We just have to get away from the rain and cold in the ATL and friends in Florida provide the perfect opportunity.  We are getting used to celebrating Valentine’s Day with Heidi and Al.

The weather is awesome for our visit and we ride the Palatka trail, through the potato farms near Hastings and in the Palm Coast.

Next up, a visit with Coast 2 Coast friends Mary and Andrew in The Villages.

While in the Villages we do the Saturday morning tandem ride with the Florida Panthers.

What happens when a train blocks the road? An impromptu party.

We have a fun time meeting some new people.

On to Ocala and some riding on the Santos and Withlacoochee trails.

If you build them, we will come. Bike trails, that is.

On our way to the trails, we spot an interesting ice cream store. Because of record heat and in the interest of research, we must investigate the offerings.

Ice cream aside, have a new motto here at Tandempalooza…

When in Dunnellon, check out The Front Porch, where it’s all about the pie.  This is our third visit.  They were closed the other two times. A tip: don’t go on a Monday!

Here’s the house specialty, the cherry bodacious pie.

It’s got cherries, pineapple and walnuts on a graham cracker crust. Think ambrosia without the coconut. Split it with your favorite tandem partner. It lives up to its name.

We visit with Ocala’s newest residents, Laura and Earle.

Cell phones take crappy pictures at night. We enjoy two bar visits and two dinners with Team Reynolds on the historic Ocala square. For you historians, this part of Ocala was rebuilt out of brick after a fire in 1883, giving the town the nickname “Brick City”.

For our final ride, we leave the trails and visit magnificent horse country where the spreads are as impressive as the roads are smooth.

The head wind for the last dozen miles tires us out, but does not dampen our spirits.

We hadn’t planned to stay this long, but the weather back home looked dreary all week, so we kept extending our stay and we are glad we did.  

Here is our by the numbers:
11 days out of town
9 rides (with almost no discomfort in the damaged elbow/wrist area)
288 total miles
1 slice of heaven (I mean cherry bodacious pie!)

Next up: We’re out there having fun, in the warm California sun. (You get extra credit if you recognize the line from a song by The Rivieras.)

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