Carrebelle, Fl. (Pop. 2606)

Yesterday afternoon, I asked at the Exxon Gasoline if we could park our PLUM in their lot over night. The cashier said, "Sure, that's fine." I assumed she was the final decision-maker, and we returned and parked out of the way and spent the night. I was a little nervous about the time we went to bed, but no one beat on our door, and we were undisturbed for the night. The station closed at 10:00, so things settled down for the night.

We got up this morning and headed to a local park since the station offered parking but their restrooms were out of order. Since we all know what coffee makes you do, we thought we should head to the park for our morning business.

I headed out around 9:00 this morning, feeling the chilly 50-degree breeze on my face. The sun was shining, so it wasn't too bad, after my blood got pumping really well. The first 20 miles were on bike lanes. They were awesome and so peaceful. However, that party ended, and I was back on the US 98. The road had a nice shoulder, so the riding was still pretty peaceful, as long as you ignored the dump trucks flying by, nearly blasting me off the road sometimes. The last 8 miles were on a shoulderless road, and even though the traffic wasn't heavy, it was still more nerve-racking. I was constantly watching for traffic in my mirror. I was ready to call it a day by the time I arrived in Carrebelle around 1:30. Dana had found a park on the beach and spent most of her day there, walking and doing some painting. I arrived, cleaned up, rested, and then we headed out to find a place to stay and something to eat. This morning, I had called a church and asked if we could park in their lot for the night. I was pretty sure they had a large parking lot, thanks to Google Maps street view. I didn't receive a call back and assumed that might be the yes I was looking for. On our way to The Fisherman's Wife (a local restaurant), we stopped by the church. There were several cars by the front entrance, and Dana said I should ask if we could park for the night. I approached them and explained the situation, saying we would park in the farthest corner and be out of their way. The gentleman said, "I can show you something that would probably be more comfortable for you." He took me to the side of the church and showed me a large asphalt pad and said that I should just pull up and make ourselves at home. He pointed out the water spigot and the electrical hookup. He made sure I felt free to use the water and electric. We were happy and pleased at their hospitality. We are currently parked and getting juiced. Happy campers!

During the first part of the trip today, I met this young woman fully geared up for a long haul. As we passed, I asked if she was headed to St. Augustine; she replied that she was. I stopped, but she kept going. I would have loved to hear her story, but she seemed to want to keep rolling.

About half way through the day, there was a young man riding on the other side of the road and yelled across to see if I had some chain lube. I said that I did, and we chatted a bit as he lubed his chain. Daniel was a college student on spring break. He doesn't have a car, but he has a bike, so he decided to spend the week doing a 4-5 day bike tour. He got caught in the rain on Sunday, the same one we experienced in Perry. Unlike us, he was camping and probably slept worse than we did. After several minutes of chatting, we both head in opposite directions.

I stopped about 15 miles out for lunch and had just finished when a Jeep pulled in with a 30-something driver. There was a bike on a rack on the back of the Jeep. He asked if I was ok, to which I replied that I was just finishing lunch. He asked where I was headed, and we chatted for a while. He has done quite a bit of riding in the area. He told me he loves to ride his e-bike. More heartfelt emotions were immediately identified. :-) He seemed like a nice guy, and soon he sped off, and I started the last leg of my day.

The day started off quite chilly, but at my lunch break, I took off another layer and enjoyed the rest of the day in short sleeves.

This trip is certainly different than any of our others. It just has a different feel, knowing that we always have the bus to sleep in. At the same time, we are enjoying the trip, and Dana has time to find unique spots to visit. At the end of the day, I crash. We make it work. :-)Okumaya devam et