A beautiful sunrise led to an equally beautiful day for cycling. Today I opted for late and less - a later start and less miles. I wanted to ride one full day with my friend Sue since she was the person who invited me to join this tour. The last few days we have separated at some point during the ride. Today was the day (or at least the first one) to stay with Sue. We cycled about 37 miles. It was about 66 degrees at the start of the ride and near 80 at the end. Wind was a minimal issue ranging from 5-10 mph out of the south/southwest.
One reason to ride less miles was to return in time for the tour-provided lunch. With fun rolling hills near the end of today’s ride, we were able to achieve our goal of eating lunch at camp!
Last night, the tour also had a campfire and s’mores. Several of our group enjoyed the dessert of campers; there should be more tonight.
After about six miles of road riding we entered the Four Freedoms Trail. Before we could start pedaling it, we had to walk the first 50 yards or so because the trail had sand washed onto it. The trail was not very pleasant for several miles due to all the tree roots breaking the surface.
We were given a tour of the Madison County Courthouse. Yesterday Sue and Linda were chatting with the convenience store owner (aka ice cream stop) and he suggested that his son give us a tour of the courthouse where he worked. Unfortunately, when we visited there today, said son was not working, therefore another young man (Zack) gave us a tour. The pipe/silo-looking structure on the left of the courthouse (in the background) is a standpipe built in 1894, and it is one of only two still standing in the State of Florida. At the end of our tour, the guard at the courthouse suggested Zack come outside for a photo.
