January 26, 2016
Jacksonville to Palatka
What a great biking day! It started out a bit on the cool side but warmed up quickly. And the threat of rain disappeared, and temperatures eventually rose to the low 70s. And we had more trail riding than we expected. So good all around.
This was Happy's first tour day, so he had some shake-out to do. I had returned to Florida with pretty much everything I had left with (except the camping gear, of course). I did add my leg warmers (just in case), but like umbrellas, if you bring them, you won't need them; if you don't, it is sure to rain. So we will see.
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
So the first 30 miles or so were pretty predictable, back down the coast to St Augustine. Happy and I had ridden this northbound on our East Coast trip, and I had ridden it a second time northbound coming up from Orlando, but I had never ridden it southbound. And yes, southbound is a different ride. Plus, Happy had routed us around Ponte Vedra Beach, keeping us on Route A1A all the way to St Augustine. I was worried that would be an unpleasant part of the ride, but Florida did me right with more than passable off-road facilities (in addition to their standard bike lane). Traffic was heavy, so being offset from the travel lane was welcome relief.
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
As you can see above, the trail is WELL off-set from A1A and landscaped nicely. Of course, Ponte Vedra is fairly upscale, and it showed!
South of Ponte Vedra, we rejoined the section of A1A we were both familiar with. I was making good time, partly by being in good practice (and shape) and partly due to a light tailwind. So I was hitting 14 to 15 mph most of the way to St Augustine. Compared to the northbound trip the week before, where I was doing barely 10 mph in 40-something degree weather, I was on a biking high for this stretch. So after crossing the Tolomato River and hanging a left on San Marco Avenue and finding myself in front of the famed Fountain of Youth, I decided to pass. There are guys younger than me who need it more. :-)
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
After St Augustine, I did not have high hopes for FL 207, which would take us to Hastings and Palatka. Of course, we had bike lanes, but the road is heavily traveled as it has an interchange with I-95. That proved true, but at MP 43, we were handed a nice bike trail (all asphalt, not a glorified sidewalk) and took it to Hastings.
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
I could not locate a name for this trail, but it clearly is a rail trail. In fact, the adjacent parallel road is called Railroad Avenue. And it's well-designed. Note the signage to the right, particularly below the 20 mph posting (this is for the trail, believe it or not!). The separation for cyclists and pedestrians is a very "German" approach to manage the two modes, except normally it would be striped that way on the pavement. Here it is only signed. Interesting detail. Maybe the striping will come later. As it were, we saw only cyclists.
We still had to ride on FL 207 again for a short distance before we were able to pick the trail up again after passing through Hastings. It then took us pretty much into Palatka and over the St Johns River for the big climb of the day.
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
Our hotel was at the foot of the bridge, and after making a side trip for some Fritos, we checked in and hit the bar, where they feature 2-for-1 draft beer. Apparently, ALL DAY LONG! We only had two and then walked back across the bridge for dinner at the local seafood restaurant and then back again to the hotel. Tomorrow, we cross it again to continue our trip! That will be four crossings in 24 hours. That should make a record somewhere!
Today's ride: 62 miles (100 km)
Total: 972 miles (1,564 km)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 1 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |