96 BIKE FLORIDA

Cocoa Beach to Key West

January 13, 1996   Saturday   Drive to St Augustine, FL

It has snowed 6 of the last 7 days including about 25” last Monday. We have about 30” of snow on the ground. Everything is cleared except the edges of our street. Carol and Barry Nelson came at 5:00 am in their Ford van and we are loading our bikes and bags in the back of their van in 20 degrees. We are ready to close the back when a snow plow comes down the street and plows us in my driveway. I had to go back in the house to get the shed key to get a shovel and clear the drive. We drove away at 5:15 am and headed south on I-95 790 miles to St Augustine, FL. We stopped for lunch at Hardees for $6.86. We ate supper at Denny’s in St Augustine for $27.57. We stayed at Howard Johnsons room 123 in St Augustine, FL.

January 14, 1996   Sunday   Tour St Augustine

Got up and ran 5.1 miles. Went to breakfast at Denny’s for $12.97. Toured the Fountain of Youth for $11.50. Ate lunch at the Florida Cracker Cafe on George Street for $17. Visited the Castillo de San Marco for $4. Drank some excellent draft ale in the A1A brew pub for $5.50. Watched the Green Bay Packers beat the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL playoffs with a bunch of Wisconsin cheeseheads. Ate an excellent meal at Martys for $34. Stayed at Howard Johnsons for $65.33.

January 15, 1996   Monday   Drive to Cocoa Beach, FL

It is Martin Luther King Holiday. Got up and ran 5.1 miles. Went to breakfast at Denny’s for $10. Carol and Anne went outlet shopping. Drove to Cocoa Beach, FL. Ate lunch at the Cracker Barrel for $21. Checked in with Wandering Wheels and met Rohn MacPherson, Janech and Bob Davenport. Went to a bike store for some last minute parts and supplies. Went to supper at Dennys for $30. We are assigned room 115 in the Motel 6 in Cocoa Beach, FL paid for by Wandering Wheels.

January 16, 1996   Tuesday   Bike Cocoa Beach to Sebastien Inlet

Got up and ran 5.1 miles. Went to breakfast at an IHOP for breakfast. We met Dave Greehan and his girlfriend. We biked 46 miles from Cocoa Beach to Sebastien Inlet State Park. We stopped on the road for delicious lunch on the porch of a Sandwich/Surf Shop for $10.46. Wheels had a kitchen trailer and served spaghetti, salad, bread and cream dessert for supper. We camped in a Wheels tent in the park.

January 17, 1996   Wednesday   Bike Sebastien Inlet to Stuart, FL

Slept well in the quiet park. Lots of raccoons that will steal everything. Breakfast of hot oatmeal, bananas and bagels served by Wheels. We left at 8:30 am. Stopped at a great restaurant called Nicks Place for fresh dolphin for lunch for $18. We saw many beautiful homes along the inlet. biked 53.1 miles from Sebastien Inlet to Stuart, FL. Went to a pub for 2 beers. Walked to a church supper of pork chops that was provided by Wheels. Did our laundry. Stayed in a great room 10 with a kitchen at the Royal Palm in Stuart.

January 18, 1996   Thursday   Bike Stuart to West Palm Beach

Wheels served breakfast at the motel. We had a nice ride to Carlin Park where Wheels provided us with delicious tuna salad sandwiches. We biked 38.7 miles from Stuart to West Palm Beach. Wheels provided supper of salisbury steak, mashed potatoes, green beans and peach cobbler. Watched Seinfeld on TV. We camped on the grounds of Christ Fellowship Church on North Lake Road in West Palm Beach, FL.

January 19, 1996   Friday   Bike West Palm Beach to Ft Lauderdale

Ate a pancake breakfast on Wheels. We biked through West Palm Beach to A1A passing many beautiful homes. We stopped for lunch of tuna in pita bread on the beach front in Delray for $22. There was a very nice Golden Retriever sitting in a jeep in front of the restaurant. He was a very nice dog and we were all taken by him. He belonged to a young lifeguard. We biked into Boca Raton and passed by Anne’s parents old house and it looked great. We saw Bob Boldizar on the next street. Stopped at the Publix Food Store and called Patti Swanson and Doris. Met Carol and Barry Nelson at Boca Raton’s public beach. Biked by the Boca Raton Hotel for a look and pictures. Stopped in Dearfield Beach for a frozen yogurt. Biked through Pampano and stopped the original Florida house. Arrived at Lauderdale by the Sea where we gathered as a group. ad a beer. Biked to a beautiful church where we had hot showers. We biked 55.3 miles from West Palm Beach to Ft Lauderdale. Ate Italian supper of grilled dolphin at Zucherellos in Ft Lauderdale for $33. We slept in our sleeping bags in the fellowship hall of the Eaterlin Park Christ Church in Ft Lauderdale.

January 20, 1996   Saturday   Bike Ft Lauderdale to Florida City

Wheels served breakfast. Biked 72.8 miles from Ft Lauderdale to Florida City. We biked down the A1A along the beach and through Miami Beach in the morning with virtually no traffic. We crossed the bridge and rode through the port of Miami. We stopped at the Coconut Grove Festival and ate for $12. Wheels served us supper. We camped in the Florida City RV Park at 601 NW 3rd Avenue in Florida City, FL.

January 21, 1996   Sunday   Bike Florida City to Key Largo

It got very cold during the night and we had patchy frost. Breakfast was on Wheels. We biked 36.1 miles from Florida City to Key Largo. Stopped at the Fish House on Key Largo for lunch for $24. Took a ride on a glass bottom boat over the coral reefs for $30. Saw some manatees in camp. Camped at Calusa Campground at 325 Calusa off US-1 Milepost 101 on Key Largo, FL.

January 22, 1996   Monday   Bike Key Largo to Fiesta Key

Wheels fed us scrambled eggs with mushrooms, pepper and English muffin for breakfast. We biked 35.4 miles from Key Largo to Fiesta Key. Stopped for lunch of dolphin and salad at Little Italy for $20. Supper of maui maui, rice, Waldorf salad and Key Lime pie was provided by Wheels. Camped at the KOA at Milepost 70 on Fiesta Key Resort, FL.

January 23, 1996   Tuesday   Bike Fiesta Keys to Bahia Honda

Ate breakfast of bananas, French toast, ham, oatmeal and cream of wheat on Wheels. We biked 36.9 miles to Bahia Honda Key. We stopped at a resort in route to watch the trainers work with the dolphins. Quite a show for free. Someone in the group knew the manager of the resort. We stopped at Shuckers for lunch for $20. Wheels provided supper of turkey, tuffing, bread, fruit and chocolate cream dessert. We camped at the KOA at Milepost 39 on Bahia Honda Key, FL.

January 24, 1996   Wednesday   Bike Bahia Honda Key to Sugarloaf Key

Breakfast provided by Wheels. We biked 27.1 miles from Bahia Honda Key to Sugar Loaf Key. In route we biked out onto No Name Key which is a park with many very small deer. When we returned from the key we stopped at the No Name Pub for a pizza and beer lunch for $33 which included a T-shirt. The walls and ceiling were covered with dollar bills which they clean off every few years and give to charity. A gang of us spent a lot of time there and had a good time. The owners were very nice. Supper was provided by Wheels. We camped at the KOA at Milepost 20 on Sugar Loaf Key, FL.

January 25, 1996   Thursday   Bike Sugarloaf Key to Key West

Ate an early breakfast on Wheels. Biked 18.6 miles into Key West where we gathered on the beach. Toured the town and stopped in Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville for a beer at $10. Went to the Half Shell for lunch at $23. Went to the crowded water front to watch the sunset. It was a very interesting carnival setting with many street entertainers. Went to Papa’s for dinner at $22. Boarded the Possum VI bus about 9:30 where we bedded down for the overnight ride back to Cocoa Beach.

January 26, 1996   Friday   Drive to Columbia, MD Got off the bus and transferred our bags and bikes to the Nelson’s van. Left Cocoa Beach, FL at 5:56 am and drove north to home in Columbia, MD arriving at 9:34 pm. We stopped for lunch Denny’s or $9. Stopped at a Cracker Barrel for supper for $17. It was a very good trip, the best ever according to Anne who cycled 420 miles in 10 days of cycling. Not bad for her first long distance point to point ride. Wheels charged us $495 each for the ride.

Trip Roster

Jim Andreatta-MD	Bill Barber-IN	Jack Bateman-MD
John Becker-TX	Bob Benhoff-MD	Marcie Berchock-MD
Mary Ann Bosky-MT	Roger Bosky-MT	Bo Bourassa-CA
Don Bowie-MD	Dotti Carter-SC	Giles Carter-SC
Charlie Conklin-MD	Bob Davenport-IN WW	Janech Davenport-IN WW
Jim Deeney-DE	Pete Flaton-MD	Chip Gosnell-IN WW
Dave Greehan-NC	Barbara Hargadon-MD	Joe Hargadon-MD
Jim Huelskamp-MD	Pat Huelskamp-MD	Alan Klein-PA
Dick Lehman-IN WW	Dana Lloyd-IN	Ken Lundgren-NE
Pauline Lundgren-NE	Bill Maupai-MD	Rohn McPherson-IN WW
Anne McQueen-MD	Dan McQueen-MD	Derek Mosher-IN
Barry Nelson-MD	Carol Nelson-MD	Louise News-MD
Jane Noblitt-IN	Walt Pleines-MD	Terry Rekeweg-IN
Bill Sharp-IN WW	Paul Vance-PA	Tom Vandyke-MI
Joe Wisniewski-MD