Day 105: Bainbridge, GA

We've surprised ourselves, and have managed to stick a toe just inside the Georgia state line, making it the 16th state that we've visited on this trip.  And we finally are in the Eastern Time Zone, having spent more than two and a half months traveling within the Central Time Zone.

A cold front came through last night, so we awoke to temperatures in the upper 40s.  By the time we left the campground it was up to the mid-50s, but not expected to reach the mid-60s (and the point where extra cycling clothes are not necessary, at least not if the sun is shining) until around 1 pm.

So I donned my heaviest long sleeve jersey, heavy wool socks, a light vest, my earmuffs and midweight gloves and set off eastward.  I was dressed warm enough that I didn't need to ride hard to stay warm.  But I was also dressed too warm to push hard, as I would easily overheat.  So I set a slower pace that was more conducive to riding longer, and thus farther.  So it was a fairly easy day, despite a quartering headwind or sidewind pretty much the entire distance of 47 miles.  Even at my slower pace we crossed the Eastern Time Zone around noon Central Time, and it was only a few miles from there to our campground for the night.

We continue to be impressed with Florida roads.  They are in great shape and along our route most have good shoulders.  That's a fairly big change from when we lived here 30 years ago.  But everyone in Florida now seems to realize that bike facilities (especially trails) are a big draw for retirees, who want to a place to exercise without putting their lives at risk.  I wish the rest of the Gulf Coast states would figure that out! 

We're staying at East Bank Campground ($22, power, water and showers), a Corps of Engineers campground on Lake Seminole, just north of Chattahooche, FL.  It is like most COE campgrounds - nicely laid out and well kept, but with toilets and showers situated to be convenient to almost none of the campsites (we've become spoiled by the Florida State Park campgrounds, where such facilities are centrally located and close to everyone - but two nearby state parks were booked for this weekend).

We'll be spending two nights here, so that we can do some sightseeing and to attempt to plan our destinations for the next week or so.