A Long Drive to Florida, 2018

Like last year we rented a beach bungalow in Florida.  It was time to make the drive to Florida and it would involve staying in motels along the way. The first day found us in Lafayette, Louisiana and while the room was cheap and somewhat warn, we did go out to a restaurant named, Fezzo’s. It turned out to be one of the best meals I have ever eaten.

We started out the meal with Oysters Rockefeller, which are charbroiled oysters in a cream, butter and spinach sauce. Each bite was heavenly. They didn’t last long, and I followed that with Acadia Catfish over angel hair pasta, and of course it was Cajun seasoned. Renita opted for a hamburger steak and gravy with a side of mushrooms and grilled vegetables.

The desert was bread pudding, but it wasn’t like any bread pudding we have ever had before. The bread had been baked on site and it was infused with a vanilla sauce with a side of fresh beaten whipping cream. Renita actually rolled her eyes when she had her first bite.

Driving across Mississippi and Alabama was very short, with us first passing a tribute to the Apollo astronauts which included the full size Lunar lander used by the astronauts as they trained for the trip to the moon. The Apollo 13 lander was used as a lifeboat by an Astronaut from Mississippi, and Fred Haise signed a cement  panel beneath the lander. Chipley, Florida.

There was also a neat sundial, something which I need to add to our lot in Star Valley. The other excitement was as we passed the USS Alabama, along with a World War Two fleet Submarine. We had already stopped there on a previous trip and so we continued on to

However, as we neared Chipley, we discovered that we were driving into the path of destruction from Hurricane Michael. It was all too familiar, after spending last year and helping in Rockport, Texas.

Road crews were clearing the ditches from the down trees and while a lot of work had been done, there was lots more left to do. One of the differences from Rockport, was that the trees here are tall stately pines, most of which had been ripped apart leaving mile after mile of tree trunk fence posts.

The pines didn’t take the high winds as well as the live oaks in Texas, and it will be a long while before the tree lined forest rises again. It was the first time we have seen how a hurricane can utterly destroy a forest, and we were thirty miles from where it came ashore.

The destruction caused us to drive clear to Tallahassee before we could find a room at an inn. The last day it rained, and the drive was back to the usual task of watching out for crazy Florida drivers. So, we are now in St Pete Beach for the rest of the month. Yesterday we took our first walk on the beach, which is only a few blocks away. Clear skies

ps The receptionist at one of the few motels open in Chipley told us that further south the destruction was total. 

A Quick Drive from Florida to Texas

It was time to say goodbyes and head back to Texas. So, we loaded up the truck and headed into the approaching cold front. We were able to make it through the cold front before an ice storm hit Lake City, Florida and so the drive was uneventful.

As we were not pulling our fifth wheel, we stayed in motels. We learned that using an online service to book a room resulted in higher priced rooms. The first night we paid one hundred and thirty dollars only to learn the cost of the room was only seventy, (plus a charge for the dog).

The cheapest way to book a room was to find the phone number of the motel and call it ourselves! That way we could be sure the motel was pet friendly. Not only did Renita find rooms for a fair price, the dog stayed free!

The weather was so cold that Mobile Bay was partially frozen, something we had never seen before. At least we never ran into any ice on bridges, or snow, and so the drive was bearable. Leaving after rush hour we were able to drive through Houston with a minimum of fuss/traffic, and reached Rockport during the afternoon of day three.

Our friends were at Happy Hour and we were greeted to the sight of Jane and a squirrel having a face off! Seems Jane had put up a bird feeder and the squirrel was emptying it every day. It had gotten so brazen that it ignored Jane and her broom!

Our plants had been taken care of by our friend Betty, and had thrived! Perhaps if we watered them and gave them fertilizer they would grow better for us. Now if it would hurry up and warm up we could get out the kayaks and go fishing!  Clear skies

A Quick Trip From St Petersburg to Fulton, Texas A Rocks Revenge!

We left St Petersburg on New Year’s Day. The morning is a good day to travel as many people were still sleeping and so the traffic was light. The plan was to take six days to reach Rockport, Texas but as usual the plan quickly change.

Upon reaching Quincy, Florida the forecast had changed dramatically. Tornados and high winds with hail were forecast for the next day’s stop, (Gulfport, Ms), and we decided to stay another night, waiting for the passage of the storms.

The next morning, we woke to a dense fog and as the day progressed storm warnings and flooding were being reported. As the front reached us we stayed glued to the local weather channel. Three tornado's past us to the north. It’s quite unnerving and when you live in a fifth wheel trailer you are living in a place with no safe haven, (our standard plan is to evacuate to the truck and drive north or south depending on the storm paths).

The next day we left and drove past flooded ditches and streams, swollen from the heavy rains. Reaching Gulfport, Mississippi, we drove through mudpuddles before parking on a raised cement pad. Deciding we needed a nice meal we ate out, a rarity for us. The restaurant had a special, two meals for sixteen dollars and the meal was really tasty!

The following morning, we drove to Beaumont, Texas, about three hundred miles down the road. It’s always neat to cross Mobile Bay and see the Battleship Alabama, moored. We had toured the Alabama years ago, when we had just started our retirement.

The last day our plan was to take the Galveston ferry and thereby bypass Houston pulling the rig through the inevitable traffic jam. While it adds some time to the trip it was an easy journey until we had almost arrived at Rockport. Unfortunately, we passed a cement truck just as it hit a bump and dumped rocks on our truck. One rock smashed the window behind Renita!

Trying to get the truck drivers attention we lucked out as a police car saw the whole thing and stopped the truck. The driver had been oblivious to it all and well, cement truck drives can’t hear anything. Luckily no one was hurt but our dog was shaking as it was her window.

Stopping at a Walmart a very kind worker showed me the location for heavy duty plastic runners and we were able to patch and duct tape the window before continuing  on to our winter haven, (The reason we had pushed so hard was because of a massive cold front, forecast for the next day).

Now we are huddling in place and glad we don’t have to move for three months. Stuff happens when you travel, and even when you don’t. It’s the third window we have had shattered by rocks and none of them occurred when we were in Alaska. Go figure! Clear skies

In case you don't know we collect rocks, hence the revenge title!

From Branson to Tallahassee, Miles and Miles

We left Branson, Mo and drove some of the hardest miles. Taking US Highway 65 south, the road turned bad, in Arkansas, from four lanes to two. Further it narrowed and old style high curbs threatened our new tires.

Pushing on into Little Rock the road seemed to be an endless series of peaks and valleys and on one I misjudged the gradient and the truck heated up. Stopping near the top of the hill I admired the view but decided I would cross Arkansas off in my new road atlas.

Arriving at Little Rock Renita found a beautiful place to camp, at Maremelle Park. It was on the Arkansas River, and being a Corp of Engineers, (COE) campground it only cost us twelve dollars a night. Sitting for two nights we rethought our route and took Interstate 40, crossing the Mississippi River and driving to Tupelo, Mississippi.

At Tupelo, I noticed that the truck was making a noise and that the alternator seemed to be struggling to keep the batteries charged. Making an unscheduled appointment at the Chevy garage we found out that the noise was in our transmission, at low gear, and that the batteries needed replacing.

After this we had them check everything else, and getting the all clear we drove to Montgomery, Alabama. There we got lucky, it being a weekend, and got the last spot at Gunter Hill COE. It’s one of the best campgrounds we have stayed in and rested for three days before continuing our cross county oddessy.

From Montgomery, we drove south and east and finally reached Tallahassee, Florida. Here we have stopped to visit some friends Bob and Sue. We had met them eight years ago, when we started our full time rving adventures. When we met them they were also full timer rvers, but have since settled back into a house, along with their four dogs.

It’s one of the best things about being a full time rver, meeting new friends from all over the USA.  The plan from here is to rest and then stopping at Crystal River and then St Petersburg. There we will spend two months before heading back west. Clear skies.

From Shiloh to Bushnell, Florida

 

We left Shiloh and headed to Montgomery, Alabama. There we spent the night at the most beautiful campground we have ever stayed in, Gunter Hills which is a Corp of Engineers Campground. At eleven dollars a night, (senior pass), it’s a steal. The site was so large that we could have parked two rigs and trucks like ours, and that’s with full hookups.

So we took a nice walk and enjoyed the Spanish moss, hanging from the live oak trees. The campground was pretty full with lots of local folks setting up for the Halloween weekend. It’s celebrated more here than in Wyoming, maybe because it’s so cold back home?

Anyway the neighbors had motion activated life size figures, including a large rattlesnake. As I had had an encounter with a real one several weeks ago they were lucky I didn’t get my shotgun out and waste it, (we live and let live when we encounter rattlesnakes when we are in the middle of nowhere but I have a different attitude in campgrounds when there are small children present).

Unfortunately a cold front was due the next day so we headed out to Monticello, Florida where we stopped to visit our friends Bob and Sue. After five years of full timing they have bought a house, to live in for the winter months. It was so nice to see them and they are so happy to live near her sister.

However the campground we stayed at is the worst one we have ever stayed at!  It’s called Tallahassee East KOA, and between the trees and other campers I almost got blocked in. Luckily I was able to back through two empty spaces, pushing small branches out of the way and barely made it out the road.  Our neighbors tried to tow their rig between two parked rigs, (using the road, they are that narrow), and they hit a motor home as their back end swung around. Don’t ever stay there if you have a big rig.

So we said our goodbyes and headed east and south to Bushnell and Sumter Oaks Rainbow Park. It’s a beautiful place in a quiet setting. It’s a relief to be done traveling for a few months, ok we will pull to Tampa area next week, but at least we don’t have to worry about cold fronts and snow! Clear skies.

From Livingston,Texas to Crystal Springs, Florida

The drive from Livingston.Texas to Livingston, Louisiana was long and hard. I really had forgotten how bad the roads are in Louisiana. Interstate Ten has some new stretches but the bad parts are actually the worst we have seen, and that includes most of the Alaskan Highway.
So I was tired and sore and we checked into a Passport America park that didn't honor it on holidays and here they consider Halloween a holiday. Tired, we paid fifty one dollars for a night and I will never stay at Lakeside Rv Park again.
From there we drove two hundred miles to the Escapee Park at Rainbow Plantation in Summerdale, Alabama. This park is one of Renita's favorite parks with large grassy spots and interspersed oak trees. Again, the skp parks are such a refuge for weary travelers and of course we got our hugs.
The next day our goal was Beaver lake Campground, in Quincey and it was twenty bucks for full hookups. The park itself was basically a grass field with no amenities and again overpriced but we are back east. At least the Florida roads are a dramatic improvement.
Our next stretch was a short bit on Interstate Ten and then we headed south on the Florida Georgia Parkway. The traffic dropped off and it was a pleasant drive down a beautiful road. We stopped for the night at Rock Crusher Rv Park, in Crystal Springs Florida and it is so beautiful here that we are staying for three nights total. Its the prettiest private rv park we have ever stayed in during five years of full timing and is much like a state park. With the Passport America discount it is only seventeen dollars a night and that's a deal!
We are going to try and get a paddle in before we finish our south bound trip in Largo. Florida. There we plan on spending about two months as we visit our daughter. It will also give us a chance to sit and get ready for the Texas shows. Clear skies

Fort Morgan, Gulf Shores, and Rainbow Plantation, Alabama

We left Grand Isle and drove on the worst roads that we have been on in four years of travel, Louisiana should have taken the stimulus money and fixed their roads! Driving to Summerdale, Alabama, we arrived and set up the fifth wheel at the Rainbow Plantation, an Escapee Rainbow park, If you travel as we do you need to become a member of Escapees).
The first order of business was to fix the damage from the rough roads. Books had spilled out of the upper cabinet, two glass display cases broke, but luckily not a single one of our rocks were damaged. Next was a to do list and after a trip to Lowes we replaced our kitchen faucet with a Moen, what a difference and it has a lifetime warranty!
Being on a roll we rebuilt the bathroom sink and quickly made short work of little problems that have irked us for some time. You would think we would have done this while in Texas and winter camp but we are both procrastinators....

Anyway we finished the  repair list and so it was time to play! Deciding to go to Dauphin Island we headed south to the beach and then east to Fort Morgan where we discovered the ferry trip was thirty dollars! As it was already noon we decided instead to explore some history and walked the battlements of the fort.
The fort was five sided and made of brick, an old style fort,(crennulated/ this style fort is where the name fortification agate came from as the agate  pattern resembles the aerial design). Perhaps the neatest thing was that we were able to walk along the moat and so we got a really good appreciation of the walls and structure. The museum, I thought actually took a neutral stance on the Civil War and had nice displays,(Unlike the Mississpipi rest stop where a prominentt picture was the sinking of a US Iron Clad and a picture of Jefferson Davis was also displayed, I am curently reading Us Grants autobiography and he didn't have a high opinion of Davis ).

A days outing to the beach was also in order and so packing a lunch we headed south to Gulf Shores. Four years ago we had parked near there and so it was nice to go back and have drink at the same beach pub, after walking the crowded beach, it is spring break here. Renita accused me of taking pictures of ladies in their bikinis but can I help it if they are in the background?
Now the beach here was the first time we had seen white sand beaches and the beach sand had actually squeaked when we stepped on it. It doesn;t squeak anymore, thanks to Bp, and we did find tar balls on the beach at Fort Morgan.

We enjoyed our time at the park vising with other escapees and we even shared our wiring techniques with Linda and Jan and Pat, three ladies we met during the beading group meeting. Linda actually collects rocks and so of course we had to show her and Joel our collection. We even traded some beach glass for some Lake Superior agate!

It was nice to revisit a place where we had started our journey four years before. The damage from Katirna has been mostly repaired and a lot of new construction marks the shoreline.. There is even a new condo high rise being built. The crowded beach and the water front condos reminded me of why we don't like the Florida and Alabama coasts, and why we winter on the Texas Coastal Bend. Clear skies.