Exhausted
Ok, we’re not looking for sympathy – we choose to cycle tour and accept the drawbacks that go with this as well as the great times – but we’ve managed to run out of energy, just as we reached our secret cousins. Which begs the question did we just have enough energy to get there, or is it merely psychological? It’s not all our fault though! Though thinking about it it probably is. You see, we had planned to stay in Mexico beach for a few nights as last year it was on of our favourite places on the Forgotten Coast. We’d even thought we’d stay at the...
Read MoreOnward to the Gulf
Having returned the car hire in Gainesville and got a lift back to Tilly we cycled on to an Airbnb in a Fifth Wheel trailer – a very big caravan that hitches into the back of a pickup, rather than being towed by a car. It had the obligatory multiple slideouts and was huge on the inside. Very comfortable, but a bit old fashioned in the decor stakes – dark wood, leather chairs and a sofa bolted to the floor. European vans are tiny by comparison but use every inch of space, with lots of bling, hidden lights and glitz, whereas these always have tonnes of unused spaces, doors that you...
Read MoreWeather
When you think of Florida the last thing youll probably think of is a dreary rainy day like we get in the UK, but that’s what we got just past Gainesville. We quite enjoy dodging the torrential downpours here as they are short and warm and if you get soaked it’s quite refreshing. Cycling all day in one however is not our preferred plan and when those days arrive we tuck up in a hotel for the day and rest.We duly did this and were going to move on the next day but my tummy decided to play up and so we stayed put which rather put a spanner in the works for our planned rendezvous...
Read MoreMoving on up….
The coast from Ormond Beach up to St Augustine gave us plenty of opportunities to stop and admire the sand and sea. Unlike further south it’s not wall to wall millionaire mansions fronting onto the ocean, through there are plenty of gorgeous houses sitting right on the beach here. It’s also less developed with some small towns with surf dude type bars and cafes and it’s got a cycle path the entire way. We loved it. St Augustine is the oldest recorded permanently inhabited town in North America being settled by the Spanish. Its still got a European style stone Fortress...
Read MoreTo the Coast
Last year when we toured the US we cycled for ages before we saw a cycle tourer, a vege restaurant or a decent cycle path. This year we’d gone less than a kilometer and we’d notched up all three! Orlando really accommodates cyclists, even if there are hardly any about! The city itself has an actual high street with shops in it, It’s also got a lovely lake with a path all the way around, fountains and gorgeous gardens, skyscrapers (at least by our standards), independent restaurants and plenty of ice cream! We thoroughly enjoyed our test cycles here and thought it was a...
Read MoreRunning Away
Eisenhower was quoted as saying “No plan survives contact with the enemy” and our plan this March had been to not be in Europe for B-Day, but the enemy, being Mrs Mayhem herself seems to have buggered this up big time and may now delay it until we finish our cycle trip here. No need for that Mrs Mayhem, please don’t wait on our account! Still, the good thing about being 5 hours behind the UK is that by the time we get up she’s done half her daily allotment of damage and there only another few hours until she stops for the day to plan the next days disasters. Anyway,...
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