Frustration

October 22nd - Palmetto, FL
Frog Creek RV Park
Mileage: 130 km
Total Mileage: 6,153 km

Sunny skies, cool morning, cycling south from Brooksville on Hwy 41. Cycled through Masaryktown, Growers Corner, Land O' Lakes and on into Tampa. Interesting ride with nice communities, but congested with traffic which increased as we neared Tampa. The drivers were courteous and gave us lots of room.

Tampa was easy to get through, north to south, still on Hwy 41. However, it took a long time. Again, the drivers were all courteous with one exception. One lady yelled at Deby to get on the side walk. Deby yelled back, "Get a bike ya fat pig." Well...not really. That's what I told Deby she should have said when she told me the story later.

From Tampa we continued south on Hwy 41 through Gibsonton, Apollo Beach and Ruskin. Our final destination for the day being Palmetto. Along the way we began to see more cattle and even some agriculture. The agriculture consisted on strawberry fields and some strange crop covered in netting. I don't know if the netting was for sun protection or to keep the birds off. Still mostly trees and forested areas between communities.

Deby has come a long way. She drafts me like a pro, so close that on occasion she hits my back panniers with her front tire. A bit unnerving when your going 24 km per hour, but I know that if she is that close she is doing it right. Looking back it's like a mosquito that I just can't manage to swat. We look good riding together. On lookers must think that we were Olympians back in 1920.

Deby has graduated from a snails pace, having to get off the bike every 10 kms to a cyclist who can ride fast for 128 kms per day. For our American friends that's 80+ miles a day. We get off the bikes about every 1 1/2 hours now to gulp down a litre of water and get some circulation back in our arses.

In Palmetto we search for a campground. None to be found. We were turned away from the RV Parks because the wouldn't take a tent. Finally we found Frog Creek, an RV Park who's management has some sense and they gave us a patch of grass. Albeit a $35 patch of grass. Very, very nice place.