The ride thus far…
The ride began with a couple of setbacks. Between some equipment failures, a tire blowout, and heavy rains, progress from Thomasville to Mayo was difficult, but they overcame the challenge and pushed all the way to their destination and rested for the coming day.
Day 2 was sunny and hot, and before long the riders began to miss the rain from the previous day. Soreness began to set in, and one rider (Austin) had some trouble with his seat. When they arrived in Palatka, they found that the original dinner location had flooded. Fortunately, Niko’s Pizza stepped in to fill the gap. Having eaten their fill of pizza (and they ate a lot), they headed to bed.
They set out for New Smyrna on the morning of day 3, and before long their inland view gave way to pleasant coastal vistas. They did take the “scenic route,” crossing the same bridge twice when they had to double back. Their efforts were rewarded with a beachside cottage in New Smyrna, where their appetites took an upward turn as they devoured an undisclosed number of Chick-fil-A sandwiches. The cool ocean water and sandy beach made for a relaxing evening, but the best part may have been the fact that they slept in real beds that night, having been on air mattresses up to this point.
At 7:45 this morning, they began what may be the most beautiful leg of the journey – a scenic beachside ride on A1A. As they journey onward to Ponte Vedra, St. Simons, and then back home, please join us in praying for their continued safety and looking forward to their return on Saturday.
