Jupiter

-
The ice maker at the Plaza Hotel & Suites gave us a beautiful start to the morning with chilly water bottles. Back to the coastline and following the Intracoastal Waterway. After about 10 miles of mansions and hedges we began looking for a store to buy some snacks. However, the good people of Palm Beach must eat strictly at the all-inclusive resorts - there were no shops. Another 11 miles and we learned a lesson about waiting too long to take a break.

I got cranky but Rach was very patient with me and when we did finally find a corner market the gregarious owner and the tales of his travels eventually began to thaw my frozen heart.

Lots of private beaches today where the palatial main houses were on one side of the road and small matching "cabanas" sat closer to the coast, often with a jacuzzi or putting green. The middle of the day featured many fit seniors riding road bikes and another selection of super yachts.

The beaches in Jupiter had stunning turquoise water and we nearly stopped off for a swim but decided to press on to our campsite at Jonathan Dickinson State Park. We must have been riding strong as we arrived fairly early in the afternoon. Just enough time to set up the tent and rain fly before it began to rain. We stripped the bikes of their bags and tore off down the park road to the Loxahatchee River. There were no gators when we stopped at the "Gator Culvert" but the storm may have scared them into hiding.

As we rode the final mile or two the heavens opened and began lashing rain. We just managed to scramble underneath a pavilion for shelter while lightning crackled and thunder boomed around us. Trail mix helped the time go by and when the rain began to subside we got hot chocolates at the Park store.

The precipitation continued to weaken and we hopped on our bikes to return to our campground for dinner. Spaghetti with red pesto and mushrooms was delicious. The ambiance underneath the bathroom's roof overhang was just so. Tomorrow: Wabasso.

State pastime

Fancy yachts

Beach wife

Jonathan Dickinson State Park



Comments

  1. the Old GuyApril 27, 2018 at 7:32 PM

    Ah, yes - the bonk and then the rain. I hope the tent is more or less waterproof. Do your sleeping bags and such dry out for the next night? How about some Cliff Bars or Nature Valley bars as a stash to help you through the lean times? Remember: The worst day riding is 10 times better than the best day working.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. mikeroddyApril 28, 2018 at 5:40 PM

      The tent is thankfully waterproof and we set up everything and stashed our gear inside before the rain began so not much got wet. We're keeping some Clif bars in our handlebar bags to turn to when the situation demands.

      Delete
  2. CheriApril 27, 2018 at 7:33 PM

    Sounds like you need some emergency Cliff Bars. Hope tomorrow is dry and ride safely.

    Cheri

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownApril 27, 2018 at 8:21 PM

    Hi guys! Stay dry and make sure you are eating enough chips.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. mikeroddyApril 28, 2018 at 5:41 PM

      I am eating an enormous amount of chips. We met a man in a park today during a break. He seemed quite shocked that we would eat anything other than fruit and vegetables.

      Delete
  4. Debbi StevensonApril 28, 2018 at 12:00 AM

    Ha ha, try travelling through France and needing a shop! Yes to cereal bars and a spare meal or two in your packs (muesli mixed with powdered milk). Good luck. Xx

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Variable Weather

-
Image
Yesterday we officially entered the British part of the trip. The weather was overcast and cold (52 deg F/11 deg C). I'm pretty sure London was actually warmer. Due to the dismal weather we weren't inclined to take a break until about 24 miles in when we reached the town of Lindsay. This was the only town of the day with any kind of business though we were well stocked with snacks and lunch. We huddled together under the overhang of the roof as it began to rain. The rain eased up before too long and we continued on our way. Later we took a break just standing at the side of the road and I took the chance to wish Happy Birthday! to my younger brother. The scenery was much the same as previous days: gentle hills, grasslands, lots of hay bales waiting to be collected, and the occasional herd of cows meandering around. A group of pronghorns scampered away as we rode past, flashing their white tails towards us. Did you know that pronghorns are not antelope nor deer, and that their...
Read more

Gentle Undulations

-
Image
"Gentle Undulations" sounds like a band from the 80s. It's also the best way to describe the terrain of southern Virginia. Our ride this morning took us past wheat fields in various stages of growth under a blue sky peppered with fat white clouds. We had no rain today, which was a nice change. We mostly rode on quiet rural roads with tortoises and snakes also making their way across the thoroughfare. We went past places with names lifted from my home country, places like Stonehenge, Isle of Wight, and Scotland. However - given that we went past all these places in the span of a few hours - the settlers decided not to copy the original geography. Around noon we took a 20-minute ferry ride across the James River to Jamestown. Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in America and, boy, do people seem to like to visit it. Despite it being a fairly random Wednesday in May the visitors' center had a lot of cars parked outside it and people were making their ...
Read more

Hitchhikers

-
Image
Memorial Day (a public holiday in the US for the non-Americans reading) was a rest day for us and we spent it in Washington DC. We took a train into the city from Springfield, anticipating bigly huge crowds. We had to steel ourselves for the masses, we have not spent much time in busy areas lately. Perhaps the overcast weather kept people away but it wasn't particularly crowded. We observed various military groups and high school bands setting up for the afternoon's parade. We didn't stick around to see the parade start and instead went to some museums. We visited the National Air and Space museum and the National Museum of the American Indian, both were great. Later, we trekked back to Springfield. Last night's accommodation was 5 miles off the route so this morning we set out to rejoin the main route again. For the uninitiated: we're following a route and using maps put together by an organization called Adventure Cycling. It means that we don't have to do n...
Read more