Day 49: Steinhatchee FL to Manatee Island State Park FL

Count down to finish is 4 more days of riding…  







For at least the third straight day, the best part of the day is the after-ride fun.  We finished today in Manatee Island State Park after a very easy 44 miles.  The park is classic Florida with old oaks, plenty of Spanish moss and a fresh-water spring.   We are camping and the weather is cool already and will be chilly in the morning.  I finished very early in the day and we took advantage of the time to go kayaking on the Suwanee River.  Aside from listening to Sandy sing the Suwanee River song the time was very cool.   We saw an alligator with turtles right after leaving the dock.  All along the way we saw plenty more turtles sunning and swimming in the water.  Unfortunately, we did not see a Manatee, for us this is ok, we see plenty by our condo in NSB.   What was cool and a few first for me….  We kayaked into the cypress trees and around the cypress knees.  We watched a sea bird dive after finish.  The water was so clear you can see the bird swimming under water.   

Kayaking in the Cypress Trees


Yes that is an alligator

Fun time on the river

Back to the ride…

Todays most interesting moment was meeting up with a guy named Cody Anderson (Ride for Charity).  He was obviously on the road for a while and packed for the long haul.  In my 5 minutes, he mentioned he is attempting to break his own world record consecutive ride without sleep.  What I remember is he is currently at 70+ and heading to 107 hours.   He also claimed to have been honored by two Presidents for his charity/riding efforts.  When I mentioned I started in San Diego he said he has been there many times on his bike.  I have not taken the time to look the guy up…   maybe it is true, I believe him.

 

Cody Anderson...
Look him up and let me know if he is for real

The other highlight of the day was crossing an old railroad bridge on a trail the parallels US98 South.  It was cool and a couple of other old guys (like me) where there taking in the sites.   None of us new anything about the bridge but it rotated (like a clock) to allow boat traffic through.  It does not look like it has moved in many years.  Cool to think that maybe this was part of the original Flagler Railroad.

 



Todays Ride Stats:

Start Time:  10:07 AM East Coast Time    Finish Time:  12:58 PM East Coast Time

Elapse Time: 2 Hr. 50 Min.                         Ride Time: 2 Hr. 35 Min.

Distance: 42.2 Miles                                    Average Speed:  mph

Climbing/Descent:  Ft.                                TSS: 77

Average Power:  162 Watts                          Normalized Power: 171 Watts

Calories: 1517                                              Ave/Max HR: 111/136 bpm

For food today…  I had my Cliff Bar and one bottle of water.  It was a very short ride. 



Tomorrow we are off to Ross Prairie Campground about 60 miles from here.  

Path lined with Flowers


Comments

  1. FishwifeApril 7, 2021 at 4:40 AM

    Yep, Cody Anderson is for real! Has several Guinness world records. Bikes for American cancer society, among others.

    ReplyDelete

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