Day 197 Feb 7, 2017. Talllahassee to Snead, FL

We had a pretty good ride today. There is something nice about arriving at your motel totally dry, and a couple hours later witnessing severe thunderstorms from the warmth and safety of your comfortable room. Even better, the storms will be done by the wee hours of the morning, and won't begin again until after 5 PM, but I get ahead of myself.

Our route for the day: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/18832423

We exited Tallahassee on W. Gaines St., riding by the south side of Florida State University. We passed a bike shop, and decided to wait the ten minutes until it opened, in hopes of getting our rear derailleur adjusted. What a great bike shop! They made the adjustment, charged less than $9, and we had a great time talking with them for over 30 minutes. If you need a shop in Tallahassee, this is where to go.


Off campus student apartments on Gaines St.


University Cycles of Tallahassee.

We stayed off of US-90 for most of the day, riding on rural county roads instead. This resulted in a couple more hundred feet of climbing, but was much more pleasant overall.

 

 

 
Our usual crowds were in attendance.

 At mile 47.4 (45.4 on the map, but I had made a wrong turn earlier in the day that gained us two "bonus miles."), we started our last and steepest climb of the day into Chattahoochee. This is the home of Florida's last remaining mental hospital. We were too busy climbing to take a picture on the way up, but did stop and snap one before starting our descent to cross the Apalachicola River.

 

 
 Yikes. Notice the bad pavement on the shoulder just before the bridge, and the debris further up. 

 
The Apalachicola River, Jim Woodruff Damn, and Lake Seminole beyond.

Finally, as we crossed the Apalachicola we entered the Central time zone. First time we have changed time zones on our trip.

Tomorrow promises nine less miles, and 800 feet less climbing. Should be a great day.