DAY #109
Another in a string of gorgeous days, we’re talking sunny sky’s, 75-80 degree temperatures, and mild breezes. It never gets old, that’s for sure.
I’m still dealing with staying up until the wee hours of the morning and then sleeping until twelve or even one in the afternoon. I keep telling myself that I’m not going to get much done doing that, why don’t I listen? It is so frustrating. I’ll lay down and try and sleep around midnight, but I just don’t fall asleep. Blimey, its a real bugger!
So today was another late start. I decided to check out Lake Okeechobee. The lake is huge, covering 720 square miles. Interestingly, while it is so big, it averages a depth of only nine feet. It reminded me of a really big lake Mille Lacs in Minnesota.
First, I would check out the west and southern part of the lake and then move onto the east and northern part, at least that was the plan.
Just as I crossed the bridge in Moore Haven, there was a semi-tanker that had overturned not long before my getting there. The police were on the scene, you could see and smell the diesel fuel. I hadn’t seen anything like this so close up before, defiantly an experience. Tried to take a picture of it, but going down the road 40 miles an hour and having to watch traffic ahead of me, I had one shot, and oh how I whiffed.
l was surprised how much of the lake is inaccessible. Most of the western and south-western part is devoid of any roads getting anywhere close to the lake.
There’s also a dike that runs around the circumference of the lake. The Hebert Hoover Dike is designed to control flooding and stands 30 feet tall. I’ve got to say, it messes up any thoughts of a Sunday drive in the country.
I was able to find a spot and walk to the top of the dike and get a view of the south end of the lake.
The land changes east of Moore Haven. It becomes more agricultural with each passing mile, and sugar cane takes center stage. In Cleweston, the U.S. Sugar Corporation has a huge mill.
Continued around the southern end of the lake which took me up to Pahokee, FL. Here I was able to get a much better view of the lake.
I still had some daylight left and thought I’d continue driving around the lake. I set up a route in google and that’s when things went haywire.
I hate it when google map doesn’t instruct you (via voice) until after you start moving. You’re basically guessing which way to go and if you guess wrong, it will send you on a ’round-about’ to get you back on its route (and be even more confused).
As bad as that is, worse for me, and what happened today; I thought google had mapped the route the way I wanted, but it had changed the route, so I go along listening and following the instructions. After driving for a few minutes, something didn’t seem right, and of course, there’s no damn place to pull off the road to check on things. One thing about a lot of these rural roads, they don’t have much room as far as shoulders. I’m finally able to get off the road and check and sure enough, google changed the route. Try as I did I couldn’t get it to route the way I wanted to go. It got me so frustrated.
Because things didn’t go the way I wanted it to, it was time to have a melt down. The anger welling up, and exploding out of me, temper tantrum style. I wanted to smash the tablet, that would show it, that would show it what happens when it doesn’t do as I want (rational thinking? I think not), And it went downhill from there. Why don’t I get it? Why don’t I let this anger go? Ya know when it comes over me, there is a moment when I have a choice, I can feel it. Do I let it go, or act the fool. Why do I continue to make the wrong choice?
I’ve been feeling good for awhile, and this bummed me out big time. I think because it showed that again, I failed. Sure, its easy to be laid back when not being tested. But when I am (like today), I’m reminded that the anger is still there, ready to explode like a geyser in all its gory (rather than glory).
It would be nice if there were a pill, or an answer for this to go away, and maybe there is and I’m just not seeing it yet. No more quitting for this boy, I’ll get up, dust myself off, and keep looking.
I guess today ended up a ‘two step back’ day.
The Journey. 