Deciding on improvements
As I lay on my sleeping pad, hot and miserable during our raccoon and mosquito experience, I decided that this was going to be the low point of our trip, and that everything from now on would be greatly improved. I wasn’t quite sure how to pull it off, but I started imagining what it would be like if things were wonderful. It sure felt better than concentrating on how awful things were! I must have done a great job, because things started improving really fast.
Our ride was really pleasant. We made great time in the morning, and we had great rest stops. Even when we got a little bit lost, we had great people to straighten us out, and the “mistake” we made turned out to be a really pleasant road – quiet and shaded. Our moods were improving dramatically.
We realized that we were making great time and that we would be at the campground pretty soon, but we had a little bit of dread going on, as we had been told that the next campground was just as hot and buggy as the one we had just left. But hey, hope springs eternal, right?
Looking for a great coffee shop
With only about 8 miles to go, Chelsea told me that she would love to find a Starbucks, so we could be inside in air conditioning and have a chance to catch up on our blogs, and just enjoy the cool air. I thought about it for a few minutes and then told her that I would rather find another kind of coffee shop, as I’m not a big Starbuck’s fan. About 15 minutes later, we stopped to make sure we were still on the right road, and right behind Chelsea was a bandit sign, advertising something called the East Coast Coffee Company, or something like that. I read every word, and realized that we would be going right by there and that there was a Publix, too, where we could get water. Just the thought of hanging out in a great coffee shop for a few hours acted like a beacon for us.
Sure enough, we found it easily about 20 minutes later, and two doors down was a restaurant called Nature’s Table. The thought of having great food first and then great coffee was irresistible as the temperatures were already climbing to obnoxious levels.
Nature’s Table
Nature’s Table was completely empty – it was only 10:30 a.m. (how lucky were we that it opened that early?!). We were in shock from the cool air, and an absolute plethora of amazing food choices! We got to chatting with the woman behind the counter, Anna, and told her what we were doing. She was amazed and delighted, and seemed interested in hearing about it, so we asked her if the rumors about the next campground were true. She grimaced and said yes, it’s true…and we wanted to cry…
I guess we were still wound up about the last few nights, so poor Anna got the whole sordid story. We told her that we had been hoping to find somewhere where we could stay the night, but we didn’t have anyone in that area, and there weren’t any warmshowers.org homes listed either. As we told Anna the story, another customer had come in, and was standing a little behind us. She had started writing something, and quietly stepped forward, saying, “My husband and I are cyclists and you can stay at my house tonight if you like. Here’s my address and cell phone number. I’ll be home about 5:30.” How unbelievable is that? All we had to do was eat great food in wonderful air-conditioning, with great people, then wander over to the coffee shop to do our blogs…
We had a wonderful time talking to Anna – she’s from California originally, and we loved swapping stories and asking her how she likes it here (she loves it…). She was really dynamic- the store got quite busy shortly after we ordered, and it was wonderful watching her with the customers. Her husband had bought one of the Nature’s Tables a few years back, and then they bought this one only a year ago – started it from scratch (the Nature’s Tables are a franchise). Anna is really awesome, and we wish her equally awesome success with the stores! Check out the photo gallery to see a great photo of Anna, and if you are anywhere in the area, stop by and eat there, and tell her Rosemary and Chelsea say hi.
East Coast Coffee and Tea Company
After relaxing over a great lunch, Chelsea and I wandered over to the Coffee Company and got settled in. Chelsea was up at the counter ordering for us while I plugged in the computer. She came scooting back fast and told me “Mom… a woman just came in and she was holding The Law of Attraction!” (It’s one of our favorite books…) I was busy so I told her to talk to the woman and let me know what happened. In only a few minutes the woman was back at my table, and Chelsea introduced us – it was Laurie, and she and her husband own the coffee shop. Laurie is very effusive, and practically begged us to let her know if we needed anything. We did need to go to the bank, and in about 2 minutes, Chelsea was in the car with Laurie getting the errands done. When they returned, Chelsea told me that Laurie was very much wanting us to stay with her that night.
Now how’s that for a dilemma? Two awesome people with two awesome offers… We talked it over, and decided to stay with Laurie, as it seemed that she may be willing to help get us over the next stretch.
It’s hard to describe the next few days. Laurie took us home with her, and home was a beachfront condo – quite literally beachfront. We’ve got photos in the photo gallery. Jim, her husband, came home about 10 p.m., and I think we all talked for 3 straight days. It felt like finding family members who had been away for along time, and we finally reunited. We laughed until we cried, we talked, we laughed some more, we talked some more, and laughed some more. Finally on Saturday, Laurie took us all the way up to Port Orange – saving us a lot of time and heat. We’ll tell you more about them in the next blog.
Meanwhile, check out the photo gallery, and check back for the next installment.
Signing off from Beverly Beach FL…