What a nice piece...

...of highway 17 I had the privilege of riding on today! There were even parts with a bike lane. But then the bike lane just kind of ended in a field at times but it's better than no shoulder. So most of the day I had a nice shoulder. 

I'm still wow'd by my last night in savannah! That city turned into a different city at night!, much better!

So I wake up at 7:50 from such a sound solid sleep it takes me a minute to recall where I am! I love those sleeps!! But I pack up rather fast and debate stopping for some famous grits that's about 5 miles out of my way and I got another long haul in for today almost 100. I decide to go cause it's now or never! Glad I went and I can now say I had savannahs best grits! I'm still not impressed with grits but those were the beat I've ever had!

So I shove outta Atlanta with my shirt off, haha about 9:00. The plan is to ride to jeckyll island GA and camp out. Only problem is it's an extra 20 miles round trip off my Florida path :-( boo I hate backtracking!! 

The morning ride flies by I cover 60 miles in 3 hours!! But then the winds change and start to come across me. It takes me 5 hours to do the last 40 miles! It kinda posses me off when that happens but nothing you can do out there! Suck it up and take it like a man!

About 30 miles from jeckyll I have a change of idea. I try to call "the hostel in the forest" in Brunswick GA. I heard amazing things about this place from travelers. I called yesterday and they said mo room for me because of a yoga retreat weekend. Which sounds awesome to me but I can't give up three days there. But anyway I wasn't happy with the answer of no I couldn't stay so I call back hoping to talk to someone else. Well I get the right guy on the phone! I tell him my deal and he says there is no way he can turn me away. Get here asap I wanna talk to you he says! SWEEt! I'm on my way..

I'm extremely wiped out of energy when I arrive! Some guy gives me a tour of hippie crap, all I hear is blah blah blah. My mind is on jumping in the lake that I see two people coming from. Tour is over and I head tooth lake! I really can't describe to you in words how refreshing that lake was! There is a wooden pier out in the middle of it. I jump in and swim to it. The lake is crystal clear I can see all the way down about 15 ft! I sun myself on the floating pier deck, stretch out, do some yoga and backflips off of it. I climb back up and start laughing out of control. Just when I think this trip cannot be anymore amazing I find a crystal clear lake to jump in after a tough but scenic day of riding. I swim back to my flip flops and head back to the lodge.

This place is super Eco friendly all your poop is composted and you have to throw saw dust on it to cover it up. There is free ranging chickens and we eat fresh eggs for breakfast! The huts are seriously built in trees and the showers have no walls just out in the open forest! This place is quite magnificent. They prepare a vegan dinner for you that's included in the hostel price of 25$ a night. We hold hands and each introduce ourselves saying 5 things we are grateful for. Then it's campfire and mantra chanting. I'm gonna sleep like a rock my treefort has a beaded curtain for front door and the bugs aren't bad. Life is amazing.

Tomorrow it's another long haul into st Augustine. I'll be in Florida. And I was convinced to ride to the Florida keys, no more Miami it's 150 miles past Miami now!...haha