Day 48 Final Day Palatka to St. Augustine, Fl.

BIKE CHICKS RULE!!! We went out and into the pouring rain this morning. Excited and sad that it was our last ride. Jaime and Joe followed us the entire day. We rode thru wonderful farm roads. Jaime even saved a turtle that was turned on its back in the middle of a road. As soon as he put it on the grass, it pulled its legs out and took off. We saw a gator swimming around a swamp when we stopped for some refreshments. We took in every moment of that final ride.

As we rode into St. Augustine, Kathy and I kept saying, Bike Chicks Rule!!! Lola would just laugh at us... We had quite an entourage, Joe in one car, Jaime in another and Howard came up beside us as we arrived in St. Augustine. We rode directly to The Fountain of Youth. Did our celebration and pictures there. Then we rode to the Atlantic Ocean... We dipped our front tires and our feet in the Atlantic. Howard brought us a bottle of champagne. Joe popped it and we all drank it as we were frolicking in the ocean... We were overwhelmed with emotion...

Well, friends and family, thank you sooo much for your support and encouraging comments. We loved every note. Thanks for your interest and for the vicarious energy you were sending us with your enthusiasm...

Lola and I, friends and Partners in Crime, forever...We enjoyed rooming together and talking, planning and living every part of this journey. Thanks for working so hard planning this trip. And Joe, thanks for taking such good care of us. We really felt safe with you around...

My husband is taking me home to our family... I have missed them terribly, they are the force behind me... I have truly marked my 50th Birthday in a way I will never forget...

Bike Chick Out,

Malena

Days 46 and 47 White Springs to Gainesville and Gainesville to Palatka, Fl.

Hello friends and family, as we told you before. We have been caught a midst massive rain and thunderstorms in Florida... We are lucky to have electricity and internet. There was a 13 inch rainfall yesterday morning. It seemed it would never slow down. We rode in the rain and wind. The temperature was down in the 50's. So, it was really cold. Fortunately, it is back in the 70's today and tomorrow for our final ride.

Jaime came into Palatka today just in time to take The Biker Chicks out to dinner. Tomorrow we will finish our Cross Country Bike Trip. We cannot believe it. It just does not feel like we have been riding such a long time!!! Jaime says, yes we have been gone a loonngg time!!! So, I guess we have...

Tomorrow we will ride 45-50 miles to St. Augustine. And we will finish at The Fountain of Youth. Then we will dip our tires in the Atlantic. The rain forecast is still holding. Yes, it will probably rain all day tomorrow again. But, we are enjoying it all and just taking it all in... The good, the great, the wet and not so great. Like the quickly fading tan lines, darn it!!!

Tailwinds,

Malena

The Pic's: Lola checking in with Joe

The Bike Trail in Gainesville

Day 45 Madison to White Springs, Fl;

Rain Rain go away, come again,,,,next week when we are done... Yes folks, you have probably heard. We are in the middle of terrible and unlikely weather in Florida. And the worse part is that they are saying it is not going to get better. There could be up to a foot of rain by tomorrow!!! We have been without electricity, It just came on, so I am blogging now so that if you do not hear from us for a couple of days, you don't worry too much. We may have to hole up somewhere until we can ride to St. Augustine to our finish...

Still, we had fun riding, even in the rain... We crossed the Suwanee River before it started raining. We sang to keep The Pippin Family tradition. Way down upon the Suwanee River,,,Far Far Away...It was fun..

We had 15-20 mph winds, in every direction but from the rear. Go Figure!!! Oh yeah, that's because ,THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS PREVAILING WINDS!!! Unfortunately, if it stays this wet and windy , it will be too dangerous and impossible to ride... However, things can change. We are very optimistic...It's only Tuesday. It's supposed to get better for the weekend...Please pray that the storm dies down...We just wanna ride!!!

Hopeful,

Malena

The Pic's: The Wet Bike Chicks

The Suwanee River

Day 44 Tallahassee to Madison, Fl.

BIKE CHICKS ROCK!!! With Kathy joining The Bike Chicks, we are recharged and re energized. We are happy Kathy and Howard Pippen and his sister Virginia joined us this morning for breakfast ... It was sure nice to have them with us. Our enthusiasm is contagious. I think they both wanted to join us.

Unfortunately, the thrunderstorm from yesterday,continued all night and stayed with us all day today. Although we were able to ride. It was a continuous rain, and cold wind on us, but no heavy rain. I sent all my winter gear home with Jaime. Howard and Virginia made a run to the sporting goods store for us. had to get a new jacket. And borrow tights for the ride. My knees were sooo cold.

We are happy, healthy and strong. We are ready to make it all the way to The Fountain of Youth on Friday.

Please pray that our weather gets better. We are doing the same.

Tailwinds,

Malena

The Pic's: Bike Trail we rode out of Tallahassee

The Bike Chicks, ready to ride

Day 43 Tallahassee, Fl.

Hi all, we have had a nice day off. We had a nice morning then thunderstorm all day. There has been thunder and lightning all afternoon. Hope it's nice tomorrow for our ride. Kathy will join us early in the morning. We are all sooo excited...

Well the only interesting thing here was a cyclist on the road. We spotted him when we went out to do laundry... We were not sure what it was!!!

Tailwinds,

Malena

The Pic : Florida cyclist

Day 42 Mariana to Talahassee, Fl.

Hello friends and family,

Today we had a much nicer ride than yesterdays. Again, we were on small roads that zigzagged thru several little towns.. We saw an Aligator swimming around in a swamp off the road we were riding on... We threw trail mix at it, to see if it would get closer. But it did not care to give us a better shot... We also rode thru Chatahoochee. And over the Chatahoochee River. It was amazing. There was the old bridge that had such a clean break. From one of the many storms, hurricanes??? It was unbelievable to see, what the forces of nature can do.. Again, we got caught in the rain. It has become a daily ritual. Dark clouds, rain, then clear, hot and humid...

We are in Talahassee and will take a day off here so that Kathy Pippen can join us Monday morning. We are really looking forward to sharing our adventure with a good friend. We cannot beleive we have ridden 2700 miles!!! She will ride with us the last 5 days /300 miles left to St. Augustine. On our last day next Friday, we will ride directly to The Fountain of Youth. We will end our journey there. Jaime is coming in on Thursday and will follow us on our last day...He wants to be at the finish with us... We will celebrate!!! He will make sure of that...

As I sit here and refelect on our Journey. I am a little choked up about it...Because when began the journey, I knew I was ready for the physical challenge. My concern was , the mental challenge. I had never been away from my family for this long. I have missed them terribly and sometimes I have been so very homesick. But, guess what?? I have picked myself up and put my homesickness aside and gone out and pedaled my heart out every single day...I have no regrets... I am truly a blessed woman. I have the support of my family and friends. I have a great partner in crime, Lola. She and I have shared lots of adventures. But this one tops them all. Life Is Good!!!

Tailwinds,

Malena

The Pic's: The Gator

One of our delightful little roads

Day 41 DeFuniak to Mariana, Fl.

Well after you have been living vicariously thru our blogs. I hate to tell you that we had quite an uneventful day. We came out of our Motel and onto Hwy 90 and rode it all the way to Mariana. Surprised to see Christmas tree farms and Tree Farms for the logging industry. In Florida, surprising !!! Lola and I commented that this was the first time we have ridden a straight road. Little rollers, climbed about 1500 ft. We usually go to little roads that take us in the same direction. Without being on a major road. I imagine tomorrow will pretty much be the same way.

We got a little rain on us coming into Mariana. It felt great. Today was really hot... Thanks for the encouragement to all of you. We are counting down our days left on this journey...

We met a fellow that is out doing the same ride. He started around the same time we did in
San Diego. He's alone, his buddy became severly dehydreated thru the Texas Mountain Range area. Had to go home and has not yet recovered. We keep asking him to join us. But he is sooo intimidated with us that he is now avoiding us. Go Figure!!! Sooo, thanks to Joe who is meeting up with us every 10 miles after the first 15 miles. He fills us up with ice and cold drinks. We are so thankful for that. It keeps us hydrated and cool. We had another wonderful picnic . Joe found a park with benches and lots of shady trees . I made our daily ration of guacamole. And we had our lunch under the shade.

Tailwinds,

Malena

The Pic's: Joe waiting for us off the road

Lots of Lilly Ponds along the way

Nice road with shoulder for riding

Day 40 Milton to DeFuniak Springs, Fl.

Hi Folks, we are in Florida to stay for a while. Can't believe it's day 40 already!!! We had a nice ride today. Took a really nice bike path for 7 miles then onto small farm roads. And by the way, there is more Texas twang in this part of Florida than there was in Texas...Go Figure!!! A very nice ride. We actually climbed over 1800 ft. We enjoy the rollers.. Rode alot on a busy road though after we got off the farm roads... We had a lovely picnic at a park with a lake. Lots of ducks and swans. It was very pretty...

We got caught in the rain at about 48 miles. Joe bailed us out for about 2 miles then it was clear , sunny and very warm.. We got out of the car and rode all the way in. A 60 mile day today... The humidity and heat are rising... We're still having a great time...

***Nancy and Michael, so sorry we will not get to see you. Thx for your cheers.

***Kathy, we are really looking forward to having company for the last week of the trip.

Tailwinds,

Malena

The Pic's : Lola admiring the Bike Trail

We walked the plank(bridge we crossed on foot)

Day 39 Gulf Shores Al. to Milton, Fl.

Well we strutted our stuff in the morning. We met the group that was at our hotel. It turns out, its the same group we saw several times in Texas then Louisiana. They were not weenies. They are tough cookies. They rode thru the thunderstorm in DeRitter. They are traveling self contained and they looked weathered and tired. We had a good time sharing stories. They have been thru the same places we have. And someone has to tell our Meteorologists, NO SUCH THING AS PREVAILING WINDS!!! We all agreed on this...

Another day in paradise. Well, not so much. We began our day with sprinkles and chances for thunderstorm. Joe said, there is definately a storm brewing out there!!! We began with some very strong headwinds. And we were getting blown around in all directions. Except from the back, darn it!!! But after we crossed into Florida. All was clear and sunny.

We had a short time in Alabama. And it was beautiful. We wish we could have had a little more time in this state. But we have said that alot. We are enjoying every place we have been to. We had a good ride into Milton, Fl. We are still averaging about 60-70 miles daily. Enough of a ride to enjoy it without being totally exhausted.

Well, as Rica put it, we are in the home stretch. I have mixed feelings about it...I really am ready to go home, but also sad the journey is almost over... Hmmm, what is next for the Bike Chicks??? Alp's de Huez ???

Tailwinds,

Malena

The pic's; View from one of the bridges we crossed

Leaving Alabama and into Florida

Day 38 Biloxi Ms to Gulf Shores, Al.

Hello friends and family. Our journey is winding down. Today we had a little bit of a frustrating ride. We were still off the Adventure Cycling Map because of our detour to NawLins. So, for about 40 of our 90 miles ,we were in and out of the car. Traffic, breaks in the road, etc...

We had a picnic at a really cool shady Church lawn, on the water...We crossed 3 bridges today and we were able to ride thru all of them. It was awesome, then we saw the big daddy of bridges. In Dauphine Island and we had such a headwind that we were hanging on for dear life. Although just the height was frightening. The wind was not moving us that much since it was coming straight at us. But the wall was very low, so if you lost control, Adios Amiga!!! We had a great bike shoulder to ride thru. With a steep climb at the top. We waited to take the ferry into across from Dauphine Island to Gulf Shores. We rode our bikes onto the ferry. We thought we were cool!!! We got into Gulf Shores really late. And find that there are lots of cyclists at our hotel. We have not found any to talk to. But, Lola and I will strut (LOL)our stuff in the morning at breakfast. Just to check them out and hear their stories. And we'll see if they are weenies or as tough as we are.

Well riding along the gulf and the ocean has been really nice. And the wind keeps us cool, but boy is it hot and humid when we stop. They're calling for thunderstorms for the entire week, every place we are going to. But, we have not seen any yet. A storm overnight, did not bother us. It was clear and sunny in the morning. But tons of sand on the hwy and sidewalk . So it was hard getting out of Biloxi. No bike shoulder, so we were up and down on the road to side walk and back.

Well, today marks only 10 more days before we are due to finish in St. Augustine Florida. We wish we could have shared our journey/adventure with some of our Roadie friends . It has been amazing. And let me tell you, our Country is Beautiful!!!

Nancy and Michael, we made a mistake on the dates we gave you. We will be in Tallahassee on the 16th and 17th.

Tailwinds,

Malena

The Pic's:

The big bridge we rode to take the ferry to Gulf Shores(view from the ferry)

Waiting for Lola to catch up to me on the bridge

Days 34,35,36,37 Nottoway Plantation to NawLins

Hi everyone, sorry we have not communicated with yall. We have had too much fun and no internet in some places.

Jaimito met up with us at The Nottoway Plantation and we had a terrific time there. It was absolutely spectacular. And even more so, for me to have my son there with me..We left the next day and headed for NawLins with Jaimito as Joe's co-pilot/navigator. They had a good time and we had a great ride .

He rushed to our hotel, we had 45 minutes to get out of our spandex, shower and get ready to meet the rest of The Serrato Clan. Ricardo's father in law Neal also joined us. Well the rest is history. I had 4 absolutely glorious days with my family. The Monkey's(grandbabies)slept with us 2 of the 3 nights. And we all went on a swamp tour and toured a plantation, went on a carriage ride. And walked around town and explored all the famous spots. The kids, Joe, Jaime and Neal had fun on Bourbon Street. And I had fun playing with the babies... We ate alot of really good food. Sunday after Mass at The St. Louis Cathedral we had brunch and we all parted ways. I had such a knot in my throat and pain in my heart when they left. But they are all so proud of me, so it gives me courage to finish my Selfish Mission of Self Discovery(as I call it)...They all understand me..

We took off and spent the night just outside of NawLins. We needed to do laundry, and re stock our groceries for the week...And put our feet up, both Lola and I were sporting kankles(fat ankles) the whole time in NawLins, the heat and humidity were the culprits..

Our ride today started with a ride past NASA . With a Space Shuttle on display at the gate. It was awesome. Then we rode past the swamp/river where we took the swamp boat with the family. We recognized it right away...We crossed into Mississippi and felt the change in heat and humidity immediatly. I'm sporting my first sunburn and heat rash on my legs. The devastation left from Hurricane Katrina continues to amaze us. All along the roads there are new houses and abandoned damaged houses, businesses, etc...Today I saw some stairs in the middle of nowhere and Lola saw the foundation just after that. .

We rode 50 miles before stopping for lunch, ON THE GULF OF MEXICO!!! It was sooo nice and beautiful...We set out our picnic. By the way, our picnic lunches are the best lunches we have had so far. And we ate on a bench on the pier. We dipped our feet in the water. It was too warm to be refreshing. But it felt good to take our shoes off and feel the sand and water in our toes. We continued until we got to Gulf Port. Then came into Biloxi by car the last few miles. Greeted by threats of a thunder storm coming. We made our way to a bike shop and picked up some easy to clip on fenders preparing for the rain we hear we will run into all thru Florida.

We are still having the time of our lives. We cannot believe we have nearly ridden across the country. We are Studettes as Nancy would call us..

Dave, we had a Hurricane for you while taking a carriage ride. It was delicious.

Nancy and Michael, we expect to get into Tallahassee on Fri the 15th an will stay Friday and Saturday. We will be in Madison on Sun. May 17th. Hope to see you somewhere...

***Jaimito, thank you for joining me at the plantation. It was wonderful having you with me, even if it was just for a couple of days. I love you Son. And thanks for your daily notes of encouragement.

***Rica, Allyson, Daniel and Sofia, thank you also for joining me. I know its hard traveling with the babies, but I really appreciate your effort. I Love you kids.Thanks for your messages and sharing my excitement with my photo/text messages everyday

**Neal, thank you for coming and joining us in NawLins. It was so nice to see you too.

**Jaime, thank you hon for your support, interest, enthusiasm and your love. I love you and can't wait to see you again in Florida...

Tailwinds,

Malena

The Pic's (sorrry not in order)its late and I'm pooped!

The Nottoway Plantation

The gators coming up to the swamp boat for marshmellows

The Space Shuttle at NASA

Daniel and Woo (Jaimito)having fun

The Malena Five-O Bike Chicks enjoying our picnic lunch in Lutcher

Days 30 and 31 DeRitter, Silsbee,Washington to St. Francisville

Hi yall, we are having trouble keeping track of where we've been. Yesterday marked a month since we left home for our selfish trip of self discovery... We are still doing great and enjoying every moment..

Washington was beautiful. We were greeted by a whirlwind of true Southern Belle. Our hostess at the B&B we stayed at was sooo nice...She had an amazing house with two cottages outside...One was circa 1800's that she bought and had moved. The other was a little guest house on the property. It was like a secret enchanted garden..We had a really fun night there

We set off early for New Rhodes. Had quite an exciting ride. Not as fast as yesterdays.. The roads were rough and not so smooth. So, we had to work a little harder at each stroke. Went across the Atachafalaya River Bridge. That was amazing. Then we had a little excitement. We saw a big bulk ahead. . We got closer and it was an Aligator. About 3-4 foot long. We stopped and took our pictures. Started up again. A few miles down, we see another one just peeking our from the shrubs on the shoulder. We are riding a little more causiouly when riding on the shoulder now. Got caught in a little rain, but it just cooled us off. The humidity is very high. So when we stop if gets really hot. Now the headwind is welcomed. ..We arrived in New Rhodes, only to find very limited lodging and had to take the St. Francisville ferry into town. We found the St. Francisville Inn. Very old and very charming. We have been very lucky most of the time. Finding great places to stay..Although, we have had a couple of real doozies, I must add...

Every ride seems to get easier. We are waking up with no pains and full of energy. So, something is happening to these two old Biker Chicks. I think we are getting very fit...But we are putting in some very long days at the office....

We are meeting some fine people along the way..Today we stopped in a little general store. Chatman's Grocery. Since green doors are not an option for me anymore,with all the swampland and snakes. (Lola aka: camel bladder seldom has to go) We get greeted by several locals. Saw Joe and the car with the bike rack and signs that say watch for cyclists ahead They sent him back to the store. They wanted us to sign their book and tell them about us. And they wanted our picture. When I had asked if they had bananas , the very nice man that sent Joe back. Told me, I know where theres a whole bunch. When we left , they left just ahead of us. And soon they caught up to us and caught Joe. They did a banana hand off without getting out of their cars. Cool!!! And really nice and cool people.

Kathy, we are sooo excited that you will be joining us in Tallahassee.

My son Jaime arrives Wed. 6th, he will come to the Plantation where we will be. The Nottoway Plantation in White Castle, LA and he will SAG with Joe into NawLens, where we will meet the rest of The Serrato Clan.. We will take a few days off . I can't wait to be with my family....

Tailwinds,

Malena

Pic's: The Malena Five-O Biker Chicks

Our little Aligator friend

The Atachafalaya Bridge

Day 29 Silsbee to DeRitter, LA

Yes, we are in Louisianna and caught in the flash flood/thunderstorm watch...We left Silsbee with cloudy skies and cool weather...We got 15.6 miles out and in 30 seconds were sopping wet and running for cover. We took shelter in a church gazebo until Joe returned and loaded us in the car. We were wet and disappointed...We wanted to ride thru the Louisianna crossing...At it turned out, they do not even have a sign on this end that says Welcome to Louisianna...

By the look of things here, it has been raining since yesterday....Everything is saturated. And the motel parking lot looks like a river....The thunder sounds awesome. And the rain drops are as big as quarters. No wonder we are in a draught and they are drowning here. We don't get rain like this..

Looking forward to riding thru Louisianna and hope its as good to us as Texas was... Lola says it started raining because we were leaving Texas. I said Texas is crying over us. We had a great time riding thru...

Tailwinds,

Malena

The Pic's:Lola and I sopping wet and waiting for Joe

Day 28 Shepherd to Silsbee, Tx

Well folks, Texas we can say we have conquered Texas. And yes, still loving it... The scenery and weather are changing and feeling more like The Bayou's...There is so much water and swamps everywhere, we expected to see Aligators crossing the roads instead of Armadillos and oh, seen lots of snakes today. I had to tell Lola not to ride so close to the grass. Too many slithering out onto the road. Humidity and heat is high . But the headwinds are keeping us cool. The bugs are loving me... They have obviously never seen arms like mine!!! I have several bites to prove it...

We have been riding approx. 60 miles daily... So, we are not exhausted and really are enjoying our daily rides...Have talked to alot of people... Everyone is just curious of what and why we are doing this...And, I must say, they tell us, Oh, I wish I could make such a journey....It just makes us feel more blessed. We will be riding for 10 days straight before we get time off. I'm sure by then we will need it...The legs are a little tight today, but its just cumulative...

Well tomorrow we will cross into Louisianna..Yahoo!!! And, Monday makes a whole month since we left home and began our Selfish Journey of Self Discovery!!! And let me tell you, we are two strong Biker Chicks!!!

Wednesday Jaimito will join me at The Nottoway Plantation in White Castle, La... And the rest of the family will meet up with us on Thursday in NawLens...Can't wait to be with the loves of my life...

Kathy and Howard, looking forward to meeting up with you in Tallahassee.

Tailwinds,

Malena

The Pic's: Scenery today, still along farm roads

Day 27 Navasota to Shepherd, Tx

Hey yall, we had another spectacular day. We rode along pretty much the same scenery as yesterday..With the exception that today we rode along the Sam Houston National Forest . It was breathtaking. Forest in Texas??? Who would've thunk... It is so green and lush here. Alot of water everywhere. We came across a bridge and were surprised to see an enormous lake. We thought, hmmm, did we just cross the Mississippi River???(LOL) . No signs with the name of the lake. I asked a man fixing a car on the side of the road. Lake Conroe!!! Enormous is the only way to describe it..

Well the entire day was glorious and then the last few miles coming into town . We get onto Farm Road 150. No shoulder and we were hanging on for dear life. Big trucks and Texas trucks, the kind everyone drives here. We rode and rode hoping it was going to get better. It did not. Pulled over when it was safe. Called Joe, he came back to get us. About 200 yards after he picked us up. A shoulder big enough for a car. Oh well!!! We were nearly done anyway....

Well we are making progress. We are almost across Texas. We are loving everyday. Getting stronger and feeling lighter on the saddle. Best of all, nothing hurts!!! Yahoo!!!

Tailwinds,

Malena

The Pic's : Riding along The Sam Houston National Forest

Lake Conroe in all its glory

Day 26 LaGrange to Navasota Tx

Yes, still in Texas and lovin it!!!

Well, Lola woke up all recovered from her so called Swine Flu (LOL)...Miraculously enough... She slept the day and night and woke up refreshed and feeling great...

We have been blessed with good weather and spectacular scenery. The farm roads just keep getting better and better. And its getting greener and greener too. We rode thru massive farms/ranches. Cattle, horses. Very affluent neighborhoods. We also stopped in Independence. Where Texas was born. Also along the way, the World's Smallest Catholic Church. It was closed, I wanted to go in and see it...

So much water in this area, every ranch had their own pond. Navasota was very nice. We met a group of youngsters at a restaurant we walked to.
They were in Navasota to do aids/hiv testing at a NUDIST CAMP!!! We all laughed alot. They told us about their adventure as well. They were very impressed with us cycling across the US...We were impressed with their passion to promote awareness. They too were very interested in following our blogs. I think we made new friends...

Sorry no blog yesterday.. We had no internet where we were. Please do not worry about us. We are all doing very well...

Thanks Michael and Nancy for your notes. We will definately let you know as we get closer to Florida. We really would like to meet up with you too...

Tailwinds,

'

Malena

The Pic's: One of our Farm Roads

World's smallest Catholic Church