating light and deep sleep pattern, cycling every 90 minutes! Woke up from a light sleep cycle which is what you want to do to feel refreshed. Waking up during a deep sleep cycle can leave one groggy all day . . . of course too many margaritas like last night can, too!!!!

Our usual morning map meeting . . . we are always concentrating on NOT getting lost!!!!

Local ‘folk art’ for sale on the way out of town. One would need ‘just the right place’ in the home to put a piece like this . . .

. . . of course if you had a couple of  kiddies these might be a hit!

Right outside of Crestview we saw the finishing touches being put on the new and improved county correction’s facility. Looks kind of homey . . . if you can see past the barbed wire!!!!

Today is an easy ride. Get on Hwy 90 . . . 62 miles down the road exit Hwy 90. No turns!!!! Four lanes out of town, then  down to two, but always a nice shoulder.

Every time we entered a new county there was a sign about the Lawton Chiles Trail . . . I had to look it up. Click above for the rest of the story. Interesting!!!

Nice name . . .

. . . and some nice, handsome bungalows’. Move in ready!!!!

The half way point was DeFuniak. Wonder if  they know about our ‘Big Top’ in WI????

Haven’t seen  one of these drive thru’s for a while . . .

. . . it was Wednesday today so Military Discounts!! They were busy serving our men in uniform both coming, and going!!!!

Had to swing into the Pig to see if they had a bakery . . . no fresh goodies . . .

. . . but the usual disclaimer.

I guess this means you could have bought this bike for the $330 you would have spent on cigs. That bike cost more than $330!!! This billboard also reminded me of the half dozen or so riders we saw smoking, at the rest stops, during the Cycle Zydeco ride!!!!

Nice courthouse in Walton County . . .

. . . where they are still flying the Confederate flag!!! Interesting in these small towns, that are also the county seat, how the local lawyers and bail bond companies always encircle the courthouse within a block, or two. Not far for their clients to travel for justice!!!!

Besides maybe Main St being the most popular name we have seen as we biked across the US on this trip, MLK, Street, Blvd, Road, etc . . . certainly takes the cake for number two. Seems every town, no matter the size, has one. DeFuniak may have been a little late in joining the crowd!!!

This was interesting. Looks like the dentist may have done OK selling dentures for $1,000/set, but priced himself out of business at $1,400. Seniors . . . we are on a fixed income, you know!!!

Have biked by several State of Florida Forestry stations the last several days. Reminds me of some of our WDNR northern stations. Very tidy . . .

. . . and here is a piece of their fire equipment, ready to ‘rock and roll’. Just before I retired, we entered into a formal agreement with FL to provide mutual aid in the form of equipment and manpower support between the two states. The WI fire spring season usually ends around the middle of June, way before FL heats up. If we had a bad enough spring, and needed help, Florida would load there equipment on semis and truck it north. Conversely, we could supply support to them usually after July 1. Made sense!!!

Speaking of fire towers . . . I notice on the ACA map we were paralleling Elgin Air Force base. The map made note of a natural feature named, ‘Sandy Mountain’ . . . a mountain  . . . in Florida??? They have to be kidding!!! Looked it up and there is indeed a State of Florida fire tower on the ‘mountain’.The height is listed as 79 meters, or about 250 feet. That has to be to the top of the tower!!!!!

 

Too bad it was so early on Wednesday morning. I would  have liked to have attend Bro’ Jordon’s service. Bet it rocked!!!!!

Lunch time in Ponce de Leon meant heading into Sally’s . . . literally the only place in town . . .

. . . great décor and great food.

Look’s like Sally has been a proponent of the ‘open kitchen’ concept long before it became trendy in big cities!!!!

Now this guy must have REALLY wanted a street light out in the middle of nowhere. BIG solar panel!!!!

The whole area between DeFuniak to Bonifay seemed to be flooding. All the rivers were overflowing their banks . . . it’s FLAT down here.

Here was Darrel, and his other brother Darrel, who have watched way too many 4X4 truck commercials’ on TV, trying to figure out if they could ford this flooded area . . .

. . . by the time I got to the other side of the bridge they thought it might be a little too deep and were beginning to back out . . .

. . . right in to the open arms of ‘Officer Friendly’, of the State Patrol. I missed the shot, but as they backed up past the officer, he was standing there with his arms held up in a ‘What, are you a couple of idiots’ gesture’. Wonder if you can get a ticket in FL for being stupid????

OK . . . so I had to look this one up, too. ‘Worm charming, worm grunting, and worm fiddling are methods of attracting earthworms from the ground. The activity is usually performed to collect bait for fishing but can also take the form of a competitive sport. As a skill and profession worm charming is now very rare, with the art being passed through generations to ensure that it survives.’  Who knew!!!!

As we were biking along we kept crossing paths with a USGS vehicle, doing some type of river monitoring. Finally, I met Neal who gave me the whole scoop . . .

. . . he would drag this device across a bridge. It would measure the current flow, speed and the depth of the water. The unit sent the telemetry, over radio frequencies, to a receiver in the truck, located on the other bank of the river. This was only Neal’s second survey but I told  him it looked like he was doing a great job!!! In typical senioritys settings, Neal, the new guy, is out doing the walking while the more ‘senior scientist’ is sitting in the truck recording the telemetry!!!!

Tonight we are staying at the Economy Lodge . . . which is going through a major room renovation project . . .

. . . sort of like a real life version of the movie Hotel Marigold !!!