Around the world in 888 days

(Otherwise known as "Meet my brother".)

I may have mentioned on here that my brother Thom is on an around the world tour, he started out in Mexico and then went to Miami where he purchased a motorcycle, had his wallet stolen, went to the Smokey mountains, went back to Miami, went on a cruise to the Bahamas, back to Florida and is now in New Mexico.

We have been conversing a bit on facebook and a few days ago I asked him if he was still in Miami, he emailed his answer to me and since he is a much better writer than I, and since I still have nothing to blog about (so not true, just one huge incident that has taken over my household and has left me totally drained, unable to blog about birthday parties and the events we have enjoyed in Festival City.) I am going to write his reply here. This was actually an email he had sent to friends:


"The eighth day of the eighth month of 2008 and finally I was leaving Florida. I had arrived that morning, Friday, from the Bahamas, hours it took to disembark the boat, not till two in the am was I off and through passport control, another three months stamped into my passport. I didn't make it far down the road, I pulled off and got a motel in West Palm Beach. I awoke in the morning at the Super 8, I opened the door to my room, number 108, to see a car parked next to my bike (Brunhilda) (Thom names all his vehicles) the last three digits read eight zero zero. The day had certainly begun auspiciously.

It was, again, a hot day, cycling through the information on Brunhilda's computer display I read the temperature at 96 degrees. An hour out of Orlando I could see that was going to change as I was driving right into a storm, the sky dark with black cloud, lit on occasion by a flash of lightning. The rain began to come down hard bouncing off the road a bolt of lightning hitting the median between the highway. I thought at first the shock on my hand was the electricity but convinced myself instead that it was just the pelting rain on my exposed hand. The heat of the day quickly gave way to a chill as my jeans became soaked and the singlet beneath my mesh kevlar jacket drew in water. I saw a bridge flying over the turnpike and considered seeking cover under it to put on my gortex underjacket. It came and went in a flash, hestitation determining for me to go on. I had come to expect these storms to last no more than an hour and riding at 80 miles an hour to move through them even quicker. This one was to last longer than expected, but eventually I could see light slowly show itself in a corner of the darkness, lighting white the spray coming high off the tires of the vehicles in front of me, turning vibrant the green of the adjacent fields. The rain ended and the pavement became dry, the sun broke through the clouds and I was assaulted by its heat. I was dry with in half an hour.

Cleared Orlando, rode the turnpike till its end the afternoon quickly fading into evening, north I continued. To my right I spied a massive roadside billboard '888 ADMIT IT' So true I thought. Above, written much smaller 'if gambling is a problem call' I couldn't help but chuckle. Saw the blue shield of the interstate with '10' emblazoned on it. I exited off the 75 the single lane splitting, green signs hanging above the road East to Jacksonville declared one, the other West to Tallahassee. The roadside artfully planted with palm and pine. I kept left following the road as it crested a rise and turned into the setting sun. 'Yes! West' cried my heart 'West'. (Yeah, he's a bit of a strange duck.)

I thought I would cut and paste this Em in answer to your question, No, no longer in Florida. Leaving New Orleans today for New Mexico a few days journey on soon to be in the deserts of Nevada for Burning Man."

I spoke to him the other day and I said he must blog this journey nad he said he will be, that as his next stop he hopes to take some of the emails he has sent and turn them into posts.

Just to take a moment to tell you guys a bit about my brother...he is my polar opposite. Outgoing, personable...if any one of you met him I can guarantee you would love him. He is a complete free spirit, does yoga and took a course qualifying him to teach it in Quebec. He's only a year younger than me, but has had so many more life experiences. He is an amzing uncle, all my kids adore him. He is beyond generous...before he left for Florida he bought Taylor, Liam and myself ipods. Instead of selling his truck to the highest bidder, he has left it with William and I to buy off him when William's residency finally comes through, and for less than he could have got elsewhere. He really is a fantastic person.



Does anyone know Florida well? I am sure this was taken in Key West.