Periodic Progress Report Southern Tier Cross-Country Bicycle Tour

Date(s): Nov. 15, 1999
Day: Monday
From: Monticello, FL
To: Live Oak, FL
Lodging: Spirit of Suwannee Campground
Segment Mileage: 74.0
Cumulative Mileage: 3331.5
Actual Riding Time: 5:22
Average Speed: 13.7
Weather: Warm, sunny
Temp: Low 80's

Even though the traffic continued to roar last night I slept well with the help of earplugs. Today Todd decided that he would ride sweep after his many days of long miles and our race to camp yesterday. That would relieve Jim of the task and he could ride ahead to help Janet with the cooking now that Bob is no longer with us. Janet and Lynne were off early as usual, followed shortly by Spike. Jim, Jimmy and I left around the same time, riding at our own paces into Monticello, named after Jefferson's home in Virginia (although the locals pronounce the c as an s). I rode through town reading historical markers and looking for a place to get a decaf espresso. There are many restored 1880's Victorian homes and churches, and the courthouse is impressive with its silver-coated dome. But alas there was no coffee.

From Monticello we rode on US 90 for most of the rest of the route. It was smooth with a shoulder much of the time, and we had a slight tailwind, so it was a fast ride. The road follows old Indian trails used by De Soto when he explored the area in 1539-40. I rode the next 35 miles into Madison without much of a break, then explored the back streets of the town. There were many beautiful mansions with huge live oaks in the yards, and the museum was located in the old county jail. As I pulled up to the museum a gentleman asked about our trip. He is a retired farmer who once grew blueberries and grapes north of Live Oak. He had a friend whose father used to work in the jail and he was there to ask about him. He said that our route along 132 was the old stagecoach route that allowed farmers to take their goods to the Suwannee River where paddleboats would transport to sell downriver.

I also found a coffee shop, A Gentle Touch, and splurged on a small pecan tart and decaf latte. Sitting in front of the shop enjoying my drink I met Tom Green, a local newspaper publisher and his lawyer friend. Mr. Green is featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not because everything he owns, clothes, car, house, etc., is green. He has even named his children Emerald, Forest, and Kelly. I mentioned how impressed I was with the restored homes and the nice setting of the town and they told me not to tell anyone, they want to keep the place like it is.

I continued on route 90 to Suwannee River State Park where I turned onto route 132. But this was not before visiting the park, in a beautiful setting along the river, with trails following the river and through the park. It was so relaxing to sit on the swinging chair and eat my sandwich and cookies. We've been so fortunate on this trip to have beautiful weather nearly the entire time and I'm trying to savor every moment in these last days.

As I left the park I passed Todd, the sweep, who is usually the last person into camp. When people go "off route", they are on their own; they can no longer expect to be aided by the sweep, who can't keep track of everyone unless they are on the official route. I know that I can fix most problems with my bike, so I don't worry too much about getting behind the sweep. We're camped in a huge private campground, with over 500 sites. It's near the river and we plan to rent canoes tomorrow on our rest day and spend some time paddling down the river, a nice change from cycling.