We began the adventure by driving from Randy’s place over to Playalinda beach on the east coast, just north of the Kennedy Space Center. After unloading and getting everything on the bikes, I rolled out to the ocean for a quick front-tire dip.
Leaving, we noticed a sign – apparently, there’s a nude beach by boardwalk #13. We didn’t see any numbers on the boardwalks, nor nude bathers. Whew – there are some things you just can’t unsee.
Our first 8-10 miles took us across Merritt Island from the coast, through the wildlife refuge, past the old Space Shuttle landing strip (which we couldn’t see through the trees), and over a large bridge into Titusville. These miles were on road, but the traffic was not bad. I saw my first gator along this route, but it quickly disappeared into the trees when I stopped to get a picture. Once in Titusville, we picked up bike paths for the rest of today’s ride.
It was a very toasty day and not much shade. I’m no longer heat acclimated since the weather by my home has been cooler. The heat did get to me a bit, and I had some leg cramping towards the end of the ride. Randy shared some electrolytes with me and I was able to finish without too much trouble. Tomorrow, even more water and electrolytes as we roll.
There were a couple of flooded areas along the way. About 8-10” of water covered the trail in one of the deeper spots. We just rode through without too much trouble. Although the mucky water isn’t going to help the smell of my shoes, the cool water felt good on my feet.
Today’s wildlife count: two photo-shy gators, 13 turtles, trillions of geckos, cranes, other birds, and only a couple of squirrels.
Tomorrow we have a bit shorter day, probably about 42 miles. We’ll try to get out a bit early and beat some of the heat.
Peace, Dcn. Matt
