Brrrrr. 46°F this morning! What is this about? Fortunately, I have those leg warmers plus my long-sleeved, zip-up heavy jersey I wore down on the flight and used my first day riding in from the airport. I had packed it deep into my panniers after that, thinking it would just be dead weight going forward . . . unless. And unless came today!
But it was still early, and breakfast didn’t start until 8:00 AM! Seeing I could get coffee earlier, I was downstairs in the dining room by 7:30, drinking my morning brew and catching up on my blog. And at 8 o’clock promptly, breakfast was served. It was a choice between two egg casseroles, and I went with the spinach and cheese. One helping was not going to do it, but one helping was all I was allotted. This is sometimes the problem with staying at a B&B; a hearty breakfast is not their forte! But I filled up with some cereal, fruit, and yogurt and made conversation with the gentleman across the table from me who had an intense interest in all things biking! That whiled away more time than I intended, and before I knew it, we were approaching 9:30! Time to ride!
I stepped outside on the way back to my room and confirmed my outfit for the day. Even if it warmed up to the expected mid-sixties. I'd rather cycle a bit on the "warm" side than a bit on the "cold" side.
All set to roll on this brisk morning with plenty of sunshine and only a light breeze.
So the course was pretty straightforward today. Almost no turns till MP 27 or so, and that's only if I decide to stick with FL-30. I had been warned it didn't have shoulders, but it also is, to an extent, off the beaten path, so I expected less traffic. Like yesterday's ride, I could decide when I got there (but I was already pretty sure which direction my path would take).
So it all worked out pretty perfectly. Of course, US-98 would have trimmed about four or five miles off my course, but FL-30 follows the coast and passes through some very nice scenery with very little traffic. My only concern was the wind I might get once I made the turn at Cape San Blas to head north toward Mexico Beach . . . since the prevailing winds are from the NW these days, at least until the storm up north passes through.
A nice bit of untouched scenery on my right just past Indian Pass. To my left was mostly developed property (as you might expect).
At MP 23, I decided to take a little break and have a snack. I was halfway to Mexico Beach and had already picked up an hour when I passed from the Eastern to the Central time zone. St Joseph Bay Buffer Preserve Center made a perfect spot with picnic tables and an observation tower.
The grounds at St Joseph Bay Buffer Preserve Center. I climbed the observation tower to the right for the subsequent pictures.
After my snack and climbing adventure, I was off again, not really sure how far I had to go before I rejoined US-98. I decided after getting on FL-30 to "stop" the course and just follow the road. I knew it was about seven miles after the turn, and it would come soon enough. No need to watch the miles click away.
As it turned out, it was only four miles. At that point I reloaded the course, as I knew there were some side streets and/or bike trails available along some parts of US-98, and I didn't want to miss them. But before those came along, I had to tackle Port St Joe.
I diverted off US-98 briefly to take a look at the Cape San Blas Lighthouse. That is quite a structure and well-fortified against the wind (which I was not seeing too much of yet!).
Shortly after the descent, just past MP 33, I diverted off US-98 again and followed some local roads and bike trails for three miles before returning to the main highway.
Open Street Map Cycle (OSM Cycle) does not show this trail, which is unfortunate, as it's a very nice ride.
After that section, you pass through a residential neighborhood and then join a restricted road converted to pedestrian use. I later learned this was the old alignment for US-98.
At this point I was five miles from my hotel in Mexico Beach. The wind had picked up . . . or I was just tired . . . or maybe both, or maybe I didn't have a sufficient breakfast. But I was ready to be there.
I love welcome signs. From here to the hotel, I decided to ride on the sidewalk when I could.
I'm off tomorrow but not looking to do too much beach time. We'll see. I went out for a late lunch and walked barefoot on the beach on the way back. That allowed me to see the beachfront side of the hotel close-up. Definitely good places there to sit and read if nothing else.
Today's ride: 42 miles (68 km) Total: 414 miles (666 km)
