I’ve been home for a couple of weeks now, so I’ve had time to reflect on the trip to St. Augustine and compile some last thoughts.   I’ll try to make a record of what went well and what did not, which equipment was great and which I won’t take again, and anything else that I’d like to remember for the next tour.

I do this after every ride.  It’s important that I give it enough time to come together in my mind.  Sort of like a good soup or stew, it is always better after all the ingredients have  amalgamated.

Things That Worked Out Well

• The trike – On this tour the trike was perfect!  On earlier tours I’ve had some reservations about the trike, mostly due to its stance on steeply banked roads.  On this tour, there were no banked roads that I noticed, and the trike never gave me a moment’s concern.  It was comfortable, and as reliable as I could ever hope for.
• Sleeping Pad – I can’t really say enough good things about this pad.  It’s totally comfortable, even if I sleep on my side on top of a rocky or uneven surface.  I’m amazed by how small it packs down and how little it weighs.  I’ll never camp again without it.
• Panniers – The Arkel Panniers really are perfect for me.  I love the multiple pockets to help me keep stuff organized.
• Dry Bags & Stuff Sacks  – works out well.  Anything that absolutely, positively has to stay totally dry goes in a dry sack (sleeping bag, clean cloths, etc).  Stuff sacks keep related stuff together inside the bigger pannier pockets.
• Mount Dora and DeLand – I was really surprised about these two little towns in central Florida.  Beautiful, old, historic down-towns with lots of good choices for restaurants and cafes.  I want to go back and explore both towns further.  And the cycling in the area was really great – nice roads, pretty scenery and even some hills.
• Chocolate Milk – I really, really wish I had discovered how good chocolate milk tastes when I am hot and tired and still have a long way to ride.  It nourishes and rehydrates and doesn’t make me feel too full.  The perfect cycling refreshment!

Stuff That I Am Conflicted About

• Florida Terrain – Some of it was really nice – but a lot of it was deadly boring.  It’s flat, it’s fields, it’s farms.   Zzzzzzzz.
• The Tent – This tent is amazing to have on tour.  The vestibule holds all my bags in covered safety.  The inside is gigantic.  It’s a palace for a solo cyclist.  Frankly – it might be overkill for solo touring.  For two people it would still be plenty big enough.  Because it uses 3 poles, setting it up and tearing it down took a little longer than I would prefer.
• RV Campgrounds.  These places offer a lot of convenience – electricity and water, hot showers, swimming pools, camp stores with cold beverages and ice cream.   But they cater to people driving palatial RV’s and who want to stay for a month or a year.  Tent sites are very open, usually there are lights on all night long, cars going by regularly and not much in the way of privacy.  Also, they tend to be expensive.  The State Parks might be a better alternative when/where they are available
• Electronic stuff in general.  It’s nice having the Garmin to navigate by, and the lights are needed for safety.  I like to read at night, and music is a real luxury sometimes.  But keeping all that stuff charged up is a real PITA.  It’s just something that I  need to  consider each day –  “Where will I get electric for long enough to charge stuff?”.  I have a dynamo hub, so I should get the accessories I need to bring that back to service.  But I also think I need to consider bringing less electronic crap along with me.
• Camping.  Camping is cheap, but finding an acceptable place to camp is a bit of PITA.  Frankly, I’m getting older and the comfy beds in B&B’s felt pretty good.
• Riding Solo.  Maybe just because the terrain was soo boring on much of this ride, but I found my own company less than enthralling.  It might be more entertaining to have somebody else along.  Of course,  there is a certain mystique to doing a solo tour that I enjoy.  Gotta think some more about this.  Also, not really sure I’ll be able to find anybody that wants to ride along with me at my pathetic slow pace on a long tour.

Things That Should Have Been Better

• Beverly Beach Camptown.  Never, ever go back to this place.  They have no respect for the small tent camper whatsoever.
• Writing the journal while on tour.  Writing is a lot more work for me than it should be.  I just really did not have the energy to do it during the ride, so why bring along the laptop and all the material?
• Avalon Road into Winter Garden – find another route.  I’ve ridden my trike for nearly 35000 miles,  This was perhaps the worst 11 miles I’ve ever ridden.  Avoid it at all costs
• Cooking.   I should cook more on tour when I camp.  I could get better food more cheaply.  The downside is shopping and keeping food fresh long enough to get it cooked.  I’m not adding an ice chest to my equipment list.  As it was,  I only used the stove one time the entire week.