Day 78 East Palatka to St Augustine 32 miles

Dec 05. The final leg of the journey has arrived and really all I am going to do is cycle 32 miles along perfectly flat roads, there should have been some great climb at the end of the route followed by a glorious 10 mile hair-raising descent to the ocean but its not the destination its the journey eh.
The weather is very kind, another brisk but sunny morning and I'm away from Palatka by 8.30am, the journey is pretty uneventful and before I know it I am in St Augustine. The claim to fame of St Augustine is that is America's oldest permanently settled European city, founded in 1565 by the Spanish, some forty years before Jamestown Virginia (oldest permanently settled english settlement).
I get through the town quicker than I expected and suddenly I am at the junction of Menendez and King Street, the end of the ACA route ! there are road works, lots of traffic, noise and a bridge to Anastasia Island. This is no way to end a transcontinental bike ride! I cycle on over the bridge on to Anastasia and after a few miles I am at last at the beach facing the Atlantic ocean, this is the end, the wheel is dunked in the ocean and I take a little time to contemplate. The beach is beautiful and desolate save a lady called Diane who assists with the photos, there is a beach snack bar where I take time to chat with the owner Joe who has seen many other cyclists finish their route here. Its been a long way from San Diego 3242 miles on my odometer.
The next entry on this blog will be the final one.

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