An Insane Asylum Developed on a Sandbar

Thank heaven I'm returning to blog as I have no idea where February went and now March is nearly half over! Is time flying by because I'm lackadaisical or is it my ostrich in the sand behavior?

It's sunny, hot, and the ocean in Central Florida is in the low '70s right now. Honestly, it feels like summer in Florida, with really warm temps and brief afternoon showers or thunderstorms. So, no surprise, it appears that most everyone from Canada to Texas is here. I've met a couple from South Dakota, with their life in tow, moving to Sebastian, and another couple from Vancouver BC who have been driving their humongous RV cross-country for a number of years.  The solution? This spring, they're moving to Prince Edward Island to make the winter commute simpler every season.

I'm not sure how this eroding sandbar is going to hold the influx in the years to come. I continue to hope that climate change will heat things up a bit to the north! Florida now has 21 million residents, nearly a million snowbirds, and an unknown number of tourists in any given week (with March as the busiest month). While most of 95 and the Turnpike are 10 lanes, the brain surgeons in charge don't seem to recognize what happens when people get off the exits (yes, A1A is still two lanes in most places).

Public transport? Don't be ridiculous; we can't survive without income tax and gas tax!  My two favorite road observations to date -- waiting to cross Federal Highway and counting NINE cars going through the red light before stepping off the curb (in Stuart). Then, in the no-longer-peaceful town of Sebastian, the car behind me driving onto the swale & sidewalk to take a right turn on red. I'm sure it was an emergency.

Need to food shop? Don't go early, as there's some reason why people queue up with their shopping carts 20 minutes before Aldi opens, and don't joke ("Are they giving something away?"), as very few people will laugh. Need a tire rotation? You best have 2-3 hours to wait as only the very hungry show up for the $11/hour job. Plan accordingly.  

Now, it's March and the real amateur tourists are here. My favorites so far are a couple from Michigan who spent an hour in the nearby campsite on speaker phone calling friends to brag how great it is here. I checked out and got a refund, which was a very brave act, as tent camping is limited and restricted to 2-week stays at most locations. Every square of dirt is worth far more as an RV parking spot. Best story yet from a "green" Ottawa couple -- the Okeechobee RV "Resort" (yes, mid-state) offered them a pop-up space for just $85/night.  Sleeping indoors via AirBnb has become cheaper and quieter, but I want to be outside!

Perhaps you're wondering why I'm not already pointing north today. A simple answer -- it's Bike Week (no, not bicycles) in Daytona, so even if I could ignore the noise and smell, every sleeping spot within a 50+-mile radius is booked. I'm ​no longer finding Carl Hiaasen novels funny.

Read the title of this post again. I wasn't kidding.

For those of you who remember my summer tour, I will say I am oh-so-missing Marysville, Kansas, Plainview, Nebraska and Dubuque, Iowa.  As I chant "serenity now, serenity now," it is these small towns with kind people that I imagine. It's also been a good time for me to be constructive -- working one day a week freelancing; getting taxes done; prepping my car for travel; reading a bundle of books; and pondering 2019, as well as life in one place perhaps, in a year or two. Of course, I've clocked more than a thousand miles on the bike seat to date; my only true relief.

Has it really been all insanity in Florida for me this year? Of course not. I've reconnected with many friends & acquaintances, with more reunions still to come.  I've enjoyed many beautiful spots by the water at peaceful times of the day.  I also recognize that what many people now seem to accept as "normal" just isn't normal or necessary to me. And, thanks to years of being on the road now, I've developed the ability to simply shake my head, walk away, and (I hope) be a more civilized person.

Yes, George, "We're trying to live in a society here." I think.