I thought today was going to be a boring day riding down a traffic filled highway Rte 17. I was wrong, details to follow!
We started out a little late this morning, not leaving until 8:45AM much to Bob's consternation. I seemed to have had a few more things to take care off this morning than usual so I wasn't ready. Of course, I told Bob that since sunrise isn't until 7:30Am, there is no reason to get up before 6:30AM, I think Bob may be feeling a little frustration with this but I am trying to get him to relax a little. Anyway, he did not make any noise until 6:30 and he does go down to the office and brings me coffee as I get up. What a guy!!!
We left in cool sunlight with no clouds in the sky. The traffic was not bad and certainly not as bad as I thought it would be. We continued down Rte 17 on our way to Brunswick. We started off with a nice 5' shoulder and bike lane for a few miles then the bike lane ended abruptly and rumble strips started. We still had a good shoulder between the rumble strips and the traffic lane and then after a few miles, there was not room to ride except in the traffic lane. I thought it was funny when they posted signs for the traffic to share the road with bicycles on bridges. I wonder why they didn't worry about the rest of the road.
We started to see some pretty interesting towns along the way. It seems like a lot of revolutionary war history occurred along the coast. We passed swamps and forests as we continued south. We passed one home that was a house trailer that had a RV that was bigger than the trailer and was worth 10 times what a house trailer was worth. I told Bob, if your RV is bigger than your house, you might be a redneck. I also told him if you think trucks passing on a bridge in the background provides ambiance to a landscape picture, you might be a redneck!!!! Guess who thought that might make a good picture.
We were riding down Rte 17 and a man in a Smart Car came along side of me and asked if we were going from Maine to Key West. I said that he was exactly right. He said are we doing it for a charity or some other cause? I said no, we are doing it because we are crazy. He said there is nothing wrong with being crazy, he said look at the car I am driving! He drove on and we continued down Rte 17.
We passed through an old small town that was lined with Live Oak trees forming a tunnel, it was pretty cool! Bob and I stopped along side the road to take a break and who should come along but the same guy in the Smart Car. He pulled in and we talked for quite a while. He said his name was Scott and he was from New York City and also had a vacation home here in the Brunswick area. He recommended a restaurant, the Purple Pickle, in Darian GA for lunch. We continued down Rte 17.
We arrived in Darian and found the Purple Pickle. It was located in the historic part of Darian and we were surprised at how nice it looked. As we were finishing lunch, in came Scott. He said that he had stopped at the local newspaper and that they wanted to do a story on us. As we were getting ready to leave, a reporter came and took pictures and information for the story. Scott said he will send us a copy of the paper when it is published. Scott then took me across the street to a wine shop that he especially liked. I was surprised to find that it was very nicely stocked. I was also surprised to find out that Darian has a large shrimp industry. There were a lot of shrimp boats docked on the river as we left town. This is another example of the adventures that can be found when you are on a bicycle.
We passed an old plantation that is now a state park and went in to have a look. We have been passing a lot of these but they all seem to be several miles off the road. This one was owned by a man who owned 15 plantations and 2,500 slaves. This one had stayed in the family until 1972.
We arrived at the hotel about 3:30PM. Bob and I hit the pool to start working on our Key West tans. We are trying to eliminate our biker tans by the time we get there!!!!!
Tomorrow, we will be in Florida and starting our final push to the most southern point of the United States!!!!
We started out a little late this morning, not leaving until 8:45AM much to Bob's consternation. I seemed to have had a few more things to take care off this morning than usual so I wasn't ready. Of course, I told Bob that since sunrise isn't until 7:30Am, there is no reason to get up before 6:30AM, I think Bob may be feeling a little frustration with this but I am trying to get him to relax a little. Anyway, he did not make any noise until 6:30 and he does go down to the office and brings me coffee as I get up. What a guy!!!
We left in cool sunlight with no clouds in the sky. The traffic was not bad and certainly not as bad as I thought it would be. We continued down Rte 17 on our way to Brunswick. We started off with a nice 5' shoulder and bike lane for a few miles then the bike lane ended abruptly and rumble strips started. We still had a good shoulder between the rumble strips and the traffic lane and then after a few miles, there was not room to ride except in the traffic lane. I thought it was funny when they posted signs for the traffic to share the road with bicycles on bridges. I wonder why they didn't worry about the rest of the road.
We started to see some pretty interesting towns along the way. It seems like a lot of revolutionary war history occurred along the coast. We passed swamps and forests as we continued south. We passed one home that was a house trailer that had a RV that was bigger than the trailer and was worth 10 times what a house trailer was worth. I told Bob, if your RV is bigger than your house, you might be a redneck. I also told him if you think trucks passing on a bridge in the background provides ambiance to a landscape picture, you might be a redneck!!!! Guess who thought that might make a good picture.
We were riding down Rte 17 and a man in a Smart Car came along side of me and asked if we were going from Maine to Key West. I said that he was exactly right. He said are we doing it for a charity or some other cause? I said no, we are doing it because we are crazy. He said there is nothing wrong with being crazy, he said look at the car I am driving! He drove on and we continued down Rte 17.
We passed through an old small town that was lined with Live Oak trees forming a tunnel, it was pretty cool! Bob and I stopped along side the road to take a break and who should come along but the same guy in the Smart Car. He pulled in and we talked for quite a while. He said his name was Scott and he was from New York City and also had a vacation home here in the Brunswick area. He recommended a restaurant, the Purple Pickle, in Darian GA for lunch. We continued down Rte 17.
We arrived in Darian and found the Purple Pickle. It was located in the historic part of Darian and we were surprised at how nice it looked. As we were finishing lunch, in came Scott. He said that he had stopped at the local newspaper and that they wanted to do a story on us. As we were getting ready to leave, a reporter came and took pictures and information for the story. Scott said he will send us a copy of the paper when it is published. Scott then took me across the street to a wine shop that he especially liked. I was surprised to find that it was very nicely stocked. I was also surprised to find out that Darian has a large shrimp industry. There were a lot of shrimp boats docked on the river as we left town. This is another example of the adventures that can be found when you are on a bicycle.
We passed an old plantation that is now a state park and went in to have a look. We have been passing a lot of these but they all seem to be several miles off the road. This one was owned by a man who owned 15 plantations and 2,500 slaves. This one had stayed in the family until 1972.
We arrived at the hotel about 3:30PM. Bob and I hit the pool to start working on our Key West tans. We are trying to eliminate our biker tans by the time we get there!!!!!
Tomorrow, we will be in Florida and starting our final push to the most southern point of the United States!!!!
My Daddy makes the BEST Coffee !
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