Stage 1: "From Sea to Shining Sea"
Start: Tybee Island
Finish: Swainsboro, GA
Bicycle Mileage: 103.5 mi
Enjoyed the ocean breezes, marshland views and rich peaty smell as we headed westward from Tybee Island across a few causeways to Savannah, GA. Detoured through the city along beautiful shady rows of Live Oak trees laden with Spanish Moss.
Continued in a southwesterly direction to Pooler, GA. Stopped for breakfast at a tasty Omelette place, continued south on Rt17 for a few more mi and then, realizing the tracking error, adjusted our course and headed west on Rt144. Long straight quiet flat shade-less roadway through the massive military training base, Fort Stewart. The road provided a steady hot headwind for the next 40-50mi, enveloped by pine forest and swampy lands with periodic artillery ranges. The base was real quiet for the Memorial Day weekend, hardly a soul in site. We continued north on Rt119 through Fort Stewart and exited the base at the town of Pembroke, GA (mi80).
Stopped for fluids and snack at a convenience store. Young attendant, hearing about our ride from us, was excited to follow us on Facebook. Asked us if he could join a future ride someday (noting the look in his eye of a young man with a fellow adventurous spirit), was encouraged to donate to Blaze Sports, our ride's charity, and he refused payment for a few Snickers ice cream bars. Generosity from our local home state Georgians had only begun.
We continued heading north from Pembroke along Rt67, nice newly paved section through the country to end at Statesboro, GA just past the main entrance to GA Southern University. My right quadricep seized up on me right near the ride's finish. Mike had to razz me about it and take a few photos as a writhed beside the road. What comes around goes around, I remind myself. We finished at mi 103.5 where we met up with Patrick in the air-conditioned minivan. Then shuttled over to our very comfortable Best Western hotel in Swainsboro, GA.
Showered and went to dinner at Berni's on Main St, great menu with some local charm such as Alligator and Quail along with Southern classics. Enjoyed fried pickles and Okra, sweet potato fries and grouper fish. Mike inhaled a large pasta and chicken dish which also looked delicious. Cutler, the restaurant owner, took an interest in our ride and returned at end with not only three awesome slices of cake for dessert on the house but also discounted our entire dinner (as in no charge). Wow! Snapped photos with owner and chef to post on social media. Great meal and tremendous generosity! Thank you Cutler and Berni's on Main! Hope to visit y'all again soon!
In bed by 9:30pm. Much needed rest to recover for tomorrow's continued scorcher.
Indexes
(note to the reader: each stage report will have the following numbered indexes as a subjective assessment of our ride; from 1-10, dead being most desirable/noteworthy)Stage 1 Indexes:
Weather: (4)
Hot and humid, mostly headwinds all day
Terrain: (5)
Nearly all flat or 1% grade, roads well paved
Scenic: (5)
Nice Tybee ocean and marshland, GA pine forests and swamps through Fort Stewart
Wildlife and Roadkill: (5)
W-Great Herons, turtles, Wild Turkeys, Turkey Vultures, Hawks
R-lots of Armadillo (sad to see, just beautiful animals)
Endurance: (8)
Twitchy quad muscles from time-to-time after mi60, nasty right quadricep cramp just before the finish; need to maintain constant vigilance for hydrating and cooling off with ice water on head/neck
Bike: (9)
Couldn't get my CatEye odometer to pick up the sensor right at the start from Tybee. Must have gotten knocked out of alignment in car ride yesterday from home to coast. Had to give up after messing with it. We used Mike's for mileage markers linked to my mapping although the diversion through Fort Stewart was needed to return on track; will try to fix tomorrow morning but may need it looked at once home in a few days
Still Having Fun: (10)
Feels great to finally get started! Been a long time planning!
A new edition for this journey...
I enjoy Haiku poems; three verses of 5-7-5 syllables.
Each Stage report will have my creative version, sometimes wax philosophic, hopefully humorous, to be known as a "Bikeoo." (With the "oo" symbolic of our bicycle wheel journey)
Hope you enjoy them!
David
Stage 1: Bikeoo
Ocean waves on wheels
"Go West, young man" said Greeley
Journeys begin, never end
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