We did it. In a very meandering way we crossed the United States with the help of bicycles and our legs. It has been 296 days since Ophelia and I have been home – Ance and Augustine cheated due to work and school. With the last 395 miles behind us, we’re at a grand total of 5057 miles (8138 km) for this trip. The route page has been updated to reflect our plodding along.

Our 10 year old has hauled herself and her own gear across the continent – I am awarding her an unofficial award of ‘among the youngest females to cross the U.S. by bicycle carrying her own gear’.  We’re wrapping up a chapter that hopefully both our daughters will speak fondly of later in life.

As I sit here in Orlando, Ance (not my wife, but our Latvian friend) has arrived from Latvia and we are the guests of the gracious and smile beaming Patti (our warmshowers host). The night has embraced us with a 70 degree hug, and a cool 80% humidity. The girls had a full day and are asleep in the tent. 

We will now tool around Florida with Ance (the second one) by car for a mini vacation before heading back to Alaska. Florida has been green with great roads, bike paths, crystal clear springs, and sugar sand beaches. Aside from a few choice strangers, the people have been open, kind, and fantastic.

Happy Travels

-Latvian Alaskan Family

April 16th – 25th – Coe Landing

216 miles. Ance and Augustine woke early, like before the Matrix robots had time to eat their breakfast early. The pre-scheduled Lyft ride was a no-show and it was quickly approaching 5 AM. A bit of a panic ensued. Augustine cried – she has been talking and dreaming about going back to Juneau for months. It all worked out in the end. An Uber driver picked them up and deposited them at the Tallahassee airport just in the nick of time. 

What ensued was 10 days of Ophelia and I together without the benefit of Ance or Augustine. Here is a unloaded bicycle trip summary of our adventures:

• April 16th – Easter supply run. 8 miles
• April 17th – No miles, it’s Easter with bunnies and Jesus rising from the dead
• April 18th – Walmart and silver lake. 35 miles 
• April 19th – Bike shop and cascade park. 33 miles.
• April 20th – Laundry day and Aldi grocery. 22 miles.
• April 21st – Splash pad and world of beer. 30 miles
• April 22nd – Lazy day, dollar general bubble gun replacement and other paraphernalia. 8 miles
• April 23rd – Splash pad and world of beer repeat. 30 miles.
• April 24th – Splash pad and rail road brews. 30 miles
• April 25th – Walmart grocery run and a happy meal. 20 miles

The day half the family left, was the Saturday before Easter. Ophelia and I made a trip to the nearby Dollar General. I knew if Easter goods and festivities didn’t materialize, my career as a father would be short lived. We went and walked the Easter aisle and toy section. There was basically nothing I said no too. Candy? Yes. Replacement bubble gun? Yes. M&Ms? Yes. Peanut M&Ms? Yes. Coloring book? Yes. Extra bubble gun juice? Yes. Unicorn Sticker book with bewildering colors? Yes. Markers? Yes. It’s all about bribery here folks.

The other days are a blur of cycling around, splash pads, and some restaurant visitations. We made it through the ten days still speaking to each other, which I find to be a major accomplishment.

April 26th – 29th – Coe and Hall Landing

Car miles. Ance, Augustine, Kent and Amara (friends of ours from Skagway, Alaska) arrived late on the 25th. While Ophelia slept, we setup Kent and Amara’s tent and retreated to slumber. Here are the notes for the car vacation days:

• 26th – Silver Lake, world of beer and cool little park near Cascades park in Tallahassee
• 27th – Carrabelle Beach. Little road trip of around 120 miles (round trip). Ance struck up a conversation with two Kims while an iridescent cloud sung through the sky. The two Kims invited us to their Waffle house tomorrow, which Ance enthusiastically accepted.
• 28th – Waffle house with the Kims, clothes washing with Kent, and MaClay Gardens Park for a swim. Marshmallows to wrap up the evening. 
• 29th – Silver Lake revisit and shuffling of campsite to Hall landing. Girls played for God knows how many hours in the water.

April 30th – Hall Landing to East of Shadeville 

33 miles. Amara and Kent left around 9 AM for a long haul drive to Atlanta to fly back to Alaska. We trucked on shortly thereafter. It was an eventful day in more than one sense. At one point, Augustine got a stick lodged in her front wheel spokes and did an ass over tea kettle routine, which thoroughly scared the crap out of me.  Upon crash landing, I asked, a bit frantically, if she was okay: “I am fine, I am just a bit freaked out.” Right, right.

For lunch break, stopped at Wakulla Springs. A mass of human bodies screaming, jumping, and laughing in and around the cool water. Closed out the day with a push through a sandy road and then a short ride on the Florida Trail to a primitive campsite.

In the sticks and leaves, the biting blood sucking buggers are populace. A heavy layer of bug dope is required. When night settled in, while Ance and I sat outside the tent, fireflies sparked through the thicket like tiny planets burning out briefly before their exit from the blackness of the universe.

May 1st – Shadeville to Rocky’s Convenience Store and Campground

40 Miles. Woke in our Florida Trail haven. It’s so green, the vegetation so thick, I feel we’ve been ported into a jungle book scene. We ate and then trucked off for about 20 miles. Butt sore and bug spry sweat drenched, we pulled off at the Wacissa Conservation area for lunch.

We lingered long – lego play action for the kids. Then we pounded out another 20 miles to Rocky’s near Hampton Springs.

Met a fellow traveller, Ken, traveling by motorcycle. We chatted a bit about life on the road and then Ken went and bought the girls an ice cream (and me a beer!). Super nice guy, excited about traveling the country, visiting his family along the way.

May 2nd – Hampton Springs to Steinhatchee Out Post

33 miles. Packed up, sweating and itchy. Had breakfast, did some school work and shoved on. The Thick humid heated breath of Florida May bore down on us like a thousand suns. Stopped in at a Walmart for a resupply. We also purchased sheets for all of us – it has now become too warm for our sleeping bags at night.

After departing and digging through some miles, we had another flat. Don’t recall which tire at this point. A flat, is a flat, is a flat. Really takes the air out of the room. A roadside lunch with flat tire repair specialist – me, and I am terrible at it. It’s been so warm, that even while doing the most uninvolved tasks, say, brushing your teeth, sweat can and will dribble off the tip of your nose.

Pulled into the Steinhatchee Out Post. The place rings of neglect and, if you could taste it, dirty pennies. The office deserted, a local directed us to the manager’s trailer. “That’ll be $5 bucks,” Ance pulls out a Twenty, “Do you have change?” “Ah, it’s all right, forget about it. Saves me the hassle of the paperwork.” Free camping at Steinhatchee.

There does seem to be a reason for the willingness to allow cyclists to camp for free. The bathhouse appear to be temporary occupied by drunks and junkies and a permanent home for arachnids, frogs, and lizards. I showered in the ladies room, as it was in slightly less disrepair and ruin.

May 3rd – Stienhatchee to Suwannee Plantation

31 miles. Wake, schoolwork, and breakfast. Biked for about 15 miles before stopping in at the Taste of Dixi Diner for a lunch buffet. $11 bucks for adults, $6 bucks for kids. Mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, meat loaf, fried pork, fried chicken, and a salad bar – sign us up. I am surprised I am still ambulatory. 

After lunch we broke off onto a dedicated bike path pretty much the rest of the day. We arranged with Al to camp at the plantation – while it exits on the map, it is no longer operational. Spot right on the river. After dropping our gear and setting up camp, we made a b-line to Fanning Springs for a dip. 

Crystal clear water at 70 degrees. While there, we met a big family that used to live in Juneau, Alaska. We had a good chat and the kids had a great time in the water – Ophelia was assigned the task of gathering and piling up a mucus mound of seaweed passed to her by all the other kids. 

Upon night descending, we retreated back to the riverside plantation campsite. Dreams came with a heavy silken sheet of sleep.

May 4th – Sawannee to Gainesville  

34 miles. Woke early, Al stopped by for a hello at 7 AM – unawares of our lazy cycling habits. He looks after this piece of river front property for a buddy of his. It has recently been sold: “All this will be condos, imagine there will be trenches dug for marinas and such.” 

Packed up our camp and went next door to the Fanning Springs picnic area for breakfast and school work. Before really pounding out any miles we wandered on over to the springs again for a dip.

The heat is aggressive. It envelopes you in a way a hot oven boiling water would, baking back, neck, and arms like a pop tart in a toaster oven. Hopped into a Dairy Queen for a stint to shake the heat around lunch. Onward into the western side of Gainesville and to the Motel 6 we booked – lack of camping opportunities in the area. Shortly after arriving it was straight to the pool.

A man, blown out of his mind, came up to me: “I’ve been looking at this tree. See how it is one at the bottom and then it splits up, up higher? Do you think that’s kinda how life is?” A bit bewildered, I replied, “I think it is difficult to extrapolate all life onto the growing of a single tree. But, it is an interesting observation.” This seemed to satisfy him well enough.

Getting our fill of the pool, it was to the room and sleep. Note, to whomever installed the towel rack in room 216, it is probably an inch and a half out of plum. I tried to straighten it, but it was screwed into the wall that way. You almost gave me vertigo, perhaps that was your intention.

May 5th – Gainesville to Little Orange Creek Preserve

26 miles. Pool time before departing. The humidity and the heat plunge on. The Adventure Cycling route follows the 26 north of Newnans lake. However, after our review of google maps with the cycling layer turned on, it shows more bike paths and lanes on the 20, running just south of Newnans Lake – so, we opted for that. We’ve been off route now, since, pretty much New Orleans.

On either side of the lake, however, there is a dearth of legit camping spots, so we targeted a Nature preserve with some trails to dirtbag camp for the evening. We hung out for most of the afternoon at the City of Hawthorn Lindsey-Phillip Park to kill the daylight and push through school work. Rode out the final 2 miles to the nature preserve as dusk crept through the sky.

At 8 PM the humidity is hovering around 213% and the temp is stubbornly thrusting at 90. Even though we had showers this morning, the salty sweat layers accumulated throughout the day feel a bit oppressive.

We pulled the rain fly off and laid in our underwear, sweating and complaining until we drifted off to sleep. A stray rain shower had us up and scrambling to put the fly back on around 3 AM. After we got the fly back on, the rain ceased. Oh, bother.

May 6th – Little Orange Creek to East Palatka  

31 miles. Woke and packed instantly – we technically are not supposed to be sleeping here. Rode 11 miles to Interlachen, where we setup to make breakfast and drag through school work. The heat is heavy, but breezy bursts keep you from losing your mind.

Stopped in at a Walmart for a resupply and then plunged onto East Palatka to a Best Western. A friend of ours back in Juneau was able to secure us a decent rate. Many thanks. Back to the pool, then food, then sleep. Pretty repetitive around here. 

Just before lidding the eyes though, a sound that shook the windows and earth rumbled. The crack of Zeus’ thunderous whip just beyond the hotel door’s threshold crashed through the air like an army of 10,000 horses. We opened the door to a torrential flood of water booming down as if a massive waterbed in the sky had been shivved. Lucky we are.

May 7th – East Palatka to St Augustine KOA

28 miles. Lingered at the hotel until checkout time and off we rode for 14 miles on a fantastic bike path in the woods. Stopped at Armstrong Park for lunch and relaxation. Church group across the way blasting Gospel music into the blazing light of living.

Remounted the battered steel steeds and cycled on into St. Augustine. Stopped at a Publix supermarket for dinner supplies and then onto the KOA. Upon arriving we instantly grabbed swimming gear and retreated to the pool. Today marks us crossing the United States.

May 8th – St. Augustine to Flager Beach (Mother’s Day)

32 miles. I slept like the waking dead and complained about it until I realized it was mother’s day – then I tried to snap out of my self adulation. The girls had made cards for mom and I made breakfast – I know I could do better here, so let’s leave it at that. 

Rolled out of the KOA around 11 AM and began a moderately irritating day. For the most part, the road and riding were decent. The weekend and holiday, though, attributed too a busy rush wherever we found ourselves. This puts you on high alert at all the times, especially with a narrower shoulder. When going through popular beach towns it’s much worse. Many of these towns don’t have a shoulder and if you attempt to ride on the sidewalk, it is swarmed with happy beach goers, so you kinda just thrust yourself onto the main thoroughfare and hope for the best. 

When just getting out of a busy body beach town, still on the road, a particularly pleasant young woman yelled from her passenger seat in a nice looking black Jeep: “There is a fucking sidewalk, get on the fucking sidewalk!” Thanks, so much. 

Got to the Gamble Rodger’s Memorial State Recreational Area a bit beat and ragey. Went down to the beach with Ance and Ophelia, while Augustine hung back and played with legos by herself – something she rarely gets to do. The beach and a swim in the waves washed out the angry sandwich we’d been eating and then it was back to dinner and sleepy time.

May 9th – Flager Beach to Tiger Bay State Forest

25 miles. I have been getting all the short days with the trailer. Pancakes for breakfast. I like the savory kind where you use the pancake like a tortilla and put in mayo, sriracha, jalapeños, eggs, and avocados. Mmm, nummies.

Rode to a 7-Eleven to grab some slurpees and dogs. Pounded out to Walmart to resupply and then the last 8 miles to an equestrian campground that is quiet and beautiful. We are the only ones here.

May 10th – Tiger Bay to Lake Ashby Park

32 miles. The morning light dribbles through the shadows of the trees like the most spectacular orange juice of the gods. Slow moving morning. To start the day, I hoofed off on my unloaded bike on a potential road we could take to our destination today. Good thing I checked. About two miles in, a fence with a sign proclaiming me a felon if I trespassed blocked the way.

So, after breakfast and schoolwork, we backtracked about 8 miles. We are trying to skirt on the eastern most edge of Orlando before plunging into the city. The wind is gusty out of the NNE. The backtracking miles were in that direction and were necessarily slow. Upon turning on Williamson toward the south, our pace quickly accelerated to 11 to 14 MPH – flying baby.

We coasted out 22 miles by lunch, which we took in a gas station parking lot like trailer park royalty. It was a quick 11 miles to finish off the day.

The Lake Ashby Park is nestled back on a narrow winding road. It is bejeweled with magnificent green, a supple growth of luscious opulent green that pulls at your organs. We arrived at 4 PM, finished off school work, made dinner, marveled at the silvery light of the moon trickling through the leaves and off to bed.

May 11th – Lake Ashby to Mullet Lake Park

21 miles. The entirety of this day is a hazy blur. We are nearing the end of this trip across America and I think I am day dreaming of home. I was discussing this with Augustine who concurred. She was spaced out for at least an hour and a half. 

I know we stopped at Walmart (again) for some food and clothes replacements. Other than that, I pretty much remember nothing. We biked into Mullet Lake campground, it is empty and we have it all to ourselves. The wind is whipping, the water this royal blue with lively ripples. I witness the beauty of my wife and daughters as the wind whips their hair in these beautiful wisps of fervor.

The girls made a small camp in a grove of climbable trees. Ance and I played dice. The night came and put us to bed.

May 12th – Mullet Lake to Orlando

29 miles. This is the last leg of our trek across the country. I don’t know the exact milage yet. I know it is over 5000 miles. It is an amazing thing, the places your legs can take you with the help of a mechanical horse. I want to write that there is something life changing in this crossing, in these moments of nearing a goal. But, while there is some victory and satisfaction there, the world is big, people are good, and there are still nooks I haven’t drunk a beer in yet.

We banged out some 18 miles before a gas station lunch at 7-Eleven. We hung out there for an hour or so and soldiered on. The ride was pleasant for the most part. There was a mile or so on a sidewalk with fast moving constant traffic – but it wasn’t bad. We arrived at Patti’s home with smiles and goodwill.

Patti is a warmshowers host with a soul and heart you can’t help but hug. She is a beautiful woman inside and out. Ance and Patti quickly set to storytelling and I set to work on laundry and other aid bits – like this blog. So, here we are. Ance, the other Ance, from Latvia, but not my Ance, flew into Orlando and here we are in the backyard catching up – at least the two Ances. I will catchup tomorrow.