What a gorgeous day. Some things do average out. Last year’s leg the weather was cold and rainy. This year’s leg, the weather couldn’t be more perfect. Smooth roads; bike lanes/shoulders most of the time. What a difference a year makes.
This part of Florida has counties named after southern statesmen like Jefferson, Madison, Washington and Calhoun to name a few. We stopped for a break in the county seat of Jefferson County which was called, what else, Monticello. Pretty little town that seemed as though time passed it by. The scenery has been pleasant with a lot more hills than anyone expected. The terrain did seem to flatten out after we got into Madison County. This part of Florida definitely has a southern feel to it.
Matt and I paired off and Brian and Mark paired off for a good part of the day. Each group had plenty to talk about. At one point, Mark and Brian pulled up to us and Brian was giving an answer to the trivia game they were playing. When we asked what Brian was talking about, Mark explained the game they were playing but added it was “their game and we couldn’t play”.
It is somewhat bittersweet to think we only have three more days of riding to complete the ‘Southern Tier’. Of course, this has been a trip of a lifetime and quite an accomplishment. We have had so many laughs and shared experiences. I love our routine of arriving at our destination for the night, putting the bikes in our rooms and meeting in Beth’s room for a cold beer and some conversation about the high and the low of the day. It is hard to do it justice in this blog. I’ll think more about that for tomorrow’s blog.