August 6, 2014
I woke before the park opened, had some peanut butter crackers for breakfast, and put my kayak in the water. I fished a nearby bank, some living trees in the water, and a couple city-planted fish habitats, before heading to an island to fish its bank. This morning, I was targeting largemouth bass.
Some people were camping on the island and appeared to have taken kayaks to get there. They clearly had the best campground. I fished along the shore of the island. The trees blocked the wind so I didn't have to drop the anchor to stay in place. I tried several different lures, all with no luck. Around 10:30 AM, I paddled back to my truck and loaded the kayak one last time. I then pulled off in the parking lot and unloaded everything so that I could reorganize it. I showered at the RV campground and drove back to Columbia to drop off the kayak.
After returning the kayak, I went to Andy's Deli, as suggested by Patrick and Heather. Like they had said, I was greeted with a "Hello my friend, what may I get you?" by the Lebanese owner, Andy. I got Andy's special, a chopped roast beef sandwich with bacon bits on top, served hot and with a dipping sauce on the side. The sandwich was nothing short of outstanding, and clearly others though so as well. The restaurant was full of pictures of Andy with famous people and newspaper articles about the deli. I went to thank Andy for the great meal and, in typical Ross-like fashion, dropped my Dr. Pepper bottle. I caught the bottle upside down, only to realize I had only partially screwed on the cap. I spilled Dr. Pepper all over the place. Andy didn't blink and eye. He said it was no problem and a quick mopping would take care of it. I apologized and left awkwardly.
Off to Florida I travelled. I drove about 8 hours, stopping only for gas and a poor dinner at a cheap Dairy Queen in Georgia. This Dairy Queen didn't even have burgers! As I drove, I called my friend Weston and enjoyed catching up after about 14 years of having not seen each other. I then called my friend Reid to see how his summer and internship were faring. Having picked up glass staining and mead brewing, Reid is one of the most interesting people I know.
Finally, after a long night on the road, I arrived at Fort Pierce, where I found a KOA campground. I set up my mosquito net in the bed of my truck again. The mosquitos were terrible. I thought it would not be an issue that the tips of my toes were touching the net. Surely the mosquitos wouldn't notice such a small a small area to bite. Wrong. I woke up an hour later with the itchiest toes east of the Mississippi! I pulled knees up to my chest and did my best to fall asleep.
The island bank where I spent most of my time fishing
Andy's Deli
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