to Rainbow Springs State Park, FL

On the highway this morning I saw a man walking, pulling a big duffel on a luggage cart.  I did a U-turn and stopped to talk with him.  He said that reading the Bible in Greek a year and a half ago had convinced him to get rid of all his worldly belongings (except the duffel) and live in what he called the "Celestrious Realm," which I took to mean the more or less natural world.  He told me that traveling faster than 25 mph damages the soul, and that I should camp illegally more often and "shit in the woods" whenever possible, the better to lead a celestrious life.  He also warned of the sinful "water mines" (groundwater pumping) though he reluctantly admitted he drinks bottled "spring water" himself.  He aspires to one day get all his water from melons.

So for those who think I'm crazy for biking around the country... Well, it depends whom you compare me to...

I felt really good today and was able to go a lot faster than usual without getting tired.  Didn't get any flats for a change, either!

The campground at Rainbow Springs State Park used to be a private RV park and is not contiguous with the rest of the park.  It was immediately clear to me that the campground is not the main attraction: it's the crystal clear water of the river.  I called up Diane and arranged to go canoeing with her first thing in the morning.

Another cyclist in the campground saw me pull in and came over to talk.  He's not touring at the moment, just car camping in the park, but a friend of his is headed east by bike and stopped by for the night.  It's amazing how many people have made trips like mine, and how many people have never heard of such a thing!

55.2 mi