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| John C. Anderson Stroke Survivors Tattler |
Road to Margaritaville
from
Anacortes, Washington to Key West, Florida
The Cast: Dan, Catherine, Bill, Dana, David
Anacortes, Washington to Key West, Florida
The Cast: Dan, Catherine, Bill, Dana, David
Date | Start ✔︎ = DONE
----------------+------------------------------
Jun 29 Stage 1 | Anacortes, WA; 462 miles ✔︎
Jul 16 Stage 2 | Sandpoint, ID; 342 miles ✔︎
Aug 03 Stage 3 | Cutbank, MT; 544 miles ✔︎
Aug 17 Stage 4 | Dickinson, ND; 413 miles ✔︎
Aug 30 Stage 5 | Pierre, SD; 485 miles - ✔︎
Sep 13 Stage 6 | Council Bluffs, IA; 559 miles ✔︎
Sep 28 Stage 7 | St. Louis, MO; 570 miles ✔︎
Oct 12 Stage 8 | Tishomingo, MS; 454 miles ✔︎
Oct 25 Stage 9 | Mobile, AL; 570 miles ✔︎
Nov 08 Stage 10 | St. Augustine, FL; 533 miles ✔︎
Nov 23 Stage 11 | Ft. Lauderdale, FL; 189 miles ✔︎
Nov 29 End 12 | Key West, FL; End of Ride ✔︎
The whole trip from Anacortes, WA to Key West, FL.
Total is 5,390 miles (8,674 km) and took 154 days.
The whole trip from Anacortes, WA to Key West, FL.
Total is 5,390 miles (8,674 km) and took 154 days.
DanTrikeMan - Spokes Fighting Strokes:
Leo at Stock Island to Margaritaville Cafe FL 14.3 miles well first Spokes Fighting Strokes Tour over 5380 miles! 5 month Check out David click on journal my website www.Spokesfightingstrokes.org
Attitude is 90% of life, think positive! "Fins Up"
DanTrikeMan
David Babcock - CrazyGuyonaBike:
Day 154: Leo's Campground to Key West (end of the tour)
Saturday Nov 29, 2014, 14 miles (23 km) - Total so far: 5,390 miles (8,674 km)
What an incredible day. It is hard to put in words what it felt like to be here after all the time and effort we put into getting to this point. After 5,300+ miles and 154 days counting today we accomplished our goal. We rode diagonally across the country from the northwest to the southeast.
It was both exhilarating and sad at the same time. The excitement of getting here and being done was offset by the realization that we were here and it was done, which was kind of sad. No more getting up every morning and riding to a new camp. No more meeting people in small towns along the way. No more eating whatever you want when you want.
But enough of that melancholy stuff. Let's talk about how much fun we had today. And we had a lot of fun. We got to ride our bikes one last time and for the first time on the trip we were all on our bikes. Nobody had to drive the van today.
Catherine met us at the main highway junction just a short distance from our camp. We rode together down along the waterfront on Roosevelt Blvd. Great views of the water and some nice resorts. Then a winding path through some small side streets brought us to the official end marker at the corner of South Street and Whitehead Street.
The famous "Cuba distance" monument that marks the southernmost part of the US. There is actually some land further south but you can't go there, so this is the place. Catherine's friends Jennifer, Jo Ann and Lisa were there to cheer us in. They had put up a banner behind the monument and told some of the tourists - who were waiting to take pictures of the marker - about us, so they all applauded us as we rode in.
There were lots of photos taken, champagne popped and congratulatory hugs all around. Then we rode back a couple of blocks to the Southernmost Cafe and the beach access there. We did a formal wheel dipping to signify the end of the trip. Then more photos, more cheering and more celebrating.
Then it was off to Starbucks at Fleming and Duval. We got some snacks and drinks and rested for a bit before going on a short bike tour of the old town section and the Fort Zachary Taylor State Park. We got to see a nice beach and some great views of the ocean, and toured the old fort area briefly before heading back into town.
Just before 1 PM we all met at Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville in the old town section. They got us a table on the second floor and there were now 10 of us as our friend Yannis from North Carolina had come in and joined us for the celebration.
During the happy hour phase of our party (drinks and nachos), I talked to the people at the next table. A gentleman and two women were just finishing their lunch and were curious about our trip. I filled them in on the details and gave them one of Dan's cards. Mr. T.W. Medlin (the man at the table) gave me one of his cards and told me to send him more information via email.
A short time after they left, our waitress (Delaney) came to tell us that the gentleman had paid our bill up to that point - our bar tab and the nachos. Plus he had given Delaney a tip too. So a big thank you to Mr. Medlin for his generosity. If you or anyone in your family gets to read this, please know we really appreciated your gift.
After lots of food including Key Lime Pie for dessert, we walked next door to the Margaretville Store to shop for some t-shirts and caps for ourselves and family members. I wear t-shirts all the time and am always looking for nice ones, so this place was a lot of fun for me.
We finally started the ride back through town at around 4 PM. We got to see more of the island as we wound around and back onto Highway 1 - going northbound for the first time. Just before reaching camp we made one last stop at We Cycle bike shop. They had donated two jerseys for Catherine and Dan, and Dana and Sandy wanted to get some too. Chris, the owner, gave them a discount and we got to talk to them about our trip.
Once back in camp there was work to do since Catherine was going to leave us her trike and go off tonight with Jennifer on another trip. They had to sort through all her stuff to decide what to take and what to ship back with us. Earlier this morning we did the same thing with Dan since he and Sandy are staying in Florida for a few more days and we will be dropping them off up on the mainland tomorrow.
- - - - -
There may not be any more entries for a few days as Bill, Dana and I do a series of very long driving days to get back to Arizona. Although my record with this is not the best, I will try to write an epilogue as the final chapter on this journal once I get back home. It definitely needs a closing page with a summary of the trip.
And now . . . . a whole bunch of photos from our last glorious day of the Spokes Fighting Strokes bike tour.
Saturday Nov 29, 2014, 14 miles (23 km) - Total so far: 5,390 miles (8,674 km)
 |
| The whole gang at the end. |
It was both exhilarating and sad at the same time. The excitement of getting here and being done was offset by the realization that we were here and it was done, which was kind of sad. No more getting up every morning and riding to a new camp. No more meeting people in small towns along the way. No more eating whatever you want when you want.
Catherine met us at the main highway junction just a short distance from our camp. We rode together down along the waterfront on Roosevelt Blvd. Great views of the water and some nice resorts. Then a winding path through some small side streets brought us to the official end marker at the corner of South Street and Whitehead Street.
The famous "Cuba distance" monument that marks the southernmost part of the US. There is actually some land further south but you can't go there, so this is the place. Catherine's friends Jennifer, Jo Ann and Lisa were there to cheer us in. They had put up a banner behind the monument and told some of the tourists - who were waiting to take pictures of the marker - about us, so they all applauded us as we rode in.
There were lots of photos taken, champagne popped and congratulatory hugs all around. Then we rode back a couple of blocks to the Southernmost Cafe and the beach access there. We did a formal wheel dipping to signify the end of the trip. Then more photos, more cheering and more celebrating.
Then it was off to Starbucks at Fleming and Duval. We got some snacks and drinks and rested for a bit before going on a short bike tour of the old town section and the Fort Zachary Taylor State Park. We got to see a nice beach and some great views of the ocean, and toured the old fort area briefly before heading back into town.
Just before 1 PM we all met at Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville in the old town section. They got us a table on the second floor and there were now 10 of us as our friend Yannis from North Carolina had come in and joined us for the celebration.
During the happy hour phase of our party (drinks and nachos), I talked to the people at the next table. A gentleman and two women were just finishing their lunch and were curious about our trip. I filled them in on the details and gave them one of Dan's cards. Mr. T.W. Medlin (the man at the table) gave me one of his cards and told me to send him more information via email.
A short time after they left, our waitress (Delaney) came to tell us that the gentleman had paid our bill up to that point - our bar tab and the nachos. Plus he had given Delaney a tip too. So a big thank you to Mr. Medlin for his generosity. If you or anyone in your family gets to read this, please know we really appreciated your gift.
After lots of food including Key Lime Pie for dessert, we walked next door to the Margaretville Store to shop for some t-shirts and caps for ourselves and family members. I wear t-shirts all the time and am always looking for nice ones, so this place was a lot of fun for me.
We finally started the ride back through town at around 4 PM. We got to see more of the island as we wound around and back onto Highway 1 - going northbound for the first time. Just before reaching camp we made one last stop at We Cycle bike shop. They had donated two jerseys for Catherine and Dan, and Dana and Sandy wanted to get some too. Chris, the owner, gave them a discount and we got to talk to them about our trip.
Once back in camp there was work to do since Catherine was going to leave us her trike and go off tonight with Jennifer on another trip. They had to sort through all her stuff to decide what to take and what to ship back with us. Earlier this morning we did the same thing with Dan since he and Sandy are staying in Florida for a few more days and we will be dropping them off up on the mainland tomorrow.
- - - - -
There may not be any more entries for a few days as Bill, Dana and I do a series of very long driving days to get back to Arizona. Although my record with this is not the best, I will try to write an epilogue as the final chapter on this journal once I get back home. It definitely needs a closing page with a summary of the trip.
And now . . . . a whole bunch of photos from our last glorious day of the Spokes Fighting Strokes bike tour.
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