Tallahassee, FL

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/630601353

Another great day on the road.  It was a cold start to the day at near 40 degrees.   Fortunately, we were at a Florida state park which had heated bathrooms.   It makes a big difference in getting started.

The whole day we had bright sunlight and no clouds.   It was outstanding cycling.   We were near the highest point in Florida (345 feet) and thanks to the rolling hills we were able to accumulate over 2,000 feet of climbing.   I think that this was our last >70 mile day.

It is very odd to be winding down on this adventure.   I think that there is a lot about it I will miss when it is over next week.

Marianna, FL

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/629963929

We had a nice relatively flat and wind free ride on very nice roads.   I took some pictures of DeFuniak Springs before I left.   I think on its glory days it was a more significant town.

I am very impressed with Florida roads.  So impressed that I took a picture of a stretch.  There was a good surface all day, nice bike lane and low traffic, probably because it was Sunday.

At the end of the ride, we all meet to help carry groceries.   I took a picture of the bikes at McDonald's before heading to the store.

Tomorrow we head to Tallahassee and the Eastern time zone.   It will be nice to have sunlight after 5pm for a change.

DeFuniak Springs, FL

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/629041725

Back to work today.   We went 62 miles and it was nice to cover some territory.

It was another day of eating well.   There was a Waffle House by the campground.   A peacan waffle, eggs and sausage was a great way to start the day.

We were lucky enough to catch the Veterans Day parade in Crestview,  FL.  

We found a bbq place at about noon that was packed with local folks.   Before you know it a text was sent to the group and we had quite a collection of cyclists there.  A lot of the folks were very interested in our adventure.

Tonight we are camped on a very beautiful Lake.   The owner said that there are gators there, she has seen 5 in 25 years.

Milton, FL

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/628287410

We had a very short ride today.   It turned out to be a bit of a lazy day.  When I used to work, we had a saying,  "work expands to fill the amount of time allocated."   Today we did not have a lot of miles and all day to do it, hence it took a lot more time and energy than normal.

Unfortunately, I did not reduce calorie intake proportionally, having found a bakery near the end of the ride.   I guess I will have to work extra hard tomorrow on either riding hard or eating less (preferably both).

As you can probably tell, things are beginning to wind down.  We have a cold blast coming tonight and about 500 miles to go across the panhandle of Florida.

Pensacola, FL

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/627827165

Another wonderful journey today.   I started the day at sunrise riding along the Gulf of Mexico.  It was very quiet and scenic.   I reached the Florida boarder after a few miles.  I took a photo, showing the number of states I have cycled in this journey (8).

Next I went the the Naval Aviation Museum.   I have a lot of pictures that those of you who like aircraft will enjoy.

The first one is an F14, the Top Gun aircraft.

P5 Marlin - On Dauphin Island,  we camped in the yard of a man that flew these.

A retired Marine 1 helicopter.

The aircraft that President Bush landed on the AC carrier.

There is a F18 in Blue Angel colors.

I  ended the day by cycling along Pensacola bay to our motel.   I did get caught in the first rain of the entire trip.   It was a short shower, but I think the 50 day no rain streak is over.

I carried a couple of naked pigs with me all day (see my post yesterday if that confuses you) and am enjoying it as I blog.

Tomorrow we start the home stretch.   Only 500  miles to go.

Gulf Shores, AL

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/627117460

If you click on the garmin link above you will see some unique activity.   No,  we did not cycle across Mobile Bay.   These 4 miles are the only miles on this trip that will not be under my own power.

We took a ferry across the mouth of the bay.  We were rewarded with scenes of pelicans dive bombing for their breakfast and schools of porpoises.  It was a fun 32 minutes.

After that, we visited Fort Morgan which was the fort on the other side of the bay from Fort Grimes that we visited yesterday.

I had a short ride today.   I chose to split from the group and stay in Gulf Shores instead of continuing on to Pensacola.   Instead of a layover day tomorrow I will ride the rest of the miles to Pensacola.   I chose to do this so I could spend more time at the Naval Aviation Museum enroute to Pensacola tomorrow.   I will catch up with everyone else tomorrow afternoon.

So today I enjoyed the beach,  a good seafood lunch and am currently enjoying a Naked Pig beer.   With any luck, tomorrow I will have lots of pictures of vintage Navy airplanes.  I am very excited.

Dauphin Island, AL

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/626563971

Another day, another state.   Today we made it to Alabama.

It was a very interesting day.   We passed cotton fields at harvest time.   There were huge round bales, like hay at home.  The roads were nice and we spent a lot of the say passing polling stations.  The signs and local collections of people were fun to see.   I had lunch at a local bbq place that was very good. Pole

Near the end of the ride, we crossed over a 10 mile causeway to Dauphin Island.   It is a beautiful place.

After arriving, a couple of us went out and visited an old Fort that played a significant role in the Civil War battle of Mobile.   That is the one in which admiral Farragut was allegedly hear to say "dam the torpedoes, full speed ahead."

Tomorrow we catch the 8am ferry and plan on being in Pensacola, Florida for a much needed rest day on Thursday.