Long Haul - Day 46 (10/1/21) Stuart, FL. to Boca Raton 74.6 miles.
Today was one of those days when we just had to put our heads down and keep going. Several days ago I was a bit concerned about todays ride because the weather was calling for a good breeze from the east and a chance of rain However yesterday it seemed the rain had moved to the early morning. We woke up this morning and saw they were calling for a chance of rain this morning and ending towards noon. We headed out since there was also a chance that it wouldn't rain. This morning, that made perfect sense to me. After about 7 miles we stopped at a convenience store to get some Gatorade. As we were leaving it started to sprinkle, but we kept going. Within a mile we were in the middle of no where and it started to pour. We plowed on hoping we could find a shelter somewhere. No such luck. We did find several small trees that blocked maybe 75% of the rain. Since we were already soaked to the skin, we couldn’t get anymore wet. We huddled under the trees for more than half an hour, although it seemed like several hours. It kept looking like it would clear up and then it would pour again. When it finally started to clear up we took off and found a better shelter to wait out the rest of the rain. Finally we were out riding again. The sun never really came out but it started to get hot and muggy. Later in the day there was enough sun that the asphalt got really hot and we had to take several breaks.
We were about 10 miles out and stopped for a drink and a snack before nailing the last ten miles. We were just about to leave and I noticed my front tire was a bit spongy. I quickly pumped it up and Dana said “hey look at this and there was a wire sticking into the tire. We did ride through a bunch of crap today and it isn’t surprising we punctured another tire. The tire lasted till we arrived but was certainly losing pressure. I changed the tube when we arrived and am currently drying our shoes with a hair dryer.
This ended up being the longest day yet and we arrived dragging and feeling whipped. But we arrived and are alive and well. That’s what counts.
Don’t forget to donate money for trees if you haven’t done so yet.
https://www.treesforgoshen.org/biking-for-bucks-expand-goshens-tree-canopy/
Today’s Ride Ratings
Weather 4 (it got pretty toasty today and we had a wind from the east)
Temperature 75 at start and 83 at finish
Scenery 2
Riding Surface 10
Terrain 10
Dana is deep in thought on that picture!! "Myron what did you get me into" Sounds like you all might need a weeks vacation after reaching your destination! Be safe!!