I knew I had to keep trucking, so in the morning I thanked them for a great time and headed south.

It’s amazing how many goodbyes I’ve had to say on this trip, and most often it’s to people I had just gotten to know. Either way, they’re always a little awkward and they’re never easy. I’d definitely like to log some more hours at this place, but I’m on a mission, and I was excited to continue on my adventure.

Those northerlies were still blowing through, and with the wind at my back, I chugged the 85 miles to New Smyrna. I made it to camp right at nightfall.

I went to the beach to check out the scene, but those north winds brought on a cold rain that persuaded me to stay on shore. That and the fact that it’s the shark bite capital of the country.

I headed to camp and found an opening in the jungle to rest my bones. My Ramen batch was really good that night and I found a great spot to hang the bear bag. After that I attended to nature’s call and walked back to my tent for a night stretch and to catch some Z’s.

I realized that I had left my tent wide open during this period of time, and there were quite a few mosquitos hanging out inside. I did my best to kill a few, and then resigned to the fact that I’d be itching no matter what.

After a long day on the road, I was able to fall asleep even with the skeeter party.