Dolly's Bike Blog

April 29: Crawfordville to Perry, FL

Our cue sheet was very brief today: left out of the hotel in Crawfordville, cross Wakulla River, cross Aucilla River, turn right onto Hwy 19 to Hampton Inn. And the road we were traveling was similarly ‘boring’: for 40 miles, there were trees and swamp on either side of the road, and virtually no houses or other signs of life, except occasional cars and trucks. The last 10 miles, we saw cows in pastures.

I did take pictures at the Wakulla River, which begins at the spring we visited yesterday.

No photos of the Aucilla River, as we were concentrating on riding the temporary grate bridge.

I did enjoy these new flowers along the roadside.

When we arrived in Perry, we decided to explore the historic Main Street area. We had lunch at Johnson’s Bakery, then got cash at the local Wells Fargo branch – basic necessities of life on the road.

We rode past the County Courthouse.

Back on the route, I elected to Dolly Dawdle to the Forest Capital Museum State Park, to learn more about the lumber industry in Florida. Early settlers made turpentine from the pine trees in the area.

The “Cracker” homestead, also in the Park, dates from 1864. “The term ‘cracker’ refers to the settlers who lived in the rural areas. They may have acquired this name from the early Floridians who cracked their whips to drive their cattle and oxen.” According to the brochure, the house reflects a distinctive architectural style in Florida, using a breezeway to separate two single room cabins.

The Hampton Inn where we are staying had a nice Happy Hour, which many of us enjoyed.

A group of us ate at Mama’s Italian Family Restaurant near the hotel, as it was Linda’s night off.

57 miles today; average 11.7 mph.

April 28: Crawfordville, FL

I have mixed feelings about rest days in inaccessible locations. I liked being able to rent a car in Silver City to drive to the Gila Cliff Dwellings. I was frustrated at Fort Davis not to have transportation to the Observatory. Today, we were lucky that George, the fellow making arrangements for our massages, also helped to arrange a bus to take us the 10+ miles back to the Park, at a cost of only $7 per person.

Started the day with breakfast at the golf course, eggs over easy, home fries, crisp bacon – certainly not our usual fare (generally cold cereal, sometimes oatmeal, sometimes scrambled eggs, yogurt).
I could relax until noon, when the bus picked us up.

We arrived back at Wakulla Springs Park just before 1 pm. My massage wasn’t until 3 pm, so I was able to take the boat tour, eat lunch, and take a short hike. These photos show some of the highlights.

Trevor was my massage therapist – great job to get me ready for the final riding days.

After I got back to the Inn, several us enjoyed a Happy Hour at the golf course next door.

April 27: Quincy to Crawfordville, FL

Our route today was south – and the wind was from the south, rather than the easterly wind we are used to. It did help to keep us cool as the temperature rose into the mid 80s by mid-afternoon.

Much of our early miles were in the Apalachicola National Forest, quiet road and beautiful scenery.

There was an optional side trip to the Wakulla Springs State Park, which Donna and I decided to explore.

We ate lunch in the Lodge, then walked along the beachfront.

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On the way to Crawfordville, we passed this “truck cemetery”, nicely organized amid the trees.

We are staying at the Inn at Wildwood with a golf course next door.

I plan to go back to the Park tomorrow, for a massage, and hopefully a boat trip along the Wakulla River.

59 miles today; average 11.4 mph.