Monday, August 21st, 2017
Today started early as I left the St Louis area hotel at 5:30 AM. I had a small problem interpreting the GPS so I missed the turnoff to cross the Mississippi River. I ended up on surface streets by Busch Stadium before getting back onto I-55 to cross the river.
On Sunday, I passed through a number of towns that were preparing for the Solar Eclipse that happens today. Since I had covered 722.2 miles on Sunday and 881.8 on Monday, I didn't really care about it. In Southern Illinois, I stopped at McDonald's for breakfast but there must have been 40 people in line, so I left right away. This is a big deal for these communities that were in the path. The highway signs that normally warn you about construction, texting/driving, fatalities year-to-date; were all stating that you could not park on the shoulder of the highway or the ramps for the eclipse.
On my first gas stop for the day, my GPS directed me to the nearest gas station ahead which was two miles beyond the indicated miles on my odometer said I had left. It turns out that it turns out to be relatively accurate. The engine coughed as I was pulling into the gas station, but I made it without having to break out the spare gas I was carrying.
Most of the path that I covered was in the direct path of the eclipse. I got into Georgia shortly after 2:00 PM. I was beat, the temperature was over 90 and the humidity was oppressive. I stopped at the Georgia Welcome Center and found a shady spot under a tree and took a nap for 20 minutes or so. When I got up, it was kind of creepy out and people were looking at the sky. As I was getting loaded up to get back on the road, I got chatting with the man and women in the car parked next to me. They were there when I pulled in. The woman offered to let me use her special glasses and I was able to see just a sliver of light. I told them about the trek that I was on. The gentleman indicated that he worked at the Welcome Center as part of the staff. This is the picture of the two of us.
II stopped in Valdesto for dinner and get gas. This gave time for the sun to set before I headed the last 100 miles to my hotel. I arrived at the hotel in Lake City, Florida after covering 882 miles in 15 hours. I must have forgotten to program the GPS to bypass downtown Atlanta. I ended up there at 4:00 PM and it was rush hour. I also had to stop for gas just south of town. As bad a traffic was, I got through town without any complete stops. Once I cleared the outer bypass just beyond the Atlanta Airport it was clear sailing.
I was lucky today to hit a couple of very short bursts of rain. It looks like I will hit some weather beyond Port Saint Lucia to Miami. There is a tropical depression just off the coast which is kicking up some storms. Well, I am ready to pack the bike and head out for Key West and my third corner before heading to my final stop for tonight in Homestead.
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