Day One:

Well, Larry and I drove to St. Augustine Beach yesterday, and this morning at about 7:30 a.m. he took off on his bicycle headed for San Diego, California -- by himself! We're expecting that it's going to take him seven or eight weeks to complete the trek. (Anyone who'd like to come down and hang out with me for a few days is more than welcome.) Tonight he's staying in Starke, FL. He rode 84 miles today and said it was very hot, a little hilly, and more difficult than he expected. Even though he was wearing sun block he said his face got red, which surprises me 'cause he's pretty tan. He's carrying a lot of stuff and isn't used to the weight yet, although he's not carrying the tent and other camping gear. He decided Friday night that it'd be better to drop that weight and stay in motels. (Darrin, Jen, Mom and I agree wholeheartedly!)

Please keep him in your prayers as he does this ride of a lifetime!

Day Two:

Well, Larry left Starke this morning after a horrible breakfast at Huddle House. Said he had the worst pancakes ever. Not sure how you screw up pancakes -- he said burned around the edges, raw in the middle. So there you go.

He rode through Lake Butler, then got on some road that's not on my map that took him to 137. He rode up to Wellborn where he thought he'd have lunch, except there are no restaurants in that town. So he dined at a convenience store! By 2:00 he was at his motel in Live Oak after riding 77 miles. I know there are good places to eat in Live Oak -- one of our favorite areas to ride!

He said today was prettier and made for a more interesting ride than yesterday. It was hot till about 11:30 then got cloudy and cooler. He did get a little wet today. He was tired when we spoke but he's doing well. The journey continues . . .

He has his cell phone with him and checks his voice mail from time to time. So if you get a notion to call and leave him a message of encouragement, I'm sure he'd love it!

Day Three:

Well, it was a beautiful morning when Larry took off from Live Oak. He had a Power Bar for breakfast and later had a burger at a roadside barbeque place in Greenville. His goal today was Monticello (where he ate again) figuring he'd stay in the little hotel there . . . which is closed! So he road about seven miles south and found a Super 8 near I-10.

This was his roughest day so far but the prettiest -- very hilly but picturesque. He enjoyed riding over the Suwannee and Osceola Rivers; from the new bridge over the SR he had a great view of the old iron bridge. Said he saw lots of birds, armadillos, etc. He only averaged 13.81 mph today but did a total of 68 miles. Fortunately, the thunder and lightning didn't start till he was in his room! His chicken finger dinner at Huddle House tonight was better than the breakfast on Monday, so he may take a chance on breakfast there in the morning since it's the closest place to the motel. Since he was only getting about three channels on the TV tonight, he thought he'd go to sleep early. Tallahassee (or beyond) is tomorrow's destination.

Thanks for keeping him in your prayers!

Day Four:

Well, Wednesday was a rough day for Lawrence! He got a late start because of serious fog, after having waffles with strawberries at the Huddle House. He got soaking wet on three different occasions, so after 47 miles he parked it at the Ramada Limited in Tallahassee on Hwy 90 across from FSU (boo).

There was no lightning during the rain, but the ride was very hilly. And he said going downhill at 30 mph, the rain hitting him felt like little rocks against his skin. He's glad he has the faring (windshield) on the bike as he was able to crouch down behind it which shielded him.

Despite the inclement weather, he said the ride was beautiful: very scenic, one plantation after another, beautiful rolling hills with pine trees and low shrubs. But there was a lot of traffic on Hwy 19/27 which was rather stressful. He was huffin' and puffin' on some of the hills even though he was geared down, and he said at one point he was climbing a 1/2-mile hill at about 6 mph and thought about getting off the bike to see if he was really moving! His legs were sore that night, but he's had no cramping so far, which is great.

He enjoyed the best ever wings and Buffalo Chips (potato wedges) at Qwazy Wings Wednesday for lunch. And he ate all of the celery, which is unusual for him; but he said he was so hungry he could've also eaten the plate.

It surprises him that even after a 2000-calorie meal he's so very hungry again after riding. I think he's a bit lonely, reporting that "When you're 25 miles from nowhere, you're really alone." Someone asked him if he has a GPS that talks to him, which it doesn't, but he says he does talk to the GPS. Wednesday ended with chicken quesadillas at a Mexican place near the hotel.

Day Five:

Larry prepared to ride off this morning, but there was severe lightning and thunder. So Thursday has become a rest day. After breakfast at BK he Rented a Wreck (Datsun -- when he gets in it's full) across the street from the Ramada and drove in the rain to Eckerd to have some pictures developed to send to Darrin and me. So . . . shortly you should be able to view them here.

At 5:45 p.m. today the rain finally ended, and the sun was peeking through the clouds. The wind was terrible during the storm, the windows in his room shook, and the back window in one of the Ramada employee's van was blown out! He was pretty bored today, so after cleaning up his bike today (which was a mess -- red clay), he visited Wal-Mart to buy a screw he needed, and he ran into a former Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office employee he used to work with. Small world. Dinner at the Mexican restaurant again tonight . . .

The Big Ride will hopefully continue at early-thirty on 8-8-03, weather permitting!!! Larry's eager to get on the road again!

Day Six:

The day started off great with Larry leaving Tallahassee at the crack of dawn. It was a little cloudy -- foggy clouds, not rain clouds -- and very little wind. It's still hilly but the hills are farther apart so the ride was easier today. By 9:00 a.m. he was taking pictures from the boat dock at Lake Talquin south of Quincy.

Then around 11:00 Larry noticed some buzzards on the road about a mile or more in the distance. Each time a vehicle would pass them, they'd fly up into a nearby tree. Larry was riding down hill toward them at a good clip, when he met a semi. As the truck passed most of the buzzards flew up into the tree. But one buzzard came out from behind the truck, took a few little hops before flying, and then slammed right into Larry's faring and face; and it clawed the heck out of his left arm trying to get away. His faring was crumpled lying off to the right side of his bike, completely torn from the two top brackets and one of the bottom brackets. Larry immediately decelerated from 25 mph to about 15 mph, and then ran off the right side of the road falling over into soft sand onto his right side.

He wasn't hurt when he wrecked, but he has an abrasion and lump on his left cheek; and his arm is really scratched and somewhat swollen. It really scared him and the buzzard; the bird screeched and Larry yelled back at it!

He stopped for lunch in Gretna, called me, and then rode on to Marianna where he's spending the night. All along the way he was searching for a doctor's office, urgent care facility or somewhere to see about getting a shot. Not finding exactly what he was looking for, he eventually stopped at a dentist's office and told the receptionist what happened. The dentist spoke with Larry, then sent one of his employees to the hospital who came back with a B1 and a tetanus shot, which the dentist administered and only charged him $25 cash for! So he thinks he'll be fine.

He doesn't want me to come and get him; he wants to continue on. And he doesn't want me to order another faring, which I thought he could maybe pick up at some bike shop along the way. He thinks that's too much trouble. (I'm glad he had the faring; it probably kept the buzzard from hitting him in the chest or breaking the handle bars off the bike.) The ruined faring remains in the roadside bushes somewhere along Hwy 280! Everything else on the bike is okay, except that the speedometer is only working intermittently. Therefore, he's not sure how many miles he rode today, but from looking at the map I think he may have done near 90 miles! It knocked the new GPS off the bike, but fortunately it's still working fine. Oh, the buzzard is okay too. After the crash he hobbled a little and then flew off. Larry said he had to pick some feathers out of his helmet though.

Anyway, he reports that it's still "so stinkin' hot." But he thought after getting a shower this afternoon he'd ride up to the Florida Caverns, which he estimated were about three miles from the Executive Inn. He's always wanted to visit the caverns and was looking forward to taking some pictures there.

Please continue to keep him in your prayers!

Day Seven:

Well, Larry reports that today was the best day yet. The terrain was mostly rolling hills, which he likes -- only a few tough hills. And the wind was out of the north/northeast today which made for good riding. He can't get his speedometer working, but he's pretty sure he did about 100 miles today. He rode from Marianna all the way to Milton where he's staying at the Emerald Sands Motel. He's feeling fine although his arm is sore where he had the shots, and the sun beating down on his scratches kind of hurts. But they itch so he figures they're healing.

He left at the crack of dawn again this morning and called me the first time at 8:45 a.m. from Chipley. Later he called from DeFuniak Springs where he stopped for a sourdough burger from BK at lunchtime. On the way there he had stopped at Ponce de Leon SRA and put his feet in the springs. He said it was wonderful and wondered why he was the only person there on such a hot day. The Shoal River was out of its banks because of all the rain they got north of there. When he called from there he was sitting on a bench with his feet in the water! He was glad he did his own route from there because if he'd stuck with the "Southern Tier" maps, he wouldn't have made it because there were some flooded roads. As he was going through Holt he noticed a sign that said they have one of the oldest paved highways in the US there. Built in the 1800s. He said it's about ten feet wide (both lanes) and is brick. He couldn't imagine having to ride on there for 100 miles.

From his motel tonight he had spotted a Texas Roadhouse where he thought he'd have dinner. He's glad to know that he'll finally be out of Florida sometime tomorrow. He says that this is rougher than he expected because it's tough staying motivated when you're by yourself. (He gives you lots of credit, Jack!)

On to Alabama . . .