Bike Ride to Palatka

St. Augustine to Palatka: 39.2

Total mileage: 70.8

Today was another short day as we headed out of St. Augustine to Palatka. Because it was such a short day we had TONS of time to kill before we needed to be at the host and were on the lookout for fun things to do along the way. About ten miles into the ride we came across Moses Creek conservation area which is a part of the Florida's Save Our Rivers and Preservation program. After locking up our bikes we set off for the bluff observation path. At the end of the two mile walk, this was the view we happened upon:

 

 

Right out of the gates after lunch one of the riders had a flat so we stopped to change that before we finished up our ride.

We did come across a fantastic road name, Cracker Swamp Road

When we rolled into town we were shuttled to the local college to shower (great shower pressure) and then headset back to our host church for a BBQ. All of the churches in the town came together for dinner along the weather which was fantastic. Many of us have decided that not only will we be being across the country, we will be eating ourselves across the country. I can't complain!!

A bunch of us tried to mix and mingle and we met some great people; I did have to work on my small talk, but we ended up meeting some really cool people. One woman I met was an epidemiological nurse who oversaw the local division. She told me about all the work she had done with the county and her mission work - she is still going strong. Her husband was also great - a retired band teach at the local high school. He is the one on the right. The other was a pastor from the church we were sleeping at.