Sort of an odd day. Started out at 7 am with foggy riding for an hour. After the first SAG stop, my bike became harder to pedal. Upon inspection, the back wheel bearing was dry and stopped working! A call to Lance Edwards, the tour director and terrific bike mechanic resulted in trying to fix the bearing for 90 minutes without success. Lance lent me his Cannondale Topstone so I could continue riding. He took my bike to a Gainesville bike shop and they were able to fix it. My belief is the multiple bike washings I did on non riding days removed the grease and caused the bearings to sieze. Lesson learned. The good news is I will be able to finish the ride on my Surly. Thanks to Lance and Tom, a fellow rider, for their generous help!
Update on Terri: She does not need surgery and is flying home soon to get care from her doctors in Michigan.
Riding was great today, light winds, back roads, smooth pavement, nice temperatures.
Tom and I riding in the early morning fog
Ichetucknee Springs State Park, home of the “Blue Hole”
The Blue Hole, a beautiful spring fed swimming hole
Tom, the youngest rider at 54 and Larry, the oldest at 83 by the Blue Hole.
Another beautiful swimming spot at the park, closer to the entrance.8
Random llama on route today
Riding with Tom
Part of a massive solar farm
