Day 1, Feb 22
After two postponements due to cold rainy weather all the way down to Florida, we finally set off on a cold Staurday morning. I had mapped a route on state highways that swung wide east of the Atlanta traffic. My original route had us leaving I-75 at Cleveland, TN, and driving to Madison, GA by way of Gainesville, GA. After a few adjustments along the way, we ended up for the night at a Hampton Inn in Covington, GA. There was a Chili's restaurant next door, so we ordered take-out for supper - a big Chili's burger and Triple Dip to share. The chips and dips lasts for several days. It took us 7 hours to make 250 miles! But the scenery through the foothills of the south end of the Appalachian Mountains was lovely and there was NO TRAFFIC. The roads were pretty good, even when we ended up on county roads, and we didn't pass through many towns.
Day 2, Feb 23
Our cross-country route was a little more straightforward today. Our first goal was Macon, GA, to visit the Allman Brothers "Big House" Museum. We got there just after noon and spent almost an hour looking around and remembering some good times associated with the music. By the time we finished at 1:30, we were more than ready for lunch, but there were not picnic facilities on the grounds. We made do, as usual, having our picnic in the RV. The rest of the day, we were on I-75 with Bill battling the big rigs. We were glad to stop at Valdosta for the night in a nice Comfort Inn and get supper from the Olive Garden next door. We shared an order of Shrimp Carbonara which came with a generous salad and breadsticks, plenty for both of us. We made 200 miles today.
Day 3, Feb 24 - Cedar Key
Link to photo Album: (pictures start in Cedar Key, Day 3)
https://photos.app.goo.gl/zGL2KJp2m63A4NYVA
After another hearty hotel breakfast, were were on the road at 9:45. We took I-75 to Lake City, Fl and left the interstate one exit south of I-10, on our way cross-country to Cedar Key (the only way to get there!) by way of Manatee Springs. When we got to Chiefland, the weather was still rainy and breezy. We decided to skip the turn-off to the park and come back tomorrow. Because the forecast didn't promise any improvement overnight, we decided to try the Island Hotel in the town of Cedar Key. We stopped in Shell Mound Campground just to check it out and learned that their electricity has not been restored to the campsites. It was knocked out by Helene last September.
Cedar Key took a direct hit from Cat 4 Hurricane Helene, the same one that caused so much destruction in Western North Carolina and Upper East Tennessee last fall. Cedar Key sustained significant damage from winds and a 12 ft tidal surge. The Island Hotel has survived many storms. The worst before Helene was in 1896 and it almost wiped out the town. It got some wind damage but the tidal surge did not reach it.
The town is very small, just a marina, a few restaurants, one small local grocery store and a couple of gas stations. It has a small school because it is so remote. Clam farming and fishing are the only industries besides tourism. The grocery store was destroyed and now people have to drive 30 miles or more to Chiefland or Gainesville for supplies. The post office is being operated out of a panel truck. The two large restaurants on the water on Dock Street were destroyed. Steamers, our favorite, is serving from a small cafe across the street from the hotel.
We checked in to the Island Hotel (est 1859) and were given the same room that we had in 2020 - good memories. My steamed clams from Steamers did not disappoint and Bill's oysters were fried to perfection. No TV, no internet, so early to be with a book suited us fine. We forgot to record the mileage, but we travelled about 180 miles.
Day 4, to Manatee Springs, Feb 25
We were in no particular hurry to get up and going this morning. Unfortunately the hotel was not serving breakfast today. I remember that it was quite good and fancy service. We went across the street to the same location. For breakfast and lunch they are the 2nd Street Cafe. They made a very good traditional breakfast. Our plan for the day was to go back to Shell Mound and hike the trail, then go to Manatee Springs for lunch, walk the boardwalk and hope for a Manatee sighting. We also hoped to find a campsite with electricity. Everything worked according to plan except the park did not have any available campsites. However, 3 active manatees gave us quite a show, swimming, rolling, diving and going right under the dock where we were standing to watch. We also spotted an alligator, multiple turtle, 2 snakes and a busy anhinga (water turkey).
After a stop at the Winn-Dixie in Chiefland for supplies, we drove back to Shell Mound Campground (about 30 miles) and set up camp.
The evening was balmy as I made supper on the camp stove. I sauteed some chopped onion & celery and fried two port chops in the cast iron skillett. Cooked some peas and carrots on the side. When everthing was almost done, I took out the port chops and dumped a bag of ready-rice into the skillet to heat. Then put the pork chops back on top and covered it off the heat. It all turned out great! Bugs drove us inside soon after dark since we didn't have a smokey fire to keep them away.
Also staying at the campground was a group of veterans and disabled vets for a fishing trip. The water in the bay is very shallow and at low tide the boat launch is a mud flat. Only airboats can be used and those guys must have had a dozen. I would have been hopping mad about all the noise they were making if I didn't know it was for disabled vets. I hope they were having lots of fun. It sounded like they were!
Early to bed is no problem when I have a good book, Currently reading Mozart's Starling by Lyanda Lynn Haupt. It is a biography/autobiography with lots of ornithological information about starlings -a very good read.
We travelled about 60 miles today.
Day 5, Wednesday, Feb 26 - to Titusville
Day 5 and it seems like we have been on the road for much longer. We did a full camp breakfast, scrambled eggs, sausage and skillet-toasted banana bread. We cooked outside but went into the RV to eat because of the gnats.
We took our time cleaning and packing up. It was 11:30 by the time we left on our way to Titusville. We chose to go east by way of County Road 136 skirting just north of Ocala through horse country. We passed farm after farm of thoroughbreds, complete with training tracks, stables and all the accessories. A lot of wealth is devoted to these race horses from around the world.
East of Ocala, we stopped for a picnic at a little park on the Silver River that is used mainly for kayak and canoe groups. We enjoyed watching the boaters of all shapes, sizes and ages as they made their way to the take-out. It was quiet and peaceful, despite the many perople coming and going.
We continued east to I-95 near Daytona Beach and turned south to Titusville, about another hour's drive. We get to Kevin's about 5:30. It was 205 miles to our exit.
We had seen that a rocket launch was scheduled for the 26th, and it turned out to be at 7:15 pm. After checking in with Kevin, we went to the Asian House Cafe nearby for supper and then out to find a viewing spot along the highway that borders the bay. The launch sites on Cape Canaveral are just across the bay. Lots of others had the same idea. We found a spot and I "launched" my NASA app to find out that it was T-35 minutes. This was the first night launch we've seen and I didn't try to get a video. We heard the explosion of rocket fuel and saw a great ball of fire lift into the night sky. We watched until the first stage burned out, then there was nothing left to see. The Falcon 9 rocket was carrying a payload to the moon! consisting of a variety of sampling and testing equipment, experimenting with some new technologies.
When we got back, we had showers (YEA!) and some time to visit with Kevin before tucking in to our RV for the night. A good day!
