I'm tired of buying leg warmers on the run! So, as a last-minute impulse, as I was about to load the bike into the car to head to the airport, I decided to go back and grab my leg warmers. I have two pairs, one purchased in Savannah and one in Munich, both on an "emergency" basis. And when I looked at the morning's forecast for Jacksonville, I said, "Better safe than sorry," and back upstairs I went. And I used them today, as it was a cool 50°F when I pushed off at 8:00 AM!
That is probably a record start for me, but winds were predicted to kick up mid-afternoon and possibly earlier. I don’t care for headwinds much, and while most of this wind would be out of the NW . . . some would be out of the W, so better to get an early start. While I was headed mostly SW, I had 54 miles to knock out, and the last ten are always the toughest.
So I was up a little before 7:00 and chowing down on the hotel’s "free" breakfast by 7:15. Originally I was going to pass, but it looked passable and would save me a stop along the way. Good thing, as the place I had identified for breakfast eight miles down the road turned out to be closed. As they say, a bird in the hand . . .
I stepped out into the cool morning air as the sun rose and went to load my course. What course? No course! Somehow, this one was missing from my Garmin. Well, I guess I could have gone back inside, kick-started the netbook, and downloaded it. Instead, I went to my RWGPS app and downloaded the course to my phone (which took forever, it seemed, but not really) and looked at the cue sheet. Wow, four turns. I think I can manage that without the Garmin. PLUS, no countdown to look at as I tooled along. I liked that as well. So off to Apalachicola!
It was nice to start the day on the bike trail. It will be a great improvement when it’s finished. I’m not sure how far they will build it, but it ended at my “decision” point. South to Panacea (for all that ails you) or west toward Sopchoppy, Wakulla County's biggest city. I headed south (sorry, Sopchoppy).
While it was a bit longer, I knew that when I laid out my original route, which follows the coast as closely as possible. Plus, the long bridge over the Ochlockonee Bay was calling me. It would give me my first good view of the Gulf after all. And then there was Mark's advice last night on how to deal with the wind (which at this hour was minimal) . . . and that was to head south. Well, that has its limitations, as I don't walk on water in everyone's eyes, mine included (well, maybe sometimes), but it might give me some relief while I warm up since I might even get some wind push. Then I would have to head west for a while before finally turning southwest for the balance of the day.
It was a pleasant ride. I passed the breakfast restaurant at about MP 8.4, and yes, it was closed. And while the hotel's breakfast was hard to stomach, I’m glad I filled up. That was somewhere around Panacea, and my bridge crossing came up shortly after that. I was expecting it to be windy, but it wasn't really, and traffic was light enough that I was able to cross to the far side for a picture of the rising sun. I’m pretty happy with how it turned out.
On the approach to Ochlockonee Bay. The only hills in these parts are the bridges.
Shortly after crossing the bridge, I made it to the big bend that would take me northwest for about two miles before turning southwest to rejoin FL-319. This was also a bit of a test to see how the winds would be, but it was still too early. While there was some, it wasn’t anything more than normal.
The view of the Gulf as I rounded the bend to head west.
So upon rejoining FL-319, the mileage sign said nine miles to Carrabelle. And Carrabelle was only 20 miles from Apalachicola, so I was making decent time. And I was catching glimpses here and there of the Gulf. Most of the property along the coast is, understandably, developed, with only brief stretches where the road hugs the coast close enough to ride the water’s edge. Of course, if you really want to get out in the Gulf, you need to cross over to one of the barrier islands offshore or head out on a point (such as Alligator Point, which I passed at the bend).
This was a pretty decent view looking ahead on FL-319. Note that the shoulder disappeared!
So FL-319 was without a shoulder! That surprised me a bit, as most major roadways in Florida have at least three or four feet. But then, FL-319 is also designated US-98, so maybe that has something to do with it. My practice in these situations is to ride the 1/4 point, halfway between the centerline of the lane and the white line. That will generally put you three feet off the roadway's edge and discourage traffic from trying to pass you in the face of oncoming traffic. Riding much further right encourages squeeze plays where cars will pass you too close and may knock you off the road. Fortunately, traffic was light enough that there were no issues.
Carrabelle is a cute little town. My course had me following US-98 through town, but when I spied a scenic bypass called Gulf Avenue, I jumped on it for a better entry into the city.
The beginning of Gulf Avenue. I saw no cars on this road except for the one birder who was pulled off the road and out of their vehicle with large binoculars set up for bird watching.
From there, it was back on FL-319/US-98 and over the Carrabelle River. At this point I wanted a Gatorade and could have backtracked a bit in Carrabelle to get one but assumed I would see something on the way out of town as well. Well, no, nothing! I was a little surprised but pushed on. Not the end of the world, especially when I saw the sign for East Point. Just 14 miles! I knew I had to cross a long causeway to get into Apalachicola but also thought that distance was measured to the edge of town. Ha, not likely! Well, whatever the distance, I was close.
The Crooked River Lighthouse where I stopped to chew down a banana.
The road really opens up as you approach East Point. This view looks out over Apalachicola Bay toward St George's Island. If you look closely, you can see the very large bridge carrying FL-300 out from the mainland. On first sight I thought, "Is this my causeway?" Fortunately, it was not (I knew it was headed in the wrong direction).
In East Point I finally stopped for my Gatorade . . . and some chips. It had warmed up considerably, so I finally doffed the yellow raincoat (which I more frequently use as a windbreaker). I still had two layers on, a long-sleeved base layer covered by a short-sleeved yellow jersey. Onto the causeway!
I passed straight through East Point and approached the causeway to Apalachicola . . . and the wind picked up significantly!
After you cross the first causeway, there is a second. When I stopped to take this picture, I was literally almost blown over. I was down to about 6 or 7 mph for most of the way across. And I still had one more bridge to cross.
I received a warm welcome, arriving a little before 2:00 CDT. They even tried to move me to a first-floor room to make moving the bike easier. But that didn't quite work out . . . but it wasn't a problem. I unloaded the saddlebags, and they let me carry the bike up around the intricately carved stairway to the second floor, where I promptly parked it on the back porch. Then I rested a bit and went out on the town. And had a great time! Don't miss Bowery Station (also known as BS) . . .
At Bowery Station, I sat down at the bar next to some local color, William (Bill) Eaton, who is the chief engineer for WOYS - Oyster Radio.
That was a full day for me . . . time for bed as I plan to rise early (even though breakfast cannot be had before 8:00 AM!). Tomorrow is a relatively short day, plus I gain an hour as I drift into the Central Time Zone . . . followed by a day off!
Today's ride: 56 miles (90 km) Total: 372 miles (599 km)
Rate this entry's writing
Heart
1
Comment on this entry
Comment
1
Mike Ayling"Owning the lane" can be a good tactic as long as there are not too many "redneck" drivers. Reply to this comment 2 months ago
