Two weeks in Florida, a lifetime of memories

Safe home.

After two weeks of travel, sometimes the most harried moment is the one when we pull up to our driveway and I need to back the trailer into it. We live on a very busy thoroughfare and we often have to stop traffic both ways to make the backing maneuver.

Performance pressure is intense and my goal is to successfully push the long trailer into the driveway on the first try. Today, it took two tries. But we only held up traffic for about 45 seconds so not too bad.

The short trip today was uneventful and we are happy to be home, even if we miss the wonderful people we met on the way. The times we spent with friends and family in Florida are carved in our hearts and we look forward to the next time we are all together.

Each trip, each campsite brings new lessons and experience. This trip was a wealth of experience and we become more comfortable with the trailer each time we use it. Next winter we will live out of it for two to three months, so we appreciate what we have learned so far.

Here are just a few things we have already learned about trailer travel:

Pick your campgrounds and gas stations very carefully.

Start looking for a good gas station at least 75 miles before you need one.

Trust your mirrors.

Leave plenty of distance between you and the vehicle ahead of you, a tough physics lessons awaits if you don't.

Never drive through Atlanta on Maundy Thursday at 4 p.m.

Never believe the campground clerk when he/she tells you that your space is "level."

Most campers are very friendly.

A few interesting facts about this trip:

States visited: Ohio, Kentucky, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and West 'by god' Virginia. (We don't count Michigan because we live there).

Highlights: Dinners with Aunt Judi and Uncle Pete; Jonathan Dickinson State Park; Trapper Nelson's site; Kitching trail walk; lunch with cousin Kenny and Aunt Judi; watching Koa practice baseball; dinner with Aunt Judi and cousin Khlai; Dinner and a walk on the beach with Drew and Julie in Cape Canaveral; the visit of Elin and her friend, Abby; Disney's Hollywood Studios; Stumpknocker Air Boat ride; Brevard Zoo; Ron Jon Surf Shop; McKee Botanical Gardens; Mel Fisher's Treasure Museum; movies with the kids; girls outlet shopping; me washing the car; seeing the graves of four Civil War veterans in Sparta, Ohio.

Last day stats:

Mileage and time out: 33810 - 9:15 a.m.
Mileage and time in: 34104 - 2:35 p.m.

Some trip statistics:

Total car and trailer hooked together miles: 2,770
Total mileage (with and without trailer): 3,749

Grandma's recess will take a nap until our next adventure, which looks to be in June.

Last stop: Canton Bear Creek KOA

Today's adventure involved a lot of ups and downs.

Ups as in mountains in North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia and downs as in 'what goes up, must come down' and again we had some pretty stiff cross winds. The West Virginia turnpike got us for $7.50 (an extra $1.50 for the trailer) and I've seen better roads in Michigan, if that tells you anything.

If you're going to charge people to drive on the roads, at least use the money to make the roads better.

We were on the road just in time this morning to get locked up in heavy traffic in Charlotte, N.C., but after that brief problem, the rest of the day was pretty much clear sailing, to use that analogy again.

The Bear Creek KOA campground tonight is a little primitive, as in no cable TV, but otherwise clean and very nice. So we're working online (they do have wifi) and listening to our radio. We could have been watching our Netflix movie, but I accidentally sent back the one we hadn't seen and kept the one we already watched.

Front page headline in the Canton Repository: "No jail for man who urinated on Walmart steaks." He does have to pay $688 for the steaks and do 100 hours of community service. Here's the link.

After dinner, Joan and I took a little walk down the road and found an old cemetery - Zion Cemetery - in which are buried four Civil War veterans. Kind of cool to see. I've included a photo.

The last leg on the trip promises to be a short one and I'll check in with the final totals tomorrow or Thursday.

Time out and mileage: 9:02 a.m. - 33349

Time in and mileage: 5:45 p.m. - 33810

A windy retreat from Florida ends in South Carolina

When I mentioned "set sail" for home in yesterday's post, it was more prophetic than I could have imagined.

As we left Vero Beach this morning it was as if I had a spinnaker attached to the back of my Tahoe. A heavy crosswind stayed with us all the way north through Florida, Georgia and part of South Carolina.

My hands ache tonight from gripping the steering wheel and fighting the wind. It also didn't do much for our gas mileage, but we never worry too much about that.

Today was a bit of an adventure as we had originally plotted to return on I-75, but made a last minute course correction to come home via I-95, I-26 and I-77. So far we've completed the I-95 and I-26 part and are a short distance into the I-77 part.

Tonight we are staying in Fort Mill, South Carolina at a KOA. We began to worry we weren't going to find a place to stay when we dialed up OnStar which came to the rescue with a little research and a phone call. We pulled in, quickly set up the hook-ups and Joan made a quick dinner on the stove.

We are watching a public television show on animal adaptations and one of the subject animals is an alligator, so I guess we're not quite done with the big lizards. We plan to rise early and make tracks to Ohio tomorrow night and them home on Wednesday.

Start time and mileage: 8:52 a.m. - 32785
End time and mileage: 6:59 p.m. - 33349

Cheetahs, rhinos, more alligators and a great big surf shop

Our last day with the girls, daughter Elin and her Boston friend Abby, started with a visit to the Brevard Zoo. Our expectations were low, but were greatly exceeded by the quantity, quality and unusual selection of animals we saw.

The zoo had a nice selection of animals located in open display areas. We also were on hand for the 3 p.m. alligator and crocodile feeding, which was also entertaining and educational.

A wide selection of birds from a number of continents were on hand at the zoo and we visited an "free fly" aviary that was large and interesting in its layout. It was an up close and personal look at many birds we had never seen before.

We missed by 20 minutes the vulture feeding, but found it strangely ironic that the vultures in the aviary were being visited and harassed by free flying vultures who were trying everything to get inside the cages to share in the meal being enjoyed by their captive cousins.

The carcass is always sweeter on the inside of the cage, I guess.

Joan likes otters and there was a nice display of river otters that we spent some time at.

One of the featured animals and events was the giraffe feeding exhibit. Unfortunately we never saw the giraffe. Hard to believe a giraffe could find a place to hide, but it did.

Following the zoo, we drove north to Cocoa Beach and visited the headquarters store of Ron Jon Surf Shop to do a little souvenir shopping. Can't say much about that here because some of the folks who read this blog will also be the recipients of the souvenirs.

Then it was off to the Orlando Airport to drop off the girls at a hotel so they can catch their flight tomorrow and we can set sail north to home.

Hard to believe our two-week vacation is nearly at an end, but we are also looking forward to returning home. It has been fun reconnecting with Florida family and friends and enjoying the outdoor activities here in Florida.

Blogging may, or may not occur during our trip home because we have made a course correction and aren't sure yet where we are staying the next two nights, or whether they will have Internet. If not, we'll catch up when we get home.

Thanks to all of our hosts and hostesses as well as all of those who have followed our trip. We pray for travel mercies as we make our way home along I-95 and I-77. By the end of the trip we will have driven through 10 states.

Stumpknocker Airboat ride, a cruise to vacation heaven

In my 30-year newspaper career I was blessed to have many unique experiences. But today, I did something that until last Wednesday I never even thought of doing. In researching some fun things to do when our daughter got here with her friend Abby I came upon a water tour. (Me, third row, Abby, Elin and Joan in front row)

A Stumpknocker airboat experience was advertised online with a promise of alligators and other wildlife during the tour. I’m not usually impressed by an owner’s description of their services, but something told me this was going to be special.

It was, in spades.

Captain Steve, a retired firefighter, met us at the Blue Cypress boat launch near Vero Beach and we climbed aboard his 11-passenger airboat about 3 p.m. today. A park ranger met our boat just before we pulled out and told us we were in for a huge treat and that Captain Steve gave one of the best airboat tours. (Back of Abby's head while speeding through the weeds)

As we hurtled over the water at speeds that had to be 35 to 40 mph we headed through the weeds, tall grass and open water that make up the park. Everyone wore fancy headphones to drown out the noise of the airboat engine and also so we could hear Captain Steve’s running commentary.

Our first alligator sighting came within minutes of launch, but the really big alligators were still a few minutes away. Joan, Elin and Abby were in the front seat with a perfect view and didn’t even flinch when Captain Steve told them to remain still if one of the alligators climbed aboard during our tour. (Big gator, left)

“They’re either not listening, or don’t care,” Captain Steve said. Because of my height, and so I wouldn’t block the view for others, I sat in the third row of seats.

The weather was warm, but not too warm, and the air was less muggy today than yesterday, so all-in-all a perfect day for an airboat ride. (Osprey nest, right)

The commentary was wonderful and Captain Steve, who has been conducting these tours for years, was a floating library of information about the wetlands flora and fauna. He also knew exactly where to find the gators and birds we had come to see.

At times we would be hurtling over lily pads and grass at high speed, or idling along trying to catch a glimpse of baby alligators or one of the many sets of Osprey nesting in the park. As an old Navy man, I’m pretty much in love with anything on the water, but this was one of the coolest things I have ever done.

After awhile, the alligators were so numerous that I quit taking pictures of them, figuring that pretty much one alligator looked like another. If you are going to be anywhere near Vero Beach, do yourself a favor and make sure you book a ride on the Stumpknocker Tours airboat adventure. (Captain Steve, at left)

At one point in the tour we were speeding down a water trail when a Blue Heron startled by our boat, flew up out of the long grass and flew alongside the boat, literally close enough for Joan to reach out and touch it, which she did not do. He almost left another little gift on the boat, but it fell harmlessly into the water. Other birds we saw, in addition to the Osprey and Blue Herons were Egret, purple Gallinule and Ibis, among others.

That may have been the highlight of the trip for Joan, who has a fondness for Blue Herons.
Earlier in the day, the girls spent a couple hours at the beach in Vero Beach soaking up the sunshine and eating a picnic lunch packed by Joan.

After the air boat experience we went to the multiplex theater and saw “Date Night,” which was pretty funny. Dinner was at Friday’s and we are now home in the trailer chilling with a little television.

Tomorrow, we say good bye to the girls and Monday it will be time to pack up and head back to our real world, the one without air boats and alligators. Sad.

A quiet day, spent close to home, home as in Vero Beach

As predicted, today was a quiet one. We slept in, took our time getting ready and basically the women in this little adventure decided it would be a good day to get nails (upper and lower) done.

So while they were getting manicures and pedicures, I did a little exploring at The Home Depot and a car supply place to get cleaning supplies for the car.

After the ladies finished their nail repair, I picked them up and drove them to a large outlet mall in Vero Beach and dropped them off for an afternoon of shopping. Then I found a do it yourself car wash and worked for 90-minutes to get the bugs off the Tahoe.

In the humidity here, that turned into a pretty taxing job, but one that I was glad to get done. Then will a little time to kill, I drove out to an air boat launch site so I will know how to get there tomorrow when we go for that adventure.

On the way out to the launch site, I drove through a swarm of bugs and my nice clean car was once again covered with bug guts. I was not very happy and spent another 20 minutes cleaning the front grill and windshield again.

The call that shopping was done came at 5:15 p.m. and I picked up the women and we went for an outstanding fish dinner at the Lobster Shanty in Vero Beach. Grouper, Swordfish, Mahi and Seafood Saute were the four orders.

None of us could remember having a better fish dinner, and it was relatively inexpensive for the quality and quantity.

After dinner we drove out to the barrier island and walked on the beach until it got very dark.

Lights, camera, action we spent the day at Disney's Hollywood Studios

Today could be summed up in a word. Disney.

It's been a dozen years since the last time we were at the Disney parks and with Joan's daughter Elin flying in to Orlando with her friend Abby yesterday, we decided to stay in town and do one of the parks. In this case we went to Disney's Hollywood Studios.

We had been there previously, but a lot has changed. The weather was perfect, but our hope that a lot of people had already started north from spring break didn't appear to be realized as the crowds were huge and the lines at several rides were long.

The Indiana Jones adventure show was great as was "Beauty and the Beast" and the back lot tour. A 3-D Muppet Movie was fun and got us out of the heat for a little bit.

My favorite was the Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show which had some great driving and jet ski stunts. Lots of fire, explosions, car chases and shooting, so pretty much a testosterone packed adventure. The three women in our party seemed to enjoy it as well.

The Star Wars simulator was as we remembered it from before and the young members of our party went on the Rock 'n Roll Coaster with Aerosmith and seemed to like it.

We had lunch at the "Catering Co." and had a fine dinner at "The Brown Derby," which was a replica of the restaurant near where my grandparents lived in Los Angeles many, many years ago.

The women really liked the Toy Story ride and, of course, the two young women in our party had the best score on the interactive shooting game that is part of the ride.

At 9 p.m. we left the park for the long ride home, tired, but happy after a wonderful day. October was the last time we saw Elin when our grandson Griffen was born.

For the first time with our new trailer we had overnight guests and the blow up bed seemed to work pretty well. Today promises to be a little quieter.

Retirement practice, makes perfect

If retirement is going to be like the last few days, then I could really get used to it. Today we were up a little early so we could get ready to go visit my cousin Ken at his home in Vero Beach.

A leisurely 19-mile drive brought us to the front door of cousin Ken and his beautiful home. Ken teaches tennis and works at a retirement village in Vero Beach.

A few years ago I spent a great two weeks with Ken and his wife, Khlai at their Maui home. Kenny taught tennis at one of the Maui resorts and managed the pro shop there. (Photo: Kenny, Joan, Aunt Judi, me).

So Ken and my Aunt Judi, who drove up from Stuart, Florida for the day, and Joan and I went to lunch at a river front restaurant in Vero Beach. After lunch Kenny took us across the bridge to the barrier island and the Vero Beach on the Atlantic Ocean where we soaked in the beautiful sun rays and ocean breeze.

We also paid a visit to Veterans Memorial Sanctuary Island, which honors those who have served and died in America's wars. It was a beautiful spot and we visited each service monument. My favorite, of course, was the U.S. Navy one.

I remember Vero Beach from my days as a Los Angeles Dodgers fan because I used to listen to their spring exhibition games from there. Unfortunately for Vero Beach, the Dodgers now get ready for the season in Arizona and so far, no other team has filled the void.

Then it was back to Ken’s house to wait for his son Koa, 11, (see baseball photo) to return home from middle school. For fun, we took Koa to baseball practice. Koa is on a travel baseball team from Vero Beach and is doing very well on the team, which is ranked 2nd in the State of Florida and 8th in the U.S. for his age group.

After soaking up even more sunshine at baseball practice, Khlai, a native of Thailand, took us to a local Thai restaurant where she ordered the most delicious Thai meal I have ever enjoyed. It was even more fun because Khlai ordered the food in her primary language so everything that came to the table was a huge surprise.

It is always fun to catch up with relatives you haven’t seen in awhile and it is equally hard to believe that the little kid who was born 15 years after me, is now a successful tennis teacher, father and husband.

Tomorrow we await the arrival of our daughter, Elin, and a friend, Abby, who we will pick up at the Orlando airport in the morning. A full day of amusement park visiting is on the docket.

Talk to you soon.

A wrong address leads to a beautiful garden

A wrong address led us to a wonderful experience today at the McKee Botanical Gardens in Vero Beach.

When I called OnStar today I have them an address for the Manatee Observation and Education Center I gave them Vero Beach as the city. Actually I should have given them Ft. Pierce. But the address I gave them in Vero Beach turned out to be the McKee Botanical Gardens.

When I realized my error too late, we decided to stop for lunch at the café in the gardens, but once there decided it looked interesting enough to pay the $8 admission fee to look around. We were not disappointed.

The history of the Gardens is interesting as it was once a major attraction until the nearby Orlando attractions drained visitors away. It was closed for a time and most of it was sold off to developers. But what has survived is very beautiful and worth the stop.

Then we went looking for Manatees, but the parking lot where they can be watched was closed today. Instead Joan indulged me on a visit to the Mel Fisher Treasure Museum in Sebastian. Of course she enjoyed the gold, silver and jewelry found on those wrecks, so it wasn't completely lost on her. It was a great stop with lots of spectacular artifacts found in one of the many successful treasure dives made by Mel Fisher and his crews.

After that stop, we returned back to our camp and decided to catch up on laundry. We’ve been gone six days and we each left with seven days clothing, so it was time.

Because of our many stops this weeks we put off the celebration of our wedding anniversary, so tonight we had a wonderful dinner at Captain Hiram’s in Sebastian. Captain Hiram’s is located on the water and the food was outstanding.

Tomorrow we are meeting my cousin Ken and Aunt Judi for lunch in Vero Beach. We are hoping my cousin’s wife, Khlai can also join us.

Another very good day!

Two great walks, a sunrise, a sunset and great friends

When Joan and I dreamed about our retirement trips, it was days like today that we envisioned.

The day started out at Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Hobe Sound, Florida. We got up, had a leisurely breakfast and then headed to the Kitching Creek Nature Trail in the park to take in the flora and fauna.

A high, blue sky, wispy clouds and pleasant temperatures guided us through the 1 ½ -mile walk. At one point we spotted a large Osprey land in a tree just 40-50 yards from us with a freshly caught fish in his grip. We watched with fascination as the bird eat the still living fish in the tree top near us.

We spotted geckos, a variety of birds and wildflowers and trees along the trail. When we came back to our campsite it was time to pack up and get ready to move on to our next stop, which was our previous spot in Vero Beach.

After hooking up the trailer, we cleaned up in the park showers and hit the road for the 90-minute trip north.

Once back at Sunshine Travel RV Resort, we quickly set up the trailer, unhooked the Tahoe and I called my long time friend Drew who lives in Cape Canaveral with his wife Julie.

We made arrangements to meet them in their gorgeous, ocean front condominium for dinner.

Before dinner, they invited us to take a walk on the beach and watch the sunset. We strolled the beach barefooted and walked out on the nearby pier where dozens of people were fishing. When Drew and I were kids in California we spent many hours on the beach with other friends, so it was reminiscent of those days.

As friends of 50 years, we are only able to get together every few years, but keep in touch other times. Of course, a lot of our discussions surround old times, our families and mutual friends. For the first time in a long time we did not talk about a famous late night unauthorized trip to Huntington Beach in his father's classic, right-hand drive MG. Drew's parents were out-of-town at the time.

It was great to visit with Drew and Julie and at the same time watch graceful dolphins swim in the channel.

Back at the condo, we visited over a turkey dinner and Drew showed us photos of his recent mission trip to Africa. (He is an Anglican priest). Julie is a middle school librarian.

They live close enough to the Kennedy Space Center that they can watch every launch from the balcony of their condominium building. The last photo is one Drew took early Monday of the latest Shuttle launch.

So a beautiful walk in the morning, a beautiful walk at night and a fun visit with an old friend and his wife. Life is good.

Starting mileage and time: 31868 at 12:55 p.m.
Ending mileage and time: 31940 at 2:30 p.m.

Today promises to be a quiet one. Time to do laundry, Joan's nails and maybe a quiet dinner out. We're also praying for a successful surgery for Drew today.

A pleasant Easter on the Loxahatchee River

Sunday was a very special day. First it was Easter and we remember the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior. The day started with a wonderful breakfast at Aunt Judi and Uncle Pete’s house.

Late in the morning we brought Uncle Pete and Aunt Judi out to see our trailer and they were our first on-the-road visitors, but I forgot to take a picture so there is no permanent record. Sort of like a business accidentally selling its first dollar bill.

In the afternoon we took a pontoon boat trip down the Loxahatchee River that included a stop at Trapper Nelson’s settlement and an interpretive tour by a Florida park ranger. It was really fascinating to see and learn how this unusual man spent 32 years of his life living in this remote park of Florida without electricity.

Initially, Trapper Nelson survived on the sale of animal pelts, but later turned his property into a visitor stop and a zoo with pre-trapped (live) animals that people enjoyed seeing. He built a small cabin for visitors and charged $8 a night for folks to stop and stay.

Through shrewd business dealings he acquired hundreds of acres of Florida property much of which is now part of the Jonathan Dickinson State Park. We saw many turtles, Ospreys tending huge, high nests and one wild alligator next to our boat.

After the trip we went back to Aunt Judi and Uncle Pete’s home and had yet another fine dinner. During the evening had a chance to talk to my cousin Leah when she called home from Kauai where she lives. All in all, a very special day.

Tomorrow, we hook up the trailer and head back to the park in Vero Beach for the rest of our trip. We're also hoping to get together with my high school friend Drew, and his wife Julie, in Cape Canaveral.

A short, safe journey to Jonathan Dickinson State Park

Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Hobe Sound is a beautiful park, but it is not wired for Internet, so hopefully that will explain the pause in postings for the weekend.

Because of a 2004 hurricane the old campground was destroyed, taking all the beautiful pine trees with it. Pine Grove Campground reopened in January 2010 with everything but a pine grove. But the facilities are excellent.

On Saturday we arrived here about 2:45 p.m. and checked in. For the first time since we left Lapeer on Wednesday, we separated car from trailer and for the first time I had to back the trailer into our space instead of the preferred “pull-thru.”

Backing the trailer turned out to be remarkably easy and within just 15 minutes we were level, hooked up and ready to pay a visit on my Aunt Judi and Uncle Pete in Stuart, Florida.

My aunt (photo above is my Aunt Judi and Joan) and uncle live in a gated community and it is stunningly beautiful. Uncle Pete whipped up a fine dinner of short ribs, real mashed potatoes and asparagus. We spent the evening catching up, laughing and remembering old times.

Mileage out and time of arrival: 31663 at 1:10 p.m.
Mileage in and time of arrival: 31734 at 2:45 p.m.

A better day and a beautiful campground

Wow, what a difference 24 hours make. Today was the almost final leg of our Florida trip. A better, earlier start and only a couple of traffic hiccups led to an enjoyable day on the road.

Like yesterday, it looks like all of Michigan is headed south, many with cars decorated with green and white paint with "Go State!" writings on them.

It's funny what you think of during a long day of driving, but at one point today a Toyota passed us (heck, everything passes us) and I said to Joan: "Better to have a Toyota in front of you then behind you." Just my odd sense of humor playing on the news of the day.

We have learned some valuable lessons already this trip. Never, ever, ever pull the trailer into a place until you have a sure way out. Almost got myself trapped in a gas station in Ocala, Florida. I realized, too late after pulling up to the pump, that I did not have enough turning radius to pull both the Tahoe and trailer across the front of the travel center store.

So I put Joan out behind the trailer so I could carefully back out of my spot and turn around. That was complicated by heavy traffic flowing into the station and poor Joan had to keep giving me the "Stop" sign so I wouldn't back into an impatient motorist.

Suddenly an entire pump lane opened up two lanes down from mine and I calculated, correctly as it turned out, that I had just enough room to swing wide, pass in front of the travel center and out through the open gas lane. So I whipped the truck and trailer around and left poor Joan standing in the driveway looking perplexed as I drove off.

But being the good sport she is, she knew I wasn't leaving her, but had seen an opening and she sprinted across the parking lot and jumped into the truck shaking her head. "I didn't know what you were doing, but I figured you did."

I got some practice judging the left to right clearance of the rig when we had to go through 300 Florida toll booths around Orlando. I'm only slightly exaggerating. I could have purchased another tank of gas for what we spent in tolls.

Pulled into the Sunshine Travel RV Resort in Vero Beach (that's the sign at left, but you have to use your imagination for the Sunshine Travel RV Resort lighted sign part) and found a beautiful, landscaped park with a lot of many time visitors. Everyone has been very friendly and helpful to us newbies. Joan slaved over our second night of hot dogs and baked beans for dinner and we're settled in for a quiet night of television watching.

Tomorrow we head for Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Hobe Sound and a couple days visiting with my aunt and uncle in Stuart, Florida. Should be beautiful. Enjoy the photos.

Starting mileage and time: 31224 - 8:35 a.m.
Ending mileage and time: 31663 - 4:33 p.m.

More tomorrow or Sunday.

On Michigan license plates and Atlanta traffic

Today could be summed up in three words: Traffic, traffic, traffic.

It's hard to believe anyone is left in Michigan after all the southbound Michigan license plates we saw today driving through Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia. Tonight we are landed in Perry, Georgia at the Fair Harbor Recreational Vehicle Park.

Folks here are very friendly and our neighbor and his wife are full time RVers who travel and live out of their very nice fifth wheel. I took some pictures late of the campground, which are included here.

Mostly today we battled traffic. Fortunately, for the first five hours of the trip we moved along pretty well with the flow of traffic. By far, our unscientific survey indicated that there were more Michigan plates on I-75 headed south than even the license plates of the home states where we were traveling.

Then came Atlanta. Our laziness this morning, sleeping in and all, didn't get us on the road until 9:30 a.m. which dropped us into the heart of Atlanta at 3:30 p.m. It appeared that along with all the southbound spring breakers, everyone working in Atlanta left work a little early to start that Good Friday/Easter holiday just a little early.

It took us more than 90 minutes to go 20 miles. All morning I was drafting a truck and was conserving fuel (which in our case means getting 11-12 miles per gallon, instead of 9-10). So I was feeling pretty good about stretching our final gas stop to a station at mile marker 201, instead of the original Flying J stop at exit 276 in Georgia.

By the time we got through traffic we arrived at exit 201 on fumes. The clanging of the low fuel alarm and the computer message that my estimated travel range was not in miles but a bright flashing "Low Fuel" light left me sweating bullets those last couple miles.

The Tahoe has a 26 gallon tank, we took on 24.3 gallons. So the stop was not a moment too soon, and thanks to that trucker early in the day for cutting through the wind and helping me to conserve some valuable fuel.

I got a little rise out of Joan when I suggested we stop at a large warehouse like store in Georgia that was called "Adult Superstore." I tried to convince Joan it was a Walmart like store that didn't allow children, but she wasn't buying it.

We're planning on getting up and out a little earlier tomorrow so we don't fall into the same trap tomorrow. Tonight we're thinking about the Easter weekend and what it all means.

Starting mileage and time: 30796 - 9:35 a.m.

Ending mileage and time: 31224 - 6:25 p.m.

Tomorrow: Vero Beach, Florida. Talk to you then.