Pensacola, Florida to Gulf Shores, Alabama

Chris:  Reluctant to leave beautiful Pensacola we said goodbye to the bestest of hosts, Robert and Michelle and met up with Anne down at the beach for a little clowning around and drove down to Fort Pickens which was breathtakingly beautiful.   When I started sewing I learned just how many varying shades of white there are.  Today I saw sand that is the whitest of white and was dazzling in the overcast light.

David surprised me with a taco lunch on the side of the road and then after I got into ants again (don't ask) that bit my feet and ankles so he sat there and cleaned out my shoes.  Sometimes I roll into a town and find him talking with street vendors or anyone he meets.  We are having different experiences.  I'm focused on getting in the miles and enjoying the scenery.  He has more conversations with people selling boiled peanuts, pecans, grapefruit and oranges and then we compare stories when we meet up.  

For my brother:  Somewhere in Pensacola there is a street that bears your name.  I thought of you and our great ride across Michigan with Anne.  The picture of us on those fake bikes is for you.

It's so exciting to get off the road and bike on a trail that I have to take a picture even though it might not seem that interesting.  I was biking along a narrow strip of land called the Gulf Coast Highway that leads to Perdido Beach.   For the first time on this trip I was firing on all cylinders and was in the zone, clipping along at a pretty good rate, feeling strong, riding along the Gulf of Mexico for miles and miles.   (Don't worry:  I'll be back to my old ways of whining and moaning and barely making it in a day or two) There were condos to the left of me, condos to the right....the only break in the miles of condos was when I came upon a brief stretch of land dedicated to a State Park.  And then I had to come to a stop for a school bus letting off little children, a group of moms waiting for their little ones to get off the bus.  Regular people living normal lives in a tourist town.

The people of Florida have been good to us, both strangers and friends.   We've met some real characters, had great encounters and good conversations.  But under these circumstances I'm sooooooooo happy to say goodbye to Florida and HELLO ALABAMA!!!

Conventional wisdom says that one should bike for six days and then take a day of rest.  I just finished day 11 and I'm beat.  I'm going to do nothing tomorrow.  Nothing.  We've been gone from home for 14 days and have slept in a different place every night.  We might stay in the same bed for two nights in a row.  That would be amazing.