Chapter 15

Saturday morning. The first day since this started that I had no plan.

I had spent the past three days moving bottled water, food and supplies to the hangers at Bartow Airport. Now wherever I slept, there would always be plenty of water available.

I decided to take a break for the weekend.

Breakfast consisted of my favorite cereal and powdered milk, which was starting to grow on me (and according to the label, it was fat free.) It wasn't real milk but it was the only milk I would drink of the rest of my life. So I decided to enjoy it.

I drove up to the houseboat in Sanford and fired it up for a trip. I had my bearings around Orlando, Sanford, Deland and places south. It was time to explore north of Deland, and the river seemed like a great way to get around.

The first couple of hours took me under the Highway 44 Bridge, past Black Water Inn at Astor, into Lake George. North of Lake George is the city of Palatka.

I docked at the public dock and rolled my bicycle onto dry land. I toured downtown, but I didn't find much of anything to get excited about — a pretty fair hardware store, a well-stocked grocery, and some nice cars.

I parked the bike and drove a brand new Lincoln until I decided I had seen enough. A half-day farther up river was Jacksonville; it would have everything I wanted and in multiples. Besides, Jacksonville is a much larger city than Orlando and might have some survivors.

The Star Lite has a very nice fly bridge and the trip up to Jacksonville was a very pleasant cruise.

By evening, I pulled up to the downtown public marina and tied up for the night. I found another Lincoln at this marina and claimed it for my excursion into the big city.

As I drove towards the city center, I kept a constant look out for lights, which would mean people.

Even though I was eager to find people, I drove without my lights — just in case I encountered unfriendliness.

The revolver on my hip was my only protection. I had left the shotgun on the boat. I wasn't expecting any problems but intended to be ready, nonetheless.

Downtown Jacksonville is an expansive area. As I drove through it, the banking, government, and downtown sections were as quiet as a tomb. Not one light shown in any direction.

The tallest building in downtown was a bank. I decided to hike the stairs to the roof and look for lights. That was a mistake. I climbed for over 30 minutes, stopping every five flights to rest.

When I finally forced open the access to the roof, I experienced a striking view of the city in all directions. The evening sun flickered across the Saint John's River in the most charming light show I had ever seen. It was a shame no one was there to share the view.

I wondered if the people who once lived here appreciated God's spectacular sunsets.

I would make a thorough search of the city tomorrow after church. I was determined to go to church on Sundays, even if just went to sing and pray for an hour. The quiet contemplation was good for me.

I would stop at a big church I had spotted on the way downtown.

The rocking of the houseboat was a sedative. I can't fully remember my head hitting the pillow. The movies I brought along to entertain myself went unwatched, and I slept better than any night since before.