Homecoming?

It’s always a nice feeling to wake up in a motel when it’s pouring outside. Sure, the sound of rain on a tent is very relaxing and peaceful but more so at night. In the morning it’s hard to enjoy that serenity when you know you have to pack up a wet tent. Today there would be no wet tent to pack up.

It’s a somewhat less nice feeling to wake up not knowing where I would be going. Seriously, I really didn’t know. Yes, I have a general direction of travel. East. However, today there were two distinct routes I could take. One would be more scenic, but longer with minimal services. The other would be more direct with somewhat less-minimal services.

I spent quite a bit of time looking at the map last night but remained undecided. This morning, a decision was needed. Going back to the map did not help with the decision. The Warm Showers website did. While there were no hosts along the coastal route, there was a host in Blountstown – about midway between Panama City and Tallahassee. I sent out a request and hoped for the best. I suspected I would have to be on my way before I would get a reply but I figured, worst case scenario, I could get a motel in Blountstown.

In addition to the routing and accommodation issues this morning, I also knew I would have to address the water repellency (or lack thereof) of my rain covers. They worked great early in the trip but after nearly 13,000 km they taken their share of abuse and now have a few rips, tears, and holes. None of which are conducive to keeping the water out. Fortunately, yet not intentionally, I’ve accumulated a sizeable collection of plastic grocery bags lately. Those bags came in very handy this morning as I used them to wrap up my panniers before putting the rain covers on.

After a quick stop at the continental breakfast – which included a MUCH better waffle than yesterday – I loaded up my bike and was on the road by 9:40. It was a later start partially because of the time spent planning today’s route and partially because I was hoping the rain might pass. It didn’t.

Despite the rain, today was a great ride. Perhaps a bit surprisingly so. The rain was steady at times but never a torrential downpour like my ride from Humble, TX to Liberty, TX. And it was a warm rain and I really don’t mind being out in a warm rain. The biggest surprise was the wind. Or lack of it. Based on the forecast I was anticipating headwinds of about 18-20 km/h but they never showed up. Sure, there was a bit of wind but not enough to really impact my progress. Plus, there was a bike lane the entire way. Not incredibly wide, but wide enough. And smooth. And clear of debris. It was beautiful.

I was definitely in very good spirits on the road today. So much so that I started having serious thoughts as to where my next adventure would be. I’m not going to lie, there are a LOT of options.

Thoughts of future travel stayed with me for most of my ride and the time passed very quickly. I was a bit surprised how quickly and effortlessly I arrived in Blountstown. Upon my arrival I met up with David, my Warm Showers host. We proceeded on to an isolated cabin in the woods. Isolated, yes. But with all the comforts I would need. Okay, there’s no internet but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Not having the internet when I was at the Motel 6 in Gulfport wasn’t nice but that was because I had work to do and the motel clearly advertised WiFi. Not having WiFi in a cabin in the woods, again … kind of nice.

Apparently there was an intruder in the cabin recently in the form of a squirrel. Tonight I have neither seen nor heard any indication that a squirrel invasion is imminent. That said, I did have an unexpected visitor in the form of gecko. A very green, very fast, gecko. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t startle me when it seemingly appeared out of nowhere. That said, he clearly wanted no part of me and while I tried to figure out a way to get him outside, he was clearly looking for an escape. Essentially, our goals were the same. The challenge was how to get him outside. I don’t have many (i.e. any) gecko-wrangling skills.

The gecko (the temptation to call him Gordon is very strong) made the first move and bolted from the counter to floor. I countered by racing to open the door to freedom. He didn’t take it. Instead he went for the corner. A poor choice on his part as it was a dead end. Side note: If you’ve never tried to contain a gecko, well … let me just say that they’re quick. Really quick! Fortunately, so am I – although, I did nearly squish him once (I apologized).

To make an unnecessarily long story longer, I eventually managed to direct him towards the open door where he finally escaped into the night.

With the gecko returned to the outside world, I returned to my task in the inside world. Dinner. And dinner tonight was spaghetti prepared by me. In case it wasn’t clear about my accommodations tonight, I have the cabin in the woods to myself. It’s more than a little cool and I may be enjoying it more than I should.

The rest of the evening has been pretty uneventful. I’ve done some more editing, some more writing, had a couple of beers that David left for me, had a nap, and now I’m putting the finishing touches on today’s update. Yes, even with all the rain it’s been a very good day.

And speaking of the rain, the plastic bags did an admirable job of keeping my panniers dry. The only bag I didn’t cover with a plastic bag was my handlebar bag. I don’t know why. Probably because it doesn’t have any notable signs of wear. That said, the rain cover doesn’t do a very good job of keeping my handlebar bag dry at all. Actually, it’s horrible. And I’m not sure why. Clearly water is getting in somewhere and pooling at the bottom because the bottom of my handlebar bag is more than a little damp. Fortunately there’s a somewhat waterproof liner on the inside.

After yesterday’s conversation with my dentist, I’ve been giving some serious thought regarding my dental options. Yes, the pain has been manageable thus far but I really don’t want to run into any issues a few weeks from now only to have my dentist unavailable due to the holidays. As such, I’ve come to a painful decision. I’ve decided to return north of the border to deal with my dental pain (both physical and financial) sooner rather than later. If all goes well I hope to finalize those plans by the end of the day tomorrow. Just to be clear, I’m still finishing my ride. Just a little more quickly than originally hoped.

As a result of my new plan, my dream of spending Xmas somewhere warm are most likely dashed once again. On the upside, there’s always next year.

Today’s totals:
Distance travelled: 82.90 km
Ride time: 3:30:40
Average speed: 23.61 km/h
Maximum speed: 36.70 km/h