FLORIDA COAST TO COAST BIKE TRAIL DAY 5

     Day 5:  53 miles.  Today I hit the trifecta:  temperatures started in the 50's, plenty of rain, and a strong headwind!  I thought the day was going to be horrible as I sat there eating breakfast listening to the rain pour down so heavily I could barely concentrate.  I knew there may be a day like this so I figured I would have to tough it out.  As I went out to set up my bike for the day the rain suddenly stopped.  I decided to be an optimist and take off without rain gear--bad decision.  I hadn't rolled more than a few hundred yards when the downpour started again.  Fortunately, I was next to an ice cream stand with a significant overhang.  I darted under the small roof and donned my rain jacket and rain pants.  Now I was prepared for the big event and off I went.  The rain only lasted 3 more minutes; but I didn't trust the weather so I continued on in full rain gear.  After about 20 minutes of overheating, I relented and took off all the rain gear again.  No sooner had I started back on the trail when it started raining again.  This was getting ridiculous.  I then decided to ride with just my rain jacket on which was a good decision as the morning was quite cool anyway.  Yes, it only rained for another 2 or 3 minutes before stopping; but better yet the sun broke through!  Wow!  Temperatures even started climbing so the day was now looking promising.

    I was looking forward to the ride on Day 5 as I knew that if I had gotten this far, nothing would stop me.  Also, the trail was obvious with all the big turns well marked.  However, in many respects this was the worst ride of trip as the trail bordered on major highways and heavily travelled side roads.  With the exception of a 6 mile stretch through a state park, the scenery was uninteresting.  The good news was that there were very few intersections so I could cruise along without worry.

Starkey Market

    When lunchtime arrived there was my Moose standing at Starkey Market awaiting my arrival.  Starkey Market is a great place as it is a fresh produce store with ice cream, a brew/wine pub, a large fire pit and music most nights.  The biggest problem was that the only prepared food was from a food truck with a very limited menu.  In fact, the food wasn't very good.  Hopefully they get their food act together as this has the potential to be one of the best stops on the trail.

Starkey Market

Food area and permanent food truck at
Starkey Market.

    After lunch I still had to face 20 more miles but the day had improved to sunny with temperatures in the low 70's.  Riding was very pleasant.  Although the day was fairly uninteresting, I did peddle through Dunedin a very cool bike town and finished my ride in Tarpon Springs.  Tarpon Springs is another great town for bikers with a dedicated bike trail right down the center of it's main street.  The primary area of Tarpon Springs was along the waterfront which is famous for sponge harvesting and Greek heritage.  The area is a massive tourist trap with cars fiercely competing for parking spots.  We found a great restaurant for dinner at Rusty Bellies Waterfront Grill.  The place was packed but we found a spot on the bar.  It turned out that the bar was by far the best place to eat in the restaurant as the bar overlooked the water and the stage for the nightly music was also in the bar.  We had a blast listening to the music and enjoying the company of the locals who sat near us.  It was a great night!