pedaled off down some back roads and then turned onto Martins Dairy Road and
took that dirt track past the last house and utility pole to the Spruce Creek
Reserve. Bicycle trails ran all through the
reserve, a beautiful hammock of saw palmettos, palm trees and oaks. The trail
consisted of sand, oyster shells and leaves and at times was pretty technical
due to palm roots and low tree limbs. At the
end of the trail we got great views of the salt marsh
with Spruce Creek winding through it. It took a lot of energy to push through
those trails and we began to wilt in the heat. Too soon we left the solitude of
the preserve to pedal into town--lunch called. On the way we stopped at a gas station and used our pump
to inflate tires on a cruiser bike for a woman visiting from Hawaii. 
We rolled into down and cruised down Canal Street, an inviting place for a couple
of
hot and hungry riders. After a tour of a park on the waterfront, and a photo
shoot of a pelican, we had lunch. Bright and
inviting, The Deli Touch, was busy but not crowded. Twice waitresses told us to
sit anywhere including the large booths that were reserved for parties of six.
The black bean soup and other food restored us and soon we crossed the draw
bridge and headed out onto the beach. Alas, we did not escape cars by pedaling
onto the beach: they drive and park them on the sand. At least we were able to
ride on a portion of the beach closed to the monsters. We pedaled for miles
enjoying the cool breeze off the water. At one point we saw some
distinctive birds and were able to identify them as black skimmers, a bird with
a longer lower bill that skims the water for fish. Eventually the tide made the
beach narrow and the going got soft so we went to Bethune county park where we
had an ice cream break. We got back to the car after 50 miles so hot that Paula
dumped the ice water from the cooler on her head. We drove to Ormond Beach but
couldn't find a good room so continued on to Palm
Coast where we found refuge.