- Dates: Friday, Feb. 21st – Tuesday, March 11th, 2014.
- Tour Leaders: Janet Lever [(604) 536-2629; jlever.gaitken@gmail.com ] & Warner Griswold [(775) 825-1938; jwarner-griswold@att.net ].
- Tour Rating: Intermediate.
- Participant number: Maximum 20, minimum 18.
- Tour Fees: $2,200.00
- Registration Opening: Wednesday, June 12th 2013 @ 1700h (5:00 p.m.) PDT. Registration will take place at http://tinyurl.com/m9dw6g at a cost of $2.00, and all Tour Fee installments will be paid at this website.
Participant Selection Criteria: Participants will be selected on the basis of date and time of registration, and their experience and fitness level in relation to an intermediate-classed CCCTS cycle tour. Once the Tour is full, registrants (at a cost of $2.00) can be placed on a waitlist, but will be expected to let a tour leader know if they no longer wish to participate. Other conditions follow:
- Within 72 hours of registering, registrants will be contacted, and if accepted will pay the first installment of $500.00. Those canceling will not be refunded those monies spent to cover fixed costs on their behalf, unless a replacement is found;
- A second deposit of $500.00 is due September 1st, 2013; and,
- The final deposit of $1,200.00 will be paid November 1st, 2013.
Description: This is a 19 day/18 night tour (two travel days, five layover days, and 12 move days) with lodging at motel/hotels – two person/room. A medium-sized support van will accompany participants to carry lunch coolers, bike boxes (to Key West) and one bag (sized and weighted to allow handling, unassisted, by the owner – soft-sided with wheels is recommended) per person. Participants will take turns driving the van, and each driver will be responsible, that day, for the purchase of lunch supplies.
The tour will begin in Jacksonville, Florida and end in Key West, Florida, a total of 908 km; the daily average distance will be 76 km/day over flat terrain and on paved roads. Days off in historic St. Augustine and scientifically interesting Cape Canaveral are planned to allow exploration of these and other sights along the way. A list of other sights is being researched, and a pre-Tour group discussion is planned to determine which ones will be of most interest to the group.
The tour has not been ridden by the Tour Leaders, however, Adventure CyclingTM maps (used most successfully on the Club’s Can/Mex tour) will be employed for all days, but day 2, where a Google bike map will be followed.
The tour fee covers 17 breakfasts; 18 lunches (sandwiches, cookies, and fruit); 18 lodging nights; van rental, insurance and fuel; and, if the budget permits it, the Tour Leaders’ recompense for one Tour Fee only, or 5% of total Tour costs, whichever is the least expensive.
The tour fee does not cover dinner costs, one breakfast, museums and Cape Canaveral entrance fees, etc.
Travel information:
- One way flights from Seattle to Jacksonville, via Denver, can be purchased for as little as $250.00.
- One way flights from Key West to Seattle cost as low as $200.00 to $300.00 (Costs obtained from United and American Airlines).
- For those taking advantage of cheaper USA flights, the “quick bus” runs between Vancouver airport and Sea Tac (Seattle) airport at least five times daily.
Itinerary:
Day 1 (Friday, Feb. 21st) – arrive in Jacksonville late in the day. Lodging at Holiday Inn Express (HIE) – Blount Island;
Day 2 – Jacksonville – assemble bikes, tour city on your own. Tour meeting after dinner;
Day 3 – Jacksonville to St. Augustine’s Holiday Inn (HI). 89.6 km;
Day 4 – Day of for History Day in St. Augustine (the oldest city in continental USA). We’ll discover the city by bike.
Day 5 – St. Augustine to Daytona Beach (HIE). 77.6 km.
Day 6 – Daytona Beach to Titusville (HIE). 89 km.
Day 7 – Day off to rest or visit the Kennedy Space Centre by bike.
Day 8 – Titusville to Melbourne Beach (Crowne Plaza). 82 km.
Day 9 – Melbourne Beach to Stuart (Pirate’s Cove). 105 km.
Day 10 – Stuart to Juno (HIE). 49 km.
Day 11 – Juno to Highland Beach (HI). 60 km.
Day 12 – Highland Beach to Miami Beach (South Beach) (HI). 86 km.
Day 13 – Day off on Miami Beach.
Day 14 – Miami Beach to Florida City (HIE). 59 km.
Day 15 – Florida City to Key Largo (You’ll now be on the Keys) (HIE). 44 km.
Day 16 – Key Largo to Marathon (HIE). 85 km.
Day 17 – Marathon to Key West (Hilton Double Tree). 81 km.
Day 18 – Key West: Last day to enjoy and find out everything you ever wanted to know about Ernest Hemingway (including cats with six toes!), the Harry Truman winter White House, and much more.
Day 19 (Tuesday, March 11th) – Breakfast and complimentary shuttle to the airport.