Entering Sarasota , Fl.

November 6 , 2001 Tuesday , Day 11-It's 7:15am and we are sitting in a grove of Australian Pines in the middle of Osprey . Not many of these evasive species left . I really like them when the wind blows through them. We had a pretty good night last night , and I feel really rested . Skil's has been wanting to play all morning .It was chilly last night and suppose to be worse tonight . Good sleeping weather! The sun is going to shine today , something I haven't seen for 5 days . Might feel good!
9:05am- We just stumbled on a abandoned camp across from a mall type place. It's behind a billboard sign , and in a very good location , except for having to walk out on 41 to go anywhere.For all the world to see . Whoever had this camp didn't drink and was neat enough not to leave a mess. Neat little camp ,though , Has a ceiling made of wild grapes , I seen one of these ceilings before in Naples . At a guys camp (Danny Mizell) on Skillet Lake . There is a water bowl set into the ground and a little 2ft. high fence , made of plywood , around the site . Must of had a little dog they had to leave alone while they worked . Have also noticed the litter along the road is beginning to accumulate more . Must be coming into Sarasota .
11:15am-We found a cemetery to take a break in , not a whole lot of choices along here . All of these stores along here and not one grocery store . It sure seems that graveyards are a popular place . There are people walking all over the place . Lot's of cars too. There are 2 guys riding around on a little cart , picking up limbs and fixing flowers that have blown over .I need to get out of here and get my little dog something to eat. Found a tick on him today , none were found yesterday.
1:15pm-Boy , it looks like I am in a mess now . Millions of stores and not one grocery store . I ended up getting one of those little cans for a buck at the circle K . I sure didn't want too , but grocery stores are as rare as native Floridians . If I could find a place to stop for awhile , I would wait until dark to proceed. Right now , I am behind a strip mall and people are coming and going . I think I have been spotted . Better book!
2:00pm-I found a place to rest by a construction site , only if it is for a short rest . There is a barking dog on the other side of the fence , he is very annoying , giving my location up .This whole town is crazy! I feel like I'm walking down Biscayne Blvd. in Miami . Just business after business , and just as many of them noisy-assed green parrots as Miami .My arms are hurting and Skil's is one little tired dog . I have to find a way around this place and especially Tampa.I don't think I much like this place , just like Naples ,only bigger .
5:00pm-I foI am sitting in some mangroves on a little creek in the middle of Sarasota . I have a few of the free community local papers to read .I think I'm right by the jail or courthouse . This is at the intersection of 301 & 41 , this is where I say good-bye to 41 for a while . I'll hit it again when I get to the Manatee River .Up above Bradenton , I hope.
8:00pm-We found some high grass on 301 , smack-dab in the middle of the black section of town . There are a whole line of Holly trees on the back side of this lot , but when I walked back there ,I could here voices . Must be a bunch of homeless brothers living back in there. I am in a really bad place . As I was digging in the alarm on the building next door went off. It was a long time before someone came and shut it off . I hear people back in the hollies , people fighting across the street and all sorts of folks coming and going , from every direction . If Skil's doesn't bark , they'll never know I'm here. Needless , to say , I am leaving here very early , gone before the action starts all over again .