66 miles down the coast. I’ve done this ride before; once in the opposite direction when I did the Atlantic Coast in 2022, and once in the same direction when I went by myself from Jacksonville to Disney World back when I rode by myself, before all these shenanigans with Bike the US for MS even started. So many things have changed since then; my friend Jamie who I went to visit has a partner, my mom has passed away, we sold the timeshare at Disney, I have a different bike, I ride with a charity instead of alone. So much water under that bridge. I’ll have to look back in time and see where I stayed that time; I remember being at some park off the side of the road, sleeping in my tiny crappy tent and wondering what the heck I was doing. I’m still wondering what the heck I’m doing. In fact, in many ways I’m less sure of what I’m up to than back then.
Today’s ride was uneventful. We went to Seafood Kitchen for lunch, which was amazing. I’m also really amused when my Bike the US life intersects with my real life; sitting at lunch with my dad but also half of my bike team was a bizarre experience. So many shadows; mostly of my mom and my grandmother. So much history in this area. I feel both uniquely unwelcome here but also a child of this place. As we rode past the beach houses I remembered when we would come down here for a vacation and I would be so bored I would spend all day in the ocean, until one time I spent so much time in the salt water that I irritated my esophagous and started coughing up blood and my parents freaked out. I am a child of all these memories and they combine to produce me, a unique creation.
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https://www.biketheusforms.org/our-routes/
https://www.biketheusforms.org/ms-bike-ride-florida/
