A day in the life of a SAG man

Contrary to what you might think, the term "SAG Man" is not a derogatory insult about some part of the anatomy. It's a revered title, bestowed upon only the most dedicated men (and sometimes women) who rise to the call to become the unsung heros behind the scene. The role is mostly found in the biking world (the pedal type, not the "vroom vroom" type) and stands for "Support And Gear." They silently (well, most of the time) make sure their biking masters are ready and able to perform their single glorious role - pedal, pedal, pedal.



Click on the PLAY button below to see the SAG Man at work.

End of the ride

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Reflections on the Journey

Wednesday, April 30 - Day 39

The end of the trip. I am here at the Atlantic Ocean in St. Augustine.

I can’t believe my trip has come to an end and I am sad about it. Tomorrow morning I will not be jumping on my bike. It has been an incredible journey seeing the country unfold in its ever changing terrain, landscape, different vegetation and color, and experiencing the kindness of the people along the way. Each state was different, and I was surprised how beautiful the Southern states were with lots of trees and wild flowers, and how friendly the people were.

Most of all I remember the people I met – from the woman in Texas who passed me on the road and turned her car around and offered me a bottle of water to the guy in Louisiana who told me of a much better road with wide shoulders paralleling the narrow, busy road he saw me attempting to bike. I am glad I followed his advice. People wishing me a good and safe journey and offering their help if I needed it whenever I talked to them. The trains passing me out in the country and the engineers greeting me with a short toot on the whistle when they saw me biking. Other bikers I met on the road. The Belgium couple biking from Florida to California, who had biked all over the world and said the best country to bike tour in was the U.S. because of the generousity and kindness of the American people, which they did not experience in any other country. The bikers who biked the route via the warm shower tour. They use a website www.warmshowers.org which lists people offering their hospitality to touring byciclists for a warm shower, a hot meal, a comfortable bed or simply a camping spot in their back yard. And one of my fellow bikers met Tom out there who was running across the states and one day he did 74 miles. Can you imagine – that is about 3 marathons on a single day.

I never had trouble with drivers on the road – they all were very courteous and gave me plenty of space. The only trouble I had was with dogs – dogs chasing me on country roads in Lousiana and Alabama, and it was frightening. Road conditions were not always optimal and Lousiana had the worst roads. The best riding conditions were in Florida. And biking through New Mexico and Texas I had very strong winds, at times strong head winds, which made it difficult to bike. The winds subsided once I got into Louisiana.

Doing the trip on a bike gave it a different dimension. In a car you pass things by much too quickly for them to sink in. On a bike, you travel slowly seeing things up close, smelling and hearing things – you live it! I can still smell the honeysuckle while biking through the Southern states.

Whould I do it again? Yes, in a heartbeat! And I hope to be out there again with my bike exploring different regions.

And most of all, thank you for supporting this ride with your generous donations to the children at Children’s Hospital in Oakland. The donations have now reached over $3000.00. THANK YOU!

Biking to St. Augustine

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The blue line on this progress map shows the Adventure Cycling Southern Tier route I initially planned to take. The green line shows my actual route including a few little diversions.

Day 38 - April 29

On day 38, I biked 66 miles of the Walking Lawton Chiles Highway to Little Talbot Island on the Atlantic Ocean, where we camped for the night. Lawton Chiles, a democrat and lawyer, who served in the Florida State Senate, decided to run for the United States Senate in 1970. He was largely unknown and to generate media coverage, he embarked upon a 1003 mile, 91-day walk across Florida. The walk earned him recognition and his nickname Walking Lawton and he easily was elected. In 1991 he was elected Governor of Florida and he served two terms.

Day 39 - April 30

On day 39, I biked 36 miles from Little Talbot Island, FL to St. Augustine, FL. The ride took me along the Coastal Highway along the Atlantic Ocean, and I had a dedicated bike lane to ride on all the way.

Castillo de San Marcos, a fortress built by the Spanish in 1672.

St. Augustine street with original buildings.

Ponce de Leon arrived here in 1513, in search of the Fountain of Youth, which he believed he had found in St. Augustine. The archeological site of the spring still exists. When he arrived and saw a land covered with wild flowers, it reminded him of his native Spain, and he called the land "La Florida".

The oldest, documented dwelling from the early 1600s.

Another original dwelling from the early 1600s.

A typical St. Augustine family home of today.

St. Augustine Cathedral Basilica established in 1565. It is the oldest continuously active Catholic parish in the U.S.



Inside the Basilica.

SAG man wants to go school in this original, wooden, one-room school house dating from 1750.

Old slave auction market.

Formerly the Ponce de Leon hotel from the 1800s, built by Henry Flagler, and now a college named after him. He was a key figure in the development of Eastern Florida along the Atlantic Coast.

Biking through the natural Florida

Click twice on the play button above to hear the audio.

The blue line on this progress map shows the Adventure Cycling Southern Tier route I initially planned to take. The green line shows my actual route including a few little diversions.

Day 33 – Day 37
April 24 – 28

Florida is truly a place of stunning extremes. In the past when I heard the word Florida, I thought of oceans and sandy beaches, mass tourism, retirees, hotels and condos on the beach. Biking through Florida I found that this is only a very small part of the state. There is a large part of Florida which is a natural paradise with an abundance of lakes, rivers and bayous, lush vegetation, and lots of wild life.

Florida is a very bike friendly state with good roads that have either a wide shoulder or a dedicated bike lane. I left Opp, Alabama on April 24 and biked to De Funiak Springs, Florida, and then on to Tallahassee. Leaving Tallahassee, I biked along rivers and lakes, and through small towns.

Below are my impressions of a different Florida.

The Suwanne River (a lot of times spelled wrong: Swannee)

"Suwannee " is an Indian word meaning Black Water. The Suwannee originates within the Okefenokee Swamp in SE Georgia, travelling through Florida and travels nearly 230 miles to the Gulf of Mexico.

This guy came out of the Suwannee to check me out.

But then he got shy and went into his house and he winked at me.

I am now at the Wakulla River. It originates from an underground spring, and runs for ten miles before it disappears again. It is home to manatees, alligators and a variety of birds. Many movies have been filmed on this river including Tarzan with Johnny Weissmueller, and The Creature from the Black Lagoon. The photo above shows a Snowy Egret on the river.

An Anhinga on the Wakulla River.

I was told by locals that the Wood Duck is rarely spotted because it is very elusive, but I was lucky today.

Some facts about Florida:

• Colonized by the Spaniards in 1559


• Site of first permanent U.S. settlement in 1565


• Now the nation's fastest growing state


• State song "Swannee River" a.k.a. "Old Folks at Home"


• 30,000 lakes


• 1,000 miles of sandy beaches


• 1,000 miles of hiking trails


• 600 varieties of fish

Piggly Wiggly, supermarket of choice throughout the South and Florida. I couldn't resist the name.

Biking through the Southern states and seeing the many churches, sometimes five or six within a few blocks in the small towns, I got the feeling that religion plays a big part in the lives of Southerners. Sometimes, they are very creative in the way they encourage members to attend church. I spotted this sign biking through a small rural town.

Here are some of the things I had to consider along my ride:

Biking Alabama

Click twice on the play button above to hear the audio.

The blue line on this progress map shows the Adventure Cycling Southern Tier route I initially planned to take. The green line shows my actual route including a few little diversions.

Day 32
Biking Alabama

My goal today was to ride the route of the Voting Rights March of 1965 from Selma to Montgomery, but Route 80 today is a very busy highway with lots of trucks and no shoulders, and not at all bike friendly. So I looked for an alternate route and found county road 40, which parallels the march route and I biked that route. It started out as a nice country road lined with trees, and I could smell honeysuckle along the way, and there was hardly any traffic. It led me through small farm towns, which were quite quaint in the Southern way, houses with front porches and rocking chairs, with big well cared for front yards, and nice, tidy farms. But after about 28 miles of biking, I ended up in what I would describe as Banjo Boy country. I had big dogs chasing me on the bike and it was very frightening. Fortunately, Michael was not far away with the SAG wagon and I aborted biking in Alabama. Alabama is a very pretty state, with rolling green hills, beautiful trees and miles and miles of wild flowers, which bloom from March through September.

This is Browns A.M.E. (African Methodist Episcopel) chapel where Dr. Martin Luther King started the Voting Rights March on March 21, 1965. They marched 12 miles a day, sleeping in fields and reached the Alabama state capitol in Montgomery on March 25. 25,000 marchers made the trip. Although Congress passed the 15th amendment on February 26, 1869 giving African American men the equal right to vote, Alabama and other Southern states did not comply. Dallas county, where Selma is located was one of the worst offenders, which is why the Civil Rights Activists chose this as the starting point for the march.

This is the house in Montgomery, Alabama where Dr. Martin Luther King and his family lived from 1954 to 1960 during which he was the pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. The house was bombed in 1956 when he returned from a bus boycott march.

This is the Harris house a few doors down the block where Dr. Harris opened his home to a group of 33 students from Nashville Tennessee. Known as the Freedom Riders, they were challenging the bus segregation practices during the time. Civil Rights leaders, including Dr. King used this house to develop plans and stategies, and to conduct prayer meetings.

The Dexter Avenue Baptist Church where Dr. King was pastor.

This is the capitol building in Montgomery where the march ended. It was also the first Capitol of the Confederacy when the Southern states ceceded from the union led by Jefferson Davis.

This is the 54-mile route the marchers used from Selma to Montgomery.

Biking the Natchez Trace

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The blue line on this progress map shows the Adventure Cycling Southern Tier route I initially planned to take. The green line shows my actual route including a few little diversions.

Day 31

I biked 52 miles of the Natchez Trace today between Jackson, Mississippi and Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The Natchez Trace is a 444 mile long path extending from Natchez, Mississippi to Nashville, Tennessee. The trace was created by the wanderings of buffalo, deer and other game, and was used by Indians tribes when they settled the land here 8000 years ago, specifically by the Natchez and the Choctaws. In later history, it was the only route linking the East to the South West, used by brave explorers, dastardly outlaws, and brave settlers. Today, the trace is a tranquil, peaceful parkway and commercial traffic is not allowed on it. It was a wonderful bike ride through forests and along rivers and lakes.

Biking the Natchez Trace

In 1834, another road was created branching off the Natchez Trace, "Red Dog Road", named after Choctaw Indian Chief Ofama or Red Dog. On September 27, 1830, he signed the Dancing Rabbit Treaty, by which he and his tribe agreed to leave the area and move to Oklahoma.

The Pearl River.

About 1812, Frenchman Louis Lefore started trading with the Choctaw Indians along the Natchez Trace, and married a Choctaw woman. Their famous son, who changed his name to Greenwood Leflore became a Choctaw Chief and Mississippi State Senator. For him are named the city of Greenwood and the county of LeFlore.

Clouds reflected in the still water of the Pearl River.

Settlement along the Trace.

Biking to the swamp

Click twice on the play button above to hear the music.

The blue line on this progress map shows the Adventure Cycling Southern Tier route I initially planned to take. The green line shows my actual route including a few little diversions.

Day 30 - Biking to the Swamp

I was very surprised how beautiful the swamp is. It is mysterious and green with cypress trees growing in the water and Spanish moss, lilies, pond flowers, and other beautiful green vegetation and trees, and teaming with life – different species of birds, turtles, snakes, and alligators.

See how green it is. The water is about three to four feet deep here covered by duck weed so it looks like a green carpet. Cypress trees grow in it and stay healthy and do not rot.

Swamp dwellers - people actually live in the swamp. Their shacks are built into the water and there is no road in. The only way in is by boat. But they all have satellite dishes.

Look closely. This snake looks like a water moccasin, but our guide assured us it was not venomous.

This is a "big mama" alligator sunning herself on a log.

Here is a smaller alligator. They only grow about one foot per year if they aren't eaten by the blue herons or other predatory birds. Alligators are cannibalistic, so many of the young are eaten by their parents.


This big guy is looking for something to eat. Don't swim here.

New Orleans

Biking to New Orleans

Click twice on the play button above to hear the music.

The blue line on this progress map shows the Adventure Cycling Southern Tier route I initially planned to take. The green line shows my actual route including a few little diversions.

On Day 28 of biking, I headed toward New Orleans and arrived at the outskirts of the city. It still showed the ravages of Hurricane Katrina, destroyed buildings and looking like a war zone. But once in the city and in the French Quarter, there were no signs of any destruction. The French Quarter was lively, going strong, and very interesting. It had narrow, busy streets with lots and lots of people walking, and it had quiet, residential streets with beautiful, old houses dating from the 1700s with wrought iron balconies with lots of flowers, ferns, and seating areas.

Old Live Oak trees at the Fountainbleau State Park, which was a former plantation.

The Old Live Oaks all have "Spanish Moss" growing on the them, some of it grows to 25 feet long. "Spanish Moss" is what it is commonly called , although it is not a moss. It is actually an epiphyte, a plant that lives upon other plants, which absorbs nutrients and water from the air and rainfall. It is not a parasite and does not kill the tree.

Preservation Hall was built in 1750 as a private residence. It opened its doors as the Preservation Hall of Jazz in 1961 and was created as a sanctuary, to protect and honor New Orleans Jazz. Today, over 40 years later, the hall is still going strong. On any given night, the hall is filled to capacity with people eager to hear New Orleans jazz played by veteran musicians in their 70’s and 80’s and younger musicians learning and embracing music that is both sweet and very beautiful.

Jazz street musician in New Orleans.

Corner of Bourbon Street and Orleans Street. Louis Armstrong grew up here, and as a child he used to follow the jazz bands through Bourbon Street.

Quiet residential street in the French Quarter.

Residential balcony in the French Quarter.

Another residential balcony in the French Quarter.

Voodoo is still big here.

She's still trying to find her way out of the French Quarter after Mardi Gras. Actually, some people always dress in costume when they come to New Orleans.

This is the home of General Beauregard, born in New Orleans, Louisiana to a white Creole family. He trained at the United States Military Academy at West Point, graduating in 1838.
He later returned to teach at West Point, where he rose to become the Superintendent of the Military Academy, then resigned when Louisiana seceded from the Union. Beauregard was one of 8 full generals in the Confederate Army. In the 1950s, the famous writer Francis Parkinson Keyes purchased the house where she lived until her death in 1970.

The St. Louis Cathedral was founded in 1718.
Inside of the cathedral, where the Saints go marchin' in.