St. Augustine, FL to Flagler Beach, FL 8497 mi What a night. The first time I hear shuffling in my bags I wake with a shout. When I turn my light on I see two pair of shining green eyes peering back at me. The way they move makes me imagine creatures with long necks…

Jacksonville, FL to St. Augustine, FL 8459 mi After one last breakfast, Grandpa gives me a handful of bills. I know I have to accept them, so I give him my sincere thanks. I tell him I’ll try to use it to keep me happy and safe on the road. We take the bike down,…

I ask Grandma if she thinks Grandpa is making progress towards accepting his condition. She’s careful about being too optimistic. Other wives of Alzheimer’s victims she’s talked to have told her that they often reach a plateau followed by rapid deterioration. She’s bracing herself for this, as Grandpa has been about the same for several…

On our walk Grandma tells me a little of the tribulations of caring for Frieda – her miserliness, infinite pickiness, and loss of will to live. She says Frieda has perked up considerably for my visit. We all head off to church together. Amazingly, Grandpa lets me sit in the back of the car for…

Feeling sedentary, I make use of the fitness room before walking with Grandma. Today she tells me about some of her other activities. She directs the choir here and chairs a committee for the arts which will try to get a new performance hall built in Cypress Village. She has many people interested in her…

Today Grandma gives me the car keys so I can run errands. I eat breakfast in my room, shop for books, then hit the library. The web site is still down, no reply from Rick or Nathan. Grandma serves a nice lunch and Grandpa plays the piano for me. I’ll never forget the image of…

Jacksonville, FL At 8 I go for a walk with Grandma. She confides in me a few things about Grandpa. She’s gotten in a fix. A nurse at Mayo was concerned about Grandpa driving. So Grandma inquired about it privately to his doctor, who did some tests. In addition he contacted the DMV, unbeknownst to…

Okeefenokee Swamp, GA to Jacksonville Beach, FL 8420 mi I wake up early and head for the swamp wilderness drive. I have the park to myself, I see only some employees on their way in. The land shifts slowly from southern pines to dark pools and tangled, viny brush. On Chesser Island, surrounded not by…

Patterson, GA to Okeefenokee Swamp, GA 8322 mi I pass up a breakfast in Patterson – too early. These little towns all look deserted. Cracked wood, rusty siding, collapsed trailers, weedy and sandy sidewalks, cars on blocks, downed trees strewn around, piles of junk and trash. Hortense is just a crossroads, but it has a…

Statesboro, GA to Patterson, GA 8245 mi I get lost when roads weaving through beanfields, cotton fields, ponds, and pastures don’t seem to correspond to my map. But I find a way to 292, then to Collins. From there I take the direct route to Reidsville, driven by hunger. The only breakfast place is a…