Tuesday, February 12, 2008

De Funiak Springs, FL to Milton, FL - 65 miles, 546 miles total.

What a difference a day can make! It was much cooler today. It started with a few sprinkles, and soon turned to a cool, steady rain, heavy at times. I discovered something very important: Rain gear doesn't keep you dry, it keeps you warm! You end up just as wet with or without, but you stay a lot warmer with the rain gear on!

I stopped during a heavy shower, threw my tarp over my trailer and bike, and proceeded to install the rear fender that I had purchased a few day earlier. I could have done this at a more convenient time, but it seemed like I might not need it at all since the weather had been so good.

Then, just as I was leaving the town of Crestview, Florida, I started having some very serious problems with my left pedal. It was making a lot of noise, and it wouldn't spin freely like it should.

Mission Control found me a bike shop about 20 miles away, and I gave them a call on my cell phone, but they were a good distance off route. They suggested a bike shop in Milton, so I was on my way. It was about 24 miles away, but at least I didn't have to go off course to get there.

The closer I got to Milton, though, the worse the problem became. Soon, it wouldn't spin at all, and it was really draging my progress down. The steady, cool rain didn't help much, either. I finally made it to the bike shop about an hour before they closed for the day.

Turns out that it wasn't just a rain storm, the National Weather Service issued severe Thunder Storm warning, with the strong possibility of a tornado! I decided to check into a motel for the night, and it was a good thing I did. There was a lot of lightening and thunder, and it rained very hard for about an hour. It was also windy. I was able to walk about a block to a pizza restaurant for dinner. Next to the pizza place is a laundrymat, so I'll be able to wash a load of clothes in the morning before heading out.