Driving South and my first bike ride

Tuesday morning at 6:30 AM just as the sun came up I said goodbye to Greg and drove 375 miles in 8 1/2 hours to Macclenny, FL. It was another sunny day with light traffic and I made it to my planned Walmart stop in Macclenny, FL I did some shopping and had a Subway sandwich for dinner. Temperature was now in the mid 50’s.

I got another 7:30AM start on Wednesday and planned to do some biking on the Santos Bike path, actually called Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway. Someday it may cross FL, it’s the former route of the proposed 110 mile long Cross Florida Barge Canal, from Palatka, FL though Ocala and Dunnellon, FL. https://www.floridastateparks.org/learn/history-cross-florida-greenway

My start and turnaround this year are the two blue dots. It was a 23 mile ride which took me two hours. It is a hilly, asphalt bike path. I peddled the entire trail last March is was a 32 mile ride. There is no parking lot where it ends on the west end by SR200 so I parked up the road in a Walmart parking lot. I felt good but I was slightly slower than last March. One interesting aspect of the ride is that it crosses over I-75 on what they call a land bridge. Many animals get safely across the highway this way.

I got to Paul and Helen’s beautiful home in Inverness, FL at 3 PM, it was 80^o.

I met Paul and Helen 10 years ago when I was camped on the beach in Mexico and usually stop by to see them every year.

I got to meet their son Scott and his wife, we all had a great dinner together.

Thursday I will head over to my campsite on the Withlacoochee River called Cypress Glen.

Saying Goodbye after Short Visit

Another early start before the rainstorm, there were tornado warning later in the morning. Lots of rain and lightening but no wind.