St. Augustine north to Anastasia Island.

 5 mile ride to meet up with the camera crew (Linda) at the nearest point where I had safe access to the Atlantic Ocean. The ceremonial dip in the surf was a welcoming experience. 

Mission completed. 

Surviving Milton

Named hurricanes

 Survived Milton.  Winds and rain all day Wednesday as Milton makes landfall on the western coast of Florida. Awoken Thursday morning to clouds and slightly debris covered roads as the storm passed through the night. Not nearly as impactful as predicted. Looking forward to truly completing the ride on Saturday morning as Linda arrives in st augustine. 

Earlier named hurricanes 

Debris 

My place

Lee to st augustine.

 Car ride into st augustine. Awoke to a brilliant sun filled morning. It was hard to imagine what was on the way. Pleasant ride to the coast. Witnessed much traffic headed north bound to escape the hurricane. Settled into my Airbnb only to be made aware that st augustine had just been upgraded to a mandatory evacuate status.  With only a bike and nowhere else to go I have decided to hunker down and ride it out. I will let you know tomorrow how that decision worked out. 

Monticello to Lee.

 38 miles to my former step father in laws house. Due to the impending hurricane I opted to enlist Howard to ferry me into st augustine to wait out the storm until Linda arrived on Saturday. Spent Monday night at his compound to await an early Tuesday morning ride in.

Midway to Monticello

 48 miles give or take. Cycling through the city of tallahasse. The large cities are rarely fun. No shoulders. Heavy traffic and to add additional challenges, it rained almost the entire time.

Debris from Helene. 

Prepping for final push.

Marianna to Midway.

 Another 57 miles. Not a whole lot to report on today. At least it stayed dry. Coming down to the end. Can't wait 

Swampy road side. No gators.

DeFuniak to Marianna

 57 miles today.  First day that didn't start out sunny. A little depressing. Slow,steady rain for the 1st leg. Eventually stopped about half way into the ride. Seems that I will be dodging rain drops for the balance of the ride.

Overcast skies. 

Pensacola to DeFuniak

 80 more miles.  No need to include the state as I am Florida bound the rest of the way. For the first time in the entire journey it actually rained today. Enough to make me head for cover. Luckily I was almost at my days lodging, so I just waited it out a little bit.  Hoping that by the morning it will clear.

Shaded dedicated bike path.

Philly cheese steak? 

Bayou La Batre to Pensacola Florida

 90 miles of mixed terrain today. Sea side route, ferry ride, paved cycling trail and a little commercial highway. The ferry ride was very welcoming, letting someone else do the work. The weather is still holding up.  Sunny skies, cool helping breeze and smooth shoulders. 

Gulf of Mexico at sunset. 

Home of the blue angels. 

Views off the ferry boat. 

Last state.  Free what?

Final cause way crossing 

Waveland Mississippi to Bayou La Batre Alabama

 79.5 miles today. Ideal riding conditions at every point of the day. A picture perfect start along a beach front trail finishing up with a smooth tree lined and shaded completion. 

Welcome to Alabama. 

Morning beach front trail.

2 mile bridge crossing. Full bike lane.