Stats:
Start: 2865.1 km
End: 3085.7 km
————–
220.6 km or 132.4 mi
Today, day two, was not a good day. And as I sit here in the hotel (yes, I’m in a hotel tonight), I am stressed. Sadly, it has little to do with the trip at this point. In fact, there is not one good thing I can say about today.
After breaking down the campsite this morning, I realized my block of wood was gone. That was problematic. I rode the 15 or 20 miles into Naples (maybe less?) to go to a home depot to BUY a piece of wood, the pack pulling on my shoulders ad my back the entire time. Found a wrapped package of cedar sticks that I thought would do nicely. And who knows, maybe cedar sticks would come in handy at some point, I thought to myself.
Side note: whenever I make stops like this along the way, it’s an ordeal. I have my backpack strapped to me at all times, weighing around 50-60 pounds, my helmet is either on my head or in my hands, and then I have to carry the other bag so that it won’t get stolen while I’m doing whatever. I leave the gas and oil in the milk crate affixed to the back of the scooter. I leave the block (of now cedar sticks) in the crate. Gloves tucked away under seat. Oh, and the camera is always around my neck, although today it did me little good.
So I’m leaving Home Depot and I’m at the scooter going through the ritual of getting ready to ride again. My helmet is on my seat and I accidentally knock it off. The face plate cracks where it’s connected to the helmet and leaves a large crack down the right side. After a lot of cursing, I realize I can finagle the helmet so that I can wear it fine as if it weren’t broken, however, whenever I go to take it off, I have to deal with the fact that it pops out on the left side. An annoyance more than anything really critical having happened to the helmet.
Because of that incident, and in part because I get on and off the scooter so much, I have a pattern down now. Stuff in the crate first, helmet hangs from the handlebars, backpack sits on the seat so I can strap it on… and so on.
Anyway, I leave Home Depot. I head to the closest Starbucks for internet. A barrage of worthless email. And then… and then there are a series of emails which immediately cause me a great deal of stress. Emails which are the reason I’m in a hotel tonight and not camping. I needed reliable and steady internet tonight to complete some things.
As much as I wanted to get rid of the stress today, as much as I NEVER wanted any of what I left behind to come with me on this trip, it regrettably has. Of all days for it to hit, though, today was probably a great day in terms of driving as the scenery was little more than strip mall after strip mall after planned community after McShops after nothing notable for hours upon end.
I didn’t know where I was going to stay tonight until I sat at Starbucks this morning (and into the afternoon). I had wanted to camp. After last night, I had wanted to camp every night. I know every night won’t be so pleasant (even after a somewhat restless night mixed with deep sleep), but I felt good sleeping in my small tent. I felt good waking up at 7am to the sounds of other campers in the campsites close by. I felt good waking up and thinking about the day ahead, surrounded by relatively nothing but nature.
Tomorrow is going to be better. I need to take care of some business tonight, map out a route for tomorrow (especially since some stranger in the lobby of the hotel had some advice), and manage my time better.
Ideally, the way I’d like the days to go is to get up in the morning, lounge for a few, get on the road and go to wherever I’m going, do some work/internet stuff, then spend the rest of the day/night exploring and camping. That being said, I see the drive itself as part exploration, although today it most certainly wasn’t.
Today was not a good day. Nothing impressed me today. Also, somewhere between Fort Meyers and Sarasota, I accidentally knocked the lens cap off of my Sigma lens. Turned around to pick it up, hoping it wouldn’t be run over. By the time I made it back, it had been run over at least once making it worthless to cover the lens. It’s not like I NEED the lens cap given that the lens is protected by the elements from the way it’s positioned in relation to where I sit on the scooter and where it hangs, but still. It was the lens cap. I may go by a camera store and replace it.
I did not enjoy today and am not presently happy. I will not have stress upon me during this trip. After today, it is gone no matter what. I refuse… I absolutely refuse to succumb to stress. I want to wake up to the birds singing and I want to hear nothing but them all day long. I want to see nothing but beauty each day. It is so much more relaxing to listen to birds chirp and the sound of the wind in my helmet than trying to interpret tone in an email and what’s really being said. And it is so much prettier outdoors than in. Although this Days Inn in Sarasota is just lovely. Nice carpet.
Scott’s roadtrip across America is proudly sponsored by Miami Tour Company. For info on the best tours in Miami, visit MiamiTourCompany.com.
I’ve lost several lens caps and I’ve been meaning to replace them but I keep thinking they will reappear somewhere.
I hope you have a lens filter because otherwise your lens glass is exposed and that’s not good. Especially with the luck you’re having now.
I’ve been working on the video and it’s coming along nicely. I’ll have it up by Monday.
Hey Carlos.
I’ve actually got a lens filter that fits two of my other lens, but not this 24mm. I may just switch lenses out tomorrow just to be safe. Can’t wait to see the video. I’m sure I look dorkeriffic.
I’m thinking in so many ways that you are on the right path. For you. And maybe for so many others.
I offer a few pieces of advice and I hope they don’t sound insulting. But I myself had a rather harrowing journey the past week (of which you only know Part A but I never did make it home so it was just as well you went West instead of North because I would not have been home). In regards to my own journey, after a few days of sleep deprivation and horrid road food, my brain began to fizzle and I remember telling my wife I wasn’t too happy that I’d have to pay for yet another cab ride when the tow truck came. She calmly asked, “Uh, why can’t you ride with the tow truck?” And for that brief moment, she seemed like the smartest person in the world – and I the dumbest. It had never occurred to me. And I had been working through the analysis of that present situation for over ten minutes.
In that vein, I hope what seems ‘obvious’ to me might be ‘helpful’ to you. You clearly have the very hard work of your present journey, daily survival, and physical pain. I have the easy task of reading these posts in the comfort of home and dwelling on them in my subconscious throughout the day.
My thoughts:
* Trade this backpack for a ‘real pack’ that hikers use – a frame pack. They come in different sizes and I’m sure you could find one that fits perfectly on the bike, resting its bottom at the perfect height to remove all the weight from your shoulders such that your body is nothing more than a stabilizer. The extra size and frame should accommodate a few luxuries for you when you are off the bike, too. (I’m thinking that hanging the helmet from the frame frees a hand and relieves a sweaty hairstyle).
* Make sure your next lens cover has a standard string attachment that hooks onto your camera strap hooks.
* And I fully feel for the stress following you via the internet. The internet is a curse. I’ve come to the conclusion that, despite its benefits (such as your relaying your saga here for nothing more than our entertainment), that it is a trap and will suck out your soul over time. You can’t just be ‘online’ and not have crap follow you. At least if you’re smart person like you are. Maybe it would even be better to log all this in an offline format and simply ‘go offline’ until its all over. Then later post it after it’s all over. Not likely you (or I) would ever do that. Another idea is to kill all your old email addresses that people have. No email for you? No phone for you? Well, then, I guess people will just have no way to contact you – unless you have a contact form here – or if you keep allowing comments like this one.
* Last – If you go to a real bike store (cycling shop) they will have very high-tech super light weight cable locks – at least 1/2 to 1/4 the weight of one you’d find at Walmart – that you could use to secure items to the bike while you are away. In fact, some hiking backpacks are able to be locked/secured and then tied to a tree/bike/etc so you don’t have to walk around with them on. Probably need to hit a Bass Pro or Dick’s to find one like that. And yes, such a pack (and lock) will cost big buck$. But maybe it will be worth it. And they could give you room for a slightly bigger tent and a rollup pad that you’ll probably eventually want – especially when you hit the not-so-soft ground of TX and AZ.
Can’t believe you’re in Sarasota already. Rather amazing. I’m wondering how many days it will be before you get out of Florida. Looks like you might make it in a week.
Lonny, it’s a full inner-frame pack. There’s just a small, small gap right between the seat and the bottom of the bag.
I don’t know WHY I can never remember to get string attachments to lens caps. Actually, i did have one that I lost. I’m in the same camp, Carlos, btw, thinking lost lens caps will magically reappear.