After Nancy treated me to an awesome breakfast of eggs and toast, I hit the road between 9:30 and 10am. A big thanks to Nancy for being such a great host.
Once again, the wind was in my favor so I decided that riding all the way to St. Augustine was a reasonable idea. Riding in the morning was good, with a wide and smooth shoulder for miles and miles.
When I stopped for lunch, I was in for a rude surprise. I had lost my sandals! Garph. Somewhere along the way, I must have hit a bump which knocked the velcro strap loose. So, somewhere in the previous 40 miles, I littered on the Florida highways. Sorry.
After lunch, I stopped by a grocery store to pick up more sunscreen. My northern European skin officially absorbs one 8oz. of sunscreen in 3 weeks.
Next, I cruised through Daytona Beach. I got within 4 miles of the Speedway, but in hindsight, I should have gone to take a look.
I passed over a bridge and back to the ocean side of the world. I had a very nice ride along cool houses. These were much more normal sized compared to what I had seen further south.
Then, I entered a wildlife area. The houses stopped, and my ride was filled with dunes and vegetation. The road turned east, and got even closer to the ocean. It was labeled a "Scenic Highway" and with good reason.
As I was taking pictures along the ocean, a guy came up to me to ask some questions. He told me that he and a friend has ridden the southern tier a few years ago. It's always exciting to meet fellow riders. He offered some advice, and wished me well.
Here, the wind really picked up. It was blowing out of the south east, and with nothing to block the wind, I was able to cruise. Without effort, I was riding 17mph. By simply spinning my feet, I was over 20mph. For a brief while, I decided to find a gear where I actually had to push a little. In this gear, I was cruising along at 23/24mph.
I passed small beach town after small beach town. Then, I passed a sign which showed my destination. St. Augustine, 32 miles. Exciting. I have almost ridden up the entire Florida Atlantic coast.
The next 32 miles cruised by, and I entered St. Augustine well before dinner. I checked into the Pirate Haus, a totally sweet hostel (the not so awesome website is not a good descriptor for this place). Arrrgh!
Part one of the journey is done. I have two and a half days to rest here, and then on Friday the journey west begins. The speed needs to pick up, as it's only 17 days until my Half Ironman in Galveston, TX.
Day 21 - 85 Miles
Trip to Date - 951 Miles
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