97 miles with a 12 mph head wind!!! What was I thinking!

Well I have to say that I actually impressed myself on this one. This one of the hardest ride..ever! I was right about the wind…it was in my face the WHOLE way. It just wouldn’t let up. Because of the wind, by average speed to Palm Coast was 17.8, and if you know me….that’s pretty slow. I like to keep it about 20. Anyway….the wind really didn’t break my spirits or deterred me at all, surprisingly. Anyway, I took off from my house about 8:45 am and headed North on US1 (and stayed there for about 55 miles). Then when I got to about mile 20 I feel this horrible pain in m left for arm like I had a shard of glass in it. I look down and there was the biggest bee I have ever seen stuck to my jersey and stinging me. I swear that I saw him wave at me! I had to grab this thing and pull him off to me like he was some playground bully. Then I start to feel my arm get all warm and achy as the venom starts to spread. Of course I never thought to actually stop and look…I kept peddling till I got to Oak Hill were I planned to take my first break. Luckily it was only a few mile down the read at this point. There is a place that I always stop. It’s where RT 3 comes out of the Wildlife Refuge and meets up with US1. There is a lady that has a peanut stand. Never had them. So I make it there and pulled over to survey the bee damage. I guess that I’ll live…not too bad. The bee sting wasn’t near as red and swollen as I was expecting. So after a call to Carmen and my brother and a Power Gel later….I was back on the road. The next 20-30 miles are pretty uneventful. It’s up through New Smyrna….done this leg several times and actually getting board with it. Passed the airport and started to get close to Daytona where there is a flat bridge/overpass to the water way there when life got exciting again!! I see this truck in the south bound lane towing a boat….not big deal until I see the boat’s left side dip down, the truck starts to swerve and I see this tire….bouncing, unattached and unsupervised by the rest of the trailer, making a bee-line right towards me!! Now this tire is bouncing about 15 ft into the air and probably traveling at about 45 mph…it might make a mark!! Luckily it takes a bounce for the better and passes behind me by several feel. DO you believe in omens…..well don’t you think that I’d pull over to remove my testicles from the orifice that they were hiding in……NO…I just motor on like nothing happened. God forbid that I take my time. I make it into Daytona and got off of US1 and rode up Beach street (along the river) to avoid the NASCAR traffic. Well that made the wind even worst. The wind was coming form the NE @ 12 mph and there was nothing to shield me…even a little. I ride Beach north as far a I could until I make it got into N. Daytona area and S. Ormond where I got back onto US1. Not a good road here…no shoulder. But the traffic was light and I didn’t have any problems. I decided to take a break at mile 67….US1 and Granada..(Ormond). I ate my Balance Bar, Called Carmen and my brother to let them know where I was. I see a sign up the road a bit that says Bunnell 18 miles. Now I know that it just outside of my brother’s place so I’m not that far (so I thought), my brother and I figured that I was bout 20 miles from his place. Cool! I got back on my bike and started north…again….on US1. Not this leg is really nice. Good shoulder…light traffic and it’s getting warm. The wind is starting to become less of an issue and I start to get my speed back up to about 19 or 20. I enter the Tomoka area and it more woody and natural through this part. The road takes a turn towards the NW and heads under I95! Getting close! I figured that I had about 5 miles at this point till my next turn off…..well I thought wrong. This leg seemed to take forever. Every time the road made a bend it was followed by a very long straight away tat lased forever. Finally what seemed like 50 miles (more like 10) there was Belle Terre….this is the road that will take me to my brother’s house!! I make the turn off of US1 and I hit this wall of wind. Felt like I was in sand! But I’m almost there so I push on…and on…and on. Damn this is the longest road….and on, and on, and on….starting to get the picture. I wasn’t getting tired…I’m getting pissed off! This is the longest road. It was only 2 inches on the map!! Well when I though that I had 20 miles from Ormond turned out to be about 30. The 10 extra miles in the wind was a lot and I was not in the mood. By the time I got up to my brothers and turned off of Belle Terre…my mood change. I was in a good mood now and felt great!!! Still had juice in my legs!! With all that wind and 97 miles later….I’ll never question myself again!!! I got to my brothers house and relaxed for a couple of minutes…then I threw everything into his Durango and we headed back to my house where I showered and pigged out on pizza!!! I lost 4 pounds and a percentage point of body fat!! That is how I spent my Saterday…..sounds like fun huh! We’ll I do plane to go for a ride on Sunday….but not like this one!!!