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| Flagler Beach. My last view of the Atlantic Ocean. I turned west from here on Road 100. |
I rode north along the Atlantic Ocean from Daytona Beach to Flagler Beach. Then, as is my custom wherever possible, I stopped after twenty miles for breakfast.
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| My loaded bicycle in front of a restaurant in Flagler Beach |
“That your bicycle out front? said an older Southern lady.
“Yep.”
“Did you ride that thing all the way from California? My accent in just the word “yep” told her two things: that I am not from here, and only a Californian would be that crazy.
“No but I’m going there.
This is my first day out.” It
opened a door for her to wish me well and for me to ask about hurricanes. Turns out she gives them as little heed as we give earthquakes. The big concern we both agreed on is how
traffic is increasing and the roads have not kept up.
About twenty miles inland I was in farming country. It used to be swamp, but drainage canals like
this one have lowered the water table to ten feet or so below the surface,
opening Florida for cabbage, seen growing for miles of flatland above the
canals with their apparently stagnant water.
I write this from Palatka on the St. John River in a fine, but
inexpensive, motel. Tomorrow I will ride
to Gainesville, but fear the forecast west wind of 19 MPH. It is supposed to begin about 10AM and blow
straight into my face. I will ride with
the lights on for an hour and try to cover as much distance as possible before
it begins.
Hello again dear Sharon! So happy to see your post. We've started a new Friday tradition... whoever is here Friday night... we turn on the Sharon Show!! Tonight Amir Liz, Rick and Liz watched the beginning... w/ pictures enlarged by our fancy slim TV screen... but we missed this post... I think my computer was so stunned by what was happening...it could not really refresh as I asked it, so did not see this last post till after Amir went back to the lab with his mice... and finally Liz gave up finding the right top for any container to put food away... and I found your new post! So it's for next week's show. Please add audio and video. Today's meeting was great. We met outside as something with priority happened inside... but it was a mild evening, light longer and all happy to be in fresh air. Liz, Amir, Tim, Dalton, Jonathan, Taura, Bryan, Robert, and I.... missing you. I noticed you were practicing your yeps on yahoo even before you left... and they STILL could tell where you came from... yes well mon petit chou, looking forward t another story tomorrow, and we'll be broadcasting your news here each Friday night for whoever is smart and sweet enough to rsvp.
ReplyDeleteGo easy on your computer. It may not be to blame. Today the wind blew to the east hard enough to slow my transmissions by internet. If it blew any harder, my sendings might come back with fragments of Spanish Moss attached. It’s nice you showed my blog on your TV to the Friday gang. I write this from Gainesville where tomorrow I will stay and rest. You see, I’m a bit out of shape.
DeleteHooray! I am signed in to make no sense at all!
ReplyDeleteI love it when you don't make sense.
DeleteHope you have a good rest and relax tomorrow - we were happy to be able to share the beginning of your adventure. Liz brought me home from Haiku and we had a sweet time here, I read your blog post aloud to her and Rick and enlarged your photos, yep. See you tomorrow... we are wilting off to dreamland and will make no further sense either!
ReplyDeleteI am indeed resting today in Gainesville, just lying around.
DeleteDon't slow down! I'm following you! (on Blogger!)
ReplyDeleteThanks for following, nice to have you along.
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