Today was Day one of our Trans-am Tour. The first official riding day. We planned for a 7:30 am start and pretty much made the mark. This was to be an easy day.
At times we rode on busy roads with narrow shoulders. Drivers were generous about sharing the road and passing with reasonable speed and clearance. I don't think we had any issues with drivers that I can recall.
At other times we were on quiet backroads that were quite pleasant. Spotted a few white egrets that were feeding along the ditches or out in pastures. The foliage in many places was quite lush. Reminded my of Oregon, except here there are, among other things, palm trees growing amongst the greenery.
One rider, Ace had some trouble with dizziness and was feeling weak, so we kept a comfortable pace, checking to be sure he was doing okay. There was some head and cross winds, but occasionally it swung around to become a tailwind from time to time. Nothing that was unbearably strong. Overall the riding conditions were quite nice.
We took to the main highway on the last leg to Palatka. It was busy and noisy, but we had a reasonable shoulder and again, drivers were courteous. One tall bridge to cross over the St. John River and we were in Palatka.
By general consensus of everyone, we decided Ace should go to urgent care to be checked over by a doctor, just to be sure nothing serious was going on. Roger drove Jo and Ace to the medical facility and eventually to a local hospital where many tests were run.
In the mean time May and I went for a walk about town. We had lunch at the
Magnolia Cafe, then strolled through town admiring some of the many murals. Some were exceptional. We strolled down to the St. John River before heading back to the motel. Roger returned from the hospital with an update on Ace. He and May then went back to the hospital to await the outcome. Ace's tests didn't reveal any problems and it was decided that dehydration was probably the culprit. With Ace's clean bill of health everyone returned to the motel.
Dinner was at
Angel's Dining car as recommended by one of Roger and May's friends. Come prepared for huge portions and a very friendly staff.
We all met in the evening to go over tomorrow's plans. Looks like we're going to get rained on no matter what, so no need to bother with getting an early start. :)
35 miles
2:54 time
11.7 average
226 ft gain - yeah, that's flat.
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600 year old Oak with spanish moss. |
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Bridge over the St. John River |
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Palatka town clock |
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Murals |
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St. John River |
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