Bike Florida: Red Hills to the Sea

Day 5 - Thursday, March 24, 2005

Most of today's ride will hug the beautiful shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico. We'll pass through Eastpoint, a small fishing community known for its oyster harvesting and Carrabelle Beach where we'll have a rest stop. You will also have the option of touring the FSU Marine Science Center, the final rest stop of the day. We'll end up in Sopchoppy, home of the world famous Worm Grunting Festival.

The Forgotten Coast.

Carrabelle: another small fishing community that provided a rest stop on the beach.

This local lady shows me how she makes Florida snow (i.e. bubbles).

Remember the guy with the wicked southern accent from Day 2, well here he is again with his pal and Sandra after pulling us the entire 20 miles out of Apalachicola to the first rest stop.

Sandra and Henry (the rest stop SAG man).

Sandra, Bonnie and Val.

Share the Road with wide loads.

Rest stop 2: The FSU Marine Science Center.

Sandra waits while I ice my knee.

Ochlocknee State Park: An optional stop, which offered perfect examples of the scenic natural characteristics found along north Florida's Gulf coast. It has a diverse habitat of Pine flat woods and oak thickets with lots of wildflowers for wildlife (deer, bobcats, gray foxes and extensive bird life including red-cockaded woodpeckers).

Sandra and I pose for the camera.

A few Bike Florida cyclists soak their feet in the Ochlocknee River.

These cuties were sitting on the road waving to us on the ride through the park.

Sandra and Bonnie shadow picture.

This giant bug scared the crap out of me by landing on the front of my sunglasses, so I took its photo after I shook it off.
(no bugs were killed in the shooting of this album).

Sopchoppy is our last overnight location and the home of the world Famous "Worm Grunting Festival.
We watched a mind bogling video of last year's festival and viewed film footage of Charles Kuralt covering Worm Grunting and Sopchoppy in the 1970's. Worm Grunting is still done today and one can make up to $200 a week.

Sandra poses with a mileage sign.

Richard and his oysters.

The oyster fellows.
The oysters were free, I personally think they are quite disgusting and slimy, but I heard that they were very good.

Purple flower.

Ah, a sunset.

And a full moon.

After a delicious peanut butter milk shake, lunch, a massage, some dinner and a little country music, the hotel shuttle never showed and a few of us had to be 'sagged' back to our hotel in Carrabelle.
It was a mind tease having to pass the hotel within the first 20 miles of today's ride.

Clem, Ellen and Steve.
Hotel neighbors who invited me over to 'their' place for beer and almonds.
The next day Sandra and I would try to ride with them, but even with a hangover, they left us in the dust.