Saturday I rode through the beach roads towards Destin, FL. After riding through the town (read: getting lost) I’d say it’s pretty charming. Lots of fancy hotels, beach houses, and retirement homes on the beach. Though those familiar with me know how I feel about beach front property.

Saturday night I stayed at a rented beach house in Santa Rosa Beach, FL called the Happy Lobster. Katrina’s roommate Jillian invited me to come out if I was in the area which was great because I was not able to meet up with a friend near there. Present at the house were Jillian and 10 French exchange students. I got to learn a little more French and talk about French movies, which I love. I also had a bacon cheeseburger at Cheeseburger Paradise. Note: Fish tacos are apparently not their specialty.

After a night on the couch trying to sleep through a party sans culottes I had a brief respite at the beach the next morning before heading towards Jacksonville.

Sunday night I stayed at a Days Inn near Madison, FL. I started writing with a program called Dark Room, which helps to cut down on distractions and looks pleasingly lo-fi to boot.

Monday night I stayed at the Pirate Haus, a hostelodge with dorms and private rooms. I’ve been wanting to meet more people on this trip so the dorms were the perfect place to stay—they are also cheaper than a night with a tent at a KOA campground. A+, would stay again. I met two young bicyclists there who had traveled all the way from San Diego and were now done with their journey. We talked about thefts and life on the road and I got some good ideas for road food from them. I also met a girl traveling via public transportation to Miami to see her hundred-year-old aunt. I wish them all the best of luck.

Today I drove through Daytona Beach to get my oil changed at BMW Motorcycles of Daytona Beach. They were great, did not charge me too much, and were pretty quick. Their master tech also pointed out a kink in my chain, probably a consequence of not oiling it properly for the first 5,000 miles. Live and learn. On that note, Katrina’s roommate Marisa gave me a copy of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, which I am not 60 pages into.

On the way out of Daytona Beach I drove past the International Speedway which is gearing up for the Daytona 500. It is immense. An officer on a bike passed me without signaling, then passed moving traffic in the left turn lane again without signaling. Apparently he had somewhere to be.

Now I’m at my mom’s boyfriend’s parents’ apartment in John’s Island, located in Vero Beach, FL. There’s a tornado warning and I see lightning outside a couple of times a minute over the ocean. Leaving rain or shine for South Carolina tomorrow, then a slight detour to an outdoor store there for a new Hilleberg tent (and footprint, which I did not buy the first time) and on to Washington, D.C. on Thursday to stay until the 18th.