I left Gene and Rachel at around 7:30 or so and found myself a McDonalds to stop and and call my folks. While I was there, I attempted to use the bathroom which proved to be an impossible task. Apparently all the homeless in Tallahassee come to this McDonalds to use the restroom to clean themselves up at. Gross. Finally, at around 9, I hit the road for real.
The road I was on didn't have a lot of interested stuff on it. Actually, it didn't have much at all - but I thought this was pretty.
I hopped on Route 20. There was a nice wide shoulder, which was good because I was rocking out on my bike to some Jimmy Buffett - keeping a straight line was near impossible.
This road was long, straight, and it just kept going...
And going...until I got to this point. What you see up ahead is a bridge that is about 3 or 4 miles long. There is no shoulder, only concrete dividers about 2 inches from the white line. The speed limit was 65 mph. I decided that if I were to die on this trip, this would be that day. I stood up to make myself seen and pedaled hard. I hopped that the faster I went, the less pain I would be in upon impact.
I made it through to the end without a problem. I promptly jumped over to Route 73 to avoid the highway. This caught my eye right away.
There is something about old, abandoned cars that is so interesting. Here is a DeSoto.
An old rusted Plymouth. At this point there is a huge, nasty looking spider right next to my head that I didn't see. I'm getting the chills now just thinking about it.
And lastly an old Ford.
Back on the road, I was constantly awed by the sky.
This road was long as well.
There also wasn't much to look at besides some trees.
I eventually came upon a small town where they make honey from trees. I can't remember the name of the town or the honey, but I later tried some and it was pretty darn good.
This is Dead Tree Lake, or something like that.
Panama City, at last! After 120 or so miles, I was happy to be here.
After the long stretches of roads with nothing but trees, it was nice to find a little civilization.
The area was really beautiful. Unfortunately, I couldn't get my mind off of anything other than food.
I stopped for a quick bite and tried to figure out where I would stay for the night. I realized a church might be my best bet. It was getting dark and I really wanted to set up camp before it was too much darker. I cross a big bridge into Panama City Beach and was greeted by lights and people.
More lights, and more people than I really wanted to see. I wouldn't be able to camp here. It was too crowded with tourists.
I gave up on the idea of finding a place to stay and kept on riding. I realized that Duncan's (my Dad's friend's) house was only 30-40 miles away from where I was. If I made it there, that would be a 160 mile day. I had never even done 120. This idea got me very excited, so I slapped on a big smile and pressed on.
Dirty Dick's Crab Shack.
There were a lot of attractions in the area. The lights from said attractions made the ride feel like it was in daylight.
There was even an upside down building!
I had texted Duncan earlier to see what he was up to. I received word from him after about 20 more miles of riding - he had an emergency with his dog, and it would be inconvenient to have me over so early. So, I found a beach nearby and talked to some folks for a while. I eventually traveled farther up the road from the beach entrance and found an abandoned house right on the sand. I figured it was a perfect place to set up camp, so I did just that.
Sleeping on the beach was harder than I thought. It was so hot, I woke up drenched in sweat. For whatever reason, I decided to look at my phone. It was 12:30 and I had received a text from Duncan to come over. I thought about it for a moment and packed up my camp. I was roughly 20 miles away. I didn't even bother putting in my contact lenses, just threw on my glasses and jumped on the bike. I turned on my lights, and at 1:00 in the morning, I put my face to the pavement and pushed on. I must have been averaging 20 mph for that hour of riding. I was flying! After arriving at Duncan's, I was greeted with a beer and some snacks. It was great. after chatting, I jumped into the shower and retired for the night at around 4 in the morning.
Oh, what a day!
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