BIKE TOUR

I'm getting on the road again, but this time to explore Alaska from the saddle. If you'd like to read about my cycling adventures, I'll be posting at avoidingturtles.blogspot.com .

Thank you for reading or just looking at the pictures if that is your speed. The trip is done and so is this blog. But life goes on and soon I'll be back in Alaska. I assure you that my daily life is much like most and not showstopping. However, if you continue to read on, I'll be posting at avoidingturtles.blogspot.com Cheers.

5:00 came with the same nervous intensity that an early flight out of Sitka does. It is just too much of an inconvenience to be late for an important important. I had to meet with the darkness so we could experience the ebb and flow of the shadows as the street lamps pass us by. This single sensation with the cool night air and tidal movement of my shadow chasing me and leaving me behind is my favorite part of cycling. I watched the orb rise with the traffic the same color as my reflective shirt. I stopped once to eat breakfast at Hardee's and again before crossing the St. John's to eat grilled cheese, veggie-beef soup, and more sweet tea. As I completed the century to St. Augustine, I understood why the ACA route goes where it does. As I approached the coast I passed traffic caused by a down cyclist out for a Monday spin. Waiting in the touristed out town, I took pictures of myself on timer hoping to have one halfway decent one. I rode down some of the narrow streets as the tr...

Nearly emptying my bottle of No-Ad 45spf, I hoped that it would last me just one more day. Two bottles for the whole trip and I can never remember applying it in Sitka. AAfter a liesurly rise from the room I let a cockroach in as I let myself out. I won't miss hot sticky cockroach south. There was also some sort of flat bug that wouldn't be killed by squishing it. So I flushed it. It was a short day for having a long day tomorrow. So I wasn't in a rush to get to Barry's in Lake City. He does quite a bit of touring and cooks quite well. For lunch he made a tasty banana matzo brei. With a pump in my tires and oil onmy chain, I am off to sleep. 11.6 ave - 26.9 max - 2888.5 odo - 2:20:19 time

I spoke with Jimmy over a BBQ sandwitch and sweet tea. He was born and raised and again at 70 something living in Greenville. He claims that unlike neighboring towns, the quaint rural town is unsegregated. The K's are only active battling inscest. There was a big enough problem in the area that the circus's came and picked up their freaks there. But a while back the state came in and broke the whole scene up and spread incestual seeds around the country. He also believes that 90% of what causes Global Warming is methane from peet moss. He didn't really buy that I doubted the peat moss as the culprit but he did buy me lunch for my time. I made great time for the rest of the afternoon and when the Suwannee River State Park campground was closed, I was tempted to ride the last 120 miles before dawn. But I thought better of it and stopped in Live Oak to eat gas station fare for dinner. The warmshowers in Lake City just returned from some minor surgery, but is expecting me tomor...

I wasn't in a hurry to leave. I missed being around liberal twenty somethings. After I woke up I chatted with some guy whose name I'm sorry I can't remember, but I think it started with an R. We spoke of many things while I avoided packing and leaving, including a proposed trip from Tallahassee to Anchorage. He and some other Harry Potter following would load up a van and drive to Alaska while listening to the first 6 books. Timing arrival with the release of the final book, they would read the last of the saga over a few days in a cabin in the wild. He confessed that the trip probably wouldn't happen. Our lives get in the way of our hobbies. Eventually I moved the couple of blocks to the bike show where the mechanic who misses the Colorado air, investigated my clicking noise. He decided that it was actually from inside of the frame, that it wasn't hurting anything, and it might be cured with linseed oil, I'll deal with that later. Stopping then at Black Dog Cof...

In Chattahoochee, Mullet isn't a hairstyle, but it is on the menu. I didn't try the fish dish, but I stuck with a turkey club. As I sat chatting with some Georgians, I realized I lost an hour. 45 more miles to go and I projected an 8'o clock arrival at Justin's house where he warned his roommates's band would be practicing. Following my 11th flat tire (glass), I arrived a the house that could be easily detected by the pile of bikes outside. The area vegans were eating stuffed shells for dinner here. Most had a connection to the university and all were quite amusing, including the one they call chatterbox. Justin left for Night at the Museum and offered me a shower and the use of the computer, which no longer has internet connectivity. I could play minesweeper or freecell. I read the blurbs that came with the photos in Pedal while listening to the atmospheric tunes in the adjacent room. Justin did part of the Northern tier and we stayed up far too late chatting about...

I let Claudia and Snowball go. They are in a better place now. Claudia quickly scooted away, but Snowball lingered for a moment. They probably would have just gone the way of my gold fish and my hamster, Sherman. I too would have tired of the turtles. Uncle Billy's Restaurant proved to have a tasty Billy burger, smooth banana pudding, and classic sweet tea. I was stopped taking pictures of lichen on a fence and the owner drove up wondering what I was doing taking pictures of his property. He seemed to think I was crazy when I told him what I was photographing. Stopping in Grand Ridge at Providence Baptist Church for the night, I found the youth and music ministers preparing for youth service. There was much conversation and it turned to my tan. I raised up my shorts a smidgen to reveal the dramatic line while accidentally revealing my bite/wound. I explained, but John Micheal quipped, "It looks more like a bullet hole." Maybe I'll tell people that when they are tellin...

The decision to keep or not to keep the turtles is a difficult one. First there is the conscern for the health and the care of the turtles. I'm not sure if they're getting enough to eat. Then there are all the symbolic implications. If you have turtles are you actually going to live somewhere long enough that moving them isn't a hassle? If you keep the turtles why don't you get a bed, a mattress, kitchen appliances? They are all linked and sooner or later you are up to your elbows in potporri and you'll never travel extensively again. I got rid of a ton of stuff before leaving on this trip and I still have quilts, baskets, clothes, books, and outdoor gear in my parent's attic. The alternative is to rent a furnished apartment and keep it simple. To turtle or not to turtle... that is the question. Oh and while Florida is quite pleseant with a nice shoulder, nothing stands out. So I press on. I went to a Baptist revival tonight and the preacher was quite a strong p...