A Long Day in the Rain

So, yesterday I rode through the rain in Pensacola to the far edge of town where I found a very pleasant man working at a gas station across the road from a Ramada Inn. I pulled off at this gas station to just take a break, but as soon as I pulled under the awning, it started to rain yet again. I figured I'd wait it out. I wish I could have gotten a picture of how hard it was raining. It was incredible. I couldn't see more than 30 feet out the windows of the gas station. At this point I thought it might be wise to call it a day. I went across the road to the Ramada to see how much a room would be. Their prices seemed reasonable (and I think she gave me a “Pitty the miserable soaked cyclist” discount). The people that came in after me didn't get my price. I used the laundry facilities and called it a night at about 8:30pm.

I woke up for the days ride at 5:00am. I got everything packed up, got dressed for the day, and headed to breakfast before hitting the road at around 6:30am. Almost right out of the parking lot I saw two cyclists up ahead, so I hurried to join them (they were not loaded with gear, so catching them took a bit). It was exciting to see cyclists heading the same direction that I was. They were headed to the Blackwater Trail to meet their wives for a ride. My route also had me taking the Blackwater Trail, so we stuck together until the head of the trail where they stopped to wait for their wives. As much as I enjoy having someone to ride with, I don't think I could have kept up too much longer with a couple of unloaded bicycles. I was keeping up OK I think, but it was tiring.

Once I got on the trail, I realized that I was probably going to run out of water before the next services. From the head of that trail in Milton, FL, to the town of Holt, FL, was 25 miles and I only had two full water bottles. I think a third one would have been just right. When I got to Holt, I pulled into a gas station and bought two 32 oz bottles of Powerade and drank them both immediately. Up until this point, it had been as hot and as humid as every other day down south has been. While I was at the gas station, it started to rain, so I waited a bit for it to calm down. When it subsided, I pedaled on to Crestview, FL, for lunch. There was a nice little diner on the edge of town that had a buffet, so I stuffed myself while talking with a married couple that was about to take a 6 week trip around the Midwestern US (not on bicycles). We talked a little about traveling and whatnot, and when I told them about why I was doing this trip, they gave me $20. I gave them a card with the website on it, so hopefully they get a chance to read this.

From Crestview, it was 30 more miles to get to DeFuniak Springs, FL; my intended stopping point. As I rode that 30 miles, it started raining again. I pulled off at another gas station to let it pass, and it did, but when I got back on my bike I think I caught up to it again. I kept riding and got right into the worst of it. When I saw the first thing that didn't look like a private residence, I pulled off towards it. This ended up being an AMVET (sort of like a VFW, I think), just outside of DeFuniak Springs. There weren't any windows facing the front, so I just stood under the awning of the building and cleaned my glasses and got my flashing tail light out so I'd be ready to get back to it. One of the guys from inside came out to use his cell phone and saw me and insisted that I come in for a bit. He signed me in as his guest and invited me to sit and have a drink while the storm passed. I took him up on his offer, and I chatted with the bar tender and one of the patrons for a while.

When I left the veterans, I had decided that I wanted to use the cool and cloudy weather to my advantage and cover more ground than I had earlier projected. I ended up riding an extra 27 miles past DeFuniak Springs to Bonifay, FL, where I found a pretty shady looking Economy Lodge. I just cycled 108 miles, I was wet, my shoes were wet, and I thought I earned a stay at a cheap motel. Now I'm lounging around, typing a blog entry, and eating dehydrated applesauce (like fruit leather) and beef jerky from the Henderson Meat Processor. Good stuff. Tomorrow I turn northeast.

Enjoy some pictures of the creepy Economy Lodge

In case you were wondering, those sheets do say something on them.  Here's a closer look.

Farewell Economy Lodge!