Day 25: Ride The East – Brunswick GA to Jacksonville FL

Today’s Highlights:
We left Brunswick at sunrise via a very depressed part of town. There was a surprisingly abrupt transition from the depress neighborhood to one with nice homes and landscapes yards. After seven miles, we reached Rt 17 again and cycled over the Sidney Lanier Bridge to cross Turtle River. The bridge was the scenic highlight of the day. I met Brenda and Kirt on the bridge and rode with them for 25 miles to the one rest stop of the day. It was really nice to have their company, and we took turns drafting each other. It made the time and miles go by fast.
I left the rest stop alone, expecting to met up with other riders, but unfortunately I cycled the next 35 miles alone. Route 17 is flat, long and straight, and it was pretty boring after a while. I tried talking to myself, but that was even more boring. The best scenic areas were the many wetlands we past when crossing over streams and coastal inlets.
We reached a very blue bridge that crossed the St Marys River at mile 50 to leave Georgia and enter Florida. Reaching Florida was a nice milestone, and it was a relief to know there were only 24 more miles to finish the ride and the tour. Barry, Rene and Alan caught up to me several miles from the end, and I rode with them to the hotel.
I cycle 1600 miles in 21 days, plus 4 rest days. I spent 103 hours on my bike, and burned over 36300 calories. The first day was very tough, the next nine were a challenge, and after that it got progressively easier and downright boring the last two day. I only had a couple pains to work through along the way. I finished feeling strong and relaxed. Best of all, I got to ride and spend time with very nice people and made new friends.
This evening, we will all have dinner together for the last time. I will be catching a train later tonight to go to Maryland where Sue and I will vacation with our son and his wife for one week. Maybe I will even take a bike ride with them.

Pictures Of The Day:

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Statistics:
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