Perry - the turning point

Originally when deciding my route for this trip I was only going to fly down the I10 into Jacksonville and then head to Savannah. That is after having to scrap the idea of working on farms as I got due to my 12 weeks stop-over in Detroit and Toledo. After talking with Gene at Clay County Lake I changed my mind on that and headed for the 98 around the gulf coast. I was always conscious about the route change though and picked Perry, FL as a deciding point on whether or not I would head to the Keys or head for the Atlantic and continue towards Savannah. 

 I didn’t know where I was going to stay but as I rounded a bend I saw a gas station, and I needed some gas…and it just so happens that the gas station was connected to a campground. So…two birds, one stone, I stayed the night. It’s nice when you stay in a private campground because they normally have wifi, which state parks have (sometimes) in really limited areas. 

 After setting up and plugging in the AC I grabbed some dinner and pulled out the map. It was 94f that day and the two things that are involved in the decision for the Keys are..money and weather. Since I was supposed to drift through the south back in March (supposed to meaning…the plan prior to the explosion) I was wholly unprepared for this type of heat and humidity. It meant that a considerable cost was going to be added to my stay along the east coast by forcing me to find a place to plug in so that I didn’t die. Don’t get me wrong, I like warm weather and I have a fan and battery power and could survive for days. But the extreme daytime temps make my van into a thermal conductor and you know it’s hot out when at 3:30 in the morning, when you step outside the van and the temperature difference is zero…as hot inside as it is outside. Hell even my seats are warm hours after the sun goes down, just like the couch in your house acts as thermal mass…well so does everything inside here. 

 So after mulling it over and talking with my folks I decided that the Keys could wait till another day. It was actually a savage trick that I played on myself visiting the Gulf because I can’t think of a place more “beachy” and gorgeous and I could see myself down there for a few months instead of a few days. 

 Once I make my mind up though (which takes a long time, ask my friend “Minki” what shopping for a TV is like with me)…it’s made up and when I woke up in the AM I turned key and headed across Florida…destination New Smyrna Beach. 

I was going to shoot for Cape Canaveral…it’s only a stone’s throw away…but I can’t fall into that mind trap because everything is just a few hours away. The Keys would literally be a day’s drive from here…no big deal after logging in 20000kms. BUT…I’m leaving those things for another time…and by another time I mean to say “I will be back”.…this state is wicked.