One year ago today: January 11, 2020, veggie lasagna, yuck.
Five years ago today: January 11, 2016, sit-there types.
Nine years ago today: January 11, 2012, down to 62 mpg.
Random years ago today: January 11, 2007, Florida taxi scum.
3:17AM I crashed for six hours, then felt like driving, so here I am on the road just south of Macon, Georgia. Late y’day I had considered making a side trip to Savannah. It’s been years, but I thought with the lockdown hoax and that broken headlight, I’d be some time driving in the dark. Did I mention the headlight assembly is $1100, plus labor and they have to remove the bumper.
A weird thing about Georgia on I-75 is the number of head-on collisions. Not at ramps or intersections, but on the open road. And it is a divided highway. So rare it is that I mention it, but I actually saw a good-looking woman walking downtown. You never see babes in America any more, not in public, I mean. It’s 32°F and cold. I dropped $25 in gas near Valdosta. I will have to rip those seats out, the van was quite comfortable, but how about a little luxury at my age?
4:17AMDark
5:17AM Dark
:17/7:17AM Getting light, we’ve crossed into Florida. You can tell by the number of semis on the road. I’ll stop in Gainesville, where I’ve never spent any time. A quick look around. I’m back in Eastern Standard Time, and hungry. The last time I was in a Waffle House was Wilmington, NC. This one was definitely a working class area, the chef was cooking two different meals with each hand. Juke box in the corner. I decided to take some back roads, I’m in no rush and the van is a treat to drive. Not that there’s anything wrong with the working class, I’ve just heard all they have to say.
The map shows towns like Hawthore, Citra, and Ft. McCoy. I drove along Hwy 20, one of those roads paved before the Interstates arrived, so it goes nowhere. I turned toward Lady Lake, I think I’m on the north end of 301, the road you take north of Lakeland when you can’t find the road you want.
8:17AM I’ve got $24 left on budget. I watch for some roadside stalls. But it was all stuff I don’t normally eat, like green peanuts. Heavy horse breeding area, you get used to seeing palm trees instead of cactus. I was in this area by motorcycle a long time ago, I’m 121 miles from the cabin. I’m driving with the sun roof and vent windows open, it has finally warmed up.
GPS off the arteries is an even worse piece of shit, so I keep a reference map in the car. I see an upsurge of traffic the other direction. I get to a dead end and turn around like they did to backtrack five miles. The situation? The road map says Weir Lake, the GPS says Weir Lake Road, and the sign says Lake Weir Road. That’s Florida, naming town and roads after those names are already used elsewhere. What could go wrong?
9:17AM I drove through Leesburg, first time since JZ & I went looking for Camp Good Something, all we found was the old locomotive engine on display. A small donkey engine they used to give the camp kids rides. Well, maybe other kids, the camp I went to substituted that with an hour of compulsory bible study.
The height of the van’s seating is sweet. Now you can see the other driver’s being AOLs. In Florida, they bunch up near popular intersections to prevent others from changing lanes, I’ve got them on video. But careful, if you show these morons they were bothering others, they get offended. It’s like the lockdown thing, they don’t understand I’m against the lockdown and want things to re-open. I’m quite willing to accept the risk that somebody else might die. Life is tough
10:17AM I took more side roads after a wasted half-hour in Leesburg. You hit every read light. Traffic was stacking up, so I took a series of side roads in through Polk City. The entire scenic route of this trip added only 90 miles to the total.
11:17AM Arrived home. The scooter won’t start. I needed a lengthy nap. There was evidence of vermin in the attic still, I set the traps. The place is the mess I left it, I had just fitted in the east double window and there is sawdust tracked through everywhere. Yes, but it is my mess.
Back in 70°F weather, I was back to my siesta mode. That being accomplished, I went over the books for this trip. Again, not bad. As long as you don’t have to shell out for a place to sleep, and you needs are modest, travel is still affordable. The minivan is the closest thing I’ve owned to a real camper since the 1970s. Nothing fancy, just a place to crash. I would not travel with kids or even a finicky gal, but otherwise, I’m liking it so far. Six hours of snooze time and I was ready to drive 400 miles again.
There was another difference this trip. The rumors that this is the Reb’s first real break since 2008. That’s when the doggies arrived, and I can see it. The only travel possible was when she could arrange for pet-sitting, which, in my opinion, never works out as planned. That means the trip is not really care-free, so you only travel when there is another obligation somewhere. Follow that circular logic and you see there is no complete get away from it all. Unless you know somebody totally trustworthy you can leave the pets at home with. And that is what just happened.
That perspective had not crossed my mind until she mentioned it. Unless she was just kidding, this could have been her first really, totally, drop everything and go away in what, 13 years? I see it now, I mean, who else is going to spend 24 hours a day with the pets and has the resources if anything goes wrong? I must learn to be more attentive to these things, but at the same time, I don’t know all the details, do I now?
I’m busy doing catch up tomorrow, but I have at least 90 days to prioritize the house. After that, I’m either out of town too much or it is too hot. The budget is in place, the only big challenge is that drooping kitchen floor. It was the least off kilter when I arrived, so I fixed the other floors first. I wanted the experience before tending to the room with the most plumbing and electric. I can do it by myself, it just takes three times longer than with a helper.
The A/C on the van needs charging. That’s normal for sitting three years. I heard and caught a varmint in the attic, remind me to patch that hole above the dryer. I’m not sure that’s the entrance but let’s start there. And get that scooter running. Now that it’s licensed I need it for around town. Operating a van to go shopping doesn’t make sense, I spotted that back when I bought my first car. A Ford Maverick, four-door. I loved that car. Lost it in a court case. (The mechanic botched the job, he only had to pay me back but got to keep the car. Judge Baker was an old fart.)
