The American Spanish Colonial City

I just made it to St Augustine. This town has an old Spanish Fort. Fuckin’ wild. Built in the 1500’s. And a colonial district that is really hip. I like how they conserved the colonial part of town and celebrate it. It reminds me of colonial towns I’ve seen in Mexico. Too bad I’m just passing through and not drinking beer. I’m camped out near train tracks and cars driving down the blvd. It’s noisy. I like it. Rode about 55 miles today. Saw bar and grills back in business after the shutdown.

Marshy Lands North of Jacksonville

Arrived at the most Northwestern part of Florida. It’s always called to me. I camped late, around 8:20, ‘cause I couldn’t find a suitable camping spot. Lot’s of fences next to the road. Private property. I camped on private property before and the cops gave me a ticket. So far I see lot’s of marshland and fishing related businesses. Bait shops, fishing boats, seafood restaurants and bar and grills. Today I rode a lot. Maybe 70 miles. My left hand is still partially numb.
Man, this trip so far has been a blast. Normally after breaking camp, I’m on the road biking at 6:40am. This is a super productive lifestyle. I’m seeing so much of Florida and of life.

Fernandina and Peace Corps Friends

Spent yesterday with an old Peace Corps friend, Jay. Back in Madagascar after training, when I first got to my region, he was the first region mate I met. We hit it off immediately and he’s a good friend. Now here in his hometown, Fernandina, we met up for lunch and drinks and then I spent the night in his apartment with his two roommates. He was so hospitable. His hometown is on the furthest northeast coast of Florida. Just below Georgia. This is a fascinating and beautiful part of Florida. Very pleasantly different than Miami.

Youtube Channel

I’ve been pumping out my daily videos on this trip. 13 so far. It’s like my job since I’m not working. Filming and editing the videos and riding keep me more than busy.

A Story

I was riding on the sidewalk in a Jacksonville suburban neighborhood and I saw on the ground a really nice red iphone. I picked it up. It was an iphone 8, 9, or 10 in good condition. I first thought, “Can I get money out of this? But then I realized that no, I’m too honest, and I would return. I’ve returned wallets before. I start riding a bit but with my eyes and ears on the phone. It rang! I answer. I see the guy but don’t hear anything. So I point the phone’s camera at the nearest street sign and then at a pillar that’s part of a gate to a park, because I’m going to put it on the top of the pillar, so he’ll know where to find it, ‘cause I need to continue riding and I don’t have time to hang around. He understands. We give each other thumbs up and hang up. I linger a little bit because I don’t feel comfortable leaving the phone out here in public. All of a sudden a lady in a car pulls up, “Do you have the phone?” she asks. Yes. I hand it over. She says her son wanted to give me 10 dollars. I say don’t worry about it. I tell her that someone returned my phone before and I’m returning the favor. We shook hands with much jubilation.

Crossed the State

Now I’m on the West Coast of Florida. I’m camped near Horseshoe Beach. There’s lots of mosquitos and gnats here. Earlier I buzzed in to the small gulf fishing town took photos, videos, and flew the drone, then buzzed 3 miles back inland to a cute little public park. Inside my tent I’m safe from all the bugs. I hear strange animal noises that I didn’t hear 50 miles inland, though.

Cedar Key

I went to the gulf coast town of Cedar Key. It’s a little touristy town. The gulf coast is significantly different from the east coast of Florida. Here the water is brown and there’s not much of a beach. There’s no big beach blvd, like Ocean Drive, but Cedar Key had something like it. It was a little road on the water with restaurants, art galleries, and touristy stuff on it. I stopped into a place for a beer to celebrate.

Swampy Town with a Spring

Crystal River is a gem. It’s built in a swampy area but there are springs spilling into the bay so you’re happy to swim in it. While editing at Dunkin Doughnuts, I had difficulty uploading a video to Youtube so I camped late. The spot I found was in the city but hidden from people walking or driving nearby. Safe.Man, I’ve been productive. While on the road I wake up early and work all day:biking, filming, and talking in front of the camera. I love life on the road! And I saw otters today. I never knew they were in Florida. Oppie and Thu are coming up tomorrow, so I’m excited and we’re going to do something fun, for sure. A little detour from biking but my body could use the rest.

Start of the Rafting Trip

Oppie and Thu met me in Crystal River and we camped for 3 days in Ichetucknee campground. We went rafting two times and it was a blast. The first river was alongside Ginnie Springs. There were lots of people there partying and having a good time, which surprised me in the era of Coronavirus. But I have to get back to Miami soon because the bar I work at could open up any day now. And I still haven’t received my unemployment benefits. So back on the trip. Oppie and Thu dropped me off nearby where they picked me up.

 

Conclusion:

Live life how you want, even if the government and media tell you to stay home because of the Coronavirus. Change your life up…don’t get caught in a rut. Try life under the rules of the sun and mother nature. You’ll appreciate air conditioning and bathrooms later.