On The Road Again

 

Welcome back for what will probably be the best trip of the year. As it happens, it's also the first trip of the year so it's got to be something to "write home about" and that's what I intend to do. It's Monday, January 3, 2022 and Winnie is sitting in the lower parking lot of my apartment complex. I'm not leaving until the 6th so I'm using the time for transporting 'stuff' from my apartment to the RV. Not one to complain, but the weather last week was in the mid 50's, a good time for packing. The temperature today is 28° and the wind chill is at 10°. As I sit here composing,  I'm about to witness another incredible sunset looking west out from my balcony. 

And after 4 days of foggy weather, I'm also enjoying
the beautiful sight of The Mighty Hudson."

And, in the blink of an eye, Mother Nature
 gently pulls the shade down on another day we've been blest of enjoy.

Well, back to the blog. I created the following graphic that may better illustrate what I'm about to undertake. My last blog shared what was written in stone; that is, scheduled with deposits or tickets to attractions paid for. 

Each triangle represents a campground I'll be staying at
for an overnight or for three depending on the sights and 
attractions I plan to see. In addition, I'll be adding 6 more stickers
representing States in which I've slept. 

I expect the trip down will be uneventful and so I won't take the time to describe campgrounds, many of which I've already stayed at. The weather, as always, will present challenges as will the price of diesel as time goes on. I've topped off this afternoon with the price at $3.35 in Croton.

Leaving Peekskill in the morning hours afforded me a pleasant
ride to Harpers Ferry, WV, 357 miles southwest and beat...

...what was to come: 6" of overnight snow with conditions
about the same as back home. My first internal debate; should I remain at
this campground another night worrying about road conditions? Or take off
as planned the next day for another six hour drive to Lumberton, NC ? It was decided
when I watched a similar RV in the next site take off at 8:30 a.m. 

Picnic table at Harpers Ferry, WV

I made the right decision. After leaving the campground, the main road leading to I-270 to I-495 and to I-95 was clean, dry and the traffic light. With that pleasant glow that comes after making a good decision, I treated myself to a Cracker Barrell brunch in Fredrick, MD. I needed two tanksful to complete my drive to Lumberton, NC, arriving at 5:30.

Saturday, after doing some Google map research, I found that my long time friends and fellow retirees, Roger and Wendy, live right smack midway between Lumberton, NC and Starke, FL. When I say "midway," it turns out the first leg of the trip was 3 hours, 2 minutes and 208 miles to Bluffton, SC. After our lunch, the second leg to Starke, FL, was 3 hours, 8 minutes and 202 miles.  You can't get much more 'midway' than that. This meeting resulted from another good decision I made after my second internal debate: should I take the time? Are they available? It's a six hour drive. Unplanned and unscheduled, I texted to see if they were available; literally, a spur of the moment get-together. I'm so glad I did. I met them at the Oaktie Ale House. It was great to see them and catch up on the latest news of family and grandkids. For me, it was another one of those reality checks. To see photos of little tots I knew from the past now growing by leaps and bounds puts things into perspective. Most gratifying, of course, is they're all healthy, intelligent and happy. For my second good decision, I treated myself to the Ale House's Walnut Salad: Grilled chicken breast atop a bed of romaine and served with apples, walnuts, grapes, cucumbers, red onions and a raspberry walnut vinaigrette. 

Blue Mountain Middle School English teacher, Wendy and
Hendrick Hudson High School Physics teacher, Roger.
 Longtime residents of Sun City, Bluffton, SC.

And so off I went on the final leg of my journey into Florida. Again, the ride was uneventful but there were two...not one...but two back-to-back incidents that aggravated the daylights out of me. I needed to stop and refuel two times, once in Manassas, VA, the second in Florence, SC. No problem, it was expected. But to spend 10--15 minutes standing at the pump each time watching 2 gallons per minute s-l-o-w-l-y fill your 26 gallon tank was...excruciating; especially when you knew the time left for driving that day.

The 3-day trip to my final destination at Elite Resorts at Citrus Valley in Clermont, FL ended at 5:30 Sunday, January 9th. Averaging 400 miles a day, my trip was 1,316 miles. The price of diesel averaged $3.54. What a good feeling it was to have changed somewhere in Georgia from jeans to shorts. It's chilly but the sun feels good. Night time temps are in the mid-50's. I'll now collect the good times of my first week at Elite and share them with you next week. See you back here soon. Till next time, stay warm, stay safe and stay happy.