My Birthday!  Several people emailed me their birthday wishes and I thank all of them for that.
I decided to walk around the harbour area and take a few more pictures before heading to the airport at about 3pm.  After a while I decided to grab some lunch and walked into the Orient hotel pub and was surprised to see nothing but green!  Everyone was Irish today and there was a lot of genuine Irishmen there enjoying more than a few beers.  They all welcomed me and after a few pints I had to go before I decided to just stay here.  I made it back to the hotel and picked up my bag before the shuttle driver arrived to pick me up for the trip to the airport.

When I arrived at the airport all the trouble began.  I had booked this flight with JetStar, a discount airline.  They said the bags I carried were a couple kilos heavy and that the fee was $80!  What a scam!  These are the same bags I have taken on each flight so far with out problems and I was not the only one they did this way.  The workers were rude and would not cut me a break at all even though the fee if I had know about it when I booked the flight would only have been $10.  I had already booked my flight from Melbourne to Christchurch, NZ with this same airlines and since it is an international flight if I add the fee at least 24 hours before the flight the fee will be $80 and if I wait until the day of the flight and hope to meet someone nicer who isn't so strict will be $160!  Such a rip-off!  Avoid this airlines if you can at all.

The flight was ok but everything on the plane involves an inflated cost.  When I arrived in Hobart I then found out that the rental car place could not find my reservation so I hopped on the hotel shuttle and got to my room.  There internet was $5 an hour or $20 a day and there was no free continental breakfast like in Sydney, the hotel rate was nearly twice as much and everything that was free in Sydney had a price here (by the way, they did offer a "buffet" that had the same things as my free breakfast in Sydney for $15).  I just hope things get better.

 Sydney Bridge Reflection

 Captured by Natives

 Saint Paddy's Day Party

I got an early start and stopped by McDonalds for breakfast.  Some friends I met in Charleston are on their way and I want to be in Key West when they arrive.  I will be sharing a condo in Truman Annex with them for the next 9 days!

As I crossed Seven Mile Bridge I see three spotted rays swimming along in the water and stop to video them.  As I am watching their underwater ballet two nurse sharks join them.  This is one of the reasons I love traveling by bicycle, you get to see things others in cars do not.  Soon a bicycle path returns making things easier by not having to be so close to frenzied traffic.  I am also amazed by the number of iguanas along the roadway.  I have driven this route several times and had never noticed them before.  Life at island speed on a bicycle is the best.

I was making good time and stopped for iced coffee and a snack.  I get moving quickly when I get a call saying they are already in Key Largo.

Finally I enter Key West and take a couple pics then turn left so I can continue my ride beside the ocean.  I stop at the Southernmost Point marker and take more pictures and do the same at the mile marker 0 sign.  Here a few people are already commenting and asking questions about the ride I have just completed.

I hear from my friends again, they are loading up on supplies for the week at the store so I return to the Green Parrot for a well deserved beer (or two).  Here more notice my loaded bike and want to hear about the trip.  As I walk out to check on the bike my friends show up and we all proceed to the condo to unload.

After getting everything squared away we decide where we will go first and head out on the town.

Stats: 56 miles, 11.9 mph avg., 22.4 max., 6:01 total time, 4:30 moving time, 4162 calories,  117 avg. HR,  151max. HR.

This morning I had breakfast at the hotel and got on the road.  I stopped at a surf shop to pick up a couple of stickers and a couple there was interested in my trip.  They were going surfing and hopefully they had a great day.  The waves and wind were whipping it up and on A1A just south of there sea spray was crossing the road.  Riding along the ocean was nice.

At Flagler Beach I had a great meal at a small taco shop behind ZWave.  I do not usually even try fish tacos but theirs sounded great and they were.  They make everything fresh and that made all the difference.  If you are in the area they are worth looking for.  Just south of there I noticed a sign about the Phun Coast PHC.  While I didn't get to meet any of them I wish I had.

When I got to Ormond Beach I stopped in for coffee and a doughnut.  While there Karen, a fellow Parrothead, called.  We agreed to meet for a beer at her local bar when I got there.  When I reached Daytona Beach I stopped at Salty Dog Surf Shop for a set of their stickers and the guys there were very friendly, handing me several of their store decal for me and my friends.  Of course Biketoberfest was going on in Daytona and they were a ton of bikes everywhere.  I crossed from A1A to 1 on Main and that took a while.  Her directions were great and I had no trouble finding the place.  She and her boyfriend where there waiting on me when I arrived.  We took a couple of pictures and had a couple rounds before I had to get on the road again.

When I left I decided to try for a century today and set my sights on Titusville.  I rode on into the darkness and finally reached my destination.  There I stopped at a Pizza Hut/Taco Bell and partook of both worlds.  After wolfing my food down I walked next door to a small motel.  No internet here but I can use my phone as a modem so that wasn't too bad.  Now if the TV only had sound.

Stats: 103.4 miles, 14.6 mph avg., 23.4 max., 11:25 total time, 7:05 moving time, 5298 calories, 105 avg. HR, 155 max. HR.

This morning I had breakfast at Waffle House and started riding the frontage road along I-95. After a few miles of the noise I was happy to detour onto 462 which took me a little more into the country. The traffic was much less and I saw deer, squirrels, lots of birds, and several dead armadillos. There wasn't much of a shoulder but the riding was not too bad.  Just past Ridgeland the road was newly paved but that didn't last long enough. The road ends into 170 which was a 4-lane but became a busy, narrow 2 lane road in only a few miles.  Busy and narrow are not 2 words you want to here together when talking about bicycling. 

Eventually I was back onto 17-Alt and kept following that until I crossed the big bridge into Savannah. I pulled into the visitor center and called Dale, the president of the Savannah PHC.  He was out of town himself but had arranged for me to meet his wife, son and more of the club.  He gave me directions to Richmond Hill and I proceeded there to Augie's, their hangout, and waited for Scott, Dale's son, to pick me up.  We loaded the bike and drove to his house. Kelly, Matt, Ashley, Monty, and Sherri also showed up. Monty was grilling and we all had a great meal with a few drinks. Everyone had a great time and I am glad to say I have made a few more friends on this trip.

Stats: 65.5 miles, 11.1 mph avg., 35.5 max., 9:15 total time, 5:54 moving time, 6616 calories, 127 avg. HR, 167 max. HR.

This morning I went back to Red's and started from where I quit last night.  This let me go across the bridge and that really was a great view.  I then went to Margaritaville Charleston and looked around.  The Margaritaville there is only a store without a cafe.  I think everyone should write in that they need a cafe there and hope the powers that be listen.

After looking around a while I resumed my travels on Route 17.  The road is nice but there are long stretches that do not have anything other than egrets, herons, and basin areas.  If you ride here plan for this and carry plenty of water and food.  Just before getting to my destination there was road construction which made some of the road more narrow and the cars were coming very close.  One guy even stopped me and offered a place to stay for the night but it was a little off route and I want to be sure to be in Key Largo early so I can enjoy the trip down the keys and take plenty of pictures.Since I started a little later to avoid the morning rush I rode into the darkness to get to a hotel in Point South.  Luckily they have wireless internet and I can post these updates.  Tomorrow I hope to reach Savannah where I will get to meet the Savannah Parrothead club.

Stats: 69.2 miles, 11.5 mph avg., 27.3 max., 9:20 total time, 6:01 moving time, 6647 calories, 123 avg. HR, 175 max. HR.

I looked around at Pawley's Island and had breakfast before starting south.  17 is a busy road so I waited until after 9am before leaving to avoid as much traffic as possible.  Even though most drivers were courteous some drivers do not want to see a bicycle on "their" road and got buzzed a few times and of those nearly all had Florida tags and were talking on the cell phone.  One thing I do want to mention is my thanks to the professional truck drivers who moved to the left lane and gave me plenty of room to ride safely, other drivers could learn from their example. 

The road here has several plantations and many historical signs concerning our country's early years along with a National Forest.  The road was in good condition for the most part and nearly flat making riding a pleasure.  There were just a few scattered towns with small populations.

This area also has several sweetgrass weavers who make beautiful basket and wall decorations from the local available materials just as their parents and grandparents did.  I had the pleasure to talk to Julia Howard and her son Lance who both are sweetgrass weavers.  I saw several items I really liked but being on a bicycle where every ounce can make the trip more difficult I had to refrain from any purchases until I visit again in a car.  If you are in this area be sure to seek them out and look at their baskets.

As I entered Mt. Pleasant things started changing with increased traffic and the usual 5:00 hurried drivers, I was glad to be near my destination of Charleston for the day.  Here I called Lorna, a member of the Lowcountry Parrothead Club, who had contacted me on Meet the Phlockers and invited me to meet the club.  She told me to meet some of the club at Red's at Shem Creek.  I arrived first and soon several members including Joe the president and Ed the vice-president, Sue, Lorna,  Deb, and myself were busy enjoying a few beers and discussing my trip and the local area.  We all had a great time and the location was great.  The sunset there with the boats in the foreground was beautiful.  After many beers and several hours we called it an evening. 

I want to say thanks to the Lowcountry Parrothead Club for all their hospitality and if you are ever near Charleston be sure to seek them out and say hi, you will be glad to meet such nice people.  Red's Ice House is on Shem Creek and used to be an Ice House where boats loaded ice for their fishing trips.  Today, as a bar and restaurant, it is a busy place with a friendly staff and great food.  Certainly a "must-see" if you are in the Charleston area.

Stats: 66.8 miles, 12.8 mph avg., 31 max., 7:31 total time, 6409 calories, 133 avg. HR, 169 max. HR.