And we're only in Mississippi for 115 miles before getting to Louisiana. Crazy! In other news, Smashley's ND side R rack brazon snapped clean off. Boo. Hiss!
Well today was better! Sunny and not too much wind. Turns out we're so far south that we'll only be in Alabama (day after tomorrow) for 30 miles!
We realized that we didn't really give you all adequate time to send us mail the first time, so this time you have more time to ship us things, should you feel so inclined. Feb 11th or so is our estimated time of arrival in Austin, TX.
Yes, we realize we're way behind schedule to make it to Portland. We're doing our best :) Anywho, here's the address, for those of you who have asked.
Collin and/or Smashley
703 E 47th St.
Austin, TX 78751
Items on Smashley's wishlist include:
- pictures
- letters
- trail mix
- power bars
Items on Collin's wishlist include:
- letters
- decorative flair for bicycle (Ashley's putting me to shame in the category of whimsical decorations)
- peanut butter (maranatha crunchy is my favorite)
- almonds and/or cashews
- cliff mojo bars
- prepackaged Indian food (my favorite is Punjab Choley and Madras Lentils from Trader Joes)
-Collin
One of my favorite things about our trip so far has been the conversations we've had with all kinds of people along the way. I had a lengthy conversation with an older gentleman yesterday, much of which focused on how Yankees misunderstand the genius of Rush Limbaugh. The hilarious part, though, was that when one of his buddies pulled up to the convenience store we were standing in front of, his buddy asked the older gentleman if I was his son. "You think I'd have a damn hippie for a son? Give me some credit here!" he replied. Pretty hilarious. We all laughed.
-Collin
Ashley and I have been completely floored by the love and support of our friends and family on this trip. We wanted to make sure all of you who have contributed in any way - either by making a donation to one of the organizations or by supporting our journey in other ways - know how much we've appreciated your generosity.
We've had amazing hosts in many Florida locations, who have provided us with delicious meals, hot showers, and shelter from storms. We know the road ahead will have less friends and family, so we'll have to be better self-supporting nomads in the future. Thank you so much for your hospitality! And for those of you who live far away from our route, thanks for everything you've done to support of our journey!
-Collin
who is totally awesome. She introduced us to the game rummicube and her roommate Mary cooked a vegan meal with the best three bean casserole we've ever had!
Good gracious! The weather yesterday was terrible! Incredibly humid and then wet. BUT! We met up with Collin's friend Lexi who hosted us for the night...
Collin has a friend we can stay with in Tallahassee (yay) but... it's hard to make up miles w/ the storms! Hopefully the weather will look better tomorrow...
Well we're about 20 or so miles from Tallahassee, FL making good miles to get to Alabama! But a big rain storm (i.e. 1 inch) is supposed to hit tomorrow night.
We're headed out from Gainsville, FL today towards Alabama. Florida has taken a long time to cover (as some of you have pointed out) but our zigzag tour of Florida was so much more fantastic than the Adventure Cycling Association maps would have brought us. It also takes a long time to build up daily mileage on heavy heavy bicycles. Now we've got our routine down, and we can get in 60 miles each day even if there is a nasty headwind. We've been on the road for 18 days now and are looking forward to pressing on into new territories.
Gainsville is primarily a University town, it reminds me of Ashland, OR actually, but with a southern flair. The UF mascot (pictured here) are the 'Gators' and come complete with a fantastically awesome statue that is both alarming, and entertaining. I think it's the combination of outfits, hand holding and bi-pedgatorism that may make it the most magical imagery I've seen thus far.
Here they are live in the wild...
Go Gators!
-Smash
We're 25 miles from Gainsville. We've been in Ormond beach (more soon), where we viewed the Fairchild oak tree, 2000 yrs old and so breathtakingly beautiful.
...pad behind the diner to sleep. He also gave us rad t-shirts, some citrus, and great conversation abour the town (Tavares) and local political shenanigans.
97% humidity today. It's kind of like riding while in a steam bath. Last night we ate yuka, my new favorite root and the restuarant owner offered us the back...
For those of you wondering why our updates are frequent and short, as opposed to long and in-depth, there is an explanation. Most of the time we're posting from our cell phones, which only allow 160 characters at a time. We would love to write longer blog posts, but it's tough to make library time while out on the road. Nonetheless, we're doing our best to keep you updated.
-Collin
For those of you itching to send Ashley and I letters, delicious treats, playlists, and the like, you may send such items to the following address:
Collin and/or Ashley
507 NW 39th Rd Apt 237
Gainesville FL, 32607
Our estimated time of arrival is January 21st or so.
Items on Ashley's wishlist include:
- chapstick
- Tiger Balm
- gummy bears
- band aids
Items on Collin's wishlist include :
- Maranatha crunchy peanut butter
- Thai Chili and Lime Cashews from Trader Joes
- Punjab Choley and Madras Lentils prepackaged Indian food (also from Trader Joes)
- Stumptown coffee
- raw almonds
-Collin
Smash would love some dried fruit and nut mix in leu of gummy bears, it's not as tasty, but admittedly is better for biking...sigh.
...T-shirt the design fills in with color! And then goes back to black and white in the shade! No joke here folks...honest to goodness, so magical!
...photo series that I know you'll all love. I picked up the most magical t-shirt there! It's a dinosaur in foliage with a volcano and when the sun hits the...
Tonight we're in Lakeland staying with Collin's Poppa who is so kind and full of great storytelling. We had a fun time at dino world! Collin took a rad photo...
Dinosaur World surpassed all expectations. Photos to come.
-Collin
What was that? "A boar!" Wha-an ROUS-Rodent of unusual size? "Yea, w/ tusks." Are we safe here? "Oh yeah, I have this big stick!"
We're staying with Collin's friend Adam Tonight who runs an organic farm here in Cortez. One giant margarita down, looking forward to a shower...
...made for interesting riding. By the way...these short messages are best read from oldest to new, to avoid semantic confusion. Should warmer by Wednesday. <3
...thankfully it was dry and sunny today. Though it didn't get above 47 degrees and neither of us could feel our feet for nearly all today. A 25mph headwind...
Last night we slept in a church! Yay! The pastor was very nice and even brought us coffee in the morning. Wow! We headed to Sarasota 35 miles to the north...
...tragectory so they didn't spray the tent. Collin said he felt very "manly" to have vanquished the sprinkler system. I was much appreciative.
...degree angle saving us from mortal danger. Later at 4am the garbage truck scared me half away as I shouted "Oh sh*t!"
Collin wins big points. Little did we know last night that our grassy patch had a sprinkler system which went off at 11pm. He successfully adjusted their...
Hey folks, Smashley here...writing to you from the library in Port Charlotte, FL. I only have 14 minutes to write, I've used the other 46 minutes catching up on emails and fundraiser stuff. SO! Looks like Collin's phone likes writing to Blogger while mine does not, unless I write until 160 characters...seriously who only writes that little...anyway, point being, we'll make more library stops to update.
Moving on...It's really really cold in Florida right now. Prior to today the skies have been clear an sunny, but most temperatures in the 50's, with lows in the 20's and 30's at night. Oh boy. Citrus farmers are going a little nuts trying to save their crops and homeowners frantically covering their ferns which can reach 50-60 years old if you treat them right. (Whoa) Today it's been raining and 38ish degrees, it's like Portland! We stopped for some wool knickers at goodwill, and I made some fleece knees warmers out of a well..fleece sweater thing...anyway. Much warmer now.
We're having a fantastic time and learning all sorts of fun things about Florida, such as...
Avoid sleeping on a sugarcane farm...they get up early and have giant tractors.
Enjoy eating tacos and milkshakes, but hesitate when consuming both at the same time.
Explore snail shells which litter the floors under giant oaks trees in nice loamy soil.
You can increase your ability to ride fast in a headwind if you ride into it every day...we're up to 10 mph in a 15-20 mph wind. Yay!
Collin can *almost* clear with a running start, an 8 foot moat to liberate some tangerines which were quite tasty and delicious.
Riding our bikes is fantastic...every day we get better, and build new and stronger muscles.
We miss you lots. Will write again soon!
Lichens do grown down from trees and can be distinguished from moss by their grey color.
-Ash
p.s. we're headed to Sarasota next to visit Collin's grandparents.
Hey folks, blogger phoning is having issues. We'll repair it tomorrow at a library. We're in Punta Gorda tonight.
Blogger seems to not be working...test...test...
(2/2) explained. The answer, sadly, is no. And yes, I realize none of my blog posts thus far have anything to do with bike touring.
(1/2) Ashley just asked me if I'd ever been to a "terrarium party." "It's where you make miniature ecosystems out of lichen, moss, cacti, and succulents," she
So rude. Sausage is awesome. Collin has brought 17 oz of Sriracha. He's determined to get through all of it by trip's end. Will someone donate $5 if he does?
Ashley's busting out her meat tube. Gross.
Testing our text message blogger capability...ready...go!
Headed through the Everglades towards Clewiston, FL...stay tuned!
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