Day 4 -Florida 2013

We got up early and walked across the street to a Cracker Barrel.  It was freezing, and the wind was howling.  We both had on bike shorts and almost froze coming back to load up.  The wind was blowing out of the north west and we were headed south east.  That was the good news I kept telling Susan; because as we loaded the bike we were starting off straight into the wind.  And it was 38!!  We only went a block and turned and the wind was blocked by buildings along the road.  It was much more bearable.  As we rode by downed trees, power lines and damaged buildings we realized how bad the storm had been.  As we left town we made that next turn that gave us those 20 mph tailwinds.

We cruised along at 16-17 mph for the next hour or so.  The temps finally got in the 50s.  The 50s! This is Florida for goodness sakes.  It was suppose to be in the mid 70s.  Florida hates us because we use to live here and we left.  That is what I think.

At the elevated cruising speed we made great time.  It was a sunny day and the temps did finally make it into the high 60s.  It was a great riding day and we pulled into Gold Head Branch by early noon.  Since it was nice and we believed the temps were an anomaly we decide to camp one last night.  We had a nice air mattress and real pillows so we knew we would sleep good.  Plus we had no clue the temperature was suppose to get back down in the mid 30s.  Remember those summer sleeping bags?

We setup camp and I hooked up the pump to the mattress.  We had purchased two bundles of firewood so I laid a fire while the mattress filled up.  With it completely pumped up I made extra sure the valve was closed tight.  We ate supper, lit the fire,  had coffee, and decided to head to the tent about 9:30.  The mattress is soft.  What the heck!

I pumped it back up and this time I made super duper extra specially sure the valve was tight.  The valve was tight.  The mattress, it seems, had a hole in it.  By 12:30  I was touching the ground.  By 2:00 we were on the ground.  The very cold ground.  The rest of the night we cuddled up and shivered.  I finally gave up at first light and built a roaring fire and got coffee water going.  Susan took my sleeping bag and covered up with it and slept for another hour or so. 

As we ate breakfast with the sun climbing in the sky and the temperature rising I was reminded of an old saying.  I’m not sure where I first heard it, but I have often thought of it on some of our bike trips.  “The difference between an adventure and an ordeal is attitude.”

OK.  I have probably thought of that on a lot of our bike trips, maybe even most, but all said; we had fun.  The two long biking days were great and the rainy one was short.  How many 60 mile bike rides do you get with a tailwind?  I can barely think of sixty miles total of tailwinds out of all the miles we have ridden, and this trip we had three days of tailwinds!

Now to get through the freezing weather in St Simon.   And all I brought was shorts.  Attitude, attitude.

Check that tailwind,...and jacket, and long pants, and glove liners in my fingerless gloves

I don't think there has been a train over this in a while

The bike trail to Gold Head Branch SP

Home for the night

supper, pasta, chicken and bread

Day 3 -Florida 2013

The rain continued the rest of the day.  That night we woke to blowing rain against the windows and roaring wind.  Our bike was locked outside and I was worried what it was going through.  The next morning the rain was still coming down so hard we couldn’t leave the hotel.  We were told two tornadoes had touched down during the night.  The bike looked OK, and with 80% rain forecast for the day we were still stuck.  It was obvious that Florida hated us and we needed a new plan.

We decided then to rent a car.  We would load everything but the tandem.  Drive back to our truck.  Come back and get the bike.  Drop off car and head to St Simon.  It would only be about 120 miles round trip and it beat sitting in a hotel.  Plus we were tired of Florida.  Great plan; one problem.  It was Sunday.  In Lake City both car rentals were closed.  Hertz was closed.  Enterprise was closed.  Avis just didn’t try that hard because they did not even have a place in Lake City.  It looked like another rainy day in a hotel.  At least it was warm.

The sun came out around 3:00.  The wind was blowing but it felt great walking around in the warm sunshine.  Tomorrow we ride.  We decided to head for the truck and laid out a new route.  We were 60 miles from the campground and it was straight down hwy 100.  It was sunny and warm and tomorrow looked like a great day to ride.  It even looked as if we would have a tailwind.

storm damage

Day 2 -Florida 2013

After freezing a good part of the night I was ready to go.  By the time we packed, dealt with the truck parking and biked out of the park it was 10:00.  For the next 7 miles we rode on a bike trail to the town of Keystone Heights.  We ate at McD’s and got our last real time weather report.  It looked good for today, but things were looking bad the next two.  There was one bit of good news; a tailwind.  We so rarely have a tailwind it was heaven.  The wind was just 7-8 mph but still.

Our hope was to have a dry day, sleep with no rain and pack up dry.  A big hope, but we always go big.  The day was dry with just the lightest sprinkle as we pedaled  the 56 miles to O’Leno State Park, so we counted it dry.  It rained for the shortest period during the night, but the tent was dry when we got up.  Still good.  We cooked breakfast, packed.  Just as we started to pull out another camper came over to give us a weather update.   Tornado watch, 80% possibility of severe thunderstorms and possible hail.  Well,  that was scary.   We pulled out and the rain began as soon as we started to pedal.  It was light at first but soon became a rain.

We had already changed our plans for the night and we headed for a hotel in Lake City 22 miles away.  Again the winds were favorable and we made good time.  The rain even lightened up a bit and we were feeling we might make it without getting too wet.  We pulled under the portico and the bottom completely fell out.   As we holed up in our room we were just happy to be dry.

 waiting out the rain

Day 1-Florida 2013

We arrived at Gold Head Branch State Park around 3:00.  The plan is to spend the night, and load the bike and head out tomorrow.  We unpacked the truck and put up the tent.  After setting up camp we drove in to town for supper and came back and built a fire to knock off the chill.

The low was supposed to be in the forties tonight but warm-up the rest of the week.  We headed to the tent around 9:00 with a definite chill in the air.  We both have lightweight summer sleeping  bags and we are glad it is no colder.  It got colder. Susan in her down filled bag didn’t notice too much.  It is rated to 30.  Me, on the other hand in a flannel bag, rated to 70, maybe; froze.  The bright spot though, we brought our big queen size air-mattress for the first night.  It is way too big and heavy to haul with us and it would stay with the truck in long term parking.  But tonight it would be our last good bed.

 Now this air mattress is 10” of air cushioned bliss.  I really sleep good on this mattress, unless it leaks that blissful air.  I didn’t get the valve closed tight and by 5:00 my butt was flat on the cold ground.  I was glad to see the sun rise. 

 unloading the truck the first night

packing to start the adventure

 packed and loaded, the Beverly Hillbilly look

taking a break along the road