Drive back from FL

 After some relaxing days in Florida I hit the road on Monday with plans for 8 runs along the way (and a rest stop in Virginia for the night).

I was on the road at 3:30 am and reached the Timucuan trail in Jacksonville at sunrise (200 miles). It was 65 degrees and the wind was howling. Nice views of the ocean on this paved path which I had to myself this early in the morn.

Another 200 miles of driving got me to St Helena Island in South Carolina. It cost $8 to get into the Hunting Island state park. The park had a mix of paved road, dirt trails, and firmly packed beach. It was again 65 degrees but the 30-50 mph steady wind made it seem a lot cooler. I wisely went into the wind at the start and had a great finish with the wind pushing me back to the car.

I then had a LONG 300 mile drive to Erwin North Carolina for a visit to the Erwin-Dunn rail trail. I'd run this a few years ago from the Dunn end and this 5m run got me the remainder of the very nice dirt trail.

Next up was a race against the sunset(735pm) and a 2+ hour drive to Purdy VA for a run on the Tobacco Trail. I'd also run on this previously from the Jarratt VA end. I reached the trail 25 minutes after sunset and got out my headlamp for a nice run in the 58 degree cool and calm conditions. Purdy must qualify as a "dark sky" town as the stars were blazing! Beauty, despite the somewhat rougher footing (mix of grass and dirt).

I cleaned up with a gallon jug shower and then hit the road aiming for the next rest area in VA. I called it a night at 10pm and slept (somewhat) until 4am when I hit the road for day two.

A 175 mile drive got me to Potomac MD for a run on the C&O canal path. I've run portions of this but had yet to start a run from here. I got in a nice 4 mile run a little before sunrise. Very nice dirt trail with great footing and views of the canal and the Potomac river.

Three hours later I arrived in Pottsville PA for the Shuykill river trail. I parked at the water department lot and hoped I would be okay to park for a little while. The trail is a dirt road (smooth) that was built over a newly installed pipeline. The 120 mile trail is not officially open in this location but seemed great to me. Climbed for 2 miles with a nice tailwind then had the downhill into the wind on this 55 degree and sunny day.

Next up was the Orange Heritage Trail in Middletown NY. It was 69 degrees and sunny when I hit the trail at 2:30 pm. I was surprised by how many people were using the trail (good) and how many e-bikes (bad). Really nice trail!

My final stop was the Farmington Canal Heritage Path in Southington CT. I've run or biked on a lot of this trail but not at this part where the off-road section ends. This was a pleasant paved path that was reasonably quiet with just some late afternoon bikers, walkers, and even a few runners.

Another 2 hours had me back in Bradford. I'd covered about 1,500 miles with 35+ miles of running and about 6 hours of sleep over the 39+ hours it took. Great fun exploring!