A Fond Farewell To Florida

After my first night of camping and some time alone in nature, I was itching to get a few more miles under me. It wasn’t long before I made my way to the Dixie Highway, US 1. It was a beautiful thing to first set my eyes on the Atlantic Ocean, and even more beautiful to cross over to the A1A and ride along the east coast beaches up to St. Augustine.

Of course, to get onto the barrier islands requires passage over some fairly high bridges, where winds whip harder and gusts really get going. Although the removal of the motorcycle cover from my baggage lessened it’s effectiveness as a sail, I could certainly still feel the effects of the wind against the bike at that altitude. I must have crossed a dozen of those bridges in the few days on the east coast of Florida, and though part of me was inclined to just pull over to the side and curl up in a fetal position, I’m proud to say that each time, I braved the harsh winds and made it safely across.

A few years ago, when I was living in a warehouse I called The Flow Factory, I signed up to be a host on couchsurfing.com. This allowed me to connect with people travelling through Sarasota and offer them shelter and be a tour guide in my hometown. Since I decided to travel, I’ve revisited the site and requested to stay with other people. My first host was a fashion photographer named Robert.

Most couchsurfing hosts are travellers themselves and prefer last minute arrangements over making commitments they’ll have to live up to in the future. I touched base with Robert the day before arriving…