Rides
Route | Date | Miles | Bike | Buddies | Notes |
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Tweed Ride | 18 | Armstrong | Lots | Another great meander through town on a tour of significant trees. A good time was had by all. |
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Around Tupelo | 20 | Soma Saga | Out to see Elvis' birthplace, then through town to Core Bicycle shop to have them box and ship my bike home. |
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Tupelo | 32 | Soma Saga | Day 28 - NTP Day 6 Today was a tough one. I got a cold. Stuffy head, dry cough. So I drank a lot of liquids yesterday and then was up all night peeing. Still managed to get out earlier than I wanted to as it was a bit cool. Right away I was struggling. The historic sites and points of interest were more frequent on this section and I had to stop and rest at each one. Eventually I seemed to recover and was able to get to town at a reasonable pace. All I could think about was getting to a motel and lying down. The country changed a lot today. The forest got thinner and thinner and eventually the road dropped down to open farm land and a river. Tupelo is a mess. Heavy traffic, no bicycle lanes or sidewalks. I'll probably;y take 2 rest days, do laundry, and go see where Elvis was born. |
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Witch Dance | 41 | Soma Saga | Day 27 - NTP day 5 Met some fine folks at the campground last night, and spent some time together this morning. John is riding from Chicago to New Orleans and Kevin and Gema are riding back to Minnesota where they started last October. They are riding long wheelbase, battery powered, recumbent trikes, pulling huge trailers, all of which he fabricated. |
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Jeff Busby Campground | 33 | Soma Saga | Day 26 - NTP day 4 I knew I was looking at a shorter day so I lazed around and didn’t get out until 9:30, after walking across the road to a store to get some drinks. |
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Kosciusko | 63 | Soma Saga | Day 25 - NTP day 3 Best day yet on the Trace. Traffic was mellow, the road was flat, and the scenery was gorgeous. |
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Timberlake Campground | 58 | Soma Saga | Day 24 - Day 2 NTP Wayne rode out from the campground with me. The miles sure go by faster when you’re riding with someone. It was a cloudless day, nice and cool in the morning and not too hot in the afternoon. |
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Rocky Creek Campground | 58 | Soma Saga | Day 23 - Day 1 Natchez Trace Parkway I had to stay 3 nights in Natchez waiting out a powerful storm front. Today dawned dark and cloudy but gradually cleared all day. The wind was still ripping but it was mostly at my back. Finally started seeing other cyclists on the road. Only one loaded tourist. I rode part of the day with Wayne who is doing out and backs from his RV. He’ll end up doing the whole thing twice. |
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Around Natchez | 20 | Soma Saga | Day 21 - Layover day. Natchez is a very old town, and it shows. Old pavement, old buildings, lots of closed up stores and restaurants. No bike lanes. The bluff along the Mississippi River is spectacular. Google said there were two bike shops, but neither of them existed. I did find an audiologist who fixed my hearing aids for free. Also a nice coffee shop, maybe the last one I'll see for a while. Forecast still showing rain tomorrow stopping in the afternoon. So I guess I'll be starting the Trace Parkway in the rain. |
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Pascagoula | 50 | Soma Saga | Day 19 - I got out at about 8:15 after a peaceful night at the Gulf Breeze Motel on Dauphin Island, Alabama. The first challenge of the day was another three mile bridge, with one steep rise in the middle. It had a good shoulder and was not nearly as intimidating as it looked. Once over the bridge I was in rural Alabama bayou country. Nice quiet roads. Eventually I gained a little altitude and was riding though open farm country. For the first time it looked like early spring instead of endless summer. Fields were plowed but not yet planted. Trees where just starting to leaf out. After a while I was back on US 90, and a few miles after that I crossed into Mississippi. As I approached Pascagoula things got more industrial. Marine industry, ship building, all kinds of stuff. Not very scenic. Tomorrow I change it up. I'll be driving a u-haul to the start of the Natchez Trace Parkway. I've had my fill of the Gulf and I really don't want to be riding anywhere near New Orleans. Nothing against New Orleans, I'm sure it's a fascinating city to visit, I just don't like cities and I've had my fill of riding with heavy traffic. Really looking forward to the Natchez Trace. |
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Dauphin Island | 38 | Soma Saga | Day 18 - Early start from my WS host backtracking 10 miles to get back on route. The wind had shifted and would now be at my back heading west. Back on route it was more lovely bike path. Gotta hand it to Alabama. At least these gulf beach towns have great bike paths. After about 10 miles the path finally ended and I was on a mostly quiet road with an adequate bike lane. Things have really slowed down since escaping Florida. Just a whole lot mellower. I had to stop at the Beach Bum Coffee shop where I chatted with a couple from Michigan who keep their RV down here and come down a couple of times a year. That and plenty of vacation homes, but not all high end. Plenty of modest looking beach retreats as well. The tailwind was wonderful and I made good time to the Fort Morgan ferry terminal, where I had about a 45 minute wait for the ride over to Dauphin Island. The ferry ride was about 35 minutes. Mobile Bay is huge and the trip to Dauphin Island is only a small part of it. Tomorrow I cross another long bridge. The bay was dotted with small platforms that looked too small to be oil rigs. Not sure what they are. There is a WS host here that doesn't live here but let's people camp under his house. Gulf beach houses are all up on the second floor with anything underneath at the mercy of storm surges. It would have worked except there was no access to a toilet, and the Gulf Breeze Motel beckoned. Tomorrow is my birthday so I'm treating myself to a comfortable night. No idea what tomorrow will bring. |
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Foley, Alabama | 36 | Soma Saga | Day 17 - Left Big Lagoon State Park early before the wind came up. It was still another 9 miles to the state line. I was happy to see a nice buffered bike lane along the highway and over the first bridge. Then it got even better and I had about 10 miles on really nice bike trail from Orange Beach to Gulf Shores. There the Southern Tier route splits one fork staying on the coast while the other went inland to Mobile. I took the inland route to get to my WS host in Foley. The wind didn't pick up until after noon and got pretty strong again. Tomorrow I will backtrack to the cost. |
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Big Lagoon State Park | 30 | Soma Saga | Day 16 - Leaving Pensacola I stopped at a market, and when I left I noticed a rear brake pad missing. No worries, a Trek bike shop a block away got me fixed up in no time. |
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Pensacola | 54 | Soma Saga | Day 15 was a tough one. First Google tried to route me through an Air Force base and I had to backtrack a couple of miles. Then a puncture. The sealant held but I had to pump it up on the side of a busy highway. And then the headwinds just wore me down. |
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Fort Walton Beach | 31 | Soma Saga | Got going before my WS hosts got up. Very impressive, focused, young couple. |
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Santa Rosa Beach | 48 | Soma Saga | Interesting day, but now that the ride is over I’m feeling pretty good. Panama City seemed like a really big town, even though it is smaller than Corvallis. Traffic heading west was insane. US-98 which had been a fairly mellow 2 lane road further east, was now more like a 4 lane freeway, with a minimal shoulder. I kept trying to get Google to route me on 30, which went along the beach, but Google insisted on 98. But then came all the construction and I finally said screw it and took the first road I found heading south to the beach. There traffic was just as crazy but going much slower and there was a minimal bike lane. This was Panama City Beach. It was beginning to feel more like South Florida than anywhere else I’ve been. |
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Panama City | 29 | Soma Saga | Day 12 - Easter Sunday, last day of March. Woke up to heavy dew on the beach. Carefully bundled up the wet rainfly and footprint knowing I'd be able to dry it out later. Went up to the adjacent park to make my tea and have breakfast. It was after 9 by the time I rode off but no worries, I crossed back into Central Time and gained an hour. Mexico beach was more of the same vacation homes and condos but before long I was back out on the open road. Google had wanted me to take a different route but I chose to stay on 98. Probably a mistake as 98 went through almost 20 miles of mostly empty Air Force Base. It was overcast and felt cooler, but that was deceiving as my arms got a little red. Eventually there were a couple of more bridges and then I came into Parker. There had been a nice shoulder up until now but now it disappeared in favor of another traffic lane. I took the lane most of the time but some drivers waited far too long to get over. I came to a nice park, "Under the oaks" park, where I hung out for a couple of hours. First I dried my tent, which didn't take long, then I had lunch. I knew it wasn't very far to my Warm Showers host in Panama City. Once again Google gave me grief navigating to her house, but I got here. So a short day, which is fine as I'll have a 45 mile ride tomorrow. |
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Mexico Beach | 48 | Soma Saga | Day 11 - Left Eastport on a 4 mile causeway leading to a high bridge with 8% grades. No mountains in Florida so they build the bridges tall. Coffee stop in Apalachicola which was a nice change. I don’t know if it was the coffee, the tailwinds, or the fact that I pumped my tires up, but I set a good pace for the next 20 miles or so. There was a long stretch of open road with not much scenery, a good wide shoulder, and light traffic. |
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Eastport | 39 | Soma Saga | Day 10 - Late start from Slopchoppy campground as it got down to 45 overnight so I was in no hurry to jump out of bed. It warmed up nicely and soon I was shedding layers. After about 10 miles on the county road it meet back up wit US 98. Yesterday this road had both a wide shoulder and a parallel bike path, but today it had neither. There was probably a five mile stretch with no shoulder and moderate traffic, but the drivers were all courteous and gave me plenty of room. |
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Sopchoppy | 43 | Soma Saga | Day 9 - My WS host Kevin guided me on a scenic route through Tallahassee to the St. Mark rail trail. After rain all day yesterday today was sunny and clear. Very pleasant ride on the trail south towards the gulf. Then when I turned west and expected to be on the highway I discovered the Big Bend Scenic Coastal Trail parallel to the highway for another 12 miles. I only had to ride on the road for the last 8 miles or so. |
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Around Tallahassee | 10 | Soma Saga | Day 8 - Around town in the rain. Bike shop, supermarket, and WS hosts. |
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Tallahassee | 25 | Soma Saga | Day 7 - The day started great on a quiet country road and the wind still at my back. Of course traffic got busier as I approached Tallahassee, but what I didn't expect was the hills. There are some serious hills in this town, to rival any town in Oregon. Really glad I put on the triple with the really small chainring! The last stretch into town was in the Historic St. Marks rail trail which I plan to take in the other direction when I leave town. It goes south from Tallahassee to the gulf coast. I will then head west along the gulf coast. I had planned to stay at the Bicycle House which lists itself as a Warm Showers host, but the facilities were not that inviting so I opted for a motel. I'll probably spend an extra day here waiting out a rain storm. |
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Monticello | 53 | Soma Saga | Day 6 - Tailwinds, long downhills, light traffic, and sunshine! The wind finally died down enough for me to sleep last night. Had to stake my tent well. The Deerwood motel/RV park/Campground is a relic from the '60s, which has fallen to disrepair. Must have been a nice resort at one time. Camping is all the same though. The bathroom was clean enough and the WiFi even reached my campsite. The winds was howling though and the freeway could be heard as well. It was 6 mile back to the route in Madison on a quiet state highway. At Madison it was back on US 90 a.k.a. USBR 90 , which has a nice wide shoulder and surprisingly light traffic. At Monticello the route leaves 90 and takes a more scenic back road, which I left at Lloyd to navigate to my WS hosts for tonight. Highlights of the day include seeing crimson clover growing on the side of the road and spotting a couple of cardinals. The terrain is still gentle rolling but its been favoring downhill since mid day yesterday. The pine plantations have given way to more open farm fields, but also a lot of forested area with pine and oak and who knows. Parts of it could look like Oregon except for the Spanish moss hanging from the oak trees. Passed by lots of places waving flags of several varieties, but no Trump signs today, which was nice. Lots of signs for local candidates. My Warm Showers hosts for tonight are a wonderful older couple. I've got a trailer house to myself, and they even took me out for dinner. Warm Showers people are the best. |
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Madison | 41 | Soma Saga | Day 5 - Another pleasant day on quiet country roads. As expected the wind was mostly a cross wind, and mostly blocked by trees, except for the few times the route jogged north, directly into it. |
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Wellborn | 50 | Soma Saga | Day 4 - Camped out under a shelter at O'Leno SP so stayed nice and dry through the rain. Only problem was the live band at the group site that played until 1 am. Got up at first light and got my tent down before any park workers showed up. Hung out until the rain stopped. I pleased to find a bike path leading out of the park paralleling the road. I was not pleased when the bike path lead me a mile off route. Oh well. I was feeling pretty sluggish and was ready to head in to the next campground at just 17 miles, but instead I sat down and ate an apple, which completely revived me. Shortly after was a camp store with cold drinks that really picked4 me up. The rest of the day was on quiet country roads with very little traffic. Some hills though, and then some headwinds. The country changed as well. More upland pine plantations and cattle farms. There were also hills all day. Not steep of course, but consistently up and down. And then came the headwinds. I realized my goal of reaching Suwanee River State Park was out of the question so the choice came down to stealth camping or a motel. I was really hoping the small town of Wellborn was going to have an old style motel but no luck. I had to ride 6 more miles out to the freeway to find one. Maybe tomorrow I'll stay at Suwanee River State Park. There is also a Stephen Foster museum or something so maybe I'll go soak up some history. |
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O’Leno State Park | 32 | Soma Saga | Day 3 - Rain in the morning leaving Gainesville, but it stopped and I was dry by Alachua. Millhopper was a nice quiet road with trees hanging over it, but before long I was on a busy highway. Then a smaller highway from High Springs to the O’Leno SP. A shorter day, which was nice as tomorrow may be another 50 miler. |
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Gainesville | 48 | Soma Saga | Day 2 - Another full day. I had a great camping sit at my WS host Robert last night but it was a bit cold and I did not get up early. I started out on the road I should have taken yesterday and got back to the route in about 5 miles. Then I was back on the same rail trail as yesterday for a while, before traversing a number of highways to connect to another rail trail. The highways were not pleasant. Some had a decent shoulder, some did not. All had heavy traffic, most of which was considerate. The rail trail from Hawthorn to Gainesville was 17 miles of pure bliss. Even some hills and swoopy curves towards the end. Several side trails and scenic stops. Once again Google Maps failed at getting me to my WS destination, at first anyway. Eventually it pulled though but not before some extra miles and grief. Wonderful Warm Showers host Kathy fed me a great meal and wonderful hospitality. |
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Keystone Heights | 67 | Soma Saga | Day one and it was a long one. The route was great, but I messed up following Google Maps to my WS host and added 10 extra miles. |
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St. Augustine one more time | 17 | Soma Saga | The weather changed and today was cold (50s) and windy. Big ride starts tomorrow and it will be 45 in the morning. So I had to dig out all my cold gear which had been buried at the bottom of my bags. |
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Around St. Augustine again | 23 | Soma Saga | Loaded with most of my gear I rode around some very nice neighborhoods. Then later I rode back through town and over the lion bridge Image
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Around St. Augustine | 13 | Soma Saga | Tried to find the bike path east but evidently it’s out a ways and I didn’t get that far. Lots of traffic. |
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Vilano Beach | 23 | Soma Saga | Reassembled my bike and went for a test ride north on A1A. Very nice to be riding in warm sunshine. I had a nice tailwind heading north for 8 miles which made for a slow slog coming back. Then over the bridge into St. Augustine and a ride through old town before returning to my motel. Image
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Town | 12 | Ravn | Super warm day. Had to get in a short ride. |
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Imagine | 16 | Grando | Tuesday group | Cold, cold but dry. Last ride with the Tuesday group for a while. |
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Southtown | 13 | Soma Saga | Recovery ride before the rain comes back. |
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Thompson MIlls and Philomath | 53 | Soma Saga | Tenners | Fog was lifting as we started but got dense out in the valley. Cold all way out but then cleared on the way back. Sunny and warm in town so I stopped for lunch and then rode to Philomath. |
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Town | 15 | Soma Saga | Quick trip to town but so nice and sunny I added a few miles. |
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Albany | 40 | Soma Saga | First out Crescent Valley and Mountain View to Adair. Then on to Albany. Sunny upper 50s no wind. |
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Imagine | 20 | Soma Saga | Tuesday group | Rain to start, but it stopped by the time we got to town. The usual good time was had by all. |
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Loop around town | 15 | Soma Saga | Seemed like a nice day, but then it rained. But then it stopped. |