Last night we experienced a proper southern thunderstorm as we had a few lightning strikes relatively close to our location. Thunder that rattles your entire body is always so comforting. Ear plugs were inserted to make the night quiet enough to fall fast asleep. The rain apparently fell hard just to the north of us as we rode on some wet streets early this morning making our way towards the Georgia border.

This morning was surprisingly busy as logging trucks carrying nice smelling pine trees were plentiful and we quickly chose the sidewalk path for most of the busy road until we jumped on Highway 17 to make our run to the border and beyond.

Twenty-five miles in and across the bridge we rode from the state known for their oranges to the peach state. Folker enjoyed Florida so much he crossed the street to get a photo of the welcome sign.

Well Florida, you did good by me. It started out a little windy down in the keys, but from Miami to the border you treated us with courteous drivers and amazing coastline views. You also have given my family some lifetime memories for sure.

Just as I crossed into Georgia the family was back at a campsite close to Cape Canaveral watching the Falcon 9 Block 5 Starlink Group 10-3 launch sending up a batch of 23 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation, SpaceX’s project for space-based internet communication system. How cool is that?

Once we found a quieter road, it didn’t take me long to find a local rider. Renee said she likes to get out and ride in the mornings because she sits way too much at work. She mentioned she had visited a couple cities in the Netherlands so it was nice to have found her. Such a pleasant rider if I do say so myself.

Moments later we found the only proper trail of the day. It was nice to get a break from the traffic and enjoy some nature again. One can only hope Georgia continues to develop these trails in the future as this one was very pleasant for the short time it lasted.

After some time on a busy road, I noticed perhaps a rail trail was paralleling the road. Once we jumped over to the rail trail I quickly realized why it was not on my cycling app. It would have been perfect for mountain bikers or my ride last summer. We did get some single track, a tree crossing and some gravel in the short time we gave it a go.

Closer to our destination we needed something cool and refreshing to drink and stopped at a store that was actually just a liquor store. Not sure how we missed all the obvious signs. They had some serious rules that needed to be highlighted prior to entry. I did find some great pineapple juice inside!

After Folker made a quick stop at a Winn-Dixie a little on down the road, we decided to get some proper food at Larry’s Giant Subs where I had the Cuban Sub Sandwich. I have to admit it was the first time I felt cold since we started. They had the air conditioning set to super cool and refreshing apparently.

We made it to our destination and here we sit on a big ol’ porch writing our blogs after a great conversation with a retired Army turned Air Force Veteran. Just another day in the South waiting on some late afternoon rain to come.