November 8, 2001 - Thursday Day- 13
7:35am - I found a little creek for us to take our first break at , just past 275 and 41 intersection .There is a cow path here and it has the little guy on edge , they have been through here recently . This part of 41 seems to have no civilization on it for about a 1000 miles or so . We are surely out of town now ! We are just gonna take it easy today . Got a might brisk last night . I ain't to sure I am ready for the winter which lies ahead of us . It would be a great morning to have a cup of coffee as I sit here for an hour .
9:00am - We are behind a CircleK a few miles north of 275 . I got Skil's a can of food for a dollar and myself a $.35 candy bar . I guess I have to eat too . I just understand that it may not be today , but Skil's has always eaten daily , and he doesn't understand that it might not always be possible on this adventure .
There is about twenty cats living here and they don't seem to impressed with our prescence . They don't run from me , but seem to shy away from the dog a bit . I did stop a pick some orages today back down the road . Little ones but super sweet . I like this area and feel safe going through here . Wish I knew how to talk to people . That's just not my way . Growing up in Miami conditions a person to always expect the worst , I guess . Need to shave today , in case I do decide to try and communicate with the local population .
10:20am - I am having brunch in an orange grove now . I am definately sated on oranges . I seen a coachwhip snake coming in here , I haven't seen one in more than thirty years . It's about ten miles to Ruskin , I am makin more progress than I thought . Only 20 miles to Tampa after that . Everything should be alright after Tampa , but I have this feeling of impending DOOM when I think of going through Tampa .
I have enough money to get Skil's 2 more cans of food , if I can find a grocery store . There is nothing on this road as far as I have came and nothing as far asI can see .
I am sitting here in this orange grove , miles from anything and here comes a DOT cop and parks in front of me in the median . He didn't stay long though , he took off after the 3rd semi that went by . But why pick this spot to set up to write tickets ?
The skeeters are bad here , but not like Naples . Even if I think they are .
1:40pm - We have finally entered Hillsborough County and the anxiety is starting to grow now . The bugs are really hungry in this area , its hard to function like this . I am near the RR tracks and I'm thinking how nice it would be to ride the rails . Like an ole' hobo and hodog . I could never get Skil's to get in a boxcar though . The little guy is exhausted , he's been having a rough time , walking in the sun . I have to walk in the daylight , its the only way to look for lost money laying on the ground . Which has been a really rare occurence since I left Naples . A few pennies here and there . Outside of Collier Co. , the folks semm to value their money a little more than the Snowbirds from down south .I am going to hang out hereuntil 4:00 and let Skil's rest some . Might be a bit cooler by then . At least the sun won't be shining straight down on him . I passed a field of tomato's a ways back and sure would of liked the courage to harvest a few . Maybe , I'll pass another one and take the chance .The gnats are worse than the skeeters in this area . Its about 8 more miles to Ruskin , ain't making much headway today at all . I am hoping to find a grocery store tonight and practice the art of "dumpster diving" . Wynn-Dixie has a habit of trashing some really good stuff . I could use a few things for myself , like a book , bug-spray , and on-and-on . I may have to make some smudge pots tonight to keep the bugs down . I'll also be keeping my eyes open for a shoe tree . Haven't a clue as to why I bought these boots for hiking . I'll surely trade them for a pair of tennis shoes . 3:20pm - The wind is coming from the southwest , thats a pretty good sign that some weather is heading this way . Hope it doesn't have too much rain , Sure need a newspaper with today's weather report in it . 7:30pm -We passed a CircleK and I inquired as to where the next grocery store was at . Hey , its a start ! About 4 more miles , so I'll wait to feed Skil's rather than buy this high-priced dogfood at this store . I walked 3 hrs. from the last stop , made it through Ruskin , and slept in an open field . One of my better nights , my little dog ate 2 big cans of food and he was really happy . Nowhere near as happy asI was seeing him get a full meal.
November 7, 2001 - Wednesday Day 12
6:50am - I slept without any problems right up til 5:45am . Other than it being cold and awful wet , it was a pretty good rest .We didn't waste any time trying to put this place far behind us . Not much shenanigans going on at 5:00 in the morning . Glad to be gone from there!
8:45am - We are just south of Bradenton and looks like we will be entering the city limits soon.There seems to be a few miles of open road ahead and there is a six foot high fence along each side of the road .That doesn't surprise me a bit , after that last neighborhood I was in .I can picture "crack-heads" climbing these fences and helping themselves to anything that would possibly get them their next hit.
10:30am - Just crossed the Manatee River and 301 turns to the east , so I'll stay on 41 for awhile . The next town will be Palmetto (large farming area) might be able to rob somebody's tater patch . We are just gonna take it easy today , I hurt my ankle yesterday and I pushed Skil's pretty hard trying to get out of that last "Hell-Hole"
Right now , we are in a place called Oneco under a oak tree , I have been picking up snipes as I go along , so I'll have something to smoke along the way . I haven't seen any of those farms that Palmetto is so famously known for .
The last 24 hours were a nightmare now that I am sitting here feeling somewhat relieved . When I thought I was near Bradenton , boy , was I way off .By about 10 miles , and a very hot 10 miles . Had no water for the little boy , then the bridge itself was a nightmare . It goes way up in the air and the gaurdrail is at kneehigh level . Scary , add the traffic to that and you can almost spell disaster . The little curb I had to walk on was only 12" wide . But , we're here and one more day we are safe (positive note?) We can relax for a while , at least for the next 30 miles or so .
5:00pm - I had to buy 2 more cans of dog food at a buck apiece at a Race-Trak store , man , that hurts . I have to figure out some way to feed him cheaper , but I am just about as broke as I can get now . It seems that I am in the black section of Palmetto , but then , it's probably all black . I don't intend to stay here for the night , the poison ivy is running wild here . There must be something better up the road . I have to make something happen soon . It is 38 miles to Tampa and then the hair-raising experiences start all over again .
6:40pm - We are stopping for the night at the intersection of I-275 and US41 in the island between the ramp and the bridge . I have for company a bunch of bee-hives and the ever gathering swarm of skeeters . I could stand for some colder weather now to ease the bug problem .
Skillet is being such a good boy on this adventure . I sure do love that little guy . Its just so hard on him and I can't carry enough water . I'll start looking for a gallon jug to tote along with us . We still haven't passed a grocery store . Have no clue as what tomorrow might bring , hell , don't even know what town is next . But , we are making forward progress . "Get-Ur-Done"
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November 6, 2001 - Tuesday Day 11-
7:15am- Me and skil's are sitting in the middle of Osprey , in a grove of Australian Pines, Not many of these invasive species (trees) left in S. Florida. They are really nice trees , though.We slept pretty good last nite and I feel really rested. Skillet has been wanting to play all morning.
It was cold last night and I hear it will be somewhat cooler tonight. Today the sun is shining and that is almost like a "Godsend" after not seeing it for the last week. I need to warm up the old bones , this will help.
9:05am - We just found an abandoned camp across the street from a mall-type shopping area. It sits behind a billboard, and a pretty smart location except for the fact a body has to walk out onto main street U.S. 41. Right out in front of the whole world to see , if you plan to go anywhere.
Who ever had this place didn't drink or make to big of a mess. Unlike most camps , that you usually run across . A whole bunch of root beer cans was about all laying around. This camp has musky-vine ceiling like Danny Mizzel's camp back in Naples at Skillet Lake. It appears the ex-resident had a dog too . There is a water bowl built into the ground and a little two foot high plywood fence barrier around the campsite . I noticed the litter along the highway is starting to accumulate more and more . Must be entering Sarasota proper.
11:15am-There doesn't seem to be many empty lots along here to take a break in . We found a cemetary to rest up for a minute . I have been hoping to find a grocery store , so I can get the little guy a can of food . Five miles or so and not the first one.Did I mention Sarasota Sucks , and more so when it gets hot ? What next? I found a tick on the little boy.
Seems like graveyards are a popular place in Sarasota , people seem to be walking all over the place. Lots of cars in here too. I don't see any on-going buriels happening right now . There are 2 guys riding around on a tractor picking up limbs and fixing flowersthat have been blown over on the headstones . I need to get out of here and find my baby something to eat
1:15pm - Man , it looks like I am in a mess now . Millions of stores and no empty lots . I did find a Circle K and got Skil's a small can of food for a dollar , which I sure didn't want to do .I just don't know when I'll find a grocery store . They are as hard to find as a native Floridian . If I could find a placxe to stop , I would hang out until dark and walk part of the night . At least long enough to get out of this Metropolis . Right now , we're sitting behind a strip mall and people are coming and going .I think I have been spotted and I better get on the road . Can't afford to bring any attention down on me , at least until I get out of Florida.
2:00pm - We found a place by a construction job , but its not a good place at all. There's a barking dog on the other side of th fence and he seems to be upset that we are here . This town is crazy , I feel like I am walking down Biscayne Blvd. in Miami.The stores and business's are endless. Just like Miami this place has those noisy-assed green parrots all over the place. My arms hurt and Skil's is one tired little boy . I really have to find a different route around this town . Definately around Tampa . Don't think I like this town , to much like Naples , only bigger.
5:00pm - Right now , we're sitting in some mangroves on the side of a creek in the middle of downtown Sarasota . I picked up a few of the local community free-papers to read . I think I am right beside the Jail or Courthouse . I think I will be out of this town within a few more miles . Highway 301 intersects 41 here and I will be taking 301 up to Bradenton . I think the road is pretty sparse going this way . Hope so anyway.
8:20pm - I found some high grass at a defunct go-cart track in the black part of town . Across the field are holly trees but as I approached I could hear a lot of conversation going on in there . I slowly backed off aways . This is a really bad place to be , a lot of camps back in there . So , we made a bed for the night in some high grass closer to the street and if Skil's don't bark at anyone I think we should be allright for the night .
Next to this field is a business of some sort and their alarm just went off . It took a long time for someone to come and turn it off . This is the land of action for Sarasota , I suppose , I hear people back in the woods yelling and a fight broke out right across the street . People coming and going in all directions . Plans are to leave real early in the morning .Lord ! , I'll be glad when Tampa is behind me !
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 .
November 5 , 2001-Monday-7:30am- I'm sitting on a seawall in Nokomis , just drinking a cup of coffee and contemplating our situation . Have no choice , but to keep heading north until we're out of Florida. I try to find some work that I can do with Skil's so I don't have to leave him alone somewhere . Weather is starting to chill down a might , hope it has an adverse effect on the bugs.
3:30pm- Boy!, todays adventure turned into a nightmare . I tried to avoid Sarasota proper and skirt around the edge . I walked down Laurel Rd. for about 5mi. and I delivered myself to a dead-end . This I don't need today and headed back . I came across another road with pretty good traffic heading north . Ah! Says I ! This one looks good . Two miles down that road I find a gated community . Can anything else go south today .Back to square 41. As it stands at this moment , I have walked 9hrs. and am 5mi. from where I started from this morning . No more guessing a route without looking in a phone book at the map.
I had a feeling today would be like no other I have experienced , this morning starting out , after my coffee ,I tried to cross 41 . Skil's is always anxious to get to the other side and this time he bolted and the leash broke . A million cars coming down the road . I dove for him , but missed , landed really hard too. Me hitting the ground so hard was enough for him to come see if I was alright . The cars coming down the road had enough time to see what was happening and braked hard.
5:30pm-We just walked into the woods next to Oscar Schearer State Park , this is it for today. I'm in the town of Osprey . I think Sarasota is next and I sure ain't looking forward to that . I am going to try and get on U.S.301 , if I can find it . Maybe, it will take me around the city part . I am still carrying that unused bar of soap and I am also sitting here with an empty water bottle . So much for planning ahead .
Sure is a lot of traffic trying to get into the park after hours . I saw the ranger lock the gate at 6:00pm . These people park in front of the gate and walk in to get a key , or someone with a key . Only one RV pulled up , but he got in . Be nice to have a tent !
November 4 , 2001_ Sunday Day 9-At our first reststop of the morning , just over the Myacca River .We are sitting in the woods by a tower and I see a lot of hog sign around this area .Skil's seems to be in better spirits this morning . Slowing down , helps the little guy adapt to the rigourus trek we have undertaken . Whatever I thought about my luck changing for the better , sure is taking its time showing up . This sign here reads 80 miles to Tampa and 8 til Venice .
9:10 AM- Somewhere between North Port and Venice , and there isn't a whole lot of life on this road at all.There does happen to be a lot of strange flies , though. I have never seen the likes of these things .They aren't scared at all , I try to brush them off Skil's back and they just jump over my hand and re-land . I almost have to scrape them off. Really strange pests ! I forgot to get water at the Myacca store , hope something comes along soon . Skil's is having a tick problem , but not a catastrophe yet!
11:45 AM-I know how Columbus must have felt when he discovered America . I feel like that being here in the first sign of civilization , I have seen today. I suppose this is S Venice and I found a little spot behind a Hess station . I promised Skil's he could rest awhile and its not a great place , but it will do . I figure we have made 12-14 miles today and the only life (other than the flies) that we encountered were a family of otters , Skil's sure wanted to get 'em too! Gonna leave here at 3:00PM . We have been here 3hrs. now , that's a pretty good rest . We'll see whats on down the road . We may not be in Venice yet , but soon will be .
5:10 PM- Just walked 2hrs. in what I thought was Venice . We stopped behind a Shell station just passed a sign that said "Entering Venice". I wonder how big this town is? I don't think anybody has ever heard of it except fot Danny Rust . If I would have known this , I wouldn't have taken a three hour break .
Another day , I didn't get to wash up , have to do something to get cleaned up before the cold front gets here. As far as today's news goes , there is no war yet , Skil's caught a squirrel (it got away) , my goodluck I'm expecting is running late and been rained on once . The worst rain is yet to come .
6:00 PM- And the rains came! We are sitting under a scaffold at a construction job waiting on the rain to quit . It's a good sized job with a lot of foam work and in a little while I am going to borrow a few sheets of their foam and make a bed out of it . The Motel 6 that me and Laura stayed at once is across the street , at least I kind of know where I am now .
Rain has stopped and we made a bed back in the woods behind the construction job . I got me a quart of beer and Skil's a can of food from the store across the street . Just sitting here watching the world go by. A cop keeps riding up and down the street . Wonder what he's looking for ? Maybe , the big styrofoam bandit , me . About 3:00AM , a cop pulled into the store parking lot next to a van that had parked there fifteen minutes earlier . They talked for a bit , then left together down another side street . Strange going's on around here.
Nov. 3 , 2001-We are just taking an easy stroll down 41 this morning , we probably won't make many miles this week-end. I have to take it on the little guy for a few days. Monday we will get back on the (hr. on - hr. off ) schedule. It is a really nice morning , and I feel like my luck is going to change for the better. I sure hope so , I hope I'm just not intoxicated by the beautiful weather today.
The place we stayed last night had some really weird critters , to say the least. A great big ole' cattarpiller about the size of an average dick , fell out of the tree onto my bed last night . Ugliest damn thing I have ever seen . I wanted no part of that booger. It was hard to sleep after that. Jeez! What next? Fucking Jurassic Park! Damned thing looked dangerous too.Never seen anything like it in Fla. before. It wasn't the beer I wasted my money on either. Which also was very dumb, but it helped me relax.
We are at the Sarasota Co. line now , I am letting Skil's rest a bit , even at this pace he needs rest. Probably won't get 10 miles today. I don't care either. We are just shy of N. Port and it should be easy enough to cross. The paper said a cold front was passing through on Monday. Down in the 40's . That's pretty brisk for Fla. I feel like I am about to have some uncomfortable days ahead. The good side is it ain't cold enough to kill me.
I went off the road for a bit and did some exploring and I found a blanket. Will wonders never cease? It has "Mary and her little Lamb" on it . Could be embarrassing , if I'm seen. Can't really walk down the road like that. I'll have to find a plastic bag to put it in or something to camoflouge it.
North Port and just laying in the woods under an oak tree enjoying the breeze. Of course on my newly acquired blanket. Very,very comfortable! I am on the north side of town now and I'll go no further today. Theres a church with a big field over there and that is where we'll stay tonight . Right out in the middle of the field. I almost stopped to wash my clothes at a coin laundry , but no place to leave Skil's. So I guess I'll deal with these clothes another day or two. ASHVILLE by Xmas . I doubt it!!!
