500 Mile Day

Started our day at 6 am, and by 6:30 we were on our way, coffee in hand, and breakfast coming later.

I-10 in Florida is a great section of Interstate.  Again, like US-19, lots of trees.  There are large sections of the road where the eastbound and westbound are separated by trees, like the picture above.  One thing I failed to mention yesterday is that we were on the western-side of where Hurricane Michael went through back in October of 2018.  Nearly two years later, and they are still cleaning up some of the mess.

A hundred miles into our ride today we go over the Blackwater River...this is a picture Marcia got out her window (facing north).

The Blackwater River is quickly followed by Escambia Bay, right before Pensacola.  Picture left is looking out over the Gulf of Mexico, the picture on the right is looking to the north.

Immediately after you cross into Alabama, there is a welcome center with a very large parking area for trucks and motorhome/RVs.  Well, today the Alabama State Police decided to use it for a Truck Weighing and Inspection station.  They allowed us into the area, but there were dozens of state police cars and officers and at least 50 18 wheel trucks (and other smaller ones) there.  At least 20 were pulled over to be inspected, while 30 or more were in line to be weighed and let back onto the Interstate, or pulled over if there was a problem.  In the picture above - right we saw an officer looking that truck over, even getting on a dolly looking under the entire truck and trailer.  While here, I cooked us up a quick breakfast (bacon, cheese, egg burritto on low-carb tortillas), and off we went.  The officer was looking over this truck to the right of us the entire time!

As we crossed over Mobile Bay, you can see the Battleship Alabama Museum, where the battleship USS ALABAMA, submarine USS DRUM and the Medal of Honor Aircraft Pavilion filled with some planes including a Red-Tail P-51 like the one used by the Tuskegee Airmen are located.  (This museum is now open following the COVID-19 lockdown.)

The City of Mobile.

The Mobile Tunnel which goes under the Mobile River.  The GPS always wants me to get off before the tunnel since we eventually will be taking US 98 to Hattiesburg Mississippi.  I prefer to go to I-65 and connect with US 98 on the other side of Mobile.

Between Mobile and Hattiesburg the highway, once into Mississippi, is great.  Almost Interstate quality except for cross traffic, which there is not much of until you get closer to Hattiesburg.  From Hattiesburg to Jackson is not so good.  Lots of construction, which has been taking place since 2011 when Marcia and I got married.  Numerous times I have driven this entire route we have been on since leaving Holiday.  Very surprised that the construction has not progressed further than it has.

Along this stretch of road I see the lowest gas prices on our trip so far...just $1.49 per gallon.  We have yet to pay over $1.95, and we have paid $1.75.

Finally we approach the Mississippi River, and drive into Louisiana.  Another 100 miles and we pass through Monroe, and fight through the road construction at exit 112 and enter the Pavilion RV Park.  We didn't make 500 miles, but it was close enough at 485.  There is a Cracker Barrel just an exit down the Interstate, and I unhooked the car and went down to pick up dinner for us...it has been a number of months since we have had Cracker Barrel.  Tomorrow we will stop at the Pilot just across the street, get gas and coffee, and drive a more reasonable 365 miles to Sunset, Texas.

Hitchinpost Corral and Campground RV Park

We had decided early on that when we left Tuesday, it would not be a 'early time period' along with the departure.  I got up at 7:30, with Marcia pretty much right behind me.  She showered while I got the coffee ready and started getting a few more items ready for travel, such as my computer stuff.  By 8:30 I was in the shower, we then had breakfast, and by 9:45 I was off with a load of more stuff to put away in the motorhome, and then hook up the car and travel the 1/2 mile back to the condo.  I arrived around 10:30, loaded up the final, small load of things, turned off breakers to the stove/oven, the dishwasher and the hot water heater, pulled the plug on the washer and dryer, turned off the water main, covered the toilets with plastic wrap (keeps it cleaner and the water does not evaporate), locked up and we hit the road shortly after 11.  Six hours later we were in Midway Florida (after a few brief stops) and filled up with gas ($1.95 gal), and a hour after that stop we were in Cottondale, home of the Hitchinpost Corral and Campground RV Park.

U.S. Highway 19 from Holiday up to I-10 just east of Tallahassee for the most part looks just like this picture...after you get through the communities of New Port Richey, Port Richey, Hudson, Weeki Wachee, Homosassa Springs, and Crystal River.  In between a few of these latter towns, there are some rural stretches of the highway too.  After Crystal River, and for the next 150 miles it is pretty much like this except for the five or six little cities you pass thorugh.  Two lanes north, two lanes south, 65 mph with slowdowns for the small cities and a few crossover highways.

Five miles north of the last city, Perry, is the one and only Rest Area along the route until you get to I-10.  We normally stop here to walk the dogs, but on this trip there is only one dog, Bubba.  I always think that when we stop here, and we rarely pass by it without stopping, that he, and Skruffy when she was alive, knew that they had been here before.

It is always nice to stop at the first RV Park or State Park and even a rest area (if it is a quiet one) when you start out your trip.  We had never been to Hitchinpost Corral and Campground RV Park before this.  Nice grass, nice trees, but out-of-sight in the picture is I-10 to the back of the car by 100 yards or so.  The guy who checked us in and showed us the sight said that the free WiFi is strong enough to stream Netflix or other services...but our unlimited Verizon Aircard is doing just fine.

Tomorrow is a planned 490 mile day...but we will see how it goes.  Most of our travel days are around 350 this trip, and we might cut tomorrow down a bit and add the miles to our Thursday travel.

Today mom, who is 90 years old, is taking a bit of a respite from the Assisted Living Facility which she lives at.  Due to COVID-19, this facility, like most throughout the nation, serves all meals in the apartments instead of the common dinning area.  No visitors are allowed to enter, and if you decide to leave, even for a doctor's appointment, you have to quarantine for 14 days upon your return.  After two plus months of this, mom just needed a break...and Sandy and Arny came to the rescue offering mom a place to stay for a few weeks.  With us camping in their backyard once we get there, that will be nice for all of us.  Mom will probably go back to the Assisted Living Facility in a few weeks, she will be tested, and then quarantined...but most likely she will come back to Sandy and Arny's before her quarantine is finished.  Last week I talked to the Placer County Health Department and told them how depressed not only mom was, but others living there.  We understand completely that they are trying to keep them all safe, but, I pointed out, they might die of loneliness before they die of COVID-19.  This solution with her visiting Sandy and Arny's now and then is the best solution under the situation at hand.  We all just need to be diligent to keep away from the virus, because if it gets into a Senior Facility like where she lives, it can take out a bunch of older folks...and no one wants to see that happen.