After having Celeste take a pre ride picture I rode out of the neighborhood and headed north on 15th. About a half mile up the road I hit something that slashed my rear tire and brought my ride to a halt.
I walked my bike and trailer back to the house and changed out my rear wheel. This eliminated a wobble that I noticed while walking back and it saved some time.
Due to lost time I decided to change my route. Instead of going north to Hampton to catch the Lake Butler-Palatka Trail I would now go east through Melrose to Putnam Hall to catch the trail. I set out and the ride was good. There were a few issues with the gearing due to the new wheel but it worked well enough.
I arrived at the store on the corner of 100 and 26. This is where I met Jeff and Nike from CA; they were on a 12,000 mile ride around the US and Canada. This time I met 3 sweet American Born Chinese kids; their dad worked at the store. They had all kinds of questions about my upcoming ride down the Mississippi River. After chatting I crossed over 100 and started down the Trail.
I talked to Celeste; she was passing through Melrose. The ride down the Trail was really nice but came to an end about 7 miles out of Palatka.
As I transitioned from the Trail to 100 I met Christian; a local. He provided me with more info re: the Trail and the paved sections. As I was about to cross over 100 to the east bound bike lane Celeste passed by; waving as she passed. I would meet her in Palatka.
The final 7 miles was quick; my average speed was between 16-18 mph. I met up with Celeste and loaded my Gear in the car and the bike on the back. It was a good Practice Ride. My next one is to Ormond Beach and back.
This Ride allowed me to deal with equipment problems and problems with the weather. I will be ordering new tires and a small rack for my BOB Trailer; this will allow me to carry more and access more things easier than if they were in my BOB Bag.
