Gator Country Hell Week Day 2: The Wind Bloweth

A few years ago the doomsayers said that Florida could never get enough rain to recharge their shrinking lakes. But after two years of intense hurricane activity, all of the lakes are back up to historical norms.

Even Lake Okeechobee.

Today we spent 15 miles on the bike path high atop the dike running the circumference of this huge inland lake. Starting in Clewiston and clinging to this ribbon of pavement to Moore Haven, we had fantastic views of the lake for several miles before the path veered away from the shoreline.

From the path we could all see rain ahead. And it was no mirage, as we all managed to get a good dousing of Florida liquid sunshine on the way to Lakeport. It was a balmy 60 degrees when we started amid mixed sun and clouds, but the humidity was high and The Weather Channel called for some morning showers.

So we weren't surprised when the storm cell hit. We had just gotten spoiled the day before with tailwinds and uninterrupted sunshine.

With a cool front pushing south, we knew we would also face a windshift line. The gusty southwest winds that pushed us through Lakeport gradually gave way as the morning wore on. The brief showers were replaced by brilliant sunshine and a stiff northwest wind.

Which meant that after the Seminole Indian reservation the riding got tough.

Following a pasta lunch in the middle of nowhere we willingly let go of our tailwind and accepted the reality of a rough 50 miles to Avon Park. Whereas we had all gotten ahead of our planned arrival times in the first half of the route, the afternoon portion saw us coming back down to earth with much slower riding speeds.

And so we plodded in the warm sunshine (it was not much of a cool front), finally hitting Lorida FL (how's that for poetic geography?) by 1:15 for the afternoon sag. Everyone was a little tight, having done battle with the wind to keep their bike upright. The break was a nice reprieve from the howling breeze, but only temporary as we had another 25 miles to go right into the face of the wind.

Mile by mile we labored along Arbuckle Creek Road, often lucky to hit 15 mph. The small hills near town actually provided a nice break from the incredibly flat terrain we had covered thus far, giving us a chance to stand up on the pedals. The first orange groves of the ride also provided a change of scenery.

The first finishers pulled in at 3:00, with the last one coming in at about 4:40. While the spread was a little larger than yesterday's, it was still very reasonable given the windy conditions.

By day's end we were all sporting enhanced tan lines, and the morning's rain was but a distant memory. Besides, 70 degrees and rain still beats 30 and snow.

Who could complain?

Dr "Blowin' In The Wind" Gerlich