Moral of the story is the following: The biggest mistake riders make when planning and executing and adv tour is that they seldom allow the,selves time for leisure and rest. There is typically a self imposed rush to make it to the next destination, or to eat as many miles as the ass can take - this, in my humble opinion, is a damn shame, for the joy of adv touring ought not to be the about getting from A to B in the quickest possible manner. The whole point why we do this is not to break speed records - the point is to allow ones self to be truly immersed in every experience, and never feel rushed with time. In fact, my advice is to ditch your watch, and plan to ride between 100-250 miles per day at a maximum if you can afford it - this gives you plenty of time to prepare meals, interact with locals, keep you and your things clean, maintain your bike regularly, and simply enjoy the experience - don't forget this isn't a job - the whole purpose is to exape from our Western notion of the direct relationship between fulfillment of every possible second and economical efficiency or productiveness. None of these concepts need to enter in one's mind when roaming the earth on two wheels. Life is too short, and you can't ride forever, so forget about the time and your next destination - aint no day for living like today!
Orange City, between Daytona and Orlando has a wonderful state park that everyone should take time to visit. The water is waist high, crystal clear, a bit cooler since it comes directly from a spring, and during most of the year one would be able to spot manatees lazily swimming up and down the narrow stream throughout the park. Snorkeling is permitted although interaction with the manatees is not. “Technically”. What this means is that if you see them coming, you are supposed to exit the water. But I’ve heard the creatures are wonderful and gentle and completely comfortable with humans, which is exactly what rangers are trying to avoid because these lovely mammals unfortunately get injured too often by boaters.
In any case, the park is great. It costs $6 per vehicle, $4 for bikers, and there are inflatables, snorkeling gear, and lockers you could rent, the tallest being about 2 feet and costing $3. The gentleman that works at the rental shop, Mr. Ice, was nice enough to watch my huge pack which meant I could relax and not worry about my prized possession being out on the parking lot uninterested. So take some time from the Floridian heat and dip yourself in the pure waters of the blue springs - you will not regret it!
Moral of the story is the following: The biggest mistake riders make when planning and executing and adv tour is that they seldom allow the,selves time for leisure and rest. There is typically a self imposed rush to make it to the next destination, or to eat as many miles as the ass can take - this, in my humble opinion, is a damn shame, for the joy of ADV touring ought not to be the about getting from A to B in the quickest possible manner. The whole point why we do this is not to break speed records - the point is to allow ones self to be truly immersed in every experience, and never feel rushed with time. In fact, my advice is to ditch your watch, and plan to ride between 100-250 miles per day at a maximum if you can afford it - this gives you plenty of time to prepare meals, interact with locals, keep you and your things clean, maintain your bike regularly, and simply enjoy the experience .
Don't forget, ADV touring isn't a job. The whole purpose is to escape from our Western notion of the direct relationship between feeling pressured to fulfill every possible second with something that somehow needs always to relate to economical efficiency or productiveness. None of these concepts need to enter one's mind when roaming the earth on two wheels. Life is too short, and you can't ride forever, so forget about the time and your next destination - aint no day for living like today, and tomorrow is not a promised day!
Comments