Day 34 - 88.9 miles - Marianna, FL

     It's exciting being in Florida, knowing this is my destination. Not so fast, Florida is huge and I will be traversing the whole state west to east. Though I may be in my last state, I am still over 400 miles from the Atlantic Ocean where I hope to finish in St. Augustine. 400 miles may not sound like a lot but on a bicycle, it is. I think back to my interview with Bob Babbitt, and how I said that its one day at a time and that you can't look at the big picture as its to overwhelming. How true it is. 

     Today's ride parallelled I-10 and the railroad for most of the day. The scenery was that, plus plenty of tall trees and a small town every 10 miles. I was happy about the abundance of small towns because today was hot (surprise), and I needed to stop at each town to replace lost fluids. It's unbelievable just how much I must drink to keep from passing out by the side of the road. The worst and hardest part of today is a story I have repeated many times on this trip and everyone is probably sick of hearing it. Well to be honest, I am sick of fighting all day into a constant 15 - 20 mph east wind which is a headwind for me. If I knew the winds were going to be easterlies for a month straight, I would have started in Florida and finished in California, but who knew and they can change at any time. I just wish they would change now. I don't see that happening and it's something I have come to realize and accept.

     Two new issues have come to my attention regarding my bike. First, my front wheel is rubbing  against my brake causing me to slow down and work harder. It's gotten worse over the last few days. Today I had to release my front wheel brake, so now I just have my rear wheel brake to stop me. I will try and work on it tonight to resolve this issue. Second, my bottom bracket (which is the axle where the cranks attach) are making a loud noise with every turn. I'am thinking I might have a few broken ball bearings inside the bottom bracket. I don't see these few things being a major problem but I will have to keep an eye on them.

     

Photos: Riding the railroad, to bad it wasn't moving - Lake DeFuniak - The train coming through DeFuniak Springs station