The Way It Is (Day Fifty-six)

Today had its ups and downs. I left early from Yulee and turned on A1A, which is the main highway that goes down the Florida Coast. It started out fine and there was a nice bike lane. Unfortunately, that did not last long. There was construction going on for several miles (maybe installing a wider bike lane?) and the orange barrels completely blocked the bike lane. As it was early Monday morning, traffic was heavy. Especially truck traffic. I put on all my lights, and went as fast as I could. It was scary and very stressful. 

I hadn’t had breakfast yet, so I stopped when I saw a Huddle House, which is similar to Waffle House. My hands were shaking so bad, it was hard to use my fork! I was on the verge of tears, but I managed to keep them in. The food was very good and the waitress was sweet. She told me the construction didn’t go on for much further and she was right. 

The next obstacle was thunderstorms. They were behind me, and to my left, but I could see blue sky ahead and to my right. I made the decision to press on. I was surprised to see a lot of other bikers this morning and something I didn’t think Florida had: a bike path! I could have ridden on it, but I decided to stick to my route and do what they told me to do. I got rained on quite a bit, but it felt good. Today was a fairly short day, and I realized I would be arriving in Atlantic Beach very early. But that’s OK! I don’t mind because it keeps me out of the afternoon thunderstorms, which seem to happen around 2:00 every day. And it gives me a chance to explore the town. 

I rode up to the Mayport ferry just in time, and I paid a dollar for them to take me across the river. I love the ferries. I thanked them and rode off. I stopped for some water, and a man said “You’re probably gonna get rained on!” I said, “That’s OK. I’m used to it!”

I’m looking forward to St. Augustine tomorrow. I’m staying with my friend Doug for one night and some new friends the next. I haven’t seen Doug for almost 20 years, so it’ll be nice to catch up and have oysters together. I hope he’ll have time to show me around the city. St. Augustine is one city I’ve always wanted to see.