April 10, 2017. Chipley Florida to Quincy Florida 66 smooth and sunny miles. 2597 miles from the Pacific. Horse are on the road just before the sun pops over Eastern horizon. I am hoping to get some miles in before the heat of the day. It is cool again this morning in the mid 40s and Horse and I are loving it. By 9 AM the morning fog has lifted and my coat and legwarmers are put away for the day. There are purple flowers along the roadside, pine smell fills the air, and their cows in the fields. When I close my eyes I can easily imagine that I am in Wisconsin. Horse seems to sense that we are getting closer to the Atlantic and wants stay in Go Go gear. I hear a voice from my friend Paul’s spirit telling me “easy does it” and “this is not a race”. His spirit has often been with me on this trip. When things weren’t going well I would think of him and remember how he showed me what courage and commitment was all about. I will miss him on the beach in Saint Augustine. Then again he might already be there waiting for me. I ride 20 miles and then stop for breakfast in Marianna. I order the breakfast for two and finish it off with peach cobbler and ice cream. I roll down the big Valley and across the Chattahoochee River. I am now in the eastern time zone. By the time I climb out of the valley on the other side I’m hungry again and stop for lunch and a nap in the town Chattahoochee. It’s kind of fun to say Chattahoochee. I am so easily entertained these days. Any who – I find a elevated picnic table on a cement slab so I don’t have to worry about a fire ants, gators, or snakes. I sleep peacefully for a half hour and awake with renewed energy for the second half of my day. The afternoon sunshine and heat takes its toll and I stop often to cool off and water up. I heard from my friend Per (rider from Norway) today and it looks like we will be arriving in Saint Augustine about the same time. The last time I saw him was in Del Rio Texas more than a month ago. I am looking forward to the chance to connect with him again.
Cheers
Freebird