Skip to main content

Day 55- Itchetucknee Rest Day

 Come on, Florida — let’s up the game a bit, shall we? 37° at dawn with a high of 60 when the normal temps are 49 to 76 seems unfair. It does, however, add to the badassery factor when you have to leave the tent in the middle of the night to answer nature‘s call under such harsh circumstances.

We built a fire and enjoyed coffee all morning till brunch was ready.


We hung around until about 11 when we headed across the street to the Itchetucknee  State Park.

We started as a whole group minus Terry and Sue who had to go shopping for dinner. First we headed to the trail to Blue Hole.


The Ichnetuckee River has many springs and underground caves and Blue Hole is one of the ways divers access them. 67,000,000 gallons of water flow out of Blue Hole daily and the water stays 72° year-round.

We walked further into the park and saw a kayak company launching boats for a float down the river to the south entrance of the park. We looked into it but it was all booked. Too bad. Some people we talk to said it was like floating 3 miles through an aquarium.


Matt, Adam, and Jack went back and Ann and Kelly and I hiked the nature trails. We didn’t see much wildlife but did meet up with Sue. We eventually headed back to camp too.



I couldn’t sit still so I hopped on the bike and headed into Fort White to mail a card and have a look around. I found some nice sandy roads to ride on and stayed out about an hour and a half.



Looks like another chilly night with a low of 34°. I trust my gear…, I trust my gear…

Things I learned today:

  • I can ride a tandem thanks to Adam and Kelly
  • Florida is fickle

Comments

  1. AnonymousNovember 20, 2022 at 3:53 AM

    Nothing like closing out the ride with a “badassery”(great word) factor. It cracks me up that on your rest day you can’t sit still. Love the picture of you on the tandem. Debbie

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 42- Jackson LA

 It rained hard all night and this morning brought thunderstorms. Again we were lucky to have indoor accommodations. It continue to rain through breakfast. Drunk Bob, our weather app, predicted  possible clearing around 1 o’clock, which meant we’d have to fit 60 miles into six hours to get in before dark. Doable, but not preferable. At around 1015, after much standing around, adjusting layers and stretching, we set off. It stayed cloudy but dry. We were thankful for that small mercy as it was chilly. The ride took us across our first bridge of the day. This time it was to cross the Atchafalaya river. From there it was a route of back roads with light traffic. The sun kept peeking out, promising warmth and we were soon peeling layers. I saw some interesting things along the way. This group of cows had loose wattles  and humps like camels.  This church had a no trespassing sign on one of the doors. Just like Jesus said we should do. And this is the machine that cuts th...
3 comments
Read more

The Ducks Come Together

Since I pulled the trigger on this trip I have had the feeling that in trying to get my thoughts organized I am really in the process of herding cats. No, not cats. Squirrels. Wild, wooly, anxiety ridden squirrels. What sleeping bag? What tent? Will my bag be too heavy? Will all my stuff fit in said bag? What if my air mattress pops? What if I get cold (I hate to be cold). What if my tent leaks. What if - And then, all of a sudden, things start to come together. The squirrels are turning into ducks who are settling into rows. My bike is shipped. My backup bike has a new seat that is so comfy I might just bring it with me. I rode 80 miles yesterday and could have gone farther. I am upping my mileage and enjoying it all. I've decided on a tent and gotten the stuff to seal the seams and waterproof the fly. I've decided on a bag and today a sleeping pad came that might just suit me. I'll try it out this weekend in the backyard. The maps arrived and while I'm not sure how AN...
Post a Comment
Read more

Day 9- Tonto Basin

 Where to start? The 6:30 AM takeoff, the Tonto national forest where there are cactus instead of trees? Maybe the ropey cactus that could be CHOLLAS. Or the incredible views of the superstition mountains that we rode through. They stunned me with how beautiful they were. I even enjoyed the 12 mile climb, even though I stopped every half mile to breathe. The grade was about 4% so it was doable, and the switch backs and wide shoulder negated the fast traffic. I had to just stop and take it all in at the top. The pictures just do not do it justice. And then we went down — 6 and 7% grades made for sore hands. I picked something up in my tire that didn’t seem like a big deal at the time. Stay tuned. We stopped in Jake’s corner at the general store for something to hold me for the last 10 miles. The sky was dark and threatening and we heard thunder closing in. The girls in the store said if we were going we should go, so Carl, Kelly, Adam and I booked to camp with a storm on our heels. ...
1 comment
Read more