I think we are going to call Jacksonville the end of the 3rd leg. Lakeland to Ocala. Ocala to St Augustine. St. Augustine to Jacksonville. I’ll kick around Florida for a bit – a week; a month – before starting the slow trip North. I need to hit Charleston, SC and Baltimore, MD to complete the Eastern US. I want to spend some time in Savannah. See if I’ve worn out my welcome in NC and DC.

I left Lakeland and spent the night in Ocala. I’m not really a horse person and didn’t see much to entice me to stay. I did like the Ocala National Forest, although the live bombing range in the middle of it is a bit disconcerting. For the January 6th practice, I was glad to see that, “The Naval Air Station warned, “During bombing periods, wildlife may be temporarily displaced. Use extra caution when driving through the Ocala National Forest and surrounding areas.””

https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/01/06/hearing-loud-booms-navy-dropping-bombs-in-ocala/

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If one can ignore the politics of those around you, and be one of the few wearing a mask (being old helps with group acceptance), and eat outside, then it is paradise.

Janelle would have been proud of me – after a little trial and error I did find the bar frequented by those in the industry. I met a good many of the bartenders in St. Augustine at Scarlett O’Hara’s. Where they still allow smoking at the outside bar?

Below left is the Castillo de San Marcos in St Augustine, and below right, for those with a history in Bangor, is Grace United Methodist Church. Defunct in Bangor but alive in St. Augustine.