From there we took the coastal route using the 98, another good ride on a great road, passing through the Tate’s Hell State Forest and Apalachicola National Forest. The striking point is the tunnel effect the road has going through these forests, trees either side create a closed in effect which can be almost hypnotic, especially for hours at a time. Do watch this especially if the sun is coming from the side through the trees, as this will create a very strong strobe light approach. Despite this, the road and the scenery are stunning, but do watch for local traffic, especially the numerous logging trucks that travel at break neck speed even with full loads. A lot of debris is also shed from these logging trucks, so beware.
This part of Florida is not touristy at all but rather combines; cattle farming, cotton growing and lumber cultivation, almost a combination of all the farming practices that we have seen in Texas, Alabama and Mississippi.
We stopped at Perry, a cross roads of the 98, 19 and 221 for gas and we were all very surprised at the poverty there with people needing to shelter in old disused gas stations and out buildings, however, again people are extremely polite and friendly, say hello and wishing us well on our road trip. This truly is a trip of extremes. The 27 took us to Gainesville, a rather large city compared to what we have seen for the last three hundred miles, the usual strip malls of chain brands with little or no sign of small local stores or gas stations selling deep fried peanuts, local beef jerky or giving us the genuine warmth of friendliness, welcome to city life I guess.
Laner
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