Tragedy Ends Our Ride - Fri 4/13/12

Today, Friday the 13th, we crashed, ending our voyage.

The day started well as we cruised out of Monticello for about 5 miles.  Then a mid-sized dog ran silently from his yard and locked his teeth on our right front pannier, causing the wheel to swerve, and throwing us to the asphalt at 15 mph.  I saw the dog coming and expected him to stop, as hundreds of others had, or at worst attack my leg.  He caught me off guard by going for our luggage.

As we lay on the ground stunned, 2 good Samaritans stopped to help.  One helped me get our bike and gear out of the road while the other helped Ruth to a seat in her car and called 911.  Eventually, a fire truck arrived, then an ambulance and deputy sheriff.  Our new friend, Kathy Reams, offered us a ride to an urgent care facility in Tallahassee so we declined the ambulance.  The firemen kindly took our bike with them, and one offered to bring it to us tomorrow.  As we were leaving, the dog's owner came out and met the deputy.  Then a woman and 2 kids came out.  I don't know what he was doing while the fire truck was there.

X-rays showed that Ruth has a broken collarbone, so she can't ride for about 3 months.  They put her arm in a sling and gave her pain meds.  I have a big hematoma on my elbow and a painful hip joint, so I can't ride either.  We both have major road rash.  I treated myself.

Then we rented a room for a week at an extended-stay hotel, Kathy gave us a ride to it, and we settled in to recuperate.

We regret ending our ride 245 miles short of our goal after traveling about 2800 miles, but we had a great time and a lot of memorable experiences.  We are thankful that our injuries aren't worse and for the kindness of strangers.

Photos:
Ruth recuperating.
Bike after crash moved from road.
The dog that attacked.
Ambulance.
Dog owner meets deputy.
Jeff's elbow.

The truth from Ruth:  I feel very blessed that our accident was not worse.  With the medication I'm on, I'm not in pain.  Jeff is taking care of me, and we have a place to stay until we fly home.  I'm so grateful to the people who stopped to help.   I hope the dog owners will tie their dog up so this doesn't happen to someone else.

Monticello, FL - Thur 4/12

We rode across Florida State University, then stopped to tour the Museum of Florida History.  I was surprised at how tough it was to settle here 500 years ago and to live here before the railroad came through.  Florida wasn't always a tourist and retirement Mecca.

After leaving Tallahassee the route followed a scenic bike path and beautiful country roads through woods and farms.  We saw lots of horses, cows, sheep and pigs, and one raccoon that crossed the street in front of us.  The weather was great and half of the ride was fairly flat.

We met a woman named Lisa riding solo the other way across the country.  She plans to stop in Del Rio, where she lives, for the summer.

In Monticello we stopped to find a place to stay on the road ahead.  We couldn't find any, so we kept our ride short and got a room in Monticello.  I had a po' boy sandwich for supper.

Miles: 53.2  Average: 11.6

Photos:
Museum of Florida History.
Prehistoric giant armadillo (model).
Early Florida explorers.
"Tin can tourist" vehicle (early motorhome).
Air Mail mailbox on a country road.
Monticello courthouse.

The truth from Ruth:  The ride today was easy and flat for about 30 miles.  Then suddenly, there were a lot of hills.  My left leg started aching.  At 5:00 I was ready to quit. 

Tallahassee, FL - Wed 4/11

We entered the Eastern Time Zone today.  Only 300 miles to the ocean!  We expect to get there on Tuesday, April 17th.  Then we'll bike down to Orlando, visit Disney World and fly home on the 26th.  (We just bought our plane tickets.)  The bike will probably go UPS.
The ride today was mostly up and down.  I expected Florida to be flat but northern Florida is not.  We bought a fruit drink in Chattahoochee.  The only reason I mention that is because I like saying Chattahoochee.
We ate lunch at "AJ 's Chicken and Things" in Quincy.  I think the "Things" were fries and side dishes, but I'm not sure. 
I met a man in Gretna who said they grow mushrooms there in big buildings.  The farms in the Florida Panhandle that we've heard about grow: mushrooms, tomatoes, melons, peanuts, cabbage, corn and cotton.  The oranges are all down south.
The scenery was rolling green hills, forests, pastures, swamps, rivers, mansions, shacks, farms, convicts in striped jumpsuits, ornate buildings, and small towns.  Our motel in Tallahassee is right next door to the Florida State University campus.  We strolled through the beautiful campus.  It is huge.
Miles: 74.9  Average: 12.4
Photos:
The river dividing time zones.
Riding into the Eastern time zone.
Courthouse in Quincy.
Small house with huge front lawn.
Florida state university campus.
The truth grom Ruth:  Another enjoyable riding day.  Wonderful weather, nice scenery.  Getting closer to the end every day.

Marianna, FL - Tue 4/10

We rode through beautiful Florida countryside and many small towns (such as Mossy Head and Ponce De Leon.)  I'm always amazed by the huge amounts of acreage surrounding houses.  Many modest homes have multi-acre front yards that are neatly mowed.  We passed a lot of land that appeared uninhabited.

At lunch time we stopped at a Texas barbecue restaurant.  It looked like a dump on the outside but was clean and crowded inside.  We shared a table with another couple and found out they own 300 acres.  I asked why.  He said, "I like to hunt."  Land is so cheap around here that even people who live in trailers or dilapidated shacks have large lots.

They told us that the next town we were going through, Westville, is the moonshine capital of Florida.  We didn't see any signs of that.  But we did see a sign declaring another town the worm fiddling capital of the world.

Miles: 88.7  Average: 13.2

Photos:
Typical Florida road for today.
Lake in the center of the town of DeFuniak Springs.
Home in DeFuniak Springs.
Barbecue restaurant.
Worm fiddling capital sign.
Dilapidated shack.
Courthouse in Chipley.

The truth from Ruth:  I have to admit that I got really homesick yesterday.  All of a sudden, I wanted to go home so bad.  Today I was back to my normal self and loving the ride.  I especially liked the beautiful lake in the middle of the town of DeFuniak Springs.  The photo doesn't do it justice.  I also loved the huge Washington County Courthouse.  It has big columns in the front that can't be seen very well in the photo.
The weather has been great and the riding fun today.  Florida is a beautiful state to ride through.

Crestview, FL - Mon 4/9

Today was an easy ride over rolling hills to Crestview.  There was a nice bike trail for a few miles, then some lightly traveled roads through Blackwater River State Forest.

We checked into the Hilton Motel in Crestview.  The Hilton Hotel it isn't.

Miles: 56.7  Average: 12.8

Photos:
Stopping for a snack in the forest.
Road through the forest.
Hilton Motel.

Easter in Pensacola, FL - Sun 4/8

30 seconds after walking into the LDS church someone invited us to Easter dinner.  This is another of the super friendly wards that we've been finding everywhere.  We had a delightful turkey dinner with Bishop Blaine Lawlor, his wife Janice and a few friends at his home.  It was fun, restful Easter.

We met two missionaries at church.  One of them was from Vacaville and is best friends with my nephew, Devin.  Small world.

Miles: 6.5  Average: 13.2

The truth from Ruth:  We have been so blessed being members of our church.  I was a little down, thinking we'd be spending most of Easter alone in our hotel room, eating tuna fish sandwiches.  Instead, because of kind church members, we had a wonderful afternoon with delicious food and delightful people.  Thanks to them and to all of you who reach out to strangers and make them feel welcome.
Sacrament meeting was wonderful as well.  There were three musical numbers: the Primary children, a great male vocal soloist, and a women's group.  I really enjoyed it, although I missed being at home and a part of the Easter special music there.  Music really brings the spirit, and I felt the Savior's love today as I celebrated His resurrection.  Happy Easter everyone!