On my final day in Orange Beach, Alabama, knowing that I’d be crossing the Florida border later in the day, I sought out hosting just beyond Perdido Key. Using the search function on Google Maps, I found there were a small handful of churches near a Publix grocery store, and as one had an attached community center, I gave the community center a business-hours call. A sweet woman named Kandi answered, and upon passing all of my information along to her, she told me she’d look into the potential and contact me back. Within 15 minutes Kandi was calling me back, enthusiasm replacing the uncertainty in her voice from my first “cold call.” I was invited to camp there, shower there, and if I arrived before their 9 P.M. closing time, they’d feed me too.
Well, given that I’d made a late start from Orange Beach after a busy day of communications and repacking, I didn’t make it to the church till about 11 PM– a rare late arrival for me. As we’d stayed in contact, Kandi knew I’d be arriving late, and she listed a number of spots on the grounds where I could safely camp. She also left me her cell phone number, telling me that if I needed anything, to give her a call at any time of the night.
Arriving late to the grounds, I found the easiest and safest place for me to sleep was going to be the picnic table in front of the large family/community center. The evening weather was favorable enough to need no tent. Digging out, setting up, and ultimately breaking down the tent must take a total of about an hour, it seems, when I include selecting the perfect spot, clearing potential debris, tarping, etc., etc. Sleeping atop the picnic table not only saves time and effort on late, tired nights, it also allows me to quickly wake up and be totally aware of my surroundings if I suddenly am wondering what one noise or another is… Atop the picnic table, no mice or raccoons approach me, and no fire ants surprise me from below. I lay my sleeping mat down on it, and when measuring comfort, there’s not much difference from sleeping on the wooden table or sleeping on the earth.
Luckily, the Perdido Key area was pretty quiet, and I enjoyed the sounds of the surrounding birds and insects throughout the night. Shortly after sunrise, up and at ‘em, it was time to pack up and move on to Pensacola!
On my final mile before reaching the Florida border, I met Lori Bell, who was completing her first mile into Alabama. Lori is a very loving and energetic soul who's bicycling across America for the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation. We got to know each other for about a half hour, exchanged contact info, and proceeded in our opposite directions. Find Lori on line: www.blueturtleblog.blogspot.com
Lori Bell takes a pic of me on my final mile up to the Florida border
Welcome to Florida!
First Night in Florida. I often sleep on picnic tables simply because it saves a lot of time with not having to unpack, set up, and repack the tent. Also, in new places, I enjoy having a 360 panoramic view of all that is occurring around me-- the safest of possible scenarios-- which I cannot get inside a tent. Finally, especially if my permission in any given area is potentially "questionable," it allows me to respond to any inquirers instantaneously.
First Night in Florida. I often sleep on picnic tables simply because it saves a lot of time with not having to unpack, set up, and repack the tent. Also, in new places, I enjoy having a 360 panoramic view of all that is occurring around me-- the safest of possible scenarios-- which I cannot get inside a tent. Finally, especially if my permission in any given area is potentially "questionable," it allows me to respond to any inquirers instantaneously.