Destin, Fl. (Pop. 13,931)

We are in the Central Time Zone, so the sun is rising an hour earlier. The good news is that I can get started earlier than before. Normally, I wasn’t hitting the road until 8:30 or even 9:00. I knew today was going to be a bit longer than other days, so the extra hour really helped. I’ve been trying to keep the mileage to around 40 miles per day since I haven’t had the chance to train for this ride. Today’s ride was 55.6 miles. I left right at 7:30 and was soon heading west.

My route followed US 98 most of the day, with several cutoffs. County Road 30A is a road that parallels US 98 but runs closer to the beach. The challenge was getting off US 98 and onto 30A. I pulled off to the side of the road, waited for a slight gap in traffic, signaled with my hand so drivers could see, and crossed three lanes of traffic. It wasn’t as bad as it seemed, but I was glad Dana wasn’t along—it’s always harder to look out for a second rider.

Once on 30A, I cycled through a lot of silly touristy stuff—you know, shops all selling the same T-shirts, food, hotels, and bars. Some of the food looked interesting, but overall, I had no desire to linger. The ride was relatively peaceful, as it was still early in the morning, and I suspected most people were still sleeping off their hangovers. After a while, I was routed onto a path alongside US 98, then back onto CR 30A. This time, the route catered to wealthier tourists. The houses were “fine,” the buildings were beautiful, and the shops were designed for serious spending. The ride was quite hectic, too. There was a path alongside the road, but it was bumpy, and for some reason, tourists thought it was a good idea to walk their dogs, jog, or meander with their bikes. The miles didn’t tick by quickly, but it was a nice change of pace. Before long, I was back on US 98.

Along the final stretch, I had a lovely path off the road, which was a welcome relief. For the last 8 miles, I had a bike lane on the road, with all the traffic. A slight breeze at my back helped me make up for the crowded tourist traps. I arrived at our meeting place around 12:30. I was pleased with the day’s progress—55+ miles in the books!

Tomorrow we’ll head toward Pensacola. I’m not sure if we’ll quite make it, due to timing and other factors, but I’m hopeful. There’s some interesting weather on the way, with southeast winds (helpful, since I’ll mostly be heading west) of 13–19 mph. Hopefully, that’ll make for easier riding. Wind is always unpredictable, though, so we’ll play it by ear regarding how far I’ll go. Later in the night, stronger winds are expected. We might try to find a hotel and hunker down.

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