Last night was one of those magical nights when everything dries... Had I known, I would have done a bunch of laundry!

I rode into Port St. Joe and did some more route research at the library, but I was surprised to see how late it was getting already.  Come to find out I had just crossed into Eastern Time!

Several people had recommended I visit St. Joseph Peninsula State Park, but it would add about 25 miles and an extra day, so instead I took a shortcut through St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge and got into Apalachicola (the town, that is, where the river of the same name comes out of the like-named forest and flows into the eponymous bay) in mid-afternoon.  The hotels there looked too pricey for my taste, so I continued across the bay to the town of Eastpoint.

It was a beautiful day, but chilly, and with a stiff wind.  The wind was at my back most of the day, which was great, but I really felt the gusts when I crossed the 5-mile bridge across the bay!  I was looking for a hotel rather than a campground because the night's low was forecast to be in the 20s F.  As it turned out, the tenting campground in Eastpoint had closed anyway, so had I wanted to camp, I would have had to rough it or head out to St. George Island -- very scenic, I'm sure, but almost 30 extra miles.

Eastpoint has only one remaining motel, but it's a really nice place: lots of character, well maintained, affordable, and right on the water.  My room evidently used to be some sort of barn and has an adjoining squirrel cage!  I took pictures.

40.5 mi