Getting Set Up

First the wildlife report. We've been lacking one.

On the way from Cohasset to Delaware, Ellen saw many hawks sitting in trees along the sides of the Interstates. She saw at least 16. We don't know if they were waiting for roadkill or the hunting was good on the verges and medians or we just have lots of hawks.  Or maybe they're more visible in the winter, without leaves on the trees. It was encouraging in any case. We stopped seeing them after we left I-95 in Delaware but only because it was getting dark at that point. There were no hawks to be seen on the Virginia to Florida leg but innumerable turkey vultures. We had some after dark sightings as we entered Fort Clinch State Park, seeing a small raccoon, a small deer and an armadillo on the way to the campsite. Today we added an alligator and several species of birds, including white ibis, snowy egret, brown pelicans and many boat-tailed grackles and mockingbirds (the Florida state bird).

That's today's wildlife report.

It was primarily a day for cleaning up. We started with long hot showers for us and then it was Speedy's turn. It was covered with salt from the roads on the way down, so it was off to the car wash. After Speedy, it was time to set up the bikes. I'd rinsed them off at the car wash, but they needed a little extra when we got back to the campsite. A little WD-40 in the joints to displace any water, cleaning and lubing the chains, topping off the tires and straightening out the handlebars for both bikes and new front brake pads on mine. I noticed the old ones were completely worn down when I lubed the brakes. Fortunately, I had spares.

We tried out the bikes with a spin around the park, stopping to look for birds at the start of the Great Florida Birding Trail, which begins in this park. We only saw a cardinal and a mockingbird. We also took a short nature walk on the Magnolia trail, but only saw the alligator and an unidentified warbler.

After we returned to camp, I took a longer ride, about 12 miles, into downtown Fernandina Beach to sample the wares of the Amelia Island Coffee Company. Got back in time to watch the sunset with Ellen and see flocks of pelicans fly by, just skimming the water. They would coast for maybe 50 yards or more at about two inches above the surface of the bay, tilt their wings to get enough lift so they could flap them without hitting the water, do a few beats and coast again.

It was then time for dinner, a short after-dinner walk and then reading and a post to the Speedy Journal.

Tomorrow is the first real ride for me, while Ellen either watches birds at stops along the Great Florida Birding Trail or perhaps visits the Amelia Island Farmers Market. They expect to have fresh, local, grass-fed beef this week, among other goodies, or so says the brochure.

We are going to meet and overnight at Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park, a city park in Atlantic Beach. It's about a 30-mile ride, mostly down A1A, with a ferry crossing near the end of the ride. If we had been able to leave Cohasset on Sunday, we would have come to the stops along the coast at mid-week, as opposed to the weekend when the campgrounds fill. Just to be sure, we called the park to make reservations today, not our usual practice.

No pictures today ... maybe tomorrow.