47 Miles to St. Augustine, FL .....

WOnce again, I carried my rain jacket in my handlebar bag, but didn't need it. It's amazing that we only had one day of rain on the entire trip AND I only had one flat tire. Gotta love those Gator Skins!

The plan today was to leave the hotel in time to ride 41 miles and meet at the St. John's County Fire Station at 10:30. We then had a police escort and rode the remaining 6 miles 2X2 with our slowest riders leading the way to Anastasia State Park where family and friends were waiting. We dipped our front wheels in the Atlantic (I actually ended up with both wheels in-- I hope that's not bad luck -- or that it means I have to do it again). 

My mother was there to cheer me in as were Bob and Lucy Tanner. Dr. Tanner was the reason I moved to Maine because I joined his busy orthodontic practice in 1975 and we practiced together for ~15 years before he retired. He and Lucy winter in Florida and are now on their way back to Maine. They had stopped in St. Augustine to visit Bob's dental school classmate and the timing worked out perfectly for them to be there when I rode in.

Tonight is our final banquet where we say our good-byes and tomorrow I fly home, just in time for the bicycling season in Maine. Hopefully, the warm weather will follow me there.

Am I glad I did it?-- Yes.

Would I do it again? --No. Not the same trip and not for this long. I would maybe do a 2 week trip, but not an almost 2 month trip. Riding coast-to-coast was a "bucket list" item, but nothing that I want to repeat.

Here we are waiting at the hotel for the okay to roll out.

At the Fire Station waiting to ride the last 6 miles with the police escort.

Riding 2X2 behind the police escort.

At Anastasia State Park.

From the left: Lucy Tanner, my mother, me and Bob Tanner.

The three of us (Ellen from Nebraska, me and Twaila from Colorado) were the only ones that rode every mile without taking the SAG wagon at all).