Whenever I hear "Seminole Wind" I remember the Florida Safari.
"Blow, blow Seminole wind. Blow like your never going to blow again."
"The last time I was in the swamp, I sat up on a cypress stump and heard the voice of Oceolo say..."
I had so much fun on the Safari last year that I signed up again. I guess the ride is getting quite popular, because when I called George Chaney to sign-up, there were only a few spots left! George graciously saved me a spot since I was coming from California and had bought my plane ticket. Whew!! (Thanks, George!)
I called my friend from last year - "Share-a-soda Bob" - and asked if I could drive up with him. He said "Yes" and saved me from being dependent upon the shuttle. I had a few days extra in Florida and hoped to do some sightseeing - perhaps see some of those tourist attractions I missed last year. (Bob received his nickname because he's from Sarasota, Florida and we would share a cola after the day's ride.)
The nice thing about doing a ride the second time (or at least riding in the same area) is that you meet a lot of people who you'd ridden with before. Bob and I drove into the fairgrounds and saw a couple of tents and a RV. The owner of the RV was Don, from Maine, a rider from last year and an assistant on the MOOSA and Lighthouse tours! Wow! (But when Don says it, it sounds different.) As the cars arrived, I recognized many of the people from pervious rides. Then a black van pulled up, with a driver I didn't recognize. I went over to introduce myself and the guy inside said "I'm Bubba". Bubba! The famous Bubba!?! Well, I had heard all about Bubba from the Kentucky Lads on the MOOSA trip. But Bubba didn't seem to believe me, until I started telling him some of the stuff the guys had told me: Bubba lived in St. Louis and was a policeman. He had a large (?) following in the bike clubs, who proudly wore his "Team Bubba" t-shirts. So this was Bubba - we would cross paths quite often over the next week - and it was ALWAYS an experience. :)
Bob and I headed off to dinner in the small town of Live Oak. The locals kept suggesting that we eat at the Dixie Grill, but the Dixie Grill catered the Safari and I'd get plenty of their cooking over the next 6 days.
We opted for the Golden Corral - a steakhouse chain that I had only experienced once before in Kansas, on the Santa Fe ride. It was a fantastic choice, as the teachers from the local Middle School were raising money for a charity and they were the waitresses and waiters that evening. What a terrific bunch of people! They were so polite and fun to talk to and willing to do whatever they could to make our dinner a real pleasure! They also provided entertainment - singing and wearing caps that had black ears hanging down and little "puppy feet" on their shoes. They were the "Puppy Power" group and I really enjoyed talking to them and sharing in their enthusiasm to raise $1000 apiece for the charity. It was a beautiful slice of Americana that I have not experienced in a long, long time!
Back at camp more friends had arrived - By, John, Jan and Gator - from the Freewheelers, others from MOOSA and a whole slew of 1996 Santa Fe riders! It was a reunion!! (There is that *one* ride for every bicyclist that stands out as special. For me, it was the 1996 Santa Fe ride. Perhaps because it was one of my first rides, but I think it was because we had such a wonderful group of people!) The vehicles kept arriving and more familiar bodies piled out. This is going to be a fun week.
There were some errands to tend to before we were ready to ride - and people to talk to and catch up on all the news. We saw a fair portion of Live Oak driving around looking for some cable ties for Bob's new bicycle. We talked, ate, talked and laughed. What a wonderful way to spend a vacation.
The ride offers several loops each day, with varying distances to allow riders to choose what suits them. I rode with "Virginia Jerry" the first two days and we opted for the shorter routes. I had run the L.A. marathon less than a week before and was suffering from nasty blisters. Jerry was also riding Bicycle Florida, which was another week long ride that would take place after the Safari. So we just cruised around, talked and enjoyed the scenery. I was tired from the marathon and my red-eye flight. Hey, I was on vacation. (I did get a lot of grief from the other riders for "wimping out", most of whom are older than me.)
It was quite warm during the day and surprisingly chilly at night. When I left L.A. it had snowed on the San Gabriel Mountains the previous night! I hoped that Florida would be warmer. Well, the weather has been unusual all-over the country and Florida was no exception. I was glad that I had a down bag. All in all the weather was perfect for riding, with the exception of the downpour we experienced on the 5th day. (And the tornado warnings had me a bit nervous. I'll take an earthquake ANY DAY over something like a tornado!)
The days quickly turned into the cycling routine - get up, eat breakfast, ride, stop at the sag stops and talk too long, ride, talk, ride, get back to camp and talk, clean up and go to dinner. Whew! I had forgotten how tiring all that talking and eating can be. I never eat 3 meals a day at home, but when the food is as abundant and tasty as the Safari meals, you can't help but overeat. (I even passed desert one night to have seconds and thirds of the yam casserole - heavenly!) There was always PLENTY of food and a vast array of choices.
We had a lot of fun making new friends, riding with different people, and just exploring. Though the scenery was now familiar, the routes were enjoyable. I rode different routes than last year when possible and appreciated the scenery.
Bob is going to do the GTE Big Ride this summer (lucky!!) and he met a couple from Naples, Florida who are also going on the Big Ride. Dick and Jane ended up being my cycling partners several times. They are a fun-loving couple who are going to add a lot of personality to the Big Ride. And they enjoyed telling people their names. :) They were going for the longer rides and must have put in megamiles during the Safari. (I am tempted to join the ride for a day just to see Dick, Jane and Bob again.)
The Safari has two century rides as options so that the 3-day participants and the 6-day folks can get a Freewheelers pin if they are brave/fit/??? enough to ride the 100 miles. I nearly killed myself last year riding the second century just to get that pin. This year I had to add another pin to my collection, so I rode the same century again. It seemed a bit easier this year, but it was a lonely riding by myself. Dick, Jane and "megamiler Don" passed me around mile 45. I tagged along with them for the rest of the day and we all graciously let Don pull the group along. I had met Don and his brother-in-law Mike last year. They are good fun to talk to and they both ride quite a lot (though I hear that Mike has cut down on the miles now that he's engaged). Last year Mike won an award for riding the most miles that year - and the next day it looked like it was going to rain, so here come Mike and Don all dressed up in their riding gear DRIVING in their car!! I was flabbergasted - it was incredible timing. But they explained that when you are retired, if the weather doesn't look good today, you just wait until tomorrow.
One night after dinner, Bill Irwin gave a talk about his journey along the Appalachian Trail with his seeing eye dog, Orient. I had met Bill, his wife Debra, and Bronnie, his current seeing eye dog, in Maine last year. Debra captained their tandem and Bill was the stoker. Bronnie had to wait in camp until Bill returned though he sometimes was seen in the passenger seat of a SAG vehicle.
I was aware that Bill had hiked the AT because of conversations I had overheard in Maine. What I wasn't aware of was what a difficult feat it was! Being a Californian, I was familiar with the Pacific Crest trail, but I didn't know anything about the AT - until Bill finished talking. (Westerners tend to think that because the mountains in the West are higher, that hiking in the East is less challenging.) Well, I was certainly straightened out on that point. OK, I apologize to all you east coast people. Maybe hiking Mt. Whitney isn't that big of an accomplishment.
Bill started out telling us about Bronnie, since many people ask him about his dog. Then he told us how he had turned his life around with the help of the Lord. From there, he went on to explain how he ended up being the first blind person to hike the entire length of the AT. And the stories he told us about adventures he had while hiking the trail were priceless!
If you are interested in reading Bill's book about his hike, "Blind Courage", it can be purchased from him. Check out: Bill Irwin's Web Site. I read his book over two evenings, it was so enjoyable.
This year we camped at the Suwannee County Fairgrounds, outside of Live Oak, for the first 3 days. There were several options for each day's ride. Usually a 40-50 mile ride, a 60 miler and a 70+ ride. I'd opt for the 60 milers, though I did do one century.
I remember the rivers from last year. The dark, tea-like water could hide a lot of things, including gators. I never saw a gator on the first trip and was determined to find one this year. A group of riders stopped at a local bar for a break - (no, not to drink a beer) and the man working there was showing pictures of the Withlacochee River. He rented canoes and offered day trips on the river. I looked at the pictures and decided that I wanted to canoe that river! I figured that would be my best shot at seeing a gator, plus I enjoy canoeing. It would be fun to see the same country we had ridden around from the vantage point of a river. I picked up a brochure for future reference.
We continued on towards Cherry Lake, our campsite for the next 3 days. Last year we had braved rain and cold temperatures along this route. It was nicer this year and I enjoyed being able to recall many events from my previous ride through this area. We stopped at a small convenience store and I bought an ice cream bar - "The King". When I opened the package it looked like someone had taken a bite of the ice cream. Then I realized that it was shaped like a guitar and the stick formed the neck of the guitar. Oh, now I know why it's called the "King". Yep, I'm definitely in the south.
We rode into camp and pitched the tents. Everyone else was already there, which was nice because someone had bought beer already. I don't drink much but a beer now and then after a long bicycle ride tastes pretty good. We heard about all the adventures other riders had experienced, including the story behind the broken bicycle helmet that was on the sign-in table with a sign: "This helmet saved _____'s life today." Helmets are mandatory on these types of rides - though most of us would *never* consider riding anywhere without one.
Dinner was another culinary feast. I filled up on turkey and stuffing, potatoes and cranberry sauce. Yum!
The next day was the famous century ride. I had ridden 50 miles with By last year and then continued the last 50 riding with Share-a-soda Bob. I was exhausted by 80 miles and was trying to negotiate the shortest distance that I could ride and still get my Freewheelers pin. Bob was a tough negotiator and I ended up riding the entire 100 miles. :) I was going to get an earlier start this year so it wouldn't be so difficult. The route was the same, so I had a good idea where I was throughout the day. Things were easier in the beginning but I still ended up in the back of the pack. Somehow I always end up at the rear of the pack on these trips. I *try* not to spend too long at the rest stops, but there are always interesting people to talk to.
I actually got to ride with Bubba for a bit today. About one-half mile to be precise. I joined his group after the first rest stop and Bubba promptly stopped at a pay phone to make a call! All week Bubba had been asking me when I was going to ride with him. So when I finally meet up with him he stops! Men! :) I had a nice conversation with Mona and company. A great group of folks from Tennessee and points north. They know Bubba from previous rides and I really enjoyed their company during the Safari.
After numerous peanut butter and jelly stops I was in striking distance of camp. It was a long day riding the 100 miles and without the company of other riders I never would have gone the distance. So, thank you fellow riders! Your company was greatly appreciated. And thank you to the sag stop volunteers, who make the best jelly and peanut butter sandwiches in Florida!
There is a tradition on bicycle trips that we visit a Dairy Queen for a blizzard. By Miller started this tradition on the Santa Fe trip (for me at least) and it seems to work out that I visit a DQ at least once while bicycling. Now, I don't even know where there is a DQ in Southern California, but they seem to be everywhere on bicycle trips. I guess they are still a small town phenomena. I had my blizzard in Live Oak. It was tasty and more than I needed to eat.
If I had to list what I enjoyed most about the Safari, it would be difficult to rank all the aspects of the trip. The people - riders and support - are number one. The Freewheelers are terrific! They obviously enjoy bicycling and are fantastic hosts. The food was way up there in terms of quality and (especially) quantity. The routes were interesting and well marked. The climate and accommodations were fine. For the price, I can hardly think of a ride that rivals the Safari for value. And my fellow riders were wonderful. Too bad for me that Florida is so far away.