After a restful one and a half days with Mike and Mary Pikula of Fernandina Beach, I put the pedals in motion and arrived at St Augustine Beach at 4:30 p.m. Travel southbound has certainly been easier without the severe headwinds that served to humble me northbound. A1A is also in better condition for southbound travel withouth the sand and vegetation encroachment on the east side of the highway. Today, I traveled 55 miles.
Tomorrow, I should reach the Daytona Beach area. It looks like my plan to stay in state parks will not work on weekends, since everyone seems to flee civilization for the wilds on weekends. One thing I would love to see the Greenway address is the availability of reasonably-priced lodging to encourage more cyclists to bike and camp long-distance in Fl. There are plenty of parks along the Greenway, encompassing a tremendous number of acres, but with very few opportunities for primitive camping. There is much the state can do to enhance cyclist participation through more efficient use of existing camping facilities. After all, if the state is concerned about encouraging its citizens to adopt healthier lifestyles and improve personal fitness, why not encourage more cycling, since it is a "green" activity? And, cyclists who use primitive camping facilities don't burn lights and run TV's and AC's all night. A look at Florida's GO GUIDE boasts of "more than 700,000 acres"; but most of those parks, and especially on the East Coast are designed to encourage only energy-wasting RV camping.
I believe that, as the days progress, I will likely be able to cover more miles on a daily basis, thanks in part to more favorable winds, but also due to better physical conditioning. Due to easier pedaling conditions today, I was actually able to focus on some of the scenery around me.
Al
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