It was a great day to be on a bicycle. The morning fog
kept us from leaving as early as I would have liked. But nature was calling the
shots and I wasn’t going to argue. We did roll out just before 8:00am as the
fog was beginning to lift.
We used US 90 all day for 79 miles from one hotel to
the other. Our first 20-mile leg was through dense forest of pine and deciduous
trees. Before long I noticed as pretty a sight as I have seen on the entire
tour. Large crescent shaped spider webs hanging between trees were laced with
the residual moisture from the morning fog making the heavily laden webs dance
in the gentle breeze.
We passed through half dozen small towns, very typical
of the Florida panhandle, and made two more stops at the Black Oasis. Through
these towns the highway usually becomes four lanes and the berm disappears. It
is always comforting when we return to the rural look of the highway. The heat
of the day building to a crescendo coupled with the nearly 100% humidity made
the second half of the ride quite uncomfortable. Susan informed us that Florida
and the Southeast were having a heat wave. No one had to tell us that it was
hot out there. We finally arrived in Sneads, our out-of-the-way overnight town.
While Susan and Sara went inside, I did a little maintenance on the bikes in
preparation for our final days. A clean bike moves about 2 mph faster than a
dirty one!
With the two of us riding well, we have ceased talking
about rest days. If all works out well, we will be in Tallahassee on Thursday,
Live Oaks on Friday, Gainesville on Saturday, and St. Augustine on Sunday
afternoon. Stay tuned.
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| Foggy morning in Defuniak Springs |
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| Hidden gem in Chattahoochee, the Rutabaga Café |
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