February 18, 2025
Day 4: Gainesville to Fort White
I again woke up in the middle of the night but kind of got back to sleep. It was a little cold. I used the inner bag as a cover part of the night and wore my puffy coat the last part. My tent was really wet from dew and perhaps I was a little to near the garden sprinkler. It was dry inside, though damp. My bike was under a tarp lying on the ground and it got wet. I was a little malorganized in the morning. I hope I can get better at packing early.
Martha and Tom made breakfast for us. They made an egg casserole and cranberry muffins. It was a very nice treat. I ate 2 pieces of the casserole and took an extra muffin for lunch.
It started out cold, I think about 45. I again wore shorts and leg warmers plus, a long-sleeve canari jersey, the medium perlizumi gloves and my red perlizumi jacket. I took off the jacket after about an hour and didn't wear it the rest of the day. It won't fit in my jersey pockets, so I put it around my waste and helped fasten it with the ACA slow-vehicle triangle. The weather ended up being beautiful. I think it was in the 70s by the end of the ride. There was some headwind, but it wasn't bad. I rode with BW for much of the day, though I fell behind a few times. The RWGPS directions took us to the wrong campground, but it was an easy fix to get to the new one.
I made a PBJ sandwich and took 2 slices of cheese and a clementine. I ate half of the cliff bar after about an hour and a half. I ate the clementine and muffin at a stop in Alachua. I got a gatorade in Fort White because I was out of water. I also filled my water bottle. I think I was done about 1:00 and ate my sandwich and some peanut butter crackers and half of a white chocolate bar.
After we arrived I went over to Itchetucknee State park with some guys (JW, SR, PB, JC, and JF). Some of us, including me, swam in the spring. The water is always 72F. It felt cold at first, but was nice. I didn't want to use my towel to dry off and didn't take a shower after we swam. I also didn't do stretching or roll my legs.
I found out last night that I am the 2nd youngest. The youngest is 64 and the oldest is 75.
Dinner was a tuna noodle casserole. It was quite hearty and filling. We also had salad. For desert we had strawberry shortcake. I think yesterday and today I did a better job of eating enough food and I wasn't hungry all the time.
I tried to go to bed early, but it took a while to organize things. It is supposed to start raining from 5-6 am and I want to be ready for an easy exit in the morning. It is forecast to rain 1.2 inches and not stop all day. I am planning to wear my rain gear. I think I will try to ride fast and finish early. We ride 59 miles today. We'll see how the legs feel in the morning.
Today's ride: 50 miles (80 km)
Total: 146 miles (235 km)
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