After Tom Harris and Martha Monroe fixed us a delicious breakfast, and showed us the best routes for all the things we wanted to see, we decided to take Tom up on his offer to deliver our gear to our hotel, which allowed us to explore Gainesville somewhat unencumbered. What a treat that was! Tom and Martha are hosts beyond compare! They said that some folks have come and stayed a week, and I can see why~ they are thoroughly enjoyable company and extremely accommodating. Did we mention the delicious meals they prepared?
At any rate, we enjoyed a delightful day of sightseeing in Gainesville, starting with the Butterfly Rainforest at the Florida Museum of Natural History. It was fascinating watching all the beautiful butterflies flit through the habitat. One butterfly obviously had an affinity for Bruce, as she attached to his shirt, and hung around for several minutes.
We also went to the Sweetwater Preserve where we hoped to see alligators, but no luck. We did. however see wild horses, and several waterfowl.
Even though this was supposed to be an easy day, we ended up with 39 miles cycling, and 6 miles. hiking.
