"Notes From the Journal"

Map Atlantic Coast Section 7 St. Augustine, Fl to Key West, FL 513.5mi complete.

• riding back up to Fort Lauderdale to HWY 27. Currently about  160mi to that intersection.
• Estimate 4 days to start Map Florida Connector Map

Jan 23, 2014

   Day 17. The headwinds are strong and on the bridges even stronger. The turbulence from the semis and RV buses throw me about. I am hoping to make it Marathon today. Grocery at Big Pine. Sun and wind today. 

   Bike wise, today was as productive as a session on Facebook. In the whole of 6hrs and 40 min of my GPS tracking I managed to move only 35km or 21.5mi. My highest elevation was a whopping 17m above sea level, and I somehow got down to -21m below sea level. In the 35km I ascended 484m, I did more descended though at 496m.

   Tonight I will stay on the beach at a Memorial Park on the south side of the 7-Mile Bridge. The UTM coordinates are 17R 476639 2729642. It  seems like a good little spot. This is going to be my 17th night of the trip.

   I ate healthier today mindfully. Ate breaky at the KOA on Sugarloaf Key. Bought groceries at Big Pine consisting of:

• 1 Avocado
• 1 Orange
• 1 pear
• 1 medium sized container of cottage cheese
• 1 pack of Whole Wheat Pita's
• 2 cans of Sardines
• 1 little box of seasoned rice

And I caved in at one of the gas stations getting water and decided to buy a small iced Mocha. I feel much better without the heaps of sugar and processed food inside my stomach. 

   Plans of tomorrow consists of cycling across the 7-Mile Bridge, getting some food at Marathon, getting on ACA's Map 91, and maybe even map 90. I figure I can even do a big day and get to Key Largo, but all that is just downright speculation. I'll see how it goes.

   Oh, and I should have a beautiful sunrise tomorrow!

   PS - still on the reminder list is ear plugs, twist ties, waterproof map bag. Life is hard.