The last two months on the road was our longest cycle tour yet. We're happy to be done for now with the transient life of unpacking our stuff someplace new every day and then packing it all up again. I do miss the daily adventure though.

While the Atlantic Ocean views don't have quite the drama of the Pacific coast, the beaches are lovely. Pulling up to check out a new beach, walk in the water and watch the birds never got old. Each has its own charms. Anastasia Island in St. Augustine, Assateague Beach on Chincoteague Island and Cape Hatteras National Seashore were standouts that I'd happily return to. 

Another memorable ride north of Jacksonville Florida wound through a beautiful chain of islands from Fort George through Big and Little Talbot Islands to Amelia Island. Mike had a favorite day in North Carolina, riding through the Down East coastal towns of Carteret County to Cedar Island.

On our northerly course we sailed along with the wind at our backs more often than the other way. Between Georgia and Rhode Island we added nine new states to the list of places we’ve ridden our bikes. Here's a fond look back at our romp up the coast....

             Music: On the Beach by Chris Rea

The People

The best stays by far were those with friends, relatives and WarmShowers hosts. They made us feel at home and served up delicious dinners or offered up their kitchens so we could cook up a meal to share. Best of all, they offered connection and insight into life in their towns. 

Our sincere thanks to our wonderful hosts . . . Alex in Gainesville FL, Lorraine and Joe in Jupiter, Pam and Tom in Port St. Lucie, Claire and David in Melbourne, Dan in Jacksonville, Robert in Savannah GA, Elaine and John in Wilmington NC, Don and Dolly in Wilmington, Nick and Dawn in Port Royal, John in Virginia Beach VA, Ann and Del in Lewes DE, the DuClay family in Huntington Station NY, and Marc and Geri in Harwich MA. We would love to see all of you again.

Mike really made the trip extra fun for both of us. He's always up for a beach walk and can be counted on for yummy happy hour snacks. Since he usually rode ahead of us we got great intel on lunch spots, grocery stores and road detours. I felt extra lucky to travel with two capable, cheerful guys.

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The Bikes

Other than the need to replace the shift cable halfway into the tour, my Lightning P38 recumbent was rock solid. It's the most comfortable bike I've ever had. The Rohloff internal gear hub and belt drive cooked along and shifted smoothly, liberating me from dropped chains and grease on my leg. The Schwalbe Marathon tires held up well. Of the three flats I had, two were self-inflicted - once when I didn't screw down the valve after pumping up the tire, and another time when I rolled over the sharp edge of an old bollard base.

It's a slow ride though. Even on the flat roads of the first six weeks I poked along at 10-11 miles an hour. Since we got home it's been fun to pick up the pace on my gravel bike. We'll see which bike gets to go to the next dance.

Barry moves faster on his new Lightning R84, the carbon fiber version of the P38. He loves that bike. It's a bit delicate for a loaded tour though. Four broken spokes and the need to replace both tires seemed like a lot for a new bike. The Di2 electric shifters gave him a fair amount of trouble. He had them adjusted at two different bike shops and still had difficulty shifting. 

Mike is happy with his Checkpoint 5, an all-terrain bike with Schwalbe G-One tubeless tires on 27.5 wheels. There were a few flats - one from a 4-inch nail that he was able to plug, and the rear tire is pretty worn. He'd like to find something that wears better in back before his next tour on the Great Divide later this summer.

Cheap thrills

Lodging costs for Barry and I averaged $42 per night, less than half of what we spent touring in Spain last year. A big part of that was the generous friends, family and WarmShowers people who hosted us.

We camped almost half the time, more than any other bike tour. State parks were the best, especially Anastasia State Park in St. Augustine, Myrtle Beach State Park, and John Pennekamp State Park in Key Largo. For an RV park, Bell's Island in Currituck NC is very nice.  All three campgrounds in Cape Hatteras National Seashore sit next to wild, pristine beaches and cost just $14 with Barry's America the Beautiful Senior Pass, a fair trade for the cold showers. Splitting the tab for accommodations among the three of us whittled the cost down more.

Dishonorable mentions go to the bug- and rat-infested Long Key State Park in Florida, the mosquito swamp at James Island County Park in Charleston SC and Coastal Carolina Campground in Otway NC, a grungy little place where they charged $45 per tent.

All the camping and home stays cut down on food costs as well. We usually hit the grocery store to cook dinner on camp nights. Dining and groceries added up to an average of $73 per day for Barry and I, about 25% less than what we spent last year in Spain.

The Road Home

Mike had more than this share of bad luck on the trip, what with squirrels and rats eating his tent and bags, surly postal workers returning a replacement tent to the sender, a stolen Wahoo and a pannier that split open in New York City. He endured one last trial on the flight home when his connection was diverted from Detroit to Buffalo due to weather. He didn’t make it to St. Louis until 2:00 the next morning.

Barry and I did a scenic drive home with all three bikes in a rented minivan. We started with an arc through Chapel Hill NC where he went to graduate school. On a ride around town we found a duplex on the spot where his old apartment stood. Woofer and Tweeter, the stereo store where he worked is now an auto body shop. I guess it shouldn't be a surprise to find you can't go home again after almost 50 years.

I picked up one more new biking state in Kentucky. Friends who have done the Bourbon Country Burn and Horsey Hundred rides inspired me to find a route around the horse farms. The Kentucky Horse Park campground in Georgetown sounded like a fun place to start. Barry was not so excited about the camping notion. Later on I was glad he talked me out of it as we watched the rain from our nice dry motel room. 

In the morning while Barry chilled out in the historic town of Midway I got in 30 miles on a glorious day. Then he drove the last 350 miles home in one shot. The man is a driving machine.

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So what's next? We'll head up to Minocqua WI in late July for our yearly visit with friends Barry grew up with, then to Cape Cod for the biennial Paradis family pilgrimage.

In October we're going back for more of North Carolina on the NC Mountains-to-Coast ride, plus a few weeks riding gravel back roads around Asheville and Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Next year is still fuzzy. I like the idea of biking around Ireland in May.  If you're interested in meeting up any of those places, hit me up.

For now it's great to be back with my riding buddies around home, especially my grandson. His scooter fits in the back of the Burley trailer so he can wheel along with me on the easy trails.

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Thanks to all of you who followed along and chimed in with comments and suggestions. Your encouragement helped me stick with the journal commitment. It's wonderful to be able to look back and relive our sunny adventure.