a) Around the big 90deg turn north of Spuds (zoom in the map a couple of clicks, south east end of the ride) realized I’d forgotten to put on sun screen. (Note the date on the ride.) “No big deal. Lots of shade on this road.” Until about Spuds. Then the rest of the ride is not shady at all.
b) “I’ll stop in Palatka. There’ll be somewhere on the route through with sun screen and I need to refill my bottles anyway.” Nope. The route I’d plotted was residential. I didn’t deviate.
c) About 11 AM, north of Palatka on US 17 (trees are cut back far from the road along that whole road), see a gas station/convenience store on the other side of the road. “Crossing 17 is going to be a pain. It isn’t that far to Bostwick.”
d) Bostwick (much further than I thought) I stop at a convenience store (on the right side of the road), get ice, water, mix more Skratch in the bottles. Then finish the ride instead of calling for a ride.
I did learn that aloe vera gel is very effective at treating a bad sunburn.
Different ride…
On a narrow MUP. That turn at the bottom of this hill is just like all the others, I can take it easily. (a few seconds later doing >20mph) That’s a 90deg turn! (About one second later, road/gravel rash as I lock wheels and skid off the trail.) Five miles to the end of the ride, where I used most of the event organizer’s first aid kit to clean up. Changed, ate.
Drove about two hours home because I didn’t want to drive the 30 minutes to my parents and deal with them worrying.
I did the same trail a few months later. Didn’t make the same mistake twice. Parents never found out.