Days 44 & 45 - Wind and Bees

Yesterday we left Dauphin Island on the ferry and continued our trek eastward along the coast. The ferry ride was a nice beginning to the morning and we were like little kids on our first boat ride. We ran from the front to the back taking pictures and dodging the spray that came up over the deck with each wave the ferry crashed through. 

Once we got to the dock we got on our bikes and rode to Wacky Jack's for the longest breakfast ever. The restaurant was caught off guard by the number of people they had for breakfast. By the time we left it was 10:00 and we still had 63 miles to ride. We had a headwind that was gusting at 20-25 miles per hour. It was brutal but we rode in a pace line to help each other break the wind.

We hit the Florida state line at about mile 40 and we began to travel a little north where the wind wasn't as bad. 

I was happy to arrive at our destination in Pensacola. We are staying with a couple of families that have a connection to Bike the US for MS. Chris Huffman rode the Trans Am a few years ago and organized our stay. Chris and his wife Darla had a great dinner for us and are great hosts.  

I'm staying with John Duke, one of Chris' neighbors who rode the first Trans Am in 1976 to celebrate our country's bicentennial. He was 18 when he made this historic ride.  

Today is a rest day but we didn't really rest much because we left Chris' neighborhood at 8:00 am to help a gentleman and his family with a large landscaping and yard cleanup project.   

We cut trees, grass and raked up mountains of pine needles. The girls put together a portable carport and we cleaned the family's roof. While raking, a group of guys hit a nest of ground bees and they suffered multiple stings. Thank goodness no one had an allergic reaction. After four hours of work the house and yard looked very different and the family was very appreciative of our hard work. 

Once back to Chris and Darla's house, Darla ordered giant subs from Subway and we feasted again. Later, James, Nick, Pat, Dick and I took John out to dinner at a local steak house. We had a great dinner and enjoyed learning about John's career in the navy as a bomber pilot. Tomorrow we begin our long pedal across Florida. Life is good!