Day 002 - Gainesville to Macclenny - Two Far 2023 - Oranges to Apples - CycleBlaze

April 17, 2023

Day 002 - Gainesville to Macclenny

Heart 0 Comment 0 Link

Today was one of those "Boy what a difference a day makes" days.  Yesterday I made great time due to a nice tailwind but was sweating in the afternoon due to the heat.  Today, I had to put a long-sleeved shirt on under my jersey to get warm and fought a persistant headwind all day long.  The only constant between yesterday and today was the road - I spent the entire day on SR121 and enjoyed its great shoulders and moderate traffic.

SR121. If only all roads were this nice. I'm expecting a drastic change tomorrow when I enter Georgia :-(
Heart 1 Comment 0 Link
In my dream, I had put it in hyperdrive and had already reached Wisconsin.
Heart 2 Comment 0 Link
Reality soon set in, and I realized that I had only traveled 18 miles in 2 hours.
Heart 1 Comment 0 Link
La Crosse, FL does have its civic pride. Every streetlight had a banner, and while not especially picturesque, the town was neat and free of litter. (It seems a shame that being free of litter is noteworthy enough to comment on.)
Heart 2 Comment 0 Link
Logging is a major industry in this part of the state. Because of the wide shoulder, the log trucks were not a problem, even if they didn't move over as most other trucks did. This photo also shows that I should have said La Crosse was MOSTLY free of litter.
Heart 0 Comment 0 Link
Newly sprouted corn.
Heart 0 Comment 0 Link

There were several varieties of wildflowers along the route today and I stopped every time I saw a new one to take a photo. Unfortunately, I am not a photographer, and most of them were blurry due to the wind causing them to move around so much.  Only these three made the cut.

Heart 0 Comment 1 Link
Bill ShaneyfeltDaisy like ones are fleabane.

https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/photo.aspx?ID=2479

Tiny bluish-white ones are probably Teas vervain.

http://www.southeasternflora.com/view_flora.php?plantid=796
Reply to this comment
1 year ago
Heart 0 Comment 1 Link
Bill ShaneyfeltSpiderwort.

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/169877/browse_photos

And if you look carefully to the right is a tiny yellow clover like flower, black medick.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicago_lupulina
Reply to this comment
1 year ago
Heart 0 Comment 1 Link
Bill ShaneyfeltWild petunia.

http://coastalplainplants.org/wiki/index.php/Ruellia_ciliosa

Not enough detail to tell the purplish one on the left, but possibly family Lamiaceae.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamiaceae
Reply to this comment
1 year ago
The Santa Fe River is very popular with kayakers.
Heart 0 Comment 0 Link
Lake Butler. The water is brown due to the tannic acid.
Heart 3 Comment 0 Link
As chilly as it was, I was surprised to see people swimming today.
Heart 1 Comment 0 Link
Besides being popular for swimming, there is a nice city park with a playground adjacent to the lake.
Heart 1 Comment 0 Link
Another shot of SR121 between Lake Butler and Macclenny.
Heart 0 Comment 0 Link

Today's ride: 58 miles (93 km)
Total: 123 miles (198 km)

Rate this entry's writing Heart 9
Comment on this entry Comment 0