DAY 1 MAY 18
Big Red and me rolled out of St. Pete about 6:45 under a big round moon and early morning light headed north through rush hour traffic. About an 1 hour and 30 minutes and we were out of the traffic and headed up US19. The ride was not too bad as most of the traffic was mainly going the other way and the biggest problem for me was throttle control, as the speed limit was 45 mph, but everyone was running over 60 and Big Red wanted to run with them. Even with traffic and racing cars it was a beautiful morning. There were 2 hot air balloons floating lazily across the sky and 4 cranes came flying over, with their long necks stuck out and those wide wings flapping with their feet trailing behind. They made a turn, put down their landing gear and made a long gliding landing on those big wings down to a pond next to the highway. A majestic and wonderful sight.
At Yankeetown, we stopped to take a picture of an Elvis sign and info about the movie “Follow your dream” that was filmed there.
There were pictures taken of all of the above. Unfortunately, the camera was on the wrong setting and no pictures were really taken
Somewhere between Yankeetown and Chiefland, I realized I needed fuel...now! This is a pretty desolate stretch and I passed 2 stations that had long been closed. At Otter Creek I saw a car towing a boat parked at an abandoned gas station, so I turned in there, thinking they may have extra boat gas. When I got closer I saw steam pouring out of the engine and tail pipe. I talked to the young driver and he was glad to give me some gas. He was coming from Jacksonville taking the boat to Dunedin. He asked if I knew where he might be able to buy a car. I told him we were in the middle of nowhere and the best bet would be to ask at the post office, the only operating business around. I offered to help, thanked him and paid for the gas, though he tried to refuse, and continued on.
The pictures of me, the boat gas, and the steaming car were great...if they had been really taken.
I stopped in Fanning Springs for an early lunch. My neighbor, Kevin, said Huckleberry's has the best BBQ in the state. I must disagree. It was long on quantity, but short on flavor and dried out. But, like Vicki says, BBQ is a very personal thing.
I always run into a “traveler” or two on these trips. Today I stopped and talked to Daniel. He says he has been on the road for 9 years and 42,000 miles. He had traveled from S. Carolina to Florida, but says Florida was the hardest place he had been to find work so he was headed back towards Texas.
I passed through Tallaha$$e our state capital just after the lunch hour. I hate this place. Not only because of all the “whores from Babylon” (local joke)that are elected here, but the traffic scares me. You got about 20,000 college students, who, like we all are in our youth, in a hurry to get somewhere; and the “whores of Babylon” and their staffers who have a sense of privilege that carries over to the highway. I think we should move the whole operation to Disney World since they all live in a dream world here and since the town is so far from anywhere they get away with murder. Put them on display so the public can see what they are doing.
I love the yard art you see in parts of America.
I take these pictures as I pass the American Legion posts on my journeys. Most of them are dying as the WWII and Korean vets are the main members and they are dying off. The newer generations of soldiers cannot identify with these old soldiers who fought because they had to.....as opposed to choosing to.
I pulled into the Seminole Lodge fish camp a little after 3 pm. It is old, basic and clean. There is only one light in the whole room, but it comes with a water view. I saw a large alligator swimming in the lake but he was too far away for a good picture.
8 hours 307 miles
8 hours 307 miles
the gator
DAY 2 MAY 19
After a nice morning walk along the lake, Big Red and me rumbled down the red dirt road to head west. We stopped in Mariana in hopes of getting a Gucci coffee, but had to settle for just a regular coffee and muffin.
In Campbellton, I saw some goats in a trailer. Shortly after that, I saw an auction sign for goats. It took a minute for my brain to connect the dots and I whipped a U and headed back to check it out. Marty, the auctioneer, explained the deal to me. The auction was going to be tonight and he auctioned chickens, goats, pigs, old junk, basically anything. All his roosters and kid goats are bought by a buyer from Miami and they take them down their for animal sacrifices by some of the various religions.
When we crossed into Alabama the only thing that indicated that you were in Alabama was the road sign and number changed and the road changed and not for the better. No Welcome to Alabama sign.
It was all rural until we stopped into the Andalusia airport for bathroom and rest break. The city was redoing a part of the sidewalk and I visited with the guys doing and the guys watching the work. I wandered into one of the hangers where they were stripping Huey helicopters down to the frame and rebuilding from scratch. Sorry pictures were not allowed.
nothing more exciting than watching concrete dry
mark and lawton
I have never cottoned, as we say in the south, to Alabama. Maybe it is old stereotypes or just that it is not a pretty state to me. That almost changed when we rolled into Evergreen. It is an old southern town with the railroad running right down the middle of the main part of town. Most of the stores were empty but they were well kept and not boarded up and run down like many towns. I pulled over to the sidewalk and met Sue. I asked her if there was some place to eat. She welcomed me to Evergreen and said that Floyd's on the other side of the tracks was a great and only place to eat. I thanked her and crossed the tracks.
I walked into Floyd's and my stereotypes were immediately confirmed..I thought. There were two rooms and all the black people were sitting on one side and all the whites on the other. I was shortly proven wrong as the lunch crowd came in and there was no distinction on which side they sat. Floyd serves a menu, but mainly has a buffet lunch. I was shocked. This is the first buffet I have seen in the south that had NO FRIED food. Baked chicken, blackeyed peas, squash, cabbage, rice and hamburger steak. I chose the buffet and loaded up on the vegetables. Everyone was very friendly, staff and customers. I met Princess, my waitress, her sister and her mother. They were nice people. The cook was the only unfriendly person, but I did not care as she cooked good food.
princess and the mean chef
I left full and headed for Laural, MS. There was basically nothing on US84. I stopped at the MDI for a drink and to visit the restroom. I have seen bibles in the hotel, but never in the bathroom.
This sign was in a town, 25 mph and flat. Go figure.
Why they spend the money on these signs at every town is a mystery to me. Do they expect the criminal to say “oops, police jurisdiction, so I should go back to the other side of the sign to steal or kill those people.”
Pictures from the south.
We rolled into Laural, MS about 4 pm and called it a day. There was a wings joint across the street and thought that would be a good idea. Unfortunately, there were six lanes of crazy traffic, so I walked down my side of the street, no sidewalk, and came to a Mexican Tienda. I was surprised to find in the back of it a small cafe and the best tacos I have had in years.
9 hours 321 miles
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i am working on getting rid of the white background
