Everyone woke up a bit late this morning, with the time change to Eastern Daylight Time now in effect. It was felt there wasn't enough light at 6:00 a.m. so we waited another 15 minutes or so. It was quite a sight to see six bicyclists with flashing red lights and two white vans leave the Wesley Foundation Methodist building on the campus of Florida State University.

Once again, we are on US Highway 90. It was pretty hilly getting out of the center of Tallahassee going East towards the I-10. After that, there were some occasional hills, sort of rolling.

Passed two street names that caught my eye: Ty Ty Road and Hi Lo Road.

Because of such different riding speeds of Mary Ann and Sherri vs. those of Charlotte and me, we usually have to drive out in front of them about 10 miles and then start riding. That put us right in the middle of Monticello, a quaint town with Victorian houses.

Down the road a ways, I was waiting for Charlotte and a man drove up in a pick-up truck. He was selling "seconds" of watermelons 2 for $5. I told him I couldn't buy two, but would buy one, so he sold it to me for $2. Talk about curbside service!

Passed through Greenville then on to Madison. Six of us had lunch at Burger King, and handed out a number of ride brochures to create more awareness for HD. Outside of Madison, passed another eye catching street name - Rollercoaster Hill Road.

Heather was having a mechanical problem with her bike. When I stopped to investigate, it seemed like the rear derailleur wasn't working properly. Heather had purposed to ride the whole way today, so she put her bike in Gary's van and rode the rest of the way on Hope's bike, since Hope wasn't feeling up to riding.

Passed through Lee (slogan "Little but Proud.") Crossed the Suwannee River into Suwannee County. Some may recall "Way down upon the Suwannee River, far far away." I think that song was written by Steven Foster. Continued through the small town of Falmouth and then under the I-10. Started riding again about 3-4 miles after the I-10 and I rode into Live Oak.

Live Oak was founded just before the Civil War started, in 1858. The large amount of oak trees surrounding this city contributed to its name. The land mass of Suwannee County sits on a limestone bed riddled with underground freshwater streams that surface in dozens of beautiful springs. This phenomenon, known as Karst topography, gives the area a local supply of renewable fresh water and abundant sources of fishing. It is also known as a world class cave diving site for SCUBA enthusiasts.

We are staying at the Live Oak Church of God, being housed in a dormitory type room with many sets of bunk beds.

When we all finally got here, we realized that the route was 92 miles, just 8 miles short of a "century," the biking terminology for a 100 mile run. Sherri, Mary Ann, Gary, and Heather had all ridden 92 miles. Only Heather was interested in riding 8 more miles to make a century. I volunteered to ride those 8 miles with her. The others didn't want to ride any more today. We are all very proud of Heather and her first century. She is such a strong rider; I'm sure this is the first of many more to come in her cycling career.

Mary Ann cooked dinner for everyone. It was so appreciated after such a long day. It was composed of pieces of a roasted chicken, egg noodles, California frozen veggies, and some Ranch dressing. Yummy!

Just two more days of riding, two shorter ones. We have seen so much of the South with which we were totally unfamiliar.

Road change was sparse today - just 6 cents, all in Monticello. Total road change is $3.71. Total route mileage is up to 881. I rode 35.31 miles, one of my longer days riding.

With love from the road,
Marie