Day 50 Jacksonville, Florida

I could not work out if it was a dream or whether it was really over?!? The thought of not having to put my saddle sore butt back on the saddle made me feel on top of the world. Although I guess a small part of me was sad to it was over.

For breakfast, I had coffee and munched on some home made chocolate brownies. Shortly after, I began the dismantling of my bike whilst Helen and Barry reinforce my damaged bicycle box. An hour or so later the bike was in the box and sealed with about 2 rolls of duck tape.

Helen had arranged for us to pop over into Georgia and visit a family hunting lodge to have some lunch and relax for the afternoon. Keen on seeing more of the country, I was definitely up for it. It was only an hour drive away and we were there in no time. The house was located on the river bed surrounded by 18,000 acres. Cypress trees removed from the nearby swamp were used to build the house and it was designed exactly how one would think I hunting would be. It had the maids quarters, the balconies, the creaky staircase and the stuffed trophy heads all around the mansion.

I was introduced to Helen’s sister, her husband and their children. We sat around a fire and drank beer and ate more food. The weather was glorious and it was suggest I went with the younger boys on a speed boat trip along the river to the swamp area. We took one of the dogs and cruised along the peaceful canal for a few miles. Unfortunately we did not spot any alligators or poaches, nevertheless it was great fun.

When we returned the youngest boy Sam took me for a ride around the property in their truck. He is only 15 years old and passionate about hunting. Loose on the front seat were two rifles, a shotgun and I believe there was a 9mm handgun in the glove compartment. I have to admit it felt a little strange but I guess I am not accustomed to that lifestyle. He was talking about his hunting stories which were actually quite interesting. I picked his brain on a few issues but his head was pretty well screwed on for such a young boy.

With the evening drawing to a close we decided to head back home before the mozzies came out in force. I managed to take a few nice photos of the sun over the river leaving only the silhouette of the trees for detail.

We got home relatively late and after a few phone calls we had dinner. Feeling pretty tired I went to bed thinking how lucky I was to be staying with such a cool family. They have bent over backwards to help me and I will be eternally grateful for all their help.








View Larger Map