1 week ✔️ 440 miles ✔️ … and we’re just getting started!
I decided to post weekly updates here so everyone can stay in the loop and see what we have been up to. So here is the first update of many to come!
DAY 1: Jacksonville, FL ➡️ McClenny, FL (58 Miles)
Dipped our tires in Jacksonville beach we were ready to go. We started this day by biking through a couple small towns which eventually led us to the city of Jacksonville. We crossed over the Saint Johns river and continued along the water and saw dolphins and yachts. We didn’t have much of a plan food-wise and ended up eating BK twice. Never done that in my life and hopefully never have to again. Nasty.
DAY 2: McClenny, FL ➡️ Lake City, FL (44 Miles)
Very, very tough day for the kids. About .1 miles into the ride I start to realize my air pressure was getting lower and I was GRINDING to get up hills that Luke and Mike were coasting up. I’ll save you all the details, but essentially after multiple stops, and hours of trying to fix my bikes issues, we went through two tires and got back on the road. We finally were back on our way, until we get to mile 44 and Mike breaks his rack in a Wendy’s parking lot. Enough was enough that day and we were all set. We went to go eat some steaks at Texas Roadhouse, call it a day and go to bed.
DAY 3: Lake City, FL ➡️ Lee, FL (58 miles)
The day of Dennis and Vicky. Honestly most of this day was just coasting on 90 West, sweating in 85-degree heat. We had no idea what was in store for us when we pulled into a general store in the small town of Lee, Florida. (Where the population was less than 400 people!) At this point, we were planning on pitching a tent somewhere in the city because we didn’t know where to sleep. Then we happened to meet this nice lady, Vicky, who was asking us all about our trip. She insisted we followed her home (with her 4 dogs) so we could sleep on her land for the night instead of trying to find somewhere in the city. Vicky and her husband, Dennis, gave us a place to stay, fed us dinner and breakfast, and offered us hot showers. They even named their kitten after Mike lol. They were so nice to us and I will never forget them for welcoming us in. This day was much needed after day 2.
DAY 4: Lee, FL ➡️ Tallahassee, FL (68 miles)
We had breakfast at Dennis and Vicky’s and then we were on our way. We rode about 37 miles to Motacelo, FL where we pulled over to get some food. Turns out, the owner of the restaurant knew Dennis and Vicky, so the food was on the house! Next stop was Rick’s house, which we found through warmshowers.org. Rick and his wife fed us dinner and we spent some quality time with them while watching jeopardy (and having a couple tequila shots). Rick gave us some solid advice about our gear that we packed. He said, "If it doesn’t keep you warm and it doesn’t keep you dry, you don’t need it."
DAY 5: Tallahassee, FL ➡️ Sneads, FL (66 miles)
We had breakfast at Ricks, and then we headed off to UPS. We dropped off about 20 lbs of our gear (thanks to Rick’s advice), which was just in time for the hilliest day of our careers thus far. It was a 2,200 ft elevation day, so we were glad we dropped the extra weight! We crossed time zones and gained an hour, got poured on for 20 miles, and made it to Lake Seminole. This is where we saw an alligator and met a nice couple who invited us to stay at their place in a couple days. We slept in our tents, ate subway and downed multiple bags of chips each. I went with red doritos, jalapeno chips, skittles, cheese itz. Pretty good combo I would say.
DAY 6: Sneads, FL ➡️ Bonifay, FL (59 miles)
It was Luke’s turn for something bad to happen to his bike so he popped a tire. A man named Joe pulled over on the side of the highway and helped us fix his flat. He also told us he planned to bike across the US as well. Mike ended up breaking then second part of his rack.. so if anyone knows a welder in West Florida lmk.
DAY 7: Bonifay, FL ➡️ Crestview, FL (65 miles)
Tough day for Mike again. He tore his tire and had to grab a bootleg one from Walmart. It was a battle for him and I honestly felt pretty bad for Mikey. We got about 4 miles away and it started DOWNPOURING on us. We peddled through and made it to the closest hotel.
DAY 8: Crestview, FL ➡️ Milton, FL (20 miles)
The Day of Joe and Dee. This is the couple who we met on Day 5. We took them up on their offer to spend the night at their place in Milton, FL, and it was one of the best decisions we have made so far. We added another new food item to our list- cajun boiled peanuts. We shot a 12 Gauge shotgun, a semi assault rifle, and a .45 caliber pistol. (Joe called me “deadeye” because he said I was the best out of us 3, which I already knew, but was nice to hear it from the pro). They made us some delicious ribs, sausage, and gave us showers and beds to sleep in. They were unbelievable people who welcomed us into their home and treated us as family. We really appreciated that, and we will never forget this day!
This first week was amazing and I can’t wait to see what else this journey has in store for us. We are just getting started!
I hope you liked the update and please don’t forget to share, donate and spread awareness! Thanks for all of the support so far, it means the world!