October 28, 29

October 28 was a day of no riding, or a "zero day" as the Appalachian Trail guys would say.  It really felt good to have nowhere to go and just relax.  I stayed at the home of long time family friends, Rico and Merry, in Green Cove Springs for the nights of the 27th and 28th.  It felt so good to take a ride in the car, sit around the house, and meet some of their friends.  I was surprised how many New Yorkers/Long Islanders have retired down in this area.
Here is a picture of Rico and Merry:

 The morning of the 29th it was time to hit the road to Palm Coast, Florida.  Along the way I went through St. Augustine.  Looks like a neat place to spend a few days.  St. Augustine was founded in 1565 by the Spanish and a lot of Spanish inspired architecture still remains.
This is the Castillo de San Marcos fort, the oldest masonry fort in the United States.  Construction began in 1672.

There is a kind of "Old Town" shopping area filled with all manor of shops housing restaurants, clothing boutiques, jewelry stores, ice cream shops, candy stores, ...

Riding along route A1A right along the Atlantic Ocean I passed miles and miles of trash piled along the side of the road - all damaged material from the recent hurricane.

A shot of Crescent Beach.

Along the road I passed this gallery of driftwood carvings I thought were really great.

Tonight I'm staying in Palm Coast.  Tomorrow 107 miles to my Uncle Joe in Melbourne.

October 26, 27

Last night I stayed on the outskirts of Savannah with a wonderful host named Sonya.  If you were to look up the term "Joie de vivre" (enjoyment of life) you would find a picture of this woman.  Bubbly and exuberant and excited about everything.  Had a wonderful stay.
Here is a picture of Sonya in a room she and her husband built especially for their Harley Davidson motorcycles:

The 26th was a wonderful day for a ride; sunny but not too hot, and the wind seemed to be at my back at least part of the ride.  On the way to Brunswick, Georgia I passed this church billed as "The Smallest Church in America".  It was actually a little spooky being set back in the woods, all the Spanish Moss hanging from the trees, and the fact that no one was there.

My host for the 26th was a retied firefighter named Jeff.  A really nice guy and super interesting to talk to.  We sat around his fire pit and talked for several hours that evening.  He lives in a beautiful home with an exterior finish made of "Tabby" which is like stucco mixed with sea shells.  It was a really nice look.

 The next morning I was on the road before 7:30am for my longest mileage day of the trip so far; 103 miles, to the home of long time family friends living in Green Cove Springs, Florida.  The last 2 days were auspicious for 3 reasons: (1) I passed the 2000 mile mark, (2) rode over 100 miles in a single day for the first time, and (3) entered the last state on my trip, Florida.

October 24, 25

The 24th was a fairly uneventful ride to Beaufort, NC for my last night in NC.  Plantations seemed to be everywhere on the right and left sides of the road.  Really made me think of the old South.

Closer to Beaufort there is the Marine Corps Air Station.

The 25th was off to Savannah, Georgia.  Only one more state to go!!
On the way into Savannah I passed miles and miles of grassy marshland - flat as far as you could see.

This is the Talmadge Memorial Bridge leading into Savannah.  I took a smaller bridge down the road that was safer for bicyclists.

City Hall with the gold dome.

I have to say I thought Savannah was beautiful.  The city streets have small parks spaced between every 2-3 blocks.  Each park has a central monument or fountain that gives the park its name.

Little outdoor cafe's along most of the center city streets.

Cathedral of St. John the Baptist.  Not quite on the scale of some of the European cathedrals we've seen but still very nice.

Just a nice place I passed:

Nice side street with Forsyth Park (30 acres) on the left.  There's a hotel that borders the park called "Mansion on Forsyth Park" that is supposed to be one of the finest hotels in the country.

I would really like to come back and spend several days looking around Savannah.

October 23

WOW.  I thought yesterday started chilly at 50 degrees - today I started riding in 39 degree weather.  I thought I was back in Maine for a minute!!  But after pedaling for a while the cooler temperatures made for some comfortable riding and I was able to keep a 14-16 mph pace for a long time.

This is the Arthur Ravenal Bridge crossing the Cooper River into Charleston:

Charleston is fairly small with many homes having the typical southern architecture with multi-level porches.

The streets looked clean and there were a lot of pedestrians walking about and bicycles on the roads.

I passed several horse drawn carriages giving tours of the city, especially the French Quarter.

I thought this was an interesting place with a Penn State sign and an Philadelphia Eagles sign out front.

All in all, a nice place for a visit.  I would like to return to see Fort Sumpter where the first shots of the Civil war were fired.