Travels By Trike: Pensacola to Tallahassee, Fl

February 4th to 8th, 2016

GPS Info and Maps

Pensacola to Destin, Fl

Destin to Panama City, Fl

Panama City to Clarksville, Fl

Clarksville to Chattahoochee, Fl

Chattahoochee to Tallahassee, Fl

Easy to share the road with a paved path

It was good to be in a hotel to wait out the strong rain storms. I found this hotel on the internet and it was much further inland than I anticipated. In fact, the hotel was almost in the town of Brent just off I-10. Unfortunately and not surprising, because the hotel was cheaper (not cheap at $60), it wasn't the best. There wasn't a working ice machine or a microwave and fridge in the room. I'm so used to having a microwave and fridge in the room I didn't even notice until I was settled, showered and ready to make dinner. No problem really because I just used my stove outside the room. Usually, I only have hummus to put in the fridge and, so far, I've never had hummus go bad even it isn't refrigerated. The real issue with my room was the thin walls. The hotel was probably the cheapest in town and busy with transient workers. The room next door had a lot of people in it over night and they couldn't help but be noisier. Sharing a room is probably the only way these guys can afford a room. I think sharing a hotel room with 5 other people as a way of life on a regular basis would be very tough. And, good thing I have ear plugs!

Pensacola Beach

Tractor I got stuck behind

After a day's rest, the storms blew through and I got packed up and back on the road. It took awhile to get back to the coast. I rode passed the Naval Air Station which is home of the Blue Angels. The Blue Angels are a big deal here. There were 2 longer bridges on Hwy 98 to cross onto Santa Rosa Island and Pensacola Beach. The road is on a spit of land where it turns into Hwy 399. The road ends at Navarre Beach and then there is another bridge back to Hwy 98. It was a beautiful day and I really enjoyed riding with a view of the gulf. Much of the ride was on a beach cycle path and along big desolate sand dunes. Unfortunately, I also got stuck behind a tractor cleaning sand off the path. He stopped to use a beach blue room and acted like I wasn't even there. The sand was much too deep to ride through and all I could do was wait for him to finish his business and start driving again.

Beautiful beach to ride along

Bike Art

The area was mostly quiet through quaint boutique beach towns. Sometimes, especially in little Mary Esther, the road became so busy I had to ride on the sidewalk. It was slow going because there were lots of cut outs and my left wheel was constantly tilting steeply down and back up. Then I took another bridge across to Okaloosa Island. This area feels very upscale and I'm sure the hotels are much more expensive than I wanted to spend. I kept going to the sweet town of Destin and a state park I saw on Google maps. This was a big mile day and I got to Henderson State Park quite late in the afternoon after 60 miles. This park was more expensive because they didn't offer tent only sites. It cost me $30 for a site with electricity and water. Earlier in the day I had picked up a potato with other veggies. After getting my tent up, I went in search of an RV with a microwave hoping to cook up the potato. Across from my site was the camp host. I knocked on the RV door and a friendly older man answered. He was more than happy to help me out except he had just finished making dinner and invited me to share his cooking. He even gave me a glass of wine. What a nice surprise! RV folks are usually very nice and I've found knocking on doors with a raw potato in hand is a fun way to meet people. This camp host also invited me for breakfast in the morning. Such a nice man!

Interesting home

With interesting occupants

Camp host Rob

It was quite cold overnight and after getting packed up I went back to the camp hosts RV for breakfast. Rob was a good cook and he seemed genuinely excited to have my company. It sure was nice not having to cook on such a cold morning. I thanked him again and got going down the road. Again today, I was along the coast going through upscale boutique beach towns. Oprah probably owns a home here. The riding was easy but I did have a bit of a head wind. I stopped at a souvenir shop that had a table out front to make my lunch. It was called the Snappy Turtle and I felt right at home. The wind was blowing strong from the north and it was hard to keep my lunch from blowing away. Even though it was a clear and sunny day the wind was cold. Every town I went through was expensive and I started to worry about finding an affordable place to spend the night. There weren't any camping opportunities and the wind was blowing so strong getting a tent up would also have been difficult. From Panama City Beach I crossed a big bridge into Panama City and was relieved to find a larger city with more reasonably priced motels. I ended the day at an Econo Lodge that was surprisingly nice for $45. This room was recently remodeled and everything was new. The hotel even had breakfast. Myrtle also fit through the room door easily.

Lunch stop at the Snappy Turtle

Panama City Beach

Just a bit windy

In the morning, I got packed up and wanted to go back into the room for a last walk through to make sure I had hadn't forgotten anything. But, the room key wouldn't work and the front desk couldn't get it to work either. There wasn't anyway to open the door so I left hoping I had everything. I felt lucky the key stopped working after I had packed up. I don't know what would have happened if my stuff was still in the room and there was no way to get in. Nothing like timing, eh?

Bears? Oh my!

Neighbor dog found a comfy seat

Today, I was on my way to Clarksville to stay with a triker I know from Bentrider Online. I have been excited to get to Florida because I know there are lots of trikers and I was hoping to meet them all. I checked the street view for the roads I wanted to take and the road quality didn't look good. I was a bit worried there wasn't going to be a shoulder either. I told triker Fran of my route to her home and she thought it would be good. Well, most of the roads had been redone since Google had been through taking pictures and the ride was very smooth. Hwy 231 went next to railroad tracks with gentle inclines. At one point, Google had suggested a shortcut. I've learned to check before taking these shortcuts blindly. I started down the road and pulled into the first house to ask about the road ahead. There were some guys working and they said it wasn't a good idea. The road is paved for a couple of miles and then it becomes a potholed mess through a forest. That gave me all the information I needed to stay on Hwy 231. While I was stopped, I asked if I could use a table in the yard to make my lunch. No problem.

Fran and Steve

Fran feeding her bird

After a good meal, I continued on Hwy 231 to bigger Hwy 20 and, again, the road was in great shape. This hwy was also busier and I was thankful for the shoulder with a safe place to ride. The terrain also became hillier. It's been awhile since I have had hills to contend with. Soon I came to the crossroad to Fran's house. This road was also very hilly but recently paved and in very good shape. I was happy to arrive at Fran and Steve's. We had been texting and she was keeping an eye out. Even before I was down the driveway they were outside welcoming me. It was super fun to meet them. Some neighbor dogs and cats were also around. One curious dog made itself comfortable on Myrtle. Neighbor kids also came over to see the trike. Then Fran and Steve showed me to my accommodation for the night in the RV parked in the side yard. It was large and super comfy. I love staying in Rv's. Fran is a wonderful cook and made us a terrific meal. I also got to do some laundry, woohoo!!

Yummy sandwich

In the morning, Fran made another great meal for breakfast and sent me off with hard boiled eggs and a freshly baked baguette. I had a lovely time with this very nice couple and especially love the triker connection. This is my first meeting with esteemed members of the Lawn Chair Nation Florida Chapter. They invited me to stay longer but I'm feeling unsure about timing and was worried I wouldn't have enough time to get in all the riding I want to do in Florida before flying back to Portland.

I set off on another very cold morning, bbbrrrr! Another hilly ride too. I took county road 274 to Altha where I stopped at a small market for supplies. A guy in line made fun of me because I was buying fresh spinach and the cashier guy had no idea what an avocado is. Hhhmmm...okie dokie! Something has changed. I feel like I've entered a new state. I suddenly realized I was only a few miles from the Georgia border. Across the street from the market was a school with some tables out front. The school wasn't in session and I used a table to make my sandwich with the baguette, eggs, spinach and red onion. I ate half and took another half for later continuing on Hwy 286. I rode across I-10 north where I picked up Hwy 90 at Sneads turning east. This is the same Hwy 90 I been on so often since west Texas. I've been on Hwy 90 so much it feels like an old friend.

The afternoon was windy blowing 20-30 mph and the hills also never let up. Coming into my final destination for the day, Chattahoochee, was the steepest hill I've seen in a long time. I was in my lowest granny gear! At the top of the hill I pulled into the Relax Inn where I got a decent room for $38. It was Super Bowl Sunday but my tv didn't get CBS. I couldn't believe it and kept surfing through the channels but never found the channel. Really all I want to watch was Beyonce, Bruno Mars and Coldplay. And, of course, the performance was on Youtube before the end of the game.