On the road again

We haven’t done any touring since the big one, and barely any bicycling at all. But, that is all to change soon. Our next very short tour will be one along the Gulf Coast of Florida.
We had considered doing the Keys, but decided that a car would be better for touring in that area.

In searching for bike routes, I came across the Bike Florida site and saw that they had a ride in basically the area that we would be in. Their route uses several rail trails, which sound intriguing. We would be there earlier than this ride, so wouldn’t consider riding with them. We don’t particular like riding with hordes of other people whose riding styles we aren’t familiar with.

Cost is another issue for us. It would cost us $720 to camp and get fed for the week. This option is good for those who want somebody else to do the planning, a sag and luggage assistance. For those of use who have planned many a trip and are on a budget, we can resort to our own resources. We are pretty certain that we can eat and camp for five nights for less than $144 per night. In fact, we think that we can stay in motels for less than that amount.

While the Bike Florida route piqued our interest, it grew with the help of Gina who answered a request on phred.org board for assistance with route planning. It’s so nice that all of us who tour are so willing to offer our expertise to other touring cyclists. Gina may even ride with us for a day if our schedules work out.

I thanked Gina profusely for her help. Recently, I have put together detailed cycling routes with hotel suggestions for several people. I am happy to help anybody with route planning, but do wish that they might thank me for taking the time to help them. I also enjoy hearing how their trips went.