Date(s): Nov. 19, 1999
Day: Friday
From: Micanopy, FL
To: East Palatka, FL
Lodging: St. Johns River Campground
Segment Mileage: 66.0
Cumulative Mileage: 3554.7
Actual Riding Time: 5:12
Average Speed: 12.6
Weather: Cloudy, mild
Temp: High 80's
We're almost there. Today we rode within 40 miles of St. Augustine and the end of our trip. We're staying in East Palatka, FL and have pitched our tents for the last time. We will be staying at the St. Augustine youth hostel tomorrow night. We plan to meet at the seawall at around 12:30 at Castillo de San Marcos. There is no beach in the city so some of us will dip our front wheels in the water from the seawall. We plan to take pictures of the group there and meet those friends and family who will be in town.
Today I rode alone for most of the day since I got a late start because I had to prepare breakfast and lunch for the group. Oliver decided to explore the park and went in search of exotic birds on one of the dirt trails, minus his BOB trailer. He later told us that he didn't see a single bird at the recommended spot.
Micanopy is filled with antique shops in old homes surrounded by huge old live oak trees. I took a brief ride through town after leaving camp. My first stop was at the Margorie Rawlins State Historic Site, home of the Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Yearling and Cross Creek, books about life in that part of Florida. While there I met a man who works for the water management district who was fascinated by our trip and wanted to talk forever. He told me tales of being raised near the St. Johns River and how his father taught him to fish and hunt in the swamps. He told a story about a hunting trip when he ventured too close to shore and an alligator leaped and nearly landed in his boat. He said that was the last time he got too close to the shore in a small boat. I later ran into him at the Orange Store in Citra and he told me about an artesian well where I could fill up my water bottles.
In Citra I passed most of the group who were eating once again at a restaurant. The route then passed through swamps interspersed with a few cattle ranches. There was also a licensed hunting preserve surrounded by an opaque fence. Traffic was light but fast as usual. I found the well, filled my bottles, and spoke to another man about our trip. I don't tire of discussing our trip and think I will miss seeing the wonder in people's eyes when I tell them where we've been and where we're going.
I met up with Bruno and we rode the rest of the way together, stopping at a lock in the canal that runs from the St. Johns, then riding through downtown Palatka. On the bridge across the St. Johns, a wide river that runs through much of north and central Florida, a man who had seen us earlier was stopped on the wide shoulder and wanted to ask about our trip. He was inspired by a group of breast cancer survivors who had ridden our route, and his goal was to repeat the journey. Just before camp we ran into Spike who was having fun talking to a man in his 80's selling fruit, who seemed to make up prices on a whim, laughing and joking the entire time. Bruno bought 2 or 3 oranges and ate them on the spot. We debated about buying a small watermelon but couldn't figure out how to get it to camp. The last we saw Spike he was headed to the next fruit stand.
Instead of a campfire we walked to a nearby restaurant for dinner. We've gotten very accustomed to our life outdoors and it will be an adjustment to be spending our time inside. Even in motels we sit outside our rooms talking.
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