Last night I tried something new in camping and that was to not put my rain and wind guard over the top of my tent. I figured I would try it in this heat with just the inner part of the tent which is essentially like a big mosquito net offering plenty of ventilation. With a 15% chance of rain, I should be good, right?

At about 1 am, I was in a dreamland and it seemed this particular dreamland was sprinkling rain drops on my back. I quickly woke up to a very similar reality. Luckily, I had the rest of my tent inside and it took me all of a couple minutes to have the tent fully assembled and I was quickly laying back down to continue with my beauty sleep. Totally worth the risk this time.

Folker and I enjoyed the country back roads early this morning as we made our way back to the main route from the state park. It truly felt like riding through a swampy jungle with frogs screaming and creatures sometimes crashing through the thick underbrush back into the darkness. I was pretending these were jaguars that lost their nerve while impatiently waiting by the road to pounce on two unsuspecting touring cyclists.

Once on the main road and on Flagler Beach to Marineland Trail, which was essentially a glamorized sidewalk, we were now enjoying the views of the ocean from an elevated position. I could see the waves, but could not see them making it to their final destination on the beach.

As the sun was about to make her glorious entrance, we stopped for a quick snack at a small local convenience store that was surprisingly open. With a chocolate milk and cream filled croissant in hand, Folker and I decided it was time to smell the roses and not cycle away. It was time to take in a sunrise.

Perhaps it was knowing today was a shorter day mileage wise or perhaps it was just the opportunity that was presented to us in such an ideal location, no matter why we actually slowed our roll to enjoy this sunrise, just glad we did. It will be hard to beat this one for a long time.

It has been nice to have a variety of riding experiences as far as being able to ride on trails versus always riding on the shoulder of a road. Both U.S. Route 1 and A1A can be a little busy at times. I have found that both great and bad riding conditions are temporary. Kind of like life with good times and bad times coming and going.

We were so early to get close to our destination this morning that we decided to take a stroll through our favorite grocery store, Publix, and restock our dinner supplies back to appropriate levels. We also made sure to grab a delicious Boar’s Head sub and grab our favorite spot by the exit to eat and enjoy the air conditioning a little more. The locals seem to enjoy our presence and being greeted by two road worn cyclists.

We are now at the state park and will enjoy the amenities and what all Anastasia State Park has to offer later today. That will be after all my devices are charged of course. Priorities.