Day 1. I sleep in a bus (but it’s not what you think)

March 4, 2025

No Wi-Fi in the bus so this journal entry had to wait but today you get two entries -isn’t that great? (unless this rhyming scheme is not what you’d wish and you find it plebeian and rather childish.)

Out at dawn I’m hitting the road but first a stop for breakfast to intake my caloric load. McDonald’s has hot coffee and a sausage McMuffin. It may not be haute cuisine, but it’s better than nothin’.

Crossing the bridge was no sweat as the bike lane brought me right over the inlet

The main thing from this business that I can glean is someone here is a fan of the washing machine

Spotted wildlife and circling vultures over the fields of agriculture

Nine miles on the road and I turned upscale as the route diverted onto the St Augustine Palatka trail. A ribbon of asphalt through the wild which got me off the road and I smiled.

View from the trail is a swampy bog. And what does one hear? Why of course, a frog.

Sun still coming up in the sky it’s still low which means you can see my shadow

A fast decent from the causeway requires a bit of chutzpah as one makes their way into Palatka. I passed Angels diner, supposedly the oldest in the state. It was too early for lunch but I hear it’s great. I passed two others cyclists and called out “bonjour!” -it’s always great to talk with other cyclists on tour.

“Here’s the church and here’s the steeple, only thing missing is all the people!”

At 45 miles I stopped in Florahome for a break. I felt it was necessary as my butt began to ache. The fountains water was cloudy, it seemed off-kilter. Good thing I brought my Kathadin water filter.

After 76 miles I was more than ready to visit the park named after musician Tom Petty

I arrived at my destination full of anticipation. It’s a converted school bus parked in the host’s driveway outfitted with a bed, kitchen, and bath it’s just perfect for a one night stay.

Staying in the bus was comparatively cheap and to be honest I had a good nights sleep

At the end of this ride I met this affectionate kitty which was good because after 78 miles I felt rather … bad

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Today's ride: 78 miles (126 km)
Total: 78 miles (126 km)

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Comment on this entry	Comment	5

Kelly IniguezDo we get a photo of the bus interior? Good job on a long day.
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1 month ago

Paul MulveyTo Kelly IniguezKelly I have something just for you - you get a pic of the interior when you read day 2 😃
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1 month ago

Rich FrasierHopefully it's also for the rest of us. There are many who'd appreciate a picture of the bus.
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1 month ago

Paul MulveyTo Rich FrasierYes of course it is - I didn’t mean to exclude. Not sharing the pic with you all would have been rather rude.
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1 month ago

Gregory GarceauNothing could be finer / than to eat at Angel's Diner. I'd expect the servers to have wings / while serving up delicious things. One particular angel might a gracious host, that would be Tom Petty's ghost.
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1 month ago