November 11, 2008
magic spit trick, the filling station, around the block, sand legs, intimidating voters
Day Fifty One
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This morning I stopped on the Apalachicola river. The significance of this fact, other than (1) having to check very carefully that I spelled it right and (2) knowing in my heart of hearts that any cola named after it is a doomed venture, is the temporal anomaly I discovered. This particular temporal anomaly: while standing on the bridge in a strategic location, I could spit at 11:21.07 and it wouldn't land until 12:21.08, an hour later.
"How???" you ask? "What is this devilry of which you speak?" It's because I'm crossing into the Eastern Time Zone. There was only one problem with my temporal magic spit trick.... you would think that by now, having battled a headwind for a month and a half, I would've figured out what happens when you spit into the wind. Instead of a graceful hour-long flight, it landed at 11:21.08, approximately one second after it left my mouth, and missed my foot by a matter of inches. Classy.
I stopped to eat in Chattahoochee (pop. 3,652), on the border of Georgia, at the first place I saw. The Filling Station, a defunct gas station converted into a cafe, had only been open for five days. Jackie, the owner, told me that they hadn't even had an "official" opening yet, and were in the process that first week of ironing out the kinks to make sure everything would be running smoothly. This is the South and, although it might sound like a low bar, I was pleased to find something that wasn't dipped in lard, deep fried, then wrapped in bacon. In this case, it was a turkey sandwich, and it tasted great.
As I was climbing onto my bike to leave, a couple of gentleman asked me some questions about my trip. After hearing about it, they offered up the same comment I get from almost everyone I meet,
"I couldn't ride my bike around the block!"
Interestingly, it's never "to the store and back," or "to the post office." It's always "around the block," the Universal Barrier beyond which no one can pass, and that which is impossible to attain.
As a bicycling ambassador, my response is always the same:
"You can absolutely do what I'm doing. All you need to do is work up to it. At first, I couldn't either. You don't have to be a great athlete or anything, just start with short rides and work your way up. It's just a matter of sitting on the saddle and getting used to it."
The man on the right, 65 years old, shared a story about the brand new bike he bought several years ago. When he got home he climbed on it and pedaled a few miles down the road. His brother-in-law happened to be driving by and asked him if he wanted a ride. He threw the bike in the back of the truck and hasn't ridden it since. He said he's just waiting for his grandson to get old enough to ride it.
He pulled out the age card: "I'm too old to ride," he lamented. I rebutted with Hewes (71) and Susan (67) Agnew, telling him about their travels. He seemed puzzled, as if the only thing a 71-year-old could do would be to roll a wheelchair to the dining room in a nursing home for a game of bingo. After a moment he refocused and, with some encouragement from his friend, announced that as soon as he got home he was going to pull out the bicycle and start riding it again.
I left Chattahoochie and continued on through Gretna. For the entire day it felt like someone had filled my legs with wet sand. Some days are just like that, and I haven't been able to determine what causes it. Maybe it was the turkey SANDwich I ate earlier.
Regardless of how I felt, the scenery was wonderful. Here are some pictures taken today.
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Of course, today and always, there's the omnipresent headwind. My original plan was to ride 71 miles into Tallahassee today, but I changed my mind and decided to stop in Quincy (pop. 7,972) instead.
When I called the three places in town, the cheapest place to stay also turned out to be the most interesting... The Allison House B&B (2024 edit: it’s since changed names).
When I arrived I was greeted by Stuart Johnson, who co-owns it with his wife, Eileen. According to Stuart, she has a "real job" while he gets to play around the house all day.
Stuart managed luxury hotels all over the country for about thirty years before retiring and buying the Allison House. He really loves being able to run his own B&B, although he has a couple of other hobbies: sailing and driving around in his 1965 MG.
The Allison House Inn was built in 1843 and converted to a bed and breakfast in 1990. It was built by A.K. Allison who, in 1865, became Governor of Florida. He's somewhat infamous in that he was one of the people who pushed for secession from the Union early on. He also signed the peace treaty, ending Florida's role in the Civil War. The Confederate leaders were convicted for their part in the war but Allison didn't spend any time in prison for it. At least, not for that crime.
He was imprisoned a few months for "intimidating voters." Apparently, if you shoot and kill a Black man in the South it was considered "intimidation" and you could go to jail for a few months.
Originally, Allison's house was next door. When it was first built it was only one story. In the 1920s his house was picked up and placed on top of the house on this lot, making this a two-story house. Allison's house is actually the second story of the original house on this lot.
My room was on the pink side of pink but the bed felt soft, I slept great, and it was reasonably priced.
I enjoyed my evening there. Stuart offered free soft drinks and a decanter of cognac, as well as a large selection of books in the breakfast room and on the back porch. There was a screened porch in the front of the house where I sat for over an hour, rocking gently in the cool evening air until it was time for bed.
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distance: 52.24 miles
average speed: 11.9 mph
maximum speed: 27.4 mph
time: 4:22:45
total mileage: 2533 miles
Today's ride: 53 miles (85 km)
Total: 2,529 miles (4,070 km)
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https://youtu.be/Wk61MeDmk2M
In another movie reference, I saw "Deliverance" so I don't think I'll be visiting the Deliverance Temple Ministries.
4 months ago
4 months ago