What's Fred Up To Now?: November 18 - Ichetrucknee Springs SP to Hawthorne, FL

November 18 –Friday; Ichetrucknee Springs State Park to Hawthorne, FL; 65 miles.
After dinner last night we had Smores. Adrian from the UK had never had them and we didn’t want him to return without having some. He (all of us) really enjoyed them. This was the first and only campfire of the whole trip if you can believe it. It was a very nice night camping with the temperature getting down to 41 degrees. After breakfast we headed to the Blue Hole inside Ichetrucknee Spring State Park. It was only about ¼ mile up the route to the park entrance and another ¼ mile to the parking area but about ¾ mile hike to the spring. The water was crystal clear but in the early morning light, not very photogenic. We were back on the main road and on our way at around 9:00 am. It was sunny all morning and partly cloudy in the afternoon with the high temperature of only around 70 degrees. I peeled off layers as the day went along but it was only about the last 1-1/2 hours that I was down to just a short sleeve biking shirt. Today’s ride took us first to High Springs 22 miles out. While sunny, the wind was swirling and occasionally in our face which made the going a little tough at times. We had second breakfast at a diner in High Springs then were off to Alachua then to Gainsville. There was considerable urban riding in Gainsville; population 95,000. We stopped most of the way across Gainsville at a convenience store for a short break then headed to the Gainsville-Hawthorn State Trail. The 16 mile ride along the trail was very, very nice and we took it at a leisurely pace making it even more enjoyable. About 4 miles from Hawthorne, we had to help each other lift our bikes over a downed tree. I figured Ray would bunny hop it but he said when we slowed, we took his momentum away – otherwise he would have. We arrived at our destination, the Ranch Motel and Campground just south of Hawthorne, at 3:50 pm. RJ and Dan were already here and sitting in front of their room with the door open. It was obvious from their expressions that the accommodations were questionable. Vicky would not stay in her room but said she would camp one more night. I rode across the road to a Catholic church and got the OK to camp in the grassy area in the back. Ray had already paid and the guy would not give him his money back. Adrian had thrown his tent away this morning thinking there was no more camping. After much discussion, Ray, Adrian and I decided to stay in three of the rooms and the others are camped behind the church. See the photo below for how I have the bed set up. Susi talked me through how to check for bedbugs and I did not see any. I don’t want anything to do with the bed linens so I have my tent ground cloth over the bottom sheet and I’ll sleep on my sleeping bag and use the liner if I get cold. After dinner at Diane’s, a reasonably good BBQ restaurant, I debated moving over to the church and pitching my tent – but at this point, I guess I’ll take my chances. I’m starting to itch already – psychological?

There are only two more cycling days left and since we went 16 extra miles to Hawthorne today, each is only around 40 miles. Baring bad weather, the next two days should be very leisurely and enjoyable – a fitting end to a most excellent adventure.