Florida-Alabama Lows & High Ppoint

From Jody (a post out of order):

 

Monday, November 5.  Stage 45.

        

Monday’s route took us from the beach at Destin, FL via car back to Milton, FL and then bike to Geneva, AL. We’d enjoyed a rest day on Sunday off the bikes in Destin and planned to resume where we had left off Saturday. Saturday I had ridden an extra several miles as the original plan called for a 75 minute drive and then 93 miles on the bike. We wanted to alter the route to avoid some unpaved stretched.

 

A first - Janie started before me. She left from Milton, on the Blackfoot Trail, the beautiful walking/biking/horse trail, a portion of which I had covered the previous Saturday. The plan was for Janie to enjoy a peaceful ride away from traffic while Nicole drove me to Saturday’s endpoint, some 18 miles forward. In addition, we altered the route going forward to avoid unpaved segments that were difficult to detect on the internet. Some of the unpaved segments were overgrown single track trails through Florida state forests best left to hunters, birders and mountain bike enthusiasts.

 

Nicole suggested new routes and turn directions at various intersections. She returned to check on Janie’s progress. As I traversed the new route, I contacted Nicole at the first few deviations from the originaI. She confirmed receipt. Nicole picked up Janie and drove with her to meet me further along the revised route. We met along the highway and agreed on another rendezvous point for lunch, at Paxton, FL.

 

I rode to Laurel Hill, FL and stopped at a convenience store to verify directions. Two women in the parking lot confirmed that my next turn was just a few miles ahead. Janie and Nicole were waiting near that next intersection with chairs out. We enjoyed another great meal under sunny skies.

 

Lunch was sprinkled with conversation about dogs chasing us, dogs barking, dogs lying down in gravel driveways. After lunch and directions for the remainder of the route, Janie and Nicole drove further along the route. I pedaled along and soon spied two dogs ahead, in the middle of the road. They looked at me and ran off, the larger in the clear space alongside the road before diverting into the brush, the smaller one stayed in the roadway until the next intersection. He (she?) turned right and skedaddled, never looking back.

 

I deliberated altered course as I followed road signs for Florida’s highest point. Just as Iowa’s highest point is almost in Minnesota, Florida’s highest point is almost in Alabama. I rode my bike through the parking lot in Lakewood, FL. I may not have reached the full elevation of 345 ft, but I came damn close.

 

I accidentally altered course when I missed a turn. The bike computer signaled the turn, but I thought the route was wrong. I proceeded on the previous heading and only belated contacted Nicole to alert her that I was off course. After all, I was on Geneva County Route 4, headed to Geneva, AL. How much farther could it be to town? Nicole corrected me: Route 4 would become a dirt road and I should turn. She met me along the new road and gave me additional directions for the next turn. I missed the next turn also. The Garmin signaled me, but I thought it was wrong again. Oh well, keep going and going some more. The town’s gotta be just up ahead somewhere. Nicole came along and guided me in.

 

The original route was listed at 93 miles. I road about 18 miles the previous Saturday. My total for the day was 89. So much for altering the route. I finished just a few minutes before sundown, with long shadows beginning to cover the road. I was thoroughly spent. I holed up in the room and stayed there.

 

You are also caught with the fact that man is a creature who walks in two worlds and traces upon the walls of his cave the wonders and the nightmare experiences of his spiritual pilgrimage.
     ~Morris West