Day 54 - (Thursday - 1/28/10)

Daily stats
Start: 6:30 AM - South Apalachicola Bay
Finish: 3:30 PM - Carrabelle, FL
Time: 9:00
Daily dist: 31 miles
Total dist: 1,556 miles
Companions: None
Notes:  Clear, breezy and choppy, with SE current.

Before dinner I didn’t have much to report about today except that it was another long hard day spent paddling into a persistent head wind. I’m also convinced I was working against a long shore current as well. Both combined forces kept my average speed at just below three miles per hour which meant I had to work hard for nine hours to achieve the same distance I could normally do in seven. All day long I was headed toward a town called Carrabelle where just outside of town there is an undeveloped point of land where one can pitch a tent and not upset the locals. The Florida Circumnavigation Trail guide that I’ve been using the last few days has been a huge help by highlighting places just like this. It truly makes the logistics of handling the Florida coast much easier.

As I toiled against the wind I could see on the map that the town of Carrabelle is only about a two mile walk from camp, so a seed of hope was planted that perhaps I could fill my water bags and more importantly get a burger for dinner. It was with visions of a juicy burger that I found the resolve to grind out the last five miles of the day arriving on the beach exhausted and hungry. I set up camp and hung my things out to dry then fired up my computer to see if google earth could tell me where the nearest restaurant might be. It turned out that a place called “Wild Hogs BBQ” was about two miles down the road. I called the number shown to be sure it was open and an ornery voice on the other end said “Yea till eight.“ It didn’t sound welcoming but I wasn’t in a position to be fussy, so I stashed all my gear, grabbed my valuables and empty water bags and started off on a long walk to town. A half mile later I had just stepped off the sand trail I’d been following onto pavement when right before me stood the most beautiful sight I’d seen all day. “Two Al’s Cafe” and it was not only open but the parking lot was full, a very good sign. To find a perfect little restaurant like this so close to camp is like winning the lottery. I stepped inside and grabbed one of the few remaining tables.

A little corner of heaven

Motivation!

As I waited for the one very busy waitress to catch up with me I reviewed maps of the next few days route and watched the already busy restaurant fill up with even more people. It turns out that Thursday is trivia night at “Two Al’s” and as one person put it, “In this town, it’s the ONLY thing going.” As the last remaining tables were grabbed I invited a pair of people to join me at my table. Before my burger (and hot dog) arrived the game started so I figured I’d play along too and joined the pair seated at my table to make a team of three named “Fish”. The three of us proved to be an intellectual powerhouse and managed to maintain a fair lead throughout the night. I even won a mini puppet on a speed answer round by knowing that, after the White House, Graceland is the second most visited home in the US.

I named him Graceland… Not sure where he’s going to ride

Before the game was ended we lost our lead in a bonus round and missed our chances at $10 coupons for the café. It was no matter to me, after the last few days of hard paddling it was enough to be around people having a good time. I walked back to camp with a full belly, a fresh supply of water, and renewed desire to continue on down the coast. Who knew such a hard frustrating day could turn out so great.