Though I felt I was getting out of Milton somewhat later than I wanted, I left dropped off the keys to my Emerald Sands motel room at 7:15 AM, and wasted no time collecting the miles.
Within the first half mile, a kind soul stopped to offer me additional sunscreen and sun care products.
I was headed north, up Hwy 87, toward Florida’s northern border. I’d hoped to reach my destination of Penton Farms by 4 PM, but it ended up taking me till nearly 7 PM.
Just before the day’s halfway point, a sweet family who recognized me from the local news stopped and delivered me ice cold water. Bless their souls.
Another mile down the road, I heard a loud popping sound burst from my wheel. I looked down to find my starboard tire oozing the green slime tire filler.
Uh-oh.
Good thing I’d just purchased replacement tires and tubes two days before. After finding a well shaded spot on the side of the road as the oven-intense heat wave was quickly escalating the surrounding great outdoors, I spent well over an hour changing both tires and tubes. The most time consuming challenge ended up being successfully getting the new shielding strips to hold their place in between the tube and the tire’s inside wall. Finally worked it out, however, with the very athletic tape I’d bought on my way out of town that morning to protect me feet from newly forming blisters (via my new sandals out of Pensacola).
Other kind souls, including a local man named Ed, stopped with cool water for me. Ed actually escorted me to a small creek aside the road, where families were lounging. I stepped in, and lay gently floating, breathing, and cooling down for many minutes before rising up again, completely refreshed and ready to confront the next six HOT and humid miles to Penton Farms.
By the time I reached Penton Farms, Beth (from PRA) and her kids were waiting out front with me. They’d organized a sweet overnight stay for me at her parents’ hurricane-proof cement dome retirement home!
Great People!!!
Before I was even five minutes into the day, a super-friendly Ocean Potion representative was delivering to local stores, and decided to stop, inquire about the Walk, then offer me a marvelous myriad of suncare products. He's only pictured holding half of what he gave me-- which is more than enough for the final thousand miles of the Walk!
Though not for hundreds of miles, I've changed many tubes since acquiring the Chariot, 1,500 miles ago. I haven't once changed the tires themselves. However, I could see they had a very limited lifespan, so I picked up some replacement tires at the hardware store in Pace, 36 hours earlier. Good thing, for ten miles into the rural thick of it, one of the tires unexpectedly popped, which sounded like a balloon bursting. I wheeled the Chariot into the best nearby spot I could find, out of the sun, and spent over an hour replacing both tires, tubes, and adding a stubborn liner to the insides. All I could find were all-terrain bicycle tires to replace the 20" Chariot street tires. Though street tires definitely roll more smoothly on pavement, I'm simply happy that I shouldn't have to be concerned with any new tires for the final thousand miles 
12 miles into the day, Jerry, a friendly local, stopped off not only to offer me refreshing ice, but also to point out a local community swimming hole to me, just down the road. I followed him to the swimming hole, got in, and simply rested, afloat on my back for ten minutes. I was shocked upon realizing just how overheated my body had been getting, and how these ten minutes in the cool water were making all the difference in the world. Thanks, Jerry!!
Lovely local swimming hole, just a few miles north of Milton, Florida
Berrydale Dome Home. I ended the scorching, 18-mile Memorial Day walk at the dome home of Beth's parents. Beth, Carl & Emily, all of whom had joined me out of Pensacola, invited me to spend a night at Beth's parents home, just a few miles up the road. They served me a delicious dinner and shower before an excellent evening's sleep prepared me for the next day back on the road.
Florida's Endangered Pitcher Plants, which Carl and Emily showed me, just a quarter mile down a trail from their grandparents' home ~
Emily & Carl, brother & sister fun at the end of the long, hot day!