Suwannee River to Marietta, FL
50 miles

This morning I could not get organized. Felt like I was going in slow motion. It was 42 degrees this morning. It was cold, but my sleeping bag was nice and warm. Hated getting out :-). We were up at 6:30 and riding by 8:10 am.

Today was a very hard day on the bike. 50 miles isn’t much, but fighting head winds all the way really beat us down. But I’m not complaining. No way, it was a cake walk.

About 30 miles into our ride, we stopped at the top of a hill for some water and to catch our breath. As we were recuperating, a couple (husband & wife) coming from the other direction came across the road and stopped to chat a bit.

They had started from El Paso about 6 weeks earlier. The guy was a retired Army officer and asked how long I was in the Corps (he saw my USMC flag). We talked military stuff for a while, then we talked biking.

He is completing going around the perimeter of the whole United States. WOW! Plus, he had done the central route too. On this trip he had broken his chain and had fixed it, but it was too short and he couldn’t use his high gears.

We told him he probably wouldn’t find a bike shop until he got to Gainesville. We said our goodbyes and they headed east. As they rode off Bob said to me, “If I complain about anything on this trip, kick my butt.” I said that goes double for me.

The guy we had been talking to had his right artificial leg strapped to his center tube. This guy was riding with only his left leg.

Kick me if I complain about anything!!!

Today's 50 miler