DAY 183: FT. PIERCE, FLORIDA

A typical morning on the Florida Coast has a blue sky empty of clouds. Clouds form all morning and by early afternoon, thunderheads are booming, dropping rain.

Not this morning. Woke up to a sky full of storm clouds - above photograph. It started raining about half way through my morning 16-mile walk North on US 1; then further North on SR A1A.

I always carry a light weight poncho for just such moments. It served me well as only my shoes got wet. It continued to rain on and off most of the day.

Downtown FT. PIERCE, FLORIDA.

As usual, there was no place to park overnight on A1A last evening. So, we drove onto US 1 and into FORT PIERCE. We were fortunate to find overnight parking at both Winn-Dixie Supermarket and K-Mart, both of which were located in the same mall.

We had an uninterrupted night after enjoying the absolute best Chinese food ever...also in the same mall. US 1 is the main highway through FORT PIERCE, although I-95 is only a few miles to the West of town. US 1 is a Strip Mall for at least 14 miles...the amount I walked this afternoon...with a few large malls along the way.

Sadly, there were many large properties either Foreclosed / For Sale, or just plain vacated.
Economy seems to play no favorites.

This small river runs through FORT PIERCE, emptying into the Inter Coastal Waterway which borders FORT PIERCE on the Eastern side.

My morning walk took me over the Causeway on SR A1A. The above is a "Lift Bridge", which allows tall boats to pass through. In the far distance are Condos lining the Atlantic Ocean. A1A turns left - North - at those tall buildings.

I walked from the South end of FORT PIERCE to the Ocean; then turned North past those Condos for another few miles before returning to SPIA parked in the K-Mart lot.

There are many small islands in this part of the Indian River (Inter Coastal Waterway)

The Condos are sitting within a few feet of the actual Ocean. There are not nearly as many Condos as are found north near CAPE CANAVERAL.

The Indian River waters are quite shallow. It does not limit the large number of Marinas dotting the Waterway.

Looking South from the Lift Bridge, one sees the high-rise bridge leading to the barrier islands South of where A1A turns inland over the Causeway.

Because of the incredible absence of ANY places on A1A to park, I have decided to return to US 1 for the next few miles. Regrettably, US 1 has not near the photo-opportunities as A1A, so I will try to return to A1A from time to time; then return to US 1 to find a place to park SPIA overnight.

Tonight, we have found another of our old standby, WAL-MART, located about 14 miles South of FORT PIERCE on US 1.

Looking closely, one can see a large sailing yacht entering the Marina - Center Right...breaks my heart to see such a machine. I have owned 5 such yachts; I will very likely own a 6th soon.

Florida Violence is unfortunately, quite well known. I have been cautioned to be cautious as many murders are simply random with no apparent rhyme or reason.

My reply: I do and will be cautious. I am, however, not overly concerned...if I were, I would probably still be sitting back home on the couch munching chips, downing some beers, watching the Dallas Cowgirls on the Tube. On the other hand...I keep forgetting, my "home" is no longer available to me...so, I keep walking !

A typical Mall along US 1.

Just for the heck of it, stopped in at this motel. Room price is $49.00, before discounts.

Not bad when considering I shelled out $31.00 for a parking spot two nights ago to the Florida State Park at Sebastian Inlet.

I treated myself to a new pair of shoes last evening from K-Mart.

I have walked nearly 9,000 miles exclusively on Brooks Walker Addiction Shoes. All five pair are now nearly worn out, so thought I would try a new design - pictured above.

BIG MISTAKE !

Walked 30 miles in the pictured shoe today. The cross ridges became "pressure points" on the underside of my foot, causing extreme discomfort after only 1 hour. Also, the shoe is unstable on sloping roadway surfaces, resulting in pain first in my ankle...then my knee...then my upper thigh...then in my hip where the leg bone fits into my hip socket.

Naturally, I will NOT wear these shoes to walk any distance. To the store and back to the parking lot will probably be OK, but because of my present discomfort, I may not be able to walk in the morning at all.

We shall see.

DAILY REPORT: Walked 30 miles today in the rain on nasty new shoes.

SEE YOUR IMPACT.ORG: Credit 30 miles @ $0.02 = $0.60 for the day.

Assuming my body heals by morning, will leave SPIA at WAL-MART. Will walk South on US 1 for as long as I feel OK.

Oh, yes...nearly forgot: Thanks to Noah and Briana I treated myself to a full rack of Baby-Back Ribs this evening. Thank you both eversomuch. Appleby does Ribs right.