Day 43: Jacksonville Beach to St. Augustine

Yesterday morning after writing my previous post, I packed up everything and headed out of Brett’s place to Breezy Coffee Shop and Wine Bar for breakfast. Brett and Alan would meet me later at the Trek bike shop.

I chatted with Nancy, the coffee shop owner, for a bit and had a sausage breakfast pita and a rice crispy treat. Nancy also gave me a free bagel with cream cheese.

At 10 AM, I arrived at the Trek store. The bike mechanic already knew that I was coming because Brett had texted him. Another bike mechanic checked my wheels for spoke tension and trued the back wheel a bit more. Now, I have a peace of mind that my bike won’t have any more spoke issues. I ended up not buying extra spokes.

Alan showed up and later Brett came into the shop. I bid farewell to both of them soon after and headed toward St. Augustine.

I passed by a bunch of mansions as I rode on Porte Vedra Boulevard. After I got on route A1A, the road was so straight that I was getting bored cycling on it.

Many mansions on Porte Vedra Boulevard

I took an ice cream break at a gas station convenience store. My front wheel reflector broke when I unlocked my bike and was pushing it. Something must have caught the wheel. It’s no big deal since it’s just a reflector and I usually don’t ride during the night.

Around 1:30 PM, I was getting hungry. I saw the first restaurant on the road so I decided to eat there. It’s a place called The Reef and it’s right by the ocean. I had sweet tea and jambalaya. It was a meal on the expensive side, but I was hungry and got to sit outside looking at the ocean.

Lunch by the ocean

The wind picked up in the afternoon. I was faced with a strong headwind as I crossed the bridge over the Tolomato River to St. Augustine. I could only ride about 5 miles per hour since there was also a rise on the bridge.

Crossing the Tolomato River

I didn’t stop anywhere in downtown St. Augustine and followed Google Maps to Ellen’s place south of town by 10 miles. The road was busy and I decided that I will only stay in St. Augustine for one day since I don’t want to cycle back 10 miles on the busy road.

Roadside attraction

Around 4 PM and after riding 41.5 miles, I reached Ellen’s condo. No one was home. Ellen had texted me that she might not be home, but I can make myself comfortable. After getting my bike into the garage and drinking a glass of juice, Ellen came back.

After Ellen showed me my room I took a shower. The rest of the day was spent talking to Ellen while she cooked a delicious meal consisted of salmon, rice, cauliflower, and bell peppers. We also had homemade pumpkin bread for dessert.

Ellen was very easy to talk to and get along. She worked in the air force for 20 years before retiring. Then she traveled in a RV around the country before coming down to Florida. We chatted until 10 PM before we got tired and went to bed.

Ellen

This morning I got up at 4:45. I will ride to Daytona Beach today.