My Midlife Crisis - CycleBlaze

My Midlife Crisis

By Mark Bingham
1,906 miles (3,067 km) over 119 days since Mar. 18, 2025

PART ONE

pre-trip

introduction heart 45
the route heart 23
the new bike heart 105
what I'm taking heart 48
list of training rides heart 5
a little more on that subject heart 41
getting there heart 138

Florida

0: quirky cemetery, the careless count, bum farto, polydactyls, first flight, danger heart 269
1: southernmost point, pandora and baryshnikov, a fresh breeze, my brother, the wall, emergency campsite heart 114
2: the hole, fred the tree, turtle hospital, mount lushmore, pedicure, foil board heart 101
3: not snowing, mitzi, tragedy strikes, mailboxes, hurricane monument heart 221
4: one grind, marathon at pinecrest bakery, african queen, christ of the abyss, charlie and larry heart 87
5: undersea lodge, goliath grouper, route selections heart 147
6: the quiet lady, lunch on the sidewalk, whopper, just navigating, Luis, joen the troll, grafitti heart 142
7: bakery bake-off, coppertone, the slab, holocaust memorial, pretty bright rocks, sidewalk, sand heart 342
8: houses and condos, first rain, lost cat heart 97
9: thrive, venice of america, el rio trail, rob heart 167
10: rest day, trivia, the cough, the helmet debate, my elbow heart 34
11: can't get out, the italian, fellowes' place, publix, loxahatchee crossing, two parks, gator culvert heart 255
12: do not swim with alligators, quintic, tunnel of trees, wall of palms, buddha boy, mailboxes, mr. rogers heart 267
13: crossings, floridetour, seals, weight loss heart 121
14: breakfast, a very close call with death, jack, breaching, the storm, launch heart 207
15: the leaf remains, drying out, surfer on a bike, mailboxes, serve yourself, jim/carrie, jon and carolyn heart 132
16-17: nasa, robin, wagyu, considering a skin peel heart 128
18: routing issues, scary santa, a few shadows, cocoa and jed, a hard push heart 179
19: cafetorium, admiring the tree, fresh berries, toby, palm and oak, bob ross, caterpillar with four teeth, grave in the road, scoot inn, last resort heart 507
20: gnome tree, the fifth third, drive-in church, casements, beware the harp, mailboxes, watchtower, surfing tournament heart 258
21: devil's elbow, rattlesnake island, bridge campers, tom, mailboxes, restaurant recommendation heart 120
22: believe it or not, the senator, no bagels for you!, ken, oldest schoolhouse, me in a few years, our lady, potter's, human foot in a cat hair rug, narrowest street, young crossing, king arrested, lion, castillo, the wars, oaks on magnolia, peacock heart 283
23: headwind, castle otttis, mailboxes, guana, floaters, schwing, brett, courage heart 173
24: bistro, ferry ride, adopt a highway, lady on the bridge, david, courage heart 146

Georgia

25: bad roads, 23 mph, next state, blocked roads, all that's left of him, georgia coast rail trail, nap time heart 171
26: buildings, ecg, dead peoples things, fat godley, bike path, found items, hostel in the forest heart 565
27: the beatific and the horrific, blessing the fleet, ju ju, comfort zone, those pants I was telling you about, sunday closures, delta zeta, the bed? heart 128
28: restrooms, smallest church, signs, dolly rogers, ian and bill, best jersey ever, second key card heart 153
29: world globe, squares, the trifecta, shrimp heart 86
30-31: trolley tour, planned city, but no jews, epiphyte moss, first african baptist church, haircut, forrest's bench, wrought iron, flannery and deen, headstones, graveface, mark 15, happy underwear heart 165
32: breakfast, the weeping time, missing yemassee, how not to die, state #3, taco truck, bait and switch, schizophrenic wind, tire wire, online pricing heart 123

South Carolina

33: more than a feeling, rick, drive-in, goodyear, accident on 17, bosom bottom church, temple of sport, edisto motel heart 136
34: talking guns, chapel of ease, lawnmower, square O, smoking mandate, captain tim, food lockup, testament heart 102
35: caterpillar and ant, a delicate matter with christine, george and the angel's wings, creepy and fuzzy, fleetmaster and tractor, sixty acres, mudville, chris, .38 and hot dogs heart 186
36: turtle, the swamp fox, kyle and the ambulance, cowhead, writing with tar, tell me a story, keep door close heart 84
37: charlie walker, a story at last, the big pentecostal, garmin gremlin, windright, the dog count, reverse psychology heart 118
38: fog, not a sign, mars hill, potato house, a chair when you need one, garmin gremlin, society hill heart 143
39-40: crazy blessed farm, a better microwave, relaxing, haint blue, uneven floors, moth, home-cooked meal, borrowed rocking chair heart 134
41: keep it or not, make stories, tire, bob's paper, state number four, four colors, tarzan and the angry beaver, old stage road, beautiful and heartbreaking, a new record, no trespassing, fudd, bad hair day, farmica, whose fault is it anyway heart 191

North Carolina

42: urp, NC drivers, road hieroglyphics, concealed carry, headstone, drowning creek, intimidating, crossword, home of american gold, p.t. barnum heart 111
43: coffee shop, smooth sailing, horse farms, manly church, highway 1, police, smooth sailing again, lunch at sky mart, uncle willie, flags, friendly people heart 130
44: toby, museum, steve's stoves, turkey and cigar sandwich, goldilocks, raconteur heart 78
45: adventure, cape fear, colon ahead, coffee money, microwave mailbox, christians or not, rabbit, no wave from me, lake evacuation, cyclists 3 & 4, lost parrot, apex police, gumpish heart 123
46: turtle, suburbia, designated bike path, platform 9-3/4, tree protection area, private residence, they're a wake at the moment, strawberries, rocks, peed indeed, garmin glitch heart 108
47: pollen pond, still living for danger, energy elementary, convenience site, not virginia, thank you jesus, elementary prohibitions, tar river, memory lane memories, happy times, dachshund sprayer, woodmen of the world, ed, mecca, steel flame heart 188
48: late start, larry, metro, into the arms of jesus, alive, the amazing tiny, the lane less traveled, solar farm, state #5, no shooting or stopping, painted trees heart 233

Virginia

49: tailwinds, escher, mike and ed, no weed, karo, dad joke, a little gravel, the gate, church break, big bird, severe thunderstorm, dylan, b&b heart 235
50: b&b break, shell, david & marcia, sweet dreams, magical, nottoway, slow men, a virtuous woman, train station, first cow, thermal drone deer recovery, hard luck, "god," giddy heart 154
51: breakfast busker, no interesting pictures, my own soap, a break from the excitement, talking mailboxes, see you soon heart 48

PART TWO

in the interim heart 16
52: grand kugel, rex, rat basketball, as the world turns pendulum, man in a box, homes, liberty or death, murals, milk bottle building, marshall carries the veggies, have you seen this man? heart 125
53: a few facts, trolley tour, rachel and the serial killer, alligators at the jefferson, fancy club, secret sandwich society, bruce's house, lumpkin's jail, monumental fire, barbara johns walks out, poe house, spy ring, my search for beer, mr. ash heart 123
54: what marines fight for, waldo, gwathmey, wooden fist bump, train town, wade and the cigar, kugel, secretariat, the pineapple, ruritans, tree gobbling sign, shopping carts, buzzards bottom, cheapest hotel, no peeing heart 145
55: slim pickings, bull church, partly cloudy school, old house, clown drive, church pond, we blow!, 5-7 only, a tight squeeze, meade pyramid, pizza time heart 122
56: murals, not falling over, eskimo hill, bill's story, squirrel hollow, car wash, passing cars, quantico, float, ihop directions, fire truck, another new pr, a good aroma heart 149
57: exhausting sleep, riverfest, dave and john, something seriously wrong with me, water quality management, talking trees, tornado watch, fairfax water, 6-acre bridge park, my happy place, 4-mile run, trixie & co. heart 144

Washington, DC

58-59: face dance, "trixie, no!", peeing in your pants, escalator to heaven, the lime bait-and-switch, a ten-dollar shake, sculpture garden, scandalous george, pizza maker, robert and claire, second morning assault, the wrinkly man heart 80

Maryland

60: what fish want, a key crossing, a capital mistake, turtles, lockhouses, no formal training, tarzan's place, red fox, falls, the wrench and a weird vibe, poison ivy, 120 bucks to poop outside, complete servicing, the mouse and his ancestors heart 216
61: monocacy, manbun, the interaction of trees, stormy evidence, creamery, get that rooster drunk, buying mulch, not a train enthusiast, bugs cross, stopped train and the lucky charm, public spectacle, boiled frog, penny's diner heart 114
62: osvaldo and muhamad, mark does the AT, in the name of adventure, alex I'd like to buy an apostrophe, brown information, merging rivers, boric acid toilet powder, see how much I love you, dave, hotel bitterness, mosquito report heart 128
63: the invisible helmet, deer, morse code, muddy patches, potomac run, big-lipped trees, shroomy trees, burly trees, warty trees, insect stop, first working lock, more steps, marie's mission, halfway heart 137
64: waffle house, the mindreader, many turns river, mile 100, virginia dogs, the turtle king, upon reflection, boo boo blvd., the experiment, the big sneeze, staring contest, the thumb tap, cheap overpowers guilt, deet, polite rain, 1.8 miles heart 189

West Virginia

65: little richard's bumpersticker, quicksand, rock formations, 100% date, mudfest, the batty indigo, 40-foot turtle, nerd deer, telegraph poles, burly burl, lost cap, the pocked paw paw, bus cabin, colin, rode hard & put away wet heart 276

Maryland

66: wendall, keeping maryland beautiful, woolly caterpillar, field basketball, another staring contest, flying saucer meets tree trunk, a bale of turtles and some cool collectives, a non-green green heron, wodb?, home in an alley, flooded cumberland heart 182
67: flying monkeys, bone cave, inspiration, go in style, woodcock, switchback art, road sign, deet vs. helmet, mason-dixon, #9, fishing permitted, stacking gold, a savage offer, an entertaining deejay at the divide, keystone, brush, bollman, donges heart 226

Pennsylvania

68: a fowl bird, bee on a flower, the body bag offer, markleton, pinkerton, sort of thanks, trestle house, no going around, ticks, no shooting, wear orange, alien fungus, on guard, confluence, snake break, more fungi, the bonk, immersion heart 180
69: longest and shortest day, ohiopyle, hideous and beautiful, fallingwater, move the desk, how to spell god, blue steel, the trees have eyes, burrantlers, leprous trees, pickelhaube heart 228
70: stained glass arch, cheryl with a c, inspirational, witness protection, jock-strap-a-gany, mm100, snake whisperer, the raleigh's birthday, pet horses, yough ness monster heart 88
71: headless sneezer, bird bench, dead man's hollow, kennywood, rockslide, george's drain, bridges, buffalo bill, detour, ichabod's pogrom, ddt, gate on a bridge, hot metal bridge, the point, end of part 2 heart 190
Updated within 7 days