Well, I'm off again, this time back to Florida on a trip that Happy and I have talked about doing, on and off, since our east coast trip back in 2015. Unfortunately, Happy cannot make it, so I am doing this trip solo!

The plan? St Augustine to New Orleans! Along the Gulf Coast . . . hopefully! And that IS the way it turned out. I started my planning using ACA's (Adventure Cycling Association's) Southern Tier route but quickly abandoned it. I followed it as far as Gainesville but then turned off the ACA route to head almost due west for Cross City, and from there, north to Perry. By then, I was mostly following the coast, just not as close as I would like! But you really cannot get any closer until you get to Wakulla Beach, but from there to New Orleans, it was waterfront all the way!

As usual, I'm packing light again. I'll be motel camping the whole way, and while that will run up my costs a bit, especially with Spring Break underway, I'm ready to get out of the cold we have here in Washington . . . at any expense!

And I would have left sooner but for complications here at home and at my original destination: Puerto Rico. Last fall, I laid out a nice route that circled the island's coastline, crisscrossed the center mountains (several times), and even included a side trip to Vieques. But Hurricane Maria changed those plans . . . well, deferred them . . . as did my condominium association, which told me they would be replacing my windows in February.

Well, I had to be here for that. But that schedule proved ambitious . . . and I did not learn of that "change in plans" until early February! Now, they will be replaced in April! Late April! So I quickly put together this "leisurely tour" that includes lots of time off to enjoy local sights and the beach. I will also take several days off in Pensacola Beach, where I am staying at a friend's beach house to allow the replacement of some HVAC equipment. That will save him a trip down from Richmond, VA!

So off I go. I fly into Jacksonville and will visit with a friend there before biking to St Augustine, where I will stay at The Pirate Haus Inn for several days before picking up the Southern Tier (two days of it) and then will be "on my own." Stay tuned!