Well, I took that last week off in order to rest, visit with my friend from the Peace Corps, Ben, and to prepare for the next leg of my trip. It was a great week in Melbourne, FL, the weather was nice and I am really happy I was able to catch up with Ben. It had been a year since I'd seen him last and there's no telling when we'll be in the same state again. I got to see the Florida Institute of Technology campus where he is a grad student, as well as where he works in a community environmental education center right on the Atlantic ocean, next to some preserved intercoastal waterway land. So, thanks Ben, for letting me crash on your couch for a week and visit with you.

Yesterday I saddled back up and made it 78 miles to Orlando, FL. The traffic was surprisingly light most of the way. I thought being the day after Easter it would be much worse, but I made it safely to my friend Jodi's (from the Ft. Lauderdale area) sister's house.  It was a great day to ride. The wind was at my back most of the way and it was flat for the most part. I was able to average almost 18 miles per hour the whole way.

Today I am headed up to the Ocala, FL area. I don't know anyone up there, but will try to find a fire station or somewhere that will be okay for me to camp for the night until I push on to Gainesville on Wednesday. There is a big belt of severe thunder storms about to hit right where I'm riding so I'm going to hold off today's start for as long as I can, hopefully letting the strongest parts of the storm front pass by. But since I'm speaking in Gainesville Thursday morning, it's imperative that I cycle at least 40 miles today, making Wednesday's trip 70 miles or less.

This will be my first day pushing through bad weather, so everybody wish me luck. It's going to be blinking red LED's from the back and lots of wind and water in my face. Let's hope my Burley trailer holds most of the water out like it is supposed to, and that everything goes well today. I certainly don't want to deal with a broken bike or trailer during a downpour. 

Well, thanks for reading my blog, and for all the support I've received. So until my next stop with wireless internet, help me in the fight against global hunger and spread a little awareness of your own! Tell your friends and family about my website and my cause. It takes so little to make a huge impact.