Day 11. I lied!

Thursday January 19, 2023

Fact one: I Showered , cleaned up and packed the tent by 8:00am.

Fact two: I Studied my Personal trainer stuff from 8 - 8:45.

Fact three: I lied. I drove east.

But let me back up....

Wow a separate stall shower with a door for each person to start the day! I turned on the water and noticed there was no shower head! Just a little nub of a silver thing up there!? The water came out like a little kid playing with one of those Brooklyn water fountains near my brothers house. He took me to Prospect park once years ago to let the kids play and there was a family that had commandeered an area and I think maybe they even lived there? I think they were family...but there was like 47 of them. And right on top of the one water fountain were three of their kids. Even though it had enough pressure to just create an arc of a stream…it seemed these three thought it was the greatest thing ever and turned it into an extra attraction at the playground…or maybe that was their bath for the day ,….not sure.

Anyway the stream was like that., Like water that was poured through a straw and landed on my head in one spot. If ya had any more hair than I do it might take a while lol.

But warm. Geez even hot. And it was the best.

Ever.

Jim had suggested visiting Santa Rosa and I never made it there so before I headed to Biloxi I thought I would check it out. I wrestled with this because it's east of where I am lol. Geez do I have to change the title? Every which way but east Except on Thursdays maybe? I think my catholic elementary school guilt kicked in and fought back against it.. Must. Go . West.

But man he even likened this town to the "Hamptons of Florida". Most of the towns I’ve driven thru up til now are definitely beach touristy…like t-shirt/gift shops, pizza by the slice and tattoo parlors. Tattoos seem to be more of a thing down here. Maybe I should get one? “Liberty Riders Rule”? A duck on my right calf? A duck on a bike in a Stars and stops jersey? YASS THAT'S IT!

People with tattoos are badass so I instantly knew I could break the title and drive east. On a Harley preferably, with a tatted Harley babe on the back. So me right!? But one step at a time aight!?

Destin seemed awesome and definitely doable for a visit back for a weekend stay. But as I passed thru Santa Rosa wow it hit my heart a bit more. I had googled coffee shops nearby and “Sunrise Coffee” had popped up - totally my vibe. A few different kinds of sandwiches to order, great coffee, that wood and beach type decor. Hooked myself up with a Vanilla cinnamon Iced Oatmilk Latte and sat down to do some blogging. I had notes from the previous day but I had some technical issues with the solar charger which I haven’t figured out yet. Not sure whats up there but here I can charge the laptop and work. Sat inside, then sat outside in the 74 degree sun just beautiful.

Feeling a little pressure to get moving to Biloxi I decided one lil stop into a shop called “Beach Happy“. Super nice lady and we started chatting it up about the store’s history a little bit (guy got out of the computer business to open his first store) and also my trip ("Where ya'all from" has sparked me sharing about my trip!). She loved the idea of my journey and said "Oh I wish I could see where you’ve been" etc….so I said you can! Look at Duckpondpete! lol! She also told me I should not pass up going to SeaGrove, a town just down the road just a bit. Ya know…the town from the Truman Show movie? Geez further east now!? Can I do this? No one will know. Gotta grab me a tat and a beer first maybe?

So I”ve been trying to follow the leads of people and this one felt legit so off I went

As I made my way to Seagrove I saw the Grayton State Park beach and campgrounds…one of the ones I had tried to get in for the last two nites…but it was all booked up. A mile down the road I came upon Seagrove and WOW! What a cool beach chill yet upscale town! On one side there are these little food stands selling hot dogs and crepes…right across from some higher end shops and restaurants. This duck is going to squat here a bit for sure!

I thought…lemme give that campground another shot n see if they have a site, then I can ride back and have dinner and check it out.

Pulled back into the campground and they literally had a cancellation minutes before…last site…full electric and all that fancy stuff that I don’t need but wow talk about being in the right spot when ya ‘spost to be! Unfolded the tent in minutes now…gettin’ to be a pro - and put the Salsa together and headed into town.

I can’t tell you how much of a great nite this was… Found a neat coffee shop, and walked around the shops until I stumbled onto one called "Duckies”! Say what!? Literally a store dedicated to lil' duck toys and all kinds of things lol! Is this town real? Am I in the Truman show bubble!? I mean I “checked in anytime I wanted…but can I ever leave”!? Wait that’s an eagle reference not a duck one lol.

I ended up chatting with the owner for near 15 minutes or so about our similar journey’s of like shedding an old layer of our lives and stepping into new ones…

Super sweet woman that I cannot remember her name for the life of me right now but see her pic below. Good luck on your journey also maam! (That’s whatcha call people down here I think). She is also going to checkout the Duckpondpete website and follow along… (send a shoutout if you do!). I bought a lil rubber ducky from her shop to add to the friends on my dashboard, took a pic with her and waddled on…

Made my way around the town deciding on a place to eat and decided Bud & Alleys Taco bar was my vibe! Outdoor sitting around the bar, two tacos and a margarita!

A couple that I had passed on the sidewalks before and were now sitting at the bar also admired the orange Salsa parked near me (the perfect ride to a Taco bar no?) and we ended up sharing mountain bike places and stories over the next hour. I totally meant to get both your names also before I left - to give you both a shoutout here… but dang forgot too. Musta been the tequilla. Grateful for your conversation, laughter and ideas though. The kind of couple that seems to have it together….rolling along with each other’s different journeys and personalities. Like two people solid in their differences as individuals yet blend together like a ham n cheese sandwich. Like one person is the ham and the other the bread. OK that’s the weirdest analogy I ever made. Must be hungry still. Come to think of it those tacos were kinda tiny. If only I had ham. And cheese. Maybe mustard too. Lettuce while I’m at it. Ok maybe a protein bar from the jeep will suffice. Have too I guess. Ha!

I was thirstier than I thought so had to get another margarita to quench my thirst and then weaved my way back to camp for the nite!

What a way to end the day though! I will definitely put this place on my list of places to spend a warm weekend with family at some point.

Inside

Living so much closer to the tugs of my heart rather than those of my head...

Letting go of any schedule even more to follow the mighty river that carries me along....

and man, what a Sea this river carried me into today!

Outside

Stunning:

Warm vibe.

Warm weather.

Warm people.

Warm Gulf water.

Off the hook beautiful.

Upside

Hanging with the awesome couple and Duckie shop manager. Making connections with people...laughing, sharing similar journeys and stories and for me learning how to roll with a partner even more so. Crazy how life hands you just what you need when you open yourself to it...

downside

Not stocking the jeep with ham and cheese.

And not ballsy enough to get a tat.

Every which way but....

Ahhhhh! I went against this one!