| after an hour or so, we pedaled out of the park & on south the remaining 20 miles to high springs. yikes it was hot, & the humidity made the sweat well up onto all skin surfaces the minute we'd stop, even for a few seconds. roma went ahead to the motel, but as sari & i pedalled past a mall, rita yelled out to us, "want to go for ice cream?" she knew the answer. |
| she, loralee, & becky had stopped to shop, & while in the stores, asked about places in town to eat ice cream. they learned about a soda fountain in downtown, so we followed them there. roma saw us pedaling right past the motel & called out to ask where we were going; when we told her, she got back on her bike, crossed the highway, & joined us. |
| high springs has a cute little old downtown. we stopped at the "soda fountain & bridal registry" shop. what a combo, eh? the 2 women behind the soda fountain filled our orders...root beer floats for some, malts & shakes for others. i ordered a double-thick chocolate malt made with chocolate ice cream, & it was fabulous. i haven't had a real malt in years & years. |
| bike clothes were sitting out to dry on lawn chairs all over the motel parking lot by the time we biked in mid-afternoon. roma, sari, & i soon followed suit; we share my clothesline. the phone in our motel room is always kept pretty busy, since roma & sari make quite a few phone calls & i connect my ibook to check emails....then later, to send the day's web report & photos. you'd think that life would be pretty relaxed once we're off the road, but usually it's a flurry of hand laundry, phone calls, computer work, plus the endless arrangement/rearrangement of STUFF in our bike bags & duffels to get ready for the next day. which is not to say that all riders spend their time this way; we have lots of colleagues who are getting several books read during afternoons & evenings on this trip. |
| michelle made a delicious salad supper....an onion/cucumber salad, tabouli (sp?), the corn/cilantro/avocado/red pepper salad she's made before....plus bread, roasted chickens (in those little plastic bubbles from the grocery store), & fresh strawberries with a couple choices of cake for dessert. after supper was the map meeting; michelle announced she was offering 2 choices for routes tomorrow---one 73 miles & the other 108 miles---to palatka. amazingly, 2-3 are thinking they'll do 108. the rest of us had no trouble choosing the 73-mi option. |
| some had heard weather forecasts that include rain for thurs & friday. as we walked back to our rooms after supper tonight, a rip-roaring thunder/lightning/rainstorm descended. as roma said, the storm sounds & looks real neat tonight, but won't look that way if it's still around in the morning. |
| then michelle again tackled the discussion about logistics for the friday afternoon & saturday morning person & bike transport to the bike shop, shipping sites, & airport. at this point, it sounds like a nightmare, but i suppose everything will work out sooner or later. |
| patty elliott related that she'd heard from the reporter, mike cerre; the segment that might include people on this bike tour--probably about 3-4 minutes long--will air on good morning america this friday morning at 7:40 or 8:15 (i assume eastern time). |
