Florida to Maine Bike Trip - Day Nine 74 miles

Woke up to a magnificent Atlantic Ocean sunrise and a pod of dolphins parading along the shoreline -not far out, actually.  I saw at least 10 every few seconds with their graceful arch before disappearing only to arise again and again.

It takes about an hour to complete our morning routines, which considering there are three of us, is pretty good!  We were on the road by 7:30 am to cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and stopped briefly to watch a huge ship head out to sea.  I thought of my dad and the WWII aircraft carrier,  Bunker Hill,  he has told me about for decades - what it would have been like to be on a ship of that size.  It was quite magnificent.

We rode fast today....19 mph often and I surmise we averaged close to 17 for the day.   I continue to feel strong for the most part, though the last 30 minutes to our hotel in Chincoteague was windy and it was head on.   It felt familiar - like a nor'easter and it was a push to get into town before the rain. The temperature dropped considerably and dark clouds hovered, though ultimately it all passed us by.  Despite the winds which always challenge, the cold air felt good.

After dinner we went to see Assateague and as luck would have it, the wild ponies were grazing.  I'd been here years ago with the kids.  We didn't see the horses then, but we sure had a ball catching the crabs every day!   Glad to have seen the ponies this time - and with their young.

Tomorrow will be a long day.  I'm in bed first and early.  Bike is doing great.  Hard to imagine that we are more than half way through our trip; even harder to fathom that we will be in New Jersey tomorrow night.  Holy Moly!! Staying focused one day at a time continues to be my MO, but I'm getting glimpses of the fun I will have when I can reflect on all we have experienced.

Learned today that someone with MM will be riding with us in the next few days and I was grateful to hear from another patient today, who has MM, knows how vital research is and happy we can help in some small way.  Gives the most meaning to what we do each day.