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DAY 19

We're back on the road again

DAY'S OVERVIEW: Nice day yesterday to relax a bit and take in some sand and surf.  We worked with 3 new riders in the afternoon, but the rest of the day was a welcomed day of rest.  Most scattered to the 4 winds but several stayed close to the motel and just lounged at the beach.  The staff organized a sand castle building contest which they won hands down since they were the only entry.  It was hard not to disqualify them since it was a stretch of the imagination to even think it was a sand "castle"...they sculptured a bicycle and the letters "ABB" just out of the tide line, but since they had no competition we let it slide.  Bob and I went out to look at a possible routing change on the East Coast Greenway that is a proposed bike, ped route that will stretch from Main to Key West when it's all done.  We found a map that showed the Greenway all the way to Georgetown...nice.  Well, it looked good on paper.  When we went out to look at it, there were several areas that just ended in a field that had just been cleared for a housing area...oops, not done yet.  Nice idea and when they get it done, I'm sure we'll move our routing to include it...but for now, we go by highway.

This morning it was back to the grindstone of getting ourselves to St Augustine.  We loaded at daylight and rode to a small place for breakfast called the Pancake Plantation...appropriately named...good pancakes to start the day.  Leaving North Myrtle was pretty easy until we got over the intercoastal waterway where we picked up highway 90 and 701 most of the way to Georgetown.  The traffic on departure was busier than I would have liked but everyone got down the road safely to enjoy about 25 miles on carless back roads before reaching town.

Seventeen of those backroad miles began at the lunch SAG where we set up at the Mt Tabor Baptist Church, established in 1823...yep, it's been there a long time.  Lee pulled in and went to the house next door to ask permission to set up lunch.  There she met one of the deacons...great, someone in charge to give us permission...as it turned out, he misunderstood Lee when she said we'd like to set up lunch under the overhang in the back of the church.  He thought she was asking the church to provide lunch.  "Well, I'll have to take you down the road to ask the secretary about that," he said.  Of course the secretary wanted to help us out any way they could, but when Lee finally assured them that they wouldn't be required to feed us, there was a big sigh of relief and permission to feed ourselves in the shelter of their lovely church was quickly secured.  I don't think there was enough food within 20 miles of the church to feed us anyway...that's probably the reason for the sigh of relief.  Thanks to the people of the Mt Tabor Baptist Church for their hospitality and friendship.

To describe this terrain and scenery is pretty simple...flat and trees.  In all the traveling I've done over the years, I don't think I could find any flatter terrain anywhere.  The only climbs we had today was an occasional curb entering a convenient store or the couple of short bridges we had to climb over.  One drawbridge bridge wasn't even high enough to let a small john-boat go under...maybe even a Seadoo would have required it to raise...and that may have been the biggest climb of the day...or only climb.  The scenery is monopolized by pine and live oak right up against the roadway when we are on backroads.  Occasionally we pass a plantation with stately live oaks adorning the front yard...a welcomed variety for the most part.  I think the scenery isn't going to change for a couple of days until we get to Savannah where we'll get back up against the coast and smell the surf. 

Actually, it's probably a good thing we are a bit inland while Ophelia is churning along the Florida coastline.  We're keeping a close eye on her and looking at whatever we'll need to do if she decides to come our way.  I'm a little uneasy right now since no one knows what she will do for a couple of more days...by then, we'll be pretty close to her.  It doesn't look like it's going to be like Katrina, but even a cat 1 storm isn't anything to take lightly.  Right now our weather is perfect for riding and I hope it stays that way.

Everyone got in by 3:15 which included numerous ice cream stops and if none was available, Wendy's had to do...well, they have chocolate don't they?  I parked the van about 3:30 after doing some errands and preped for rap and maintenance.  We've only got 1 week to go...hopefully, Ophelia won't get involved with our progress.  Tune in tomorrow and see what we are up to.

HEARD ON THE ROAD:  "That climb over the bridge just sucked the wind right out of me!"  Big Bob at the SAG...boy, are they getting soft after all the flat tailwind days.

"Boy!  This is straight."  "Yeah, but it's flat too."  My answer to Cheryl's comment about the road.

"It ain't been right around here since we elected Lincoln president."  "He's been dead for 140 years."  "Really?  No wonder we can't get him to do anything."   Yep, a conversation I had with a local...I couldn't make this stuff up.

"Where did you start?"  "New Hampshire."  "South Carolina?"  "Nope, New Hampshire."  "North Carolina?"  "Nope, New Hampshire."  "Where's that?"  Another enlightening conversation on the road today.

"Remember that day we rode in 6" of rain?"  "Yeah, that was something wasn't it?"  "Yep, but I've done smarter things."  Steve reflecting on a past ride.

"That wouldn't be good 'southern' English."  Chattanooga Steve, the guy who speaks true deep south...meaning words like "get" is pronounced with two syllables...commenting on one of our Yankee phrases.

DUH! OF THE DAY:

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