The 79 mile ride from Defuniak
Springs to Sneads was foggier, more scenic, and notably less traveled than yesterday’s
ride. It was really pleasant, though it sure was hot. Leaving town this morning,
the moisture in the air made visible a hidden dimension of the surrounding forests
– spider webs. Everywhere we looked there were huge webs glistening in the dew,
connecting the trees through the full height of the forest. It was a really
beautiful sight; one that will surely run through my mind a time or two on
future hikes.
As an exciting little change of
pace, we got pulled over today by a deputy sheriff in Marianna for riding on
the road in the absence of a designated bike lane. He informed us we were required
to ride on the sidewalk and, as we continued through town, checked a couple of
times to confirm we were heeding his instructions. We were pretty confident, but
later confirmed, that Officer Cook needs to brush up on his state’s cycling
regulations. He’s lucky my call into the sheriff’s office to tattle on him was cut-off and I still haven’t regained phone service. Looks like tonight was the cooling
off period I needed.
So that brings us to Sneads, FL. You
know it’s a bad sign when the only motel in town advertises private bathrooms.
We drove down the road to Chattahoochee for dinner to spare ourselves from the
option in Sneads, which proved to be an interesting and somewhat unsettling experience.
At the center of town is the Florida State Hospital for the criminally insane,
a big, beautiful, but eerie hospital established in the 1800s with quite the
history. Chattahoochee itself is actually a pretty good sized town, much larger
than we expected, but there seemed to be a deliberate lack of restaurants,
lodging, stores, etc. Everything about the town felt like an attempt to keep
people out. Eventually we stumbled upon this little café on a nameless side street, stopped comparing the town to Gatlin, NE,
and had a wonderful meal.
Now to just stop thinking about
the stains on my sheets long enough to fall asleep.
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| Our scolding in Marianna |
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| Florida State Hospital alum? |
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