I headed back out to the beach in the morning for a good long stretch.

After I loosened up, I saddled up and said goodbye to Camp Hanna. It was another beautiful day out. A little chilly in the morning, but it really started cooking by noon.

With the wind at my back, I rolled through Atlantic Beach (which was a little different than the Atlantic Beach I had passed through on my way to Emerald Isle), Neptune, Jax Beach, and Ponte Verde. After about 10 straight days of headwind, I was getting used to holding 13 mph. But it was my lucky day, and winds were coming from the North.I experienced my own little second wind to accompany the tailwind. I put my head down and pushed it for all 60 miles to St Augustine, holding about 19 mph.

My little phone has been so great. It’s blasted tunes on the long days, navigated me through countless streets in unfamiliar areas, and has kept me connected to people even in the middle of nowhere.

When my roommate from Australia found out that I would be rolling through St. Augustine the next day, he told me that I must stop in town. He had a few buddies living there and told me to reach out to them. Knowing Alex, I’m sure they were good dudes, so I went for it.

I was hoping to save a little dough and set up my tent in their backyard for the night. Because of my swift ride, I made it to town by mid-afternoon. I met Frank, Ryan, Kelly and Alex (different Al than my roomie from Oz), and after half an hour they offered me a place to sleep indoors. Great, great people.

A couple of pilots, students, and grinders, these guys lived an active lifestyle that was exciting and different than the typical Joe-jobbers back up north. Over some beers and a great meal, we spoke about flying, surfing, fishing and sailing. I began to realize that my current location offered these things year round, and I couldn’t get over the fact that it was late November and 70 degrees. They also liked to have fun: