Monday, May 29, 2006
Orlando to Pensacola
Orlando to Pensacola
Left Orlando early after a delightful evening with relatives. I stayed off the tollroads and headed generally west to get to Hwy 19 which goes up the west coast toward Talahassee. I was pleased to find that Hwy19 was a 4-lane divided highway with speed limits approaching that of the Interstate, so I was making good time.
When I left Orlando, the temps were in the high 70s; as I approached Talahassee, temps were in the high 90s. I've ridden in the 90s before in Iowa and the Dakotas, but here, the combination of temp and humidity makes for reasonably uncomfortable riding. I had every vent in the 'stitch wide open and still wasn't getting a whole lot of relief. I usually drain a 1/2 gallon Igloo jug of water per day when the temps are in the 80s, but today I was on my second jug of water by 1400.
Strangely enough, when I was moving, the effect of the temperature wasn't too bad. Obviously I was sweating heavily and the fact that the vents were letting in air across the damp clothing had at least a cooling effect on my skin.
I decided to cut the day short at some 480 miles because the heat had taken a lot out of me. Tomorrow I'll leave at dawn and try to get as many miles behind me as possible before the sun gets too high and it gets too hot - may even take a "siesta" in the early afternoon and make some more miles later in the afternoon and early evening.
It's almost 1400 miles from here in Pensacola to El Paso, Texas, on the western side of the state, Since tomorrow is Memorial Day, I'll need to check some of the sites I'm planning to visit to see if they are open. That will determine whether I take I-10 thru Houston or I-20 thru Dallas.
Daily stats:
Driving avg:60.4
Overall average: 46.8
Drive time: 7:49
Stopped time:1:36
Total time: 9:23
GPS: 479.5 miles
Mike
Left Orlando early after a delightful evening with relatives. I stayed off the tollroads and headed generally west to get to Hwy 19 which goes up the west coast toward Talahassee. I was pleased to find that Hwy19 was a 4-lane divided highway with speed limits approaching that of the Interstate, so I was making good time.
When I left Orlando, the temps were in the high 70s; as I approached Talahassee, temps were in the high 90s. I've ridden in the 90s before in Iowa and the Dakotas, but here, the combination of temp and humidity makes for reasonably uncomfortable riding. I had every vent in the 'stitch wide open and still wasn't getting a whole lot of relief. I usually drain a 1/2 gallon Igloo jug of water per day when the temps are in the 80s, but today I was on my second jug of water by 1400.
Strangely enough, when I was moving, the effect of the temperature wasn't too bad. Obviously I was sweating heavily and the fact that the vents were letting in air across the damp clothing had at least a cooling effect on my skin.
I decided to cut the day short at some 480 miles because the heat had taken a lot out of me. Tomorrow I'll leave at dawn and try to get as many miles behind me as possible before the sun gets too high and it gets too hot - may even take a "siesta" in the early afternoon and make some more miles later in the afternoon and early evening.
It's almost 1400 miles from here in Pensacola to El Paso, Texas, on the western side of the state, Since tomorrow is Memorial Day, I'll need to check some of the sites I'm planning to visit to see if they are open. That will determine whether I take I-10 thru Houston or I-20 thru Dallas.
Daily stats:
Driving avg:60.4
Overall average: 46.8
Drive time: 7:49
Stopped time:1:36
Total time: 9:23
GPS: 479.5 miles
Mike
