Mike - You're killin' me man! It's 37 degrees here and I'm stuck at work reading about touring in Florida!

Thanks for the pictures. Glad to here you had a good experience (overall). I'm going to get a touring bike this year (probably build up a Surly LHT) and get a few short tours in before summer is over. In 2-3 years I plan to ride from Port Angeles WA to San Francisco. What brand / model of tent were you using?

I commend you for taking responsibility for your own safety and being prepared for a 'worst case scenario'. Fortunately, it sounds like you handled the situation very well and it did not come to that.

PS I'm sending you a private message.