On The Road Again

That’s right, after days of preparation, we are once again towing our camper across the highways of this beautiful country. The direction is set but the final destination is yet to be determined. Along the way we hope to see more national parks, explore new places, meet interesting people, and experience all life has to offer. Let the adventure begin. 

We gathered this past weekend at our house with family to celebrate Easter. It was our opportunity to see everybody one more time before we head out. We could not have asked for a better day. It was gorgeous with bright blue skies and a refreshing springtime breeze. During the blessing, I asked Our Lord to watch over the family and provide for our safe travels. It’s not easy saying goodbye knowing we will be gone for six months or more.

The adult easter egg hunt was a fun time. As we’ve done in the past, 100 plastic eggs containing cash and prizes were waiting to be found. Shanna was the lucky one to find the golden egg containing a picture of President Grant. We also had a special egg hunt for the grand kids.

Most trips from Florida start northward and this was no exception. Traveling on U.S.19 toward the state’s capital, we passed through numerous towns. We stopped at Fanning Springs for a picnic lunch at the state park with the same name. We sat quietly on the retaining wall with our feet dangling in the cool spring water eating peanut butter and banana sandwiches. Grammi took a Lunch Spot photo. 

A manatee swam past. It doesn’t matter how many times I’ve seen these amazing creatures, I still feel excited when I see one. Swimming just below the surface in the crystal clear water, it looked up at us as it gracefully moved along.

We made it to our destination for the day around 3:30 p.m. The Tallahassee Automobile Museum located along I-10 allows for free overnight RV parking. We discovered this little gym on the Boondocker’s Welcome site. You have to call ahead to make sure they have room and you have to arrive before closing time at five o’clock because that is when they lock the gates for the night. They reopen at seven o’clock the next morning. They do provide an emergency phone number for that “just in-case scenario”.

We were directed to park in a grass parking lot. There are no hookups; it’s a boondocking spot. Scattered around the lot were five other RVer’s staying the night. Three big class A’s, a class C, and a large travel trailer. We were the smallest of the six. After finding a suitable spot to park under an oak tree, I set up the lawn chairs and sat outside wondering what it must be like trying to find a spot big enough to park those big rigs every night. It’s got to be a lot of work for all the luxury. 

It was a restful night, as we had no problem sleeping. The night was cool so having no electrical hookup for the air conditioner was not an issue. I was at first worried the road noise would keep me awake all night, but the traffic calmed down and it was not a problem either. Overall, this turned out to be a very nice place to stop for the night.

The hope for this business is that by providing a free spot to park your RV overnight, you might want to visit their museum. We felt there was not enough time to visit when we arrived in the afternoon, but the next morning we were the first customers. They turned the lights on for us. So the free campsite resulted in two $15.00 admission tickets. It’s not required you visit the museum, but wow! It was totally worth it. Especially if you’re a car guy or gal. There are dozens of antique cars dating from the early 1900’s.

There are also bat mobiles from the old 1960’s television series and from the more recent hollywood movies.

If you are not into antique cars…no worries. The two story museum houses an eclectic array of collectables including old toys, motorcycles, baseball cards, pianos, Case knives, police memorabilia, cash registers and much, much more. If you are ever driving along I-10 through Tallahassee, Florida, I recommend you stop and spend a couple hours browsing the museum. You will not regret it.

So another adventure begins for us…the adventure of 2021. In the words of the great Willie Nelson we are “Going places that we’ve never been. Seeing things that we may never see again.” I hope you follow along. 

So until next time…happy days and safe travels.