Friday, October 11th, 2013
Today, I began the serious quest for the west. First goal: the Florida Panhandle...
After the late night in Baldwin, I slept in, ate too much for breakfast in the motel lobby, and headed out about 9 am. The roads remained wonderful and the sun continued to shine brightly. But, no problem, this time I was prepared, with a tad bit of sunscreen on my face and shoulders. Ergo, my facial color remained the same all day.
I did appear to have an alternating headwind/crosswind for a good part of the day, so I was as tired at 46 miles as I usually am at 55-60 miles. In Lake City, Florida, my day’s destination, the men were feeling their Friday oats, cashing checks at the grocery store, buying beer, driving the streets, and making wolf whistles at the women. It was Friday fun in Lake City! I went on to the Lake City Campground, about 5 miles north of town. It is a sweet spot with little ponds with fountains in the center of the pools, which effectively kept the water moving and fairly fresh. After doing my standing exercises, I showered and ate apples and cheese and crackers for dinner.
It seems a bit funny but fresh, crisp apples and warm, sharp cheddar cheese while camping beats any fancy dinner in a nice restaurant. I don’t know if it’s the fresh air, the knowledge that it was a very inexpensive meal, or hunger that makes it so doggone good.
Well, enough for now. I’m having a hard time connecting to the internet here, so I guess it will be a book reading night!
Saturday, Oct 12, 2013.
It was a fitful night---I’ve been going to bed way too late so I was looking forward to an early night in my tent. After writing a bit on the blog notes and then reading a novel for about 30 minutes, I shut off the battery light and tucked myself into the sleeping bag. I awakened every hour thereafter and got up when it was just barely turning light outside, around 6:20 am. HD and I headed back for Lake City to catch hwy 90 and head west again. This town turned out to be a lot larger than I had imagined and it actually sprawled for several miles.
It was a beautiful day for riding. I am still seeing these incredibly tall trees, similar to traveling through the Carolinas and Georgia. I have seen more clearcut forests here, but many are replanted with seedling pine trees. Logging trucks are in heavy supply around here.
A met a local gent yesterday who pulled his pickup over on the highway to find out what the heck I was doing on a lonely Florida road, by myself, all packed up and looking like I had been traveling a distance. He scowled when I mentioned seeing the clearcut forests. But I followed it by saying I was glad to see they were replanting in efforts at good forest management. This was a man from Sanderson who worked 40 years for the railroad. Now, he is retired but still gets up at 4 am every day. He didn’t want his name mentioned but I told him I just had to share this next little tidbit. Every morning when he gets up he goes outside. If it is still and quiet, he pulls out his boat and goes fishing. If it is “blowin’”, then he grabs his rifle, goes into the forests, and goes hunting---or deer scouting, when it isn’t deer season yet. The town of Sanderson is a depressed town with little industry and most people are unemployed. So, this railroad retiree gives almost all of his fish and game away. He says he feeds about 10 families who tell him that they would be hungry if it weren’t for his sharing his fish and game. Then I understood why he didn’t like the clearcutting---perhaps it affected the local game population, thus making it harder for him to provide food for his town.
It’s all a life cycle. A disturbed ecosystem can cause changes we humans often don’t consider.
We chatted about his life and his hunting and he had a great sense of humor. He pushed his hat back on his head when I answered questions about my “little adventure”. He replied, “Well, Gol-durn, I think I’ve seen about everything! And yer doin’ this all by yerself? Are you one of them lez-beans?”
I answered, no, I had been married and had 3 children.
“Well, are ye married now?”
“No, but I do have a boyfriend.”
“Well, what does he think of this trip yer on?”
“He is in full support of it.”
“Well, Gol-durn, I think I’ve seen everything now!”
We wished each other safety and good days and made our separate ways.
-----------------------------
These last few days have been days of contemplation and thought. Because we are all made of the same thing, from the rat to the human to the mountain to the star, we are all connected energetically. Our thoughts are a potent source of energy and through them, we can create. Or destroy. Sages from all religions and throughout the millenia have repeatedly tried to teach us less enlightened ones that we only need to believe and we can move mountains or create anything, including heaven on earth, or inside us. That is an awful lot of power, don’t you think?
So, why are we so afraid to create our best realities?
___________________________
HD and I made it to the Super 8 on the southern edge of Madison by around 5:30. I don’t know about HD, but I sure was tired. I hauled my gear to the 2nd floor room and then proceeded to do my exercises. That revived the legs a little but they are aching again while I sit here eating dinner and typing this blog.
Maybe it’s time for a walk...
Sunday, October 14th, 2013
After a light breakfast in the lobby, I packed up HD and away we went toward Tallahassee. The road and weather conditions continued to be perfect--and no wind to speak of. However, the way was hilly, so we had our work cut out for us. HD hummed along but fatigue paid me a visit around 2 pm and hung around till arrival at the Seminole Best Western around 5 pm. I checked into the motel at the east end of Tallahassee, did my core workout, talked to my friend Truth on the phone, picked up groceries, showered, and started the laundry.
Then I listened to the digitized version of a violin concerto, fresh off the press and the wonderful composition software, from one Dr. Peter Fischer. It was incredible: melodic, inspiring, moving. I almost cried, and I don’t often do that with music without words. Lyrics can make me cry, but music alone tends to transport me elsewhere, where wonder may lie, but tears remain behind. The beauty can be almost painful, but then I allow my heart to be transported. Like opening a door and sailing through it, rather than sitting there crying...
Is that what Wonderland is like: a place of inspiration and imagination and joy and challenge, but where tears have no real place?
_____________
Here in Florida, I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to see the swamps. In the Carolinas, Georgia, and parts of Florida, I’ve seen the marshes--brackish water made of salt water and fresh water. In the swamp, it is standing, fresh water, very “still”. It is as if the water table is just under the surface and wherever the land dips just a few feet, the water bubbles up and covers the ground. I thought the swamps were next to the ocean, but this area is “inland”, in the panhandle. It seems so odd to see huge oak and cypress trees, standing in a few feet of water and appearing to grow just fine. I would’ve expected them to rot, but they don’t. The surface of the water may be clear or may be covered in an algae-like growth, or even water plants. It is all so fascinating. I keep hoping to see another alligator, but no luck so far. Or maybe that IS lucky!!
Monday, October 14th, 2013.
Today is a writing day. And maybe talk to family day. I met the housekeeper who may be the housekeeping manager. Her name is Tiesha. She is a beautiful woman in her mid twenties with 3 kids. I tend to keep the room door open when I am in a motel room during daylight hours. I told her I didn’t need the room cleaned but she did her job magnificently by talking me into taking coffee refills for the coffee maker. She then asked me questions about HD and the trip and that started a sweet conversation. Tiesha’s dream is to become an RN. She plans to start classes at the community college this January, get her associate’s degree, and then transfer to a major university.
I asked her about her choice of careers. She was partially raised by her grandmother, as she and her mom lived in her grandmother’s home. She grew up, learning about the physical challenges of the aging population and basically fell in love with helping the elderly. She enjoys her job at the motel because she likes doing little, and big, things to help others. She has a huge heart and a winning smile. But becoming a nurse would give her a career that could provide for her family while filling her need to help others live a longer, healthier life.
I spent most of the day writing the blogs about Hilton Head and then traveling south to the 4th corner.
Tuesday, October 15th, 2013
Today the goal was Blountstown. It took over an hour to cross through Tallahassee, primarily on the sidewalks, until I rounded the corner of the Florida State University and the bike lanes began. Tallahassee was quite hilly and really quite a lovely city. It has done a good job of maintaining its natural beauty in the midst of urban sprawl.
Today we had some clouds and some sprinkles from the sky. To get to Blountstown, I cycled on hwy-----on a very long “bridge”. This bridge crosses the -----river. But the actual river is fairly narrow. Most of the bridge, about 4 miles of it, crosses the ------
It was a little harrowing, as it was a fairly narrow bridge, but the traffic was light.
There were only 2 lodging places in the Blountstown areas, both locally owned and in a bit of rundown conditions. I chose the “Airport Motel”, although there was not an airport of which I was aware. The motel was about 1.5 miles from town.
A little Indian lady ran the desk operations and we chatted for a bit. She recently had double knee joint replacements and takes a few walks each day. She is at the motel almost all of the time, but does not have a car, otherwise, she said, she would drive me the mile into town to the grocery store! I said that HD could handle the job to town, no worries there! She was very solicitous, hoping to ensure I was ok with the room and felt safe. She came to my room and turned on the AC and warned me to close the bathroom window at night to keep out the gnats.
What the room lacked in paint and cleanliness, the lady running the joint made up for in kindness and friendliness. She deserves a raise. And a helper.
I cycled into town to grab some groceries. I noticed a few banners spanning the main street, advertising “Goat Day”, which was fast approaching.
I was tickled. Too much time on my own, perhaps, but I see funny things all day long. Or at least, they are funny to me. A few towns back, I saw a sign at a middle school advertising $1 to kiss a pig. And now, Goat Day. I thought, “Wow, the people in this area don’t just like their animals, they LOVE their animals”.
Take it where you will...
After getting back to the motel and eating chips, hummus, and carrots, I settled in for the night.
Wednesday, October 16th, 2013
Exiting Blountstown took a bit longer than expected. I had to get some morning coffee at McDonalds. Then, I kept seeing little things to photograph--such as a lovely little park. And a sign in front of the pawn shop, which read:
“We buy Guns, Gold, and Apple Products”
That made me smile so big I had to stop and get up close to get a picture. This summed up the mentality of most of America, I thought. In descending order, what so many people value:
- guns to protect what we own--our stuff
- gold, representing money---to buy our stuff
- apple products---technological stuff worth its weight in gold and which we may want to use a gun to protect!
So, I pulled around and took a photo. All of a sudden, a tall, blue-eyed man appeared about 6 ft away and said, “Wait, I want to take a picture of you taking a picture of my sign!”
This was Walter, the owner of the pawn shop. He was the highlight of the day, maybe even the week.
Walter is a tall, good looking man from Switzerland. When he around 20, he and some friends came to the USA to vacation and travel. That’s when he met and fell in love with Becky, while partying along the Florida coast. I found myself swept away in the love story, imagining this handsome blue-eyed manly man falling madly in love with this petite American with wide-set hazel green eyes and the prettiest smile you have ever seen. What a pair.
Because he was traveling with friends, they had to part after just a few days of meeting. But, they wrote each other and eventually he returned and the rest is history.
They are now in their late 50’s, have 2 grown children, and run the pawn shop that Becky’s dad used to own. They lived in Switzerland for 10 years and then moved to Blountstown, Becky’s hometown, where Becky’s father needed help with the shop. Her dad was not exactly thrilled with her daughter’s choice and apparently there was some friction over the years. But Walter was not going anywhere---he had made his choice with Becky and no meanspirited man was going to push him out. In fact, the townspeople also gave this “foreigner” a hard time and didn’t trust him for several years. Eventually, they allowed themselves the opportunity to get to know him and have accepted him as a friend.
Over the years, the pawn shop outlasted other pawnbrokers in the area and now it is about the only one standing for several miles. It does quite a bit of business and they have been able to do a good deal of traveling as well as put their kids through college.
Walter’s passions are travel and food. He loves to travel all over the world and taste foods and wines from each area. He and his son took a recent trip together to Sonoma, to wine country. He and his wife will be taking a cruise next month. He has maintained a good weight, so I told him he didn’t look like food was his passion. He laughed and said it takes quite a bit of work: he exercises regularly and watches his intake so he can indulge when he travels. He and Becky like to go out to dinner on the weekends, usually traveling out of town.
We talked about gun issues. It was a fascinating conversation. In Switzerland, the populace is armed and ready for self-defense of their country at a moment’s notice. All young people serve for 2-3 years; men are trained in military arts and each young man is provided with a machine gun, which they take home. All men, between 18 and 50, have a machine gun, issued by the Swiss government. Every year, they return to training centers for a 3 week refresher course, so to speak, where they go through their paces and learn new military tactics. The country has a very organized plan for self-defence and can mobilize the entire country within minutes. While they do not play offense, in other words, they do not attack any other sovereign nation, they are ready to protect themselves.
Walter said, imagine attacking an apartment complex with 20 families and 2 men per family. That is 40 machine guns. Therefore, other countries leave them alone. And keep their money in Swiss banks, he said, with a twinkle in his eyes. In fact, Walter said, Hitler left Switzerland alone and the Nazis had a rhyming ditty they sang about the country. Roughly translated, the ditty said that they would leave Switzerland alone until they were heading back home. In other words, Switzerland would be the last to be attacked and then, only if they had taken all the other countries first.
It is small. And mighty.
So, Walter has about 100 guns. He and his wife and his two young adult children all carry concealed weapons. He laughed and said, “So, when we go on vacation all together, we have 4 guns with us. We are pretty safe, I think!”
One of the things that earned him respect, as well as a reputation in Blountstown occurred early on. He and Becky were in bed at night and Becky heard someone at the door and became frightened. Walter grabbed a magnum 44 and went to the door, opened it, and put it in the face of one very scared customer from earlier that day. The astounded customer stuttered and asked a question, which Walter answered with a “you can come back to the shop during working hours tomorrow and ask me that question”. The customer went home rather quickly, following instructions to come back to the shop the next day. The word went out about town like wildfire: “if you want to talk business with Walter or Becky, do NOT go to their house---go to the shop ONLY, and ONLY during working hours”.
He has never shot anyone.
The Swiss philosophy is really quite interesting. Train the entire country in self-defense. Call all the men in the country back to training centers for 3 weeks every year. Keep all guns in working order. Devise and update a good self-defense activation plan. Men over 50 return their guns to the government and no longer need to go to the annual training. Most importantly: do not attack other countries. But be ready if they attack you.
This may only work for a small country. As for the USA, we are so busy playing offense and calling it defense that this model wouldn’t work for us. A pity...
At the tail end of our conversation, Becky drove up and I had the pleasure of meeting this vital woman. What a beauty, and with her soft southern drawl, she was a potent mixture of the feisty, yet classy southern belle.
Walter and Becky---a force to reckon with in this little town called Blountstown.
After the goodbyes were expressed, I continued on the trek to Panama City. I had Gulf Coast on my agenda. I turned south on hwy---- and zipped through a few towns to get to the ocean again. I loved cycling through all the trees, but I missed the ocean and smell of saltwater and fish! I had never been to the Gulf, and that was another draw. on the northeast edge of Panama City, I pulled out the iPhone, found a good deal on a room, and made it to the west end of town, about 1/3 mile from the bridge that crosses ----to Panama City Beach. After hauling my gear up the stairs and locking HD outside, I took a walk to the bridge and halfway up it, shooting photos of my first glimpse of the Gulf of Mexico. I passed by the college with young people filtering out, by the park with people jogging the sidewalks, and up the bridge with walkers, joggers, and cyclists. I returned to my room just after dark and settled in.
It was a great day--a great week! I had made it to the Gulf!
No comments:
Post a Comment