Micanopy

Shooting...

It's amazing how much the landscape can change within a day's travel. Yesterday it went from tropical palm landscape to European-like leafy tree landscape, and that switch was actually even just within a part of the day.

Today I was a bit tired of those motel chains and rather wanted a place like the one I had in the Smoky Mountains. I rode by an exit sign for Micanopy, thought it sounded funny, and spontaneously left the highway to stumble into whatever kind of town that would be. As it turns out, it is absolutely lovely! It's a sleepy community of 600 inhabitants. You don't see many of them, though. But you see plenty of nature, characterful old buildings, and little shops and cafes that speak of the love for detail their owners have invested. I don't know where their customers are supposed to come from, but the places are nice. "Doc Hollywood" was filmed here, too.

...the next...

The motel adjacent to the town was hideous, though. Dirty, bugs, holes in fabrics, stuff ripped from the wall, and the bathroom... oh boy! I hope I won't catch an infestation of my luggage. After reading way too many internet reviews about roadside motels I'm getting paranoid, I guess...

...Harley catalogue.

But, as I said, the town was lovely. So much so that, in fact, I spent half the next day there just relaxing, and for all of the afternoon and evening kept thinking whether I should turn around and spend one or two more days there. It's a gem, really!

Small houses...

...large houses...

...weird houses...

...and grand mansions...

...jungle...

...and the fire fighters.