Start - Houston, TX
Stop - Ocala, Fl
Today's miles - 1,118
Total miles - 1,118
After anticipating and planning this ride for so long, I couldn't wait to get going. The idea was to go to bed at 7:00 PM and leave when I woke up. But I couldn't sleep. So I finally gave up trying at 11:15 and did what it took to get going. I timed my gas receipt as close to midnight as possible. I headed down Clay to the Beltway and then to 59 North.
The great part was the ride. After dodging the late night crazies on the Beltway, it was a great night ride. Perfect weather. Not a lot of traffic. Obviously heading to Shreveport, LA, isn't the direct route to Key West but I needed to stretch this first part to 1500+ miles so I took 59 to I-20 to Jackson, MI, and then angled down to Mobile, AL.
Everything about the ride went well. Until I got to Florida the weather was perfect. No rain. Until I got to hot, muggy, and scattered rain shower Florida. I saw big clouds to the south so tomorrow might end up a rain gear day.
The disappointment came when I stopped for gas in Florida and saw a text from Kelley saying that the GPS tracker quit working in Mobile. It stayed in the same place for three hours. I thought about people who might have checked in, and the possibility that they might think the worst. I called the company and they said they would work to fix it. So just know, if the blue dot isn't moving that doesn't necessarily mean that I'm not moving.
My original goal was to get to Gainesville to certify a Saddlesore 1000. I didn't speed, I didn't hurry, and I didn't take the interstates the whole way. I just didn't stop much or for long at a time. I ended the ride for the night past Gainesville at Ocala, FL. All told, today covered 1,118 miles in 19 hours. Key West is about 500 more miles.
Over and over today I found myself thinking how blessed I am to be doing this. As fun as today was, there are lots more days like this to come.
1 comment:
Congratulations on making it to Key West! I like you John Maxwell quote.
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