A cooler start in the morning with rolling hills led to headwinds late in the morning and afternoon. Lucky for Janet, Queenie and I, Mike decided at our lunch stop to join us for the last 20 miles, so we had help during the last stretch. The first SAG check in today was at Tupelo’s Bakery & Café in Monticello. I couldn’t decide between the dark chocolate Guinness bread and the pumpkin spice bread, so I got one slice of each. I ate the chocolate one with a coffee at the shop and took the pumpkin one for dessert with lunch. Both were absolutely scrumptious. Our second SAG check in was in the town of Greenville; we stopped in a local park where there is a bronze statue paying homage to homegrown superstar Ray Charles. We opted for lunch at another subway. After lunch we rode through parts of the Twin Rivers State Forest. There were several controlled burns under way and I was able to capture a few photos of the firefighters in the process of lighting the fires. We could see the fire line they had previously cut into the dirt. Tonight, we are staying at the Suwannee County Fair Grounds inside the colosseum. Today was also the last time the staff washed our DSL (dirty, stinking laundry). As the final days approach, there will be more “last” tasks/activities. We are having a guest speaker tonight, however I am posting early so I don’t know who it is yet.
Stats from the day:
Start city: Tallahassee, FL
End city: Live Oak, FL
Miles: 77.17
Total miles to date: 2755.69
Pedaling time: 5 hours, 33 minutes
Avg. speed: 13.9
Feet climbed: 1,719
Fatigue factor: 4 out of 10 (10 is the worst);
Wind: start: N 5 mph; mid-ride ENE 12 mph; end NNE 11 mph
Road condition: 4 out of 5 (1 is the worst)
Temperature extremes: 56 at ride start, 71 at ride finish
Above the door of the Jefferson County Courthouse in Monticello, built in 1909, there was a plaque with the words "suum cuique" It is a Latin phrase translated as "to each his own" or "may all get their due."
Our first SAG check-in with the delicious treats!
The park where the Ray Charles statue can be found.
Tribute statue to Ray Charles in his hometown of Greenville, FL.
Notice the tool the man on the right has that he is using to light fires.
You can see a small flame just to the right of the sign.
Just after a fire was lit.
We saw plenty of smoke too.
Where we are spending the night.
