|
A Loop Tour
If You Go... Routes: This being a loop tour, one can start from any given town on the loop and ride back to it. Logistically, it worked out for us to start from Albany, Ga., and ride in a clockwise fashion. Most of the route in Georgia and Alabama is on low-traffic secondary roads. Each state's Department of Transportation sells county road maps for a reasonable fee (see contacts below). We requested the necessary maps and plotted our route accordingly to use the county road system as much as possible. In Florida, our route was on rather major highways out of necessity: US 319, US 98, and US 331. We rode on some county roads in Leon County east of Tallahassee, but once we neared the beach, the choice of roads becomes limited and we had to use these major US highways. Fortunately, most of these roads have a rideable shoulder of about four feet in width. Here are the sections with the shoulders:
The various county maps can be purchased through each state's DOT office at the following addresses:
The counties we rode through: Alabama: Geneva and Houston. The terrain varies from table top-flat along the coastal plains and in southwest Georgia, to slightly rolling hills in the area north of De Funiak Springs, Fla., and in southeast Alabama. Even in the "hillier" area of Alabama, the hills rarely exceed 50-80 feet, most are considerably less. The biggest "hills" on this route are invariably the major bridges over bay crossings: the causeway east of Apalachicola, DuPont and Hathaway bridges in Panama City, and the causeway over Choctawhatchee Bay on US 331 south of Freeport, Fla. A touring bike with triple chainrings is desirable, but absolutely not necessary, even for loaded touring like we did. Accommodations: With tourism being the major industry in Florida, there's no shortage of hotels/motels for the weary travelers. Therefore, we did not carry tent and sleeping bags, instead relying on the abundance of lodgings in the overnight towns. Even better, we were struck at how reasonable the (off-season) rates were. 'Tis wise to plan your cycling tour for the off-season time in Florida. In Georgia and Alabama, one has to be a little more careful in picking the overnight towns. We chose Thomasville, Ga. (population: 17,500) and Dothan, Ala. (53,600) to give us a choice of accommodations. Otherwise one may have to settle for the one available fleabag motel in smaller towns. Weather & Season: The mean daily high for late October in the Florida Panhandle is about mid- to high 70s with the mean daily low in the mid-50s. We had some unseasonally cool overnight temperature in the low 40s, but it warmed up considerably during the day, most days to above the mean daily high. Gloves, jackets, and tights were required in the morning, but by mid-day, we were usually stripped down to cycling shorts and short-sleeve jersey. September and October are usually the driest months also, so the late fall is ideally suited for cycletouring the Panhandle. The traffic on the major US highways in Florida naturally increases in the summertime and on weekends, especially along the beach. It is therefore advisable to not plan your trip for the late spring and summer, when the tourist traffic is at its peak. Detailed Route Albany, Ga. to Thomasville, Ga., 74 miles South on Radium Springs Rd. out of Albany to Baconton in Mitchell County, east on Jackson Dairy Rd. to Stage Coach Rd. Follow Stage Coach the length of Mitchell County through Cotton to Ochlocknee in Thomas County. Then take Stewart Rd. out of Ochlocknee to US 84 which leads into Thomasville. Thomasville, Ga. to Carrabelle, Fla., 103 miles South on Mill Pond Rd. out of Thomasville (packed dirt, but beautiful wooded scenery) then Hicks Rd. to Metcalf. South on SR 122 to the Florida state line, continue on SR 59 in Florida to Miccosukee. Take CR 0347 (Miccosukee Rd.) south to CR 0345 (Crump Rd.). Continue south on CR 1543 to SR 20/US 27. Continue south on CR 2195 (W.A. Kelley Rd.) to SR 259. Continue south on CR 2195 (Old Plank Rd.) to jct. with CR 2192. Go west on CR 2192 (Natural Bridge Rd.) to Woodville. The Tallahassee-St. Marks Trail is one block west of SR 363 in Woodville. Follow this trail to SR 267 (Bloxham Cut-off). Cross 267 and go west on SR 365 to Crawfordville. In Crawfordville, go south on US 319/SR 61 to Medart where 319 turns right, follow US 319/SR 375 to Sopchoppy. Follow US 319 where it turns left in Sopchoppy and head south. At the junction with US 98/SR 30, turn right (west) and follow it to Carrabelle. Carrabelle, Fla. to Panama City Beach, Fla., 104 miles Continue west on US 98/SR 30 through East Point and Apalachicola. West of Apalachicola, one can continue in a more direct approach to Port St. Joe on 98/30, or one can follow CR 30A out to the tip of Cape San Blas. The latter option adds about 5-7 miles to the mileage. Either way, continue on US 98/SR 30 through Port St. Joe, Mexico Beach, and Tyndall AFB to Panama City. Follow US 98Bus through Panama City to Panama City Beach. Follow US 98Alt (Front Beach Rd.) through P.C. Beach. Panama City Beach, Fla. to De Funiak Springs, Fla., 56 miles Continue west on US 98Alt (Front Beach Rd.) through Panama City Beach. Where US 98Alt ends, turn left on US 98, then left again after Powell Lake bridge to CR 30A to go through Seagrove Beach and Seaside. After Grayton Beach, turn right (north) on CR 283 then left on US 98/SR 30. Turn north on SR 83 and cross Choctawhatchee Bay and continue on to Freeport. Follow SR 83/US 331 north out of Freeport to De Funiak Springs. De Funiak Springs, Fla. to Dothan, Ala., 75 miles [There's a proliferation of lightly-traveled county roads in this part of north Florida (Walton and Holmes counties) and southeast Alabama (Geneva county), I won't describe in details the route, but leave it up to the traveler to choose his/her exact route.] Take SR 83 north out of De Funiak Springs, then northeasterly on CR 185 toward the state line and Geneva, Ala. From Geneva, maintain a northeasterly course through Hartford and Slocomb to Dothan. Dothan, Ala. to Albany, Ga., 94 miles [There's a proliferation of lightly-traveled county roads in this part of southeast Alabama (Houston county), I won't describe in details the route, but leave it up to the traveler to choose his/her exact route.] Take the secondary roads that parallel SR 52 to Columbia, Ala., where you cross the Chattahoochee River into Georgia. Follow Damascus-Hilton Rd. to just west of Damascus, where you'll follow SR 200 into and through Damascus. Stay on SR 200 to Newton in Baker County. Follow Pretoria Rd. north out of Newton into Dougherty County where it becomes Eight Mile Rd. Jog right on SR 234 then left on Byron Plantation Rd. to Albany. Turn right (east) on Old Dawson Rd. to go into Albany.
Copyright ©1999-2001 Duc M. Do. All rights reserved. |
