From Quitman, Georgia
Pictures here!
So I decided to deviate from my planned route, and am now in Georgia. I hadn't planned on hitting Georgia; more on that later.
This is day 13 of my trip. I'm getting into some good shape, averaging 45 miles a day. Only 10 miles an hour, but hey. Slow and steady wins the race. I've camped at a Baptist church (in Anthony, FL -- thanks Pastor Jim and the folks there for your hospitality!), by the side of road among some trees (only setting up my tent when it was dark, so as to aviod detection), and on the floor in a guy's apartment in Gainesville. That's an interesting story:
I was exhausted as usual, and had made up my mind to get a motel room, for the first time on this trip. First, I went to a Subway. There, I met Christina, who was extremely helpful. All I had to pay with was a $100 bill, which they couldn't break, so her manager gave me the sandwich. And Christina gave me a free drink. She told me where to find a good motel, and called around to see if there were any churches I could stay at. Though she wasn't successful, I appreciated her effort.
So then, with my gas tank full (of free Subway) I felt enboldened to search for cheaper lodging. I was cruising around the university district (the University of Florida is there) looking for another church when I passed a guy and a girl around my age, carrying beer and pizza. The guy gave me a very supportive "how you doing?" and I got a feeling. I turned after them and asked him if he knew of a place I could stay. He said, "It's cool you asked: I just got done with a 4,000-mile tour myself! You can sleep on my floor!" His name was Josh, and he had just ridden from Key West, FL to Idaho. He was trying to make it to Anchorage but got sick. Anyway, I showered for the first time in four days, and slept indoors for the first time since I started. Thanks, Josh! (You can see pictures from his ride at http://www.keytoanchorage.com/.)
After Gainesville I stayed at two campgrounds, Ichetucknee Springs and Suwanhee River. At Suwanhee River State Park, I met an Anglican high school youth group. They were camped across from me, I asked to borrow a hammer for my tent stakes, we started chatting and they invited me to play Texas hold 'em with them (no money, just bragging rights). They gave me some Gatorade and Pop Tarts, and prayed for me. Thanks Patrick and guys!
From there I rode to Madison, FL, a delightful little southern town with beautiful, historical architecture and a community college. It was Sunday, so I hung out on campus for a while for my afternoon break. Then, as I was looking at my maps and realizing that my Adventure Cycling maps were making me ride more miles than necessary, I decided to head straight north. So off the beaten path I went, and am now in Quitman, GA.
My plan was to ask a church if I could camp on their property. I stopped at Quitman Church of Christ. I met John Sikes, told him I needed a place to stay, and he said, "Let me talk to an elder about that." Elder Walker offered to put me up in a motel room, but I told him all I really needed was a plot of grass to pitch my tent. They did even better: they had a small apartment with a shower and restroom that was being used for storage, and let me stay there for two nights. Thanks, Elder Walker and Mr. Sikes!
At seven that evening the church held a public sing-along in the town park. The Church of Christ doesn't use any musical instruments in their services, believing that if the first-century church didn't do it, they shouldn't either. Many people from other churches in the area came to the sing-along. There were maybe 200 people there, all singing hymns a capella. It was actually quite cool; all the Church of Christ people were singing in harmony. It was beautiful. Everyone was amazed at what I'm doing, and were extremely friendly.
So here I am in the Brooks County Public Library in Quitman, taking a day of rest and catching up on my Internet-related chores. I'm going to re-tool my route and see if I can shave some more miles (and time and money). Thanks for the comments -- keep 'em coming! Talk to you again soon.
So I decided to deviate from my planned route, and am now in Georgia. I hadn't planned on hitting Georgia; more on that later.
This is day 13 of my trip. I'm getting into some good shape, averaging 45 miles a day. Only 10 miles an hour, but hey. Slow and steady wins the race. I've camped at a Baptist church (in Anthony, FL -- thanks Pastor Jim and the folks there for your hospitality!), by the side of road among some trees (only setting up my tent when it was dark, so as to aviod detection), and on the floor in a guy's apartment in Gainesville. That's an interesting story:
I was exhausted as usual, and had made up my mind to get a motel room, for the first time on this trip. First, I went to a Subway. There, I met Christina, who was extremely helpful. All I had to pay with was a $100 bill, which they couldn't break, so her manager gave me the sandwich. And Christina gave me a free drink. She told me where to find a good motel, and called around to see if there were any churches I could stay at. Though she wasn't successful, I appreciated her effort.
So then, with my gas tank full (of free Subway) I felt enboldened to search for cheaper lodging. I was cruising around the university district (the University of Florida is there) looking for another church when I passed a guy and a girl around my age, carrying beer and pizza. The guy gave me a very supportive "how you doing?" and I got a feeling. I turned after them and asked him if he knew of a place I could stay. He said, "It's cool you asked: I just got done with a 4,000-mile tour myself! You can sleep on my floor!" His name was Josh, and he had just ridden from Key West, FL to Idaho. He was trying to make it to Anchorage but got sick. Anyway, I showered for the first time in four days, and slept indoors for the first time since I started. Thanks, Josh! (You can see pictures from his ride at http://www.keytoanchorage.com/.)
After Gainesville I stayed at two campgrounds, Ichetucknee Springs and Suwanhee River. At Suwanhee River State Park, I met an Anglican high school youth group. They were camped across from me, I asked to borrow a hammer for my tent stakes, we started chatting and they invited me to play Texas hold 'em with them (no money, just bragging rights). They gave me some Gatorade and Pop Tarts, and prayed for me. Thanks Patrick and guys!
From there I rode to Madison, FL, a delightful little southern town with beautiful, historical architecture and a community college. It was Sunday, so I hung out on campus for a while for my afternoon break. Then, as I was looking at my maps and realizing that my Adventure Cycling maps were making me ride more miles than necessary, I decided to head straight north. So off the beaten path I went, and am now in Quitman, GA.
My plan was to ask a church if I could camp on their property. I stopped at Quitman Church of Christ. I met John Sikes, told him I needed a place to stay, and he said, "Let me talk to an elder about that." Elder Walker offered to put me up in a motel room, but I told him all I really needed was a plot of grass to pitch my tent. They did even better: they had a small apartment with a shower and restroom that was being used for storage, and let me stay there for two nights. Thanks, Elder Walker and Mr. Sikes!
At seven that evening the church held a public sing-along in the town park. The Church of Christ doesn't use any musical instruments in their services, believing that if the first-century church didn't do it, they shouldn't either. Many people from other churches in the area came to the sing-along. There were maybe 200 people there, all singing hymns a capella. It was actually quite cool; all the Church of Christ people were singing in harmony. It was beautiful. Everyone was amazed at what I'm doing, and were extremely friendly.
So here I am in the Brooks County Public Library in Quitman, taking a day of rest and catching up on my Internet-related chores. I'm going to re-tool my route and see if I can shave some more miles (and time and money). Thanks for the comments -- keep 'em coming! Talk to you again soon.
posted by Jordan | 4:30 AM
6 Comments:
This comment has been removed by the author.
Sounds awesome man. And free subway and pop tarts? I'm truly jealous.
Dave and I have been busy in your absence - just yesterday we started drum tracking (real drums - you should see our guerilla setup, it's hilarious) for the Dave Martin Band album. Going to try and beat our previous best recording time of 14 months.
Terrific pictures too, keep em coming!
-Dan
I'm so glad you are having such a great time and that you have met such friendly folk!! The south is full of fabulous people. And I am glad that you went with the Georgia route, it is one of my favorite states. So continue in your adventures. I'm glad the gators didn't get you. That is all the boys talked about when you left. They'll be glad to hear you weren't eaten!!
Love,
Jamiey
Saw you at the Quitman sing! Good luck with your travels!
This comment has been removed by the author.
Dan,
It has been and continues to be awesome, yes. I've gotten a few more freebies along the way, but the Subway sandwich still ranks up there.
I can't wait to hear The Dave Martin Band's first studio effort. It's sure to be mind-blowingly good, especially if Dave Janssen's at the studio controls.
See you in January, man!
Jamiey,
Tell the boys that the gators did their best, but I out-smarted them. They never found my campsite, not once.
Katie C.,
Hey! It was good to meet you, if only briefly. Take care, and maybe I'll see you next time I come through.
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