Day 1 - Palatka, FL, 34 miles, 43 miles total

I got started by 8:30 this morning.  Opening the door of the motel to wheel Wally outside was a sobering experience as the heat and humidity slapped me in the face.  Then I was backhanded by the equally sobering thought that I will likely be dealing with these conditions all the way into Texas.  Might as well get used to it.

I didn't pay any attention to the American Cycling Association route today, opting for a more direct route to Palatka on Hwy 207.  It had a nice bike lane for much of the way which was later replaced with an even nicer, and completely deserted, bike path.

 The hills in Florida are man made.  This one spans the St. John's River

A nuclear power plant and a lumber mill (?) across the St. John's

 In the beginning I felt so good that I was regretting having scheduled such a short mileage day, but near the end I was very thankful that I had.  The fires and smoke at home had kept me off the bike most of the time since mid July, and I felt the effects of that today.  But it sneaks up on me.  I thought all was well until I got one of those excruciating hamstring cramps while eating lunch.  Thankfully it was over in a few minutes.  Usually eating something salty combined with copious amounts of Gatorade helps with that, so that's what I did.  And after getting into my room a few miles later I stretched everything out and did some upper body exercises, and I'm feeling pretty good now.  The a/c certainly doesn't hurt either.  :)

Nice bike path paralleling Hwy 207

 Ft. Shannon, in Palatka, which is no longer a fort

Florence is on everyone's mind around here even though it's predicted to stay north of us.  Millions are evacuating in the Carolinas.  It's predicted to slow down and turn south once it nears the coast, which could result in several days of hurricane force winds and major flooding.

I've had a tough time with electronics on this trip so far.  First, I left my Kindle on the plane, or so I assume.  I was reading with it while coming into Jacksonville but haven't seen it since.  I had about 20 unread books on it.  Ugh.  I filed a lost report with United but I don't have much hope of ever seeing it again.  I deregistered it from my Amazon account and notified their customer service (so nobody can buy books with it on my account) but I just wish some kind soul would turn it in.

Then my MP3 player wouldn't turn on, but I'm pretty sure the battery just lost its  charge somehow.  It's on the charger now.

Tomorrow night will be my first night of camping.  I will be near Gainesville then, and hope it cools down enough at night to allow me to sleep.  Lows have been in the 70s, but it feels closer to 80 with the humidity.

NEXT---)