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12-03-02, 03:05 PM
As day 7 started I decided to break my pattern of stopping near nightfall and starting near daybreak getting 10 hours of sleep/rest(I actually didn't sleep well but the 10 hours of rest made up for it)by starting before daybreak on more like 7 hours of rest.I had previously planned to make it into Gville the previous night to pick up a tube at Walmart but had been just too worn out and now I was starting to get seriously behind schedule even as loosely structured as it was and despite the fact the return route 27 cuts across the state towards Ft. Lauderdale while the trip up went straight up and then across.As I hobbled into Gainesville wasting time trying to patch and repatch tires I finally figured a way to use a screwdriver and two levers to quickly remove the tire but then I realized due to Thanksgiving nowhere might be open to get a tube.At least the trail had beautiful scenery and a aboundance of spots to camp.I finally made it to a Kmart which was open picking up a tube at double the price because it was selfsealing a worthless feature but it was now late afternoon and I then started riding out of Gainesville on 27 south which was very scenic and uncrowded on this day.I crossed Paynes Prairie again this time further to the west and the quaint village of Miconopy which I didn't have time to check out into the rolling hills north of Ocala stopping soon after dark in a field north of Ocala(remote camping spots in north and central Fl. were easy to find So.Fl. is another story)with a plan to get up real early and ride late into the night the next day .