Gulf Breeze, Fl. (Pop. 6,340)

The 6:30 alarm sounded, and even though I was awake, I didn’t feel much like moving to get ready to leave. We headed to Walmart, as that was where I had stopped my ride yesterday. I started getting dressed for the day while Dana prepared some food for me to eat for breakfast and to take along for the ride. After several weeks on the road, we’re starting to sync our rhythms for smoother transitions from sleep to spinning wheels. We knew the wind was going to pick up during the day, so I wanted to get rolling as early as possible.

I left the parking lot around 7:30 and headed west. I was hoping to reach Pensacola today, but cities can get a bit complicated. Our preference is to stop just short of a city, ride through it the next day, and end up on the other side. With the wind at my back, I gained 3–4 mph, which at times made me feel superhuman (most days, it doesn’t take much to make me feel that way). When the bar is low, I’m easily impressed.

My route followed US 98 all day. For most of the day, I had a bike lane, which helped a lot. The closer I got to Gulf Breeze, the more road construction I encountered. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m constantly looking in my helmet mirror, watching the traffic as it approaches from behind. At one point, I was stuck between construction cones and traffic. I had enough, but not plenty, of space. It was a bit hectic, and I kept watching the traffic in my mirror. I saw a massive motor coach approaching, with its wheel on the white line—meaning the actual coach was another six inches into my space. I kept watching and saw the driver wasn’t budging from that line. As he approached, I ducked between several cones, and he whizzed by. Had I stayed put, he would’ve probably been no more than 18 inches to my left. I don’t think he would’ve hit me, but I was pretty pissed. He had space to his left, but you know how it goes. Here’s my theory: some grandpa told grandma, “Hey, let’s get a massive motor coach and go see the world. I know, I’ve never driven one before, but how hard can it be?” I have no idea if he saw me or not, but that joker shouldn’t be driving that beast. Just saying.

However, I did arrive safely, and for that, I’m grateful. Some of you might be questioning my sanity. Well, join the crowd. Here’s how I ride: I’m constantly conscious of the lines to my left—always! I’m also constantly aware of where traffic is—always! I watch closely to see if vehicles start moving to the left. Only then do I begin to relax. I agree bad things can happen, but I’m doing my part to mitigate the risk. My dad once told me he wished—or at least wondered—what would have happened if he had made different decisions in his life. He told me to live in a way that I wouldn’t look back and ask, “What if?” I’ve always remembered that and have kept pushing the envelope. Call me stupid, but that’s the way I’ve tried to live my life.

As you all may know, there’s a pretty nasty storm marching eastward through most of the Midwest, stretching north and south across much of the nation. Because of that, we decided to book a hotel to ride out what little will hit here. There will likely be some winds and rain, but not much else.

Be well, do good, and be kind!もっと詳しく