Today’s winds were in my favor for most of the day.  The challenge was the heat. As the air temperature rose into the mid-80’s, the pavement temperature climbed ever higher.  My bike computer sensor reflects what can be interpreted as pavement temperature and I watched it climb to over 107 degrees (see the lower left hand number):

I never felt that hot but did take more frequent water breaks.

My computer also provides critical weather alerts.  During the ride, it kept flashing “gale warning” to me.  I didn’t note anything in my weather scan during the previous night, so I ignored the warning during the ride.

Today was another day of narrow median strips.  This picture provides a sense of the challenge.  Steering a narrow lane on a racing bike is a cinch.  Steering a narrow lane on a touring bike while carrying forty pounds of saddle bags is a chore:

Even so, I was able to act more like a tourist on today’s ride:

I also took note of the swamplands, and endless fields of wildflowers. I also noticed majestic oaks growing very close to major state highways. I couldn’t help but salute the highway engineers for their wise stewardship decision.

Speaking of the swamp, I avoided making water stops in these areas after experiencing a siege by thirsty mosquitoes.  And I encountered a baby snake crossing my median into open traffic. I chose not to render any assistance because the critter had a diamond-shaped head, indicating that it was most likely poisonous.

I also learned about an amazing solution to minimize the presence of roadkill, having encountered numerous flocks of vultures. They perform a gruesome service but are fascinating to watch as they jump out of the way of oncoming traffic and then immediately return to the task at hand.

As I got closer to Darian, traffic was dominated by large tractor trailer trucks characteristic of a major port city.  My route tried to take me off-road but here’s what I encountered at the beginning of an 11-mile unpaved trail:

I didn’t want to take the chance that the trail would become impassable so I decided to join the trucks.  It was a good decision and the truckers were very accommodating since my median eventually disappeared.

When I arrived at the hotel, I scanned my weather apps and found out that the gale warnings were clearly evident for the next day.  I made the difficult decision to take a rest day, knowing that those forecasted winds would serve to nearly break my spirit over the anticipated 80+ mile ride.

I made sure that I could stay another night.  Adapt and overcome!

Today’s tally: 70 miles