I took a day off at the home of a former USCGC GLACIER shipmate, Bill Kelsey.  Bill and Lora are dear friends and were phenomenal hosts for allowing me a chance to rest and recover:

Today I enjoyed a mostly wind-aided ride to Jacksonville. I passed mainly farms, rural homes, and a few new housing developments that appeared to be out of place in their rural setting.

The first water stop I encountered was 62 miles into the ride.  Fortunately I carried extra water to eliminate worrying about running out. But what a difference a cold bottle of water can make to a weary cyclist:|

During today’s ride, the scent of pine trees was most pleasant.  And I was occasionally showered by falling dogwood petals and strands of oak tree pollen.  For the entire journey to date, I haven’t experienced any allergies.

I had one episode of gnats swarming around me.  Other than being pesky, the biggest problem is that they get stuck to my generous coating of suntan lotion.

I noticed that I was climbing more and more each day.  Even so, I was amazed that I covered the journey in only six hours.

Today’s tally: 73 miles