Wed., 30 October 2019
Last nights rain resulted in morning dew and fog. Riding from the campground to US17 where I started today’s route reminded me of so many Bicycle Rides Across Georgia (BRAGs). Just cool enough to make the moving air pleasant, though not cool. Fog lifting from fields—beautiful.
Based on a warning alert on the ECG online map, I was wary and alert prior to crossing the St. Mary’s River bridge. The grates are passable with a hybrid’s wider tires. The narrow part was daunting, but made it across no problems. It was only a short distance until I entered Florida, and I could not have been more pleased to see the sign.
It started heating up as soon as the sun was up good. I was grateful to see that the nine-mile section of A1A that began in Yulee had a bike lane. That was quickly replaced with a mental uh-oh as I noted the upcoming road construction which placed the barrier directly in the center of the bike lane. This made a very close right-hand side of wall and a very close left-hand side of moving vehicles. Thankfully, I had my pool noodle. I have found that centering it keeps it straighter, and gives a visual buffer on both sides. The right side was hitting the reflector posts sticking up from the construction barrier from time to time. That’s how close the wall was.
The sun was a beast, and I was having a hard time staying cool enough. I saw a nice, shady entrance to some (likely) upscale subdivision or community. There was ample shade and a bench! I could see the bridge to Fernandina coming up, so I pulled over to cool off. At that point the heat index was 94. I poured what “room temp” water I had over my head, neck, and shoulders. I drank most of the cold bottle I had. Ate a few bites of an energy bar. Rested, I headed back into the sun. I was just on the steepest part of the bridge when the loud noise of metal clanging in the chainring brought me to a quick halt. I thought my chain had come off. Moved the bike over against the guardrail and discovered a wire firmly wrapped around the chainring. The wire looked like one of those pieces they use for flagging markers, only longer. It took about 15 or 20 minutes to unravel the firm wire back around and out. Now all of my cool-down had vanished.
The bridge offered wonderful views of the exceptionally high tide in the marsh. I wanted to stop, but I wanted to feel that cool, downhill breeze even more!
My first stop after that was a Fast Mart where I bought a large orange soda over a cup of ice. I had consumed the liquid almost before I paid for it. The ice went right into my water bottle. I had gone only about seven miles, when I noticed that I actually had chills. I have ridden enough rides to recognize that sign of distress. I pulled into another quick mart store. I bought a 20-oz Gatorade, some potato chips, and a large cup of ice. I found shade in front of the store, drank most of my beverage and ate some chips for as much salt as I could ingest. I pulled up the local weather to see this.
Twenty years ago I might have been foolish enough to keep riding. One of the things about a long-distance ride is that one learns their limits. You learn when not to “hit the wall” or “bonk” because you haven’t kept up with enough calories to keep you going. You learn the signs of heat exhaustion or heat stroke. That was it. I had to stop.
I called my ever-faithful “Sherpa” to my aid. She and my cousin picked me up. We boondocked in the driveway of my cousin, Eddie Davis. Eddie and his daughter, Kelly, came out to visit us Christmas Eve. We visited in front of the fire, Christmas lights adorning the tent covering our picnic table.
I was sad to miss riding the trails from Amelia Island and the Timucuan Trail. I wanted to take the Fort George to Mayport Village Ferry. But that will be for another trip. We had stayed at Little Talbot’s State Park over the Christmas Holiday when Cumberland Island had shut down with the US Government. We liked the area, and we noticed what a cool bike trail there was. When I saw that it was part of the ECG, I was excited to know I’d be riding there.
After a shower and an Old Fashioned making demonstration, Marie (Kelly’s mom) joined us and drove us to the Sandollar[sic] Restaurant. It was all-you-can-eat, and I ate all I could, by-golly. We watched a tanker, an auto cargo ship, and the previously mentioned ferries navigate the St. John River. We learned from our Jax hosts, that the St. Johns is one of only a rivers in the world that flow north. We watched the colors of the sky as the sun set. The towering cloud in the picture actually changed to look like it opened up to release steam, a poof of vapor or steam from its top. (I didn’t catch that image though.) DL won an adult beverage for being the first one to call out the artist’s name based on the spoken (not sung) first few lines of a song. As we left, she gave the entertainer a tip, and he gave her a hug.
29.89 mi / 624.33
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