The End of Retirement. For Now.

After two very relaxing days in Lakeland, I can safely say that my first foray into early retirement has been an overwhelming success. The whole “not working for a living” thing is pretty enjoyable. It’s like every day is Friday.

As it turns out, today actually IS Friday and, as much as I’ve enjoyed my visit with my aunt and uncle, it was time once again to get back on the bike and continue my journey south. Today’s destination: Bradenton. More specifically, to another Warm Showers host (Becky and Tom) about 130 km away – my longest ride in over a month. Yes, I know. I’ve been kind of lazy over the past month.

Unlike the previous two mornings where I woke to a beautiful blue sky, this morning was more than a little overcast and cool. Unlike Philadelphia, apparently it’s not always sunny in Lakeland. In fact, by the time I was ready to leave there was actually a light mist falling. I was actually going to have to wear a jacket today!

After an excellent (and filling) breakfast of cereal, scrambled eggs, bacon, english muffins and orange juice, I was fully fuelled to begin my somewhat long ride. By 8:30, my bike was loaded and I was ready to go – but not before a few photos with my aunt and uncle. With the photos taken, my stomach full, and my bike loaded, I was ready to go – for real this time. At 8:40, I was on the move. At 8:42, I was stopped again as I saw Adrian outside his place as I passed by. We had a quick chat, took another photo, and by 8:50 I was ready to go – for really real this time.

There was more than a little debate as to which route to take today. There were a few options but in the end I went with the most direct route along the highway. It ended up being a good decision as there were bike lanes the entire way and not as much traffic as I anticipated. The biggest challenge I faced was the early morning light rain which lasted for about an hour. It wasn’t until 11:28 (yes, I checked my watch) that I saw my first glimpse of the sun – which disappeared again moments later. However, by 12:30 the sun began to win the battle with the clouds and by 1:00 I was once again riding under a beautiful blue sky. It was also around 1:00 that I stopped to eat. My aunt had made several sandwiches for the road (and thrown in some cookies, apples, and Gatorade). It was a feast.

My post-lunch ride was as easy (and uneventful) as my pre-lunch ride and it wasn’t long before I had arrived in Bradenton. And shortly after that I arrived at Becky and Tom’s place. The timing was pretty much perfect – I actually arrived a bit before them but Becky rode up on her bike within a few minutes and Tom arrived shortly after that.

In keeping with previous Warm Showers experiences, Becky and Tom have been great hosts. We had an excellent dinner of (very) fresh redfish, potatoes, salad, and more than a few beers. The evening continued with sharing stories of trips gone by and trips to come. It was a really great evening.

With another somewhat long ride and early morning planned for tomorrow, we called it a night around 10:00. With tomorrow being Saturday, both Becky and Tom are actually going to ride with me for a portion of my ride.

Today’s totals:
Distance travelled: 131.97 km
Time on bike: 5:27:01
Maximum speed: 42.63 km/h
Average speed: 24.20 km/h