Fort Walton Beach

After several cups of coffee and breakfast I left my ws host by 8 am. I wanted to get as many miles in early as possible. Rain and high winds were predicted for later in the day. The morning was perfect. Sunny and just a little bit chilly. Traffic was a bit heavy but I had a good shoulder.

I caught up to Ron again and we had a nice chat.

The wind gained strength throughout the morning and by noon it was blowing at 15 to 20 mph. Thankfully it was a tailwind. The Windy app on my phone showed that it would be changing directions around 5 pm and becoming a headwind. I didn’t really want to ride in that. I text and emailed a WS host near Navarre. I was looking for a place to stay 2 nights. Tomorrow the rain would quit but the would become gale force. 30 to 40 mph out of the West. A direct headwind. If I could avoid a headwind like that I would.

I made it to the Emerald coast in the pouring rain. I don’t mind riding in the rain too much but I hate getting sprayed by the vehicles. I rode on the side walk whenever I could to avoid getting splashed. It was easy to see how the name Emerald Coast came about. Even in the rain it was beautiful.

I did not hear back from the WS host and in Fort Walton Beach I got a motel room for two nights. On my rest day I walked around town a bit. The wind was awful. I wasn’t happy about not riding but it was probably the right decision.

It was a beautiful day when I left the motel. I started out wearing my jacket but had to take it off in a few miles. The high today is supposed to be 60.

The ride today was absolutely beautiful. I left 98 and was on 399 into Pensacola beach. The wind was still a headwind but with such beautiful scenery, I did not mind the slower pace.

Taking a break at a bench, there were several lawn figurines someone had put there. Rosie made a friend.