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Day 25
From Brunswick GA
To Jacksonville FL
Mileage estimated 70
Mileage actual 70
The Last Day. At the start it seems such a long way away – at the end it seems to jump up and mug you, it comes so quickly.
The last hotel of the tour was not one of the best and it will not appear on the list for next year’s ride. John went for a swim and after changing left his costume hanging by the pool to dry. He returned to get it sometime later to find it gone. He spoke to the person on reception and was told, ‘You shouldn’t leave anything out round here. They’ll steal anything.’ We have no idea who ‘they’ are. It should have been obvious that the hotel was not in the best area when you had to use your room key to get access to the ice machine – never a good sign!
Dinner last night was at Ryan’s, a chain of buffet restaurants we have come to know and enjoy over the past few weeks – they still serve that concoction of sweet potatoes and marshmallows so beloved by me – but overall the food there is plentiful and fresh. We were given an alternative for breakfast this morning (the hotel not being one of them, fortunately) and that was either McDonald’s or Mama’s and Papa’s and we were taken to dinner on our route out and past the two choices. Did I write two choices? McDonald’s or a home cooking, privately owned cafe for breakfast? Well, surprisingly, there were seven at each of the two when we made our choice today so some of the locals obviously think that McD’s is OK!
We were due to load at 6.50am but Shane held us back until it was just about daylight to reduce the danger to the riders, so we eventually left just after 7am. Breakfast was a speedily prepared and served top quality omelette and as we pulled away from the restaurant to rejoin the main road out of Brunswick, the McD’s tribe were just coming along that road. They all said they had gone there for a quick getaway (on the last day?) and were a bit miffed when they saw us having fed well and depart at the same time as them.
The cue sheet today was fairly basic – Follow Route 17 South for about 46 miles to the Florida state line, then continue for another 21 miles before turning off and getting back into the final hotel. Climbing today was restricted to overpasses on either Interstate 95 or various rivers otherwise the route was pan flat. Not surprising as years ago Florida was basically a swamp.
Approaching the town of Woodbine (childhood memories of "a packet of five untipped, please" then smoking them out of sight of any adult) where the first, only and last SAG was located, I couldn’t help but take a picture. I mean, there are Jumble Sales, Garage Sales, Bring and Buy Sale, Car Boot Sales and Yard Sales but I did think this was taking things a bit too far. Pretty subtle, isn’t it?.JPG)
From the SAG to the State line, I got repayment of my ‘IOU one draft’ from Al who ‘towed’ me all the way at a steady 17mph. We had a bit of a chat on the way and I could tell he was itching to go, but he stayed with me and we got to the destination state together. Everyone arrived within a few minutes of each other and we managed to take a group picture minus Scott who got a monk on for some reason and rode off into the sunset on his own.
You think you’re there then there are another 20-odd miles to go! Today, though, I found I wanted those miles to last longer than they did and I rode them with Johnnie and Connie asking them on a couple of occasions to slow down as there was no reason to sprint to the end of the day today. Even with that and a short stop at a store to get some decent water (that from Brunswick being carried on the SAG vans was very sulphurous) we still arrived at the final stopping point just after 1pm.
Everyone else in the group was staying at the hotel tonight, but Lynne and Leon (when their round of golf was finished) were coming to meet me and we were then going off to Leon’ river house to stay. They arrived just after two and just before the biggest downpour of rain landed for the first time in two weeks. Everyone of the group was in by then and most had even packed their bikes ready for shipping home either by courier or plane or car. It was just as well, because about 3.15 the heavens opened and a Florida ‘shower’ dumped water in great quantities and that was the first time we had seen proper rain since leaving Fredericksburg two weeks ago.
I borrowed Al’s room key and got a shower and clean up then sat with Lynne and Leon before we all went off to the Millhouse restaurant across the road for our celebratory dinner. We were presented with a cake which marked our achievement then we went back to the hotel for a few formalities.
Mike presented Scott with the ‘most flat tyres’ award then Shane presented each of us with Certificates to show that we had completed the ride and we were allowed to say a few words if we wished. Some could and did, some couldn’t and didn’t but the general sentiment was that it had been a good tour, with a good group ably led by a good staff team and that everyone was going to struggle getting back into whatever routine it was they had to get back into.
At the end of that, I said goodbye to everyone then headed off with Lynne and Leon, the East Coast of America having been ridden.
I said I would bore you with some statistics, but some of you may find it interesting that:-
Estimated mileage was 1,683 miles – actual mileage was 1,708 miles;
Altitude climbed was given as just over 54,000 feet (can’t dispute that!)
Calories ‘consumed’ over 22 days’ riding = 224,999 (go on, then – 225,000) working out at just over 10,225 calories per day.
My estimate is that I drank at least a gallon and a half (12 pints) of water/soda/juice per day and needed every drop of it! I only succumbed to an alcoholic drink on Rest Days and never more than 2.
I started the tour at a hotel in Portsmouth and could see Interstate 95 when I got onto the road outside; I finished all those miles later at a hotel in Jacksonville and could see Interstate 95 when I got on the road outside. I could have taken that road by car and done the trip in two or maybe three days but I would never have had the experience of being with a great group of people, sharing good times and bad times with them and seeing a country as close as I did over the past three and a bit weeks. That’s why I enjoy doing these trips. You really do get to see things and can, sometimes, take the time to stop and ‘smell the roses.’
That’s all for today, but I will try and write a ‘round up’ page as soon as I can so keep looking in.
From Brunswick GA
To Jacksonville FL
Mileage estimated 70
Mileage actual 70
The Last Day. At the start it seems such a long way away – at the end it seems to jump up and mug you, it comes so quickly.
The last hotel of the tour was not one of the best and it will not appear on the list for next year’s ride. John went for a swim and after changing left his costume hanging by the pool to dry. He returned to get it sometime later to find it gone. He spoke to the person on reception and was told, ‘You shouldn’t leave anything out round here. They’ll steal anything.’ We have no idea who ‘they’ are. It should have been obvious that the hotel was not in the best area when you had to use your room key to get access to the ice machine – never a good sign!
Dinner last night was at Ryan’s, a chain of buffet restaurants we have come to know and enjoy over the past few weeks – they still serve that concoction of sweet potatoes and marshmallows so beloved by me – but overall the food there is plentiful and fresh. We were given an alternative for breakfast this morning (the hotel not being one of them, fortunately) and that was either McDonald’s or Mama’s and Papa’s and we were taken to dinner on our route out and past the two choices. Did I write two choices? McDonald’s or a home cooking, privately owned cafe for breakfast? Well, surprisingly, there were seven at each of the two when we made our choice today so some of the locals obviously think that McD’s is OK!
We were due to load at 6.50am but Shane held us back until it was just about daylight to reduce the danger to the riders, so we eventually left just after 7am. Breakfast was a speedily prepared and served top quality omelette and as we pulled away from the restaurant to rejoin the main road out of Brunswick, the McD’s tribe were just coming along that road. They all said they had gone there for a quick getaway (on the last day?) and were a bit miffed when they saw us having fed well and depart at the same time as them.
The cue sheet today was fairly basic – Follow Route 17 South for about 46 miles to the Florida state line, then continue for another 21 miles before turning off and getting back into the final hotel. Climbing today was restricted to overpasses on either Interstate 95 or various rivers otherwise the route was pan flat. Not surprising as years ago Florida was basically a swamp.
Approaching the town of Woodbine (childhood memories of "a packet of five untipped, please" then smoking them out of sight of any adult) where the first, only and last SAG was located, I couldn’t help but take a picture. I mean, there are Jumble Sales, Garage Sales, Bring and Buy Sale, Car Boot Sales and Yard Sales but I did think this was taking things a bit too far. Pretty subtle, isn’t it?
From the SAG to the State line, I got repayment of my ‘IOU one draft’ from Al who ‘towed’ me all the way at a steady 17mph. We had a bit of a chat on the way and I could tell he was itching to go, but he stayed with me and we got to the destination state together. Everyone arrived within a few minutes of each other and we managed to take a group picture minus Scott who got a monk on for some reason and rode off into the sunset on his own.
You think you’re there then there are another 20-odd miles to go! Today, though, I found I wanted those miles to last longer than they did and I rode them with Johnnie and Connie asking them on a couple of occasions to slow down as there was no reason to sprint to the end of the day today. Even with that and a short stop at a store to get some decent water (that from Brunswick being carried on the SAG vans was very sulphurous) we still arrived at the final stopping point just after 1pm.
Everyone else in the group was staying at the hotel tonight, but Lynne and Leon (when their round of golf was finished) were coming to meet me and we were then going off to Leon’ river house to stay. They arrived just after two and just before the biggest downpour of rain landed for the first time in two weeks. Everyone of the group was in by then and most had even packed their bikes ready for shipping home either by courier or plane or car. It was just as well, because about 3.15 the heavens opened and a Florida ‘shower’ dumped water in great quantities and that was the first time we had seen proper rain since leaving Fredericksburg two weeks ago.
I borrowed Al’s room key and got a shower and clean up then sat with Lynne and Leon before we all went off to the Millhouse restaurant across the road for our celebratory dinner. We were presented with a cake which marked our achievement then we went back to the hotel for a few formalities.
Mike presented Scott with the ‘most flat tyres’ award then Shane presented each of us with Certificates to show that we had completed the ride and we were allowed to say a few words if we wished. Some could and did, some couldn’t and didn’t but the general sentiment was that it had been a good tour, with a good group ably led by a good staff team and that everyone was going to struggle getting back into whatever routine it was they had to get back into.
At the end of that, I said goodbye to everyone then headed off with Lynne and Leon, the East Coast of America having been ridden.
I said I would bore you with some statistics, but some of you may find it interesting that:-
Estimated mileage was 1,683 miles – actual mileage was 1,708 miles;
Altitude climbed was given as just over 54,000 feet (can’t dispute that!)
Calories ‘consumed’ over 22 days’ riding = 224,999 (go on, then – 225,000) working out at just over 10,225 calories per day.
My estimate is that I drank at least a gallon and a half (12 pints) of water/soda/juice per day and needed every drop of it! I only succumbed to an alcoholic drink on Rest Days and never more than 2.
I started the tour at a hotel in Portsmouth and could see Interstate 95 when I got onto the road outside; I finished all those miles later at a hotel in Jacksonville and could see Interstate 95 when I got on the road outside. I could have taken that road by car and done the trip in two or maybe three days but I would never have had the experience of being with a great group of people, sharing good times and bad times with them and seeing a country as close as I did over the past three and a bit weeks. That’s why I enjoy doing these trips. You really do get to see things and can, sometimes, take the time to stop and ‘smell the roses.’
That’s all for today, but I will try and write a ‘round up’ page as soon as I can so keep looking in.
Oh and E.F.I.? Well those of us who laboured through the whole tour and had the hard times and the easy times and managed to complete it rode for Every F-F-F-F-F-antastic Inch!
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2 comments:
Well done Andy see you when you get back. Love Victoria Rod Logan and Madison.
Nice photo! That's the best one out of them all! x
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