The journey begins! Thanks to Ken for taking some great kickoff pics on the St Augustine beach at sunrise.
The weather gods decided to favor me on the start of my tour, not too hot not too cold, riding mostly on bike trails and through some smaller towns.
I rode about 3 miles from the beach where my Airbnb was to the official start of the tour where Evan was kind enough to take some pics of me (and a few of his dog).
Most of the riding was on a bike trail that goes from St Augustine to Gainesville. Pretty peaceful except for some recumbent bicyclists flying by at about 100mph.
Found an awesome shelter in the Rice Creek Conservation area and set up camp for the night.
Ride info
Check out this link to see my ride along with all the pictures I took while I was riding.
https://ridewithgps.com/trips/81348098
Gallery
Thanks to Zad for helping me figure out how to take pictures in the dark 
Small campfire to scare off bears 
This place was awesome 
Finally reached my shelter after wandering in the woods for two hours 
The water was brown 
Pad thai for lunch 
Old city in St Augustine 
One of the titular lions from the Bridge of Lions 
Crossing the Bridge of Lions to reach the start of the route 
St Augustine beach sunrise. Photo credits to Ken 
Spaghetti breakfast for first day 
Evan’s dog 
This is the start of the Southern Tier route on King’s street. Photo credits to Evan
Good luck Julian!!
Yes! I was hoping you’d do this kind of kick off picture to literally go ocean-to-ocean.
So pumped for you, Brother!
Ride strong, ride safe, and have fun.
Excited to watch this journey! Stay safe and have fun!
Have fun and good luck! Take tons of pictures!
-Kate
BE CAREFUL!!!!!!!! Keep your wits about you.
Don’t hesitate to ask for help if you need it (including from me).
Keep your eyes open. Have fun, enjoy the experience.
Julian, very excited to follow your journey!!! Larry