Bumming It: Brooksville to West Palm

12/3

To avoid being disturbed, I got up early this time. Bonus: I enjoyed a nice sunrise and got an early start to the day. After pushing my bike back up the same dangerous road from the night before, I soon found my way to the oasis that is McDonald's. I charged my batteries and had a bite to eat, but it was soon time to move on. The sun beamed down as I peddled through urban streets on bumpy sidewalks. Regrettably, I soon found myself on more shoulder-less back roads with a mysterious amount of traffic. After pushing my bike once more, I moved into rural areas with deserted highways and dusky orange dirt roads. Despite the bumpiness, I was happy to be out of heavy traffic. Passing by orange groves and farmland, I wound my way to Lake Arbuckle Campground and the perfect spot to camp for tonight.

12/2

The Van Fleet trail ended up being the perfect place to camp for my first night. With few people passing by, I slept in until 9:30. The next 26 miles to town ended up being entirely on the smooth, asphalt trail, so I made quick work of it. After only a couple hours, I was at the Dollar General charging my batteries. I also enjoyed some delicious pulled pork at Polk City BBQ, but I had wasted too much time! In order to hit my goal of 40 miles per day, I still had 14 to go. The next several miles on the Auburndale Teco trail were easy, but the trail ended and dusk was setting in. I soon found myself on back roads with tons of traffic and no shoulder. I spent some time pushing my bike through the grass and dirt for safety's sake. Finally, I arrived at the patch of woods I had been angling towards. Despite having fallen a couple miles short of my goal, I managed to find a nice flat spot to pitch my tent for the night.

12/1

The day began with a goodbye to my mom and sister. I've become accustomed to goodbyes with my lifestyle, but it's always sad. Yet, today was an incredible start to my Journey. Before I left, I swapped out my rear wheel for a stronger mountain bike wheel with extra spokes. It paid off big time as I quickly found myself on bumpy roads with rocks, sand and mud. I walked my bike on several occasions, but still managed to travel about 42 miles. I find myself camped off a bike trail listening to the night time coos, chirps and creaks of the forest.

11/30

Anticipation builds as my journey is set to begin tomorrow! I spent much of the day visiting my Nona (grandma), but quickly set to work preparing my gear for tomorrow once I got home. This update is also prep as I've decided I'll be using articles to journal my trips. Each phase gets a new article, however I'll only be carrying my phone with me. I need to see how the articles posted from my phone will look on desktop. Chow for now campers! I'll be up bright and early to get started.

- Jordan