663 Miles and it's Only Day One

Miami

South Florida is an exciting place to live, there is no doubt about that. I spend a lot of my free time looking for the less exciting things to do. A lot of stress can build up in a week and I find I decompress best with a little nature, a little art, some music, a show, a nice meal, or a weekend get-a-way. Sometimes, the best part of living in South Florida is watching it disappear in the rear-view mirror.

For those of you not familiar with the east coast of Florida, it's basically one continuous city from the Keys to West Palm Beach, and from the protected Florida Everglades right up to the waves crashing on the shore. There are a few natural spots along the way, the places I write about, but the rest is endless concrete and steel. A couple of times a year, I like to leave it all behind and recharge somewhere else. I don't normally take my blog along with me but since I want to take it all the way to Japan, I thought I would give blogging from the road a try.

Once you pass West Palm Beach, you realize what a flat, empty, long and boring state Florida really is. Perfect for a little mental recouping. You can drive hundreds of miles without a single car horn or police siren blaring. Once you reach Ocala, the road undulates a bit from the dead flat of South Florida.

North Florida Rest Stop

On this trip, I'm heading to Pensacola. Florida is shaped like a boomerang and I'm driving from the southeast tip to the northwest corner. You know you are truly in North Florida when the rest stops are nicer than the city parks back home. This being October, there is also a chill in the air. Something that happens very rarely in Miami.

The purpose of this trip is to see my daughter then head even more north for a little mountain air. And to see if I can drive and blog at the same time.