Well, I woke to a cool morning after a good night’s rest! It didn’t surprise me too much; I had left the bathroom window open all night (with the door closed) to help dry out my hand-washed cycling clothes from Monday. I was creating just too much humidity with my hot showers to get the job done otherwise. Even so, my periodic trips in the middle of the night didn’t cause any alarm for me, but the Floridians staying at the hotel were quite alarmed over the temperature. They really didn’t want any of it. So after breakfast, I stepped outside to confirm my thoughts and decided a long-sleeved base layer would be enough, with the possibility of my rain jacket if it was windy.
My last pancake at Pirate Haus . . . at least for this trip!
After returning to the room, I quickly packed my panniers and readied myself for departure. By the time I was ready to push off, I decided it was too hot for the rain jacket and doffed it before departing. I shoved off at 10:30 AM, almost to the minute. It was going to be an easy day.
Ready to shove off. I was plenty warm enough . . . it felt warmer than the 40-some odd degrees reported by the Floridians.
Getting out of St Augustine was relatively easy, passing along the Plaza de la Constitución and then along King Street and out of town. King Street is one lane in each direction with a center turn lane. And no bike lanes! But the lane is wide, and cars passed politely. And once you're on King Street, you're on ACA's Southern Tier route, and there are no turns till you reach the St Johns River . . . about 16 miles away. It changes names to County Road (CR) 214 once you leave the city, but it's pretty much a straight shot. And that's OK if not a bit boring. And there is no shoulder to speak of, but once you get past I-95 (at about MP 6), traffic drops off significantly, and I found most cars and trucks changing lanes to pass me, giving me a wide berth.
The typical look of CR-214 heading west towards the St Johns River.
The posted speed west of I-95 is 55 mph! If that scares you, FL-207 is a viable alternative; however, it is a four-lane divided highway. But it has healthy shoulders, and I rode it to Palatka in 2016.
At St Johns River, I turned left onto what seemed like a much quieter road . . . and one that followed the river most of the way to Palatka, with some diversions to local roads, and then a return to the river. It was pleasant and quiet and pretty.
These look like lobster pots, but I know we’re in Florida! What do they catch in these things?
It wasn't long before I was in East Palatka, and while riding along, all of a sudden I noticed this bike trail to my left. I think I joined with it around MP 38 but did not actually get on it until MP 39. I believe this is part of an effort to create a continuous trail from St Augustine to Palatka.
Looking back on what is a very nice and wide bike trail!
The approach to Memorial Bridge. I missed the last curb cut at the previous intersection, and there was none at the approach, so I had to jump the curb (or ride the shoulder over). I chose the latter. Almost there, and there were pictures to take!
Crossing the bridge. This could be one of my biggest climbs in Florida! And yes, those are two cooling towers in the distance. I’ve been tracking them since I reached the river.
And dinner, blackened shrimp with coleslaw, fried okra, hush puppies (which were delicious), and an additional order of fried mushrooms. I had only eaten three pancakes and a banana today . . . so I was hungry!
