Laziness & The Wind

I hit a corner stone the other day- Florida, the 9th out of 40 or so states that I will visit on this trip. With Florida came two things: unexpected laziness and expected coastal winds. The wind make going more then 10 miles an hour hard, and the frustration of not being able to go any faster leaves me out laying on the beach for hours not really wanting to do much.

Before I hit Florida I made my way through South Carolina & Georgia. I passed through Columbia which was probably the cleanest city I've ever been to, and then through Savannah which was fleeing with tourists. Finding camp spots wasn't too difficult but not exactly easy either, the only memorable spot was at a Pine-tree forest of a state park. Since most of the lower vegetation was dead due to the lack of sunlight it was easy for me to get far from the road and not have to hear a single car all night.

The roads in Georgia were mostly flat and straight, seeming to go on forever. I'd get bored a bit and start dreaming about food and everything that I would like to eat then & there. I'd finally get to a gas station after what seemed like hundreds of miles, buy whatever I've been dreaming of (mostly soda, chocolate, donuts & ice-cream) and have it not taste as great as I imagined it would. I'd tell myself "That's it! No more of this artificial shit!" and hit the road angry that I stopped where I had only to stop again at the next store 10 miles down the road to buy more of the same crap.

NJ had wide shoulders, PA had very little traffic, VA drivers were pretty careful, NC had the Blue Ridge Pkwy; Georgia and Florida have bike lanes that are covered by rumble strips. It definitely made covering the miles fa-uh-uh-uh-un-nn! I got on A1A & was disappointed as all it turned out to be was a busy road going through populated areas and cities. The beaches definitely made up for it though; you just can't beat white sand & clear water. Everyone I met in Florida has been unbelievably nice. However insignificant that bottle of water or free snack you gave me might seem it meant a whole lot to me. The conversations I have with people and the help I receive makes me sure of what I always insisted was right; that most of the world is good, and that however divided we might seem we will still help one another.

I spent the past two days at St. Josephs Carmelite Monastery in Bunnell, FL. They people here have been more then accommodating, letting me take a shower, cooking me some food and getting me some work. I have some 250 miles left til Miami, then I'll be making my way through Alligator Valley and onto the gulf coast. Will try and update this once I'm over there! Thanks for reading & I hope you enjoyed my stories from the road thus far. (: