214 miles via US 98 (with a truck route detour around Brooksville), I-75 and county roads to the destination. Cumulative tow miles: 2,263.
TTS Hop 10
We have done this route several times before, so there were no surprises. US 98 is always a pleasure. I-75 is always busy. But they are both relatively smooth and flat, so it was a cruise control trip most of the way. We made a lunch stop at a rest area near Tampa and arrived at our destination before 3pm.
Thus ends the TTS. The TTS will be designated “the trip without dings”. No accidents, no blowouts, no truck engine failures… nothing that required a deviation from the original plan. The only real deviations were in our hop destinations. This was a trip in which I, for the first time, did not book all of the destinations in advance. We started out booked only for the first 3 hops, to MD. In Maryland I booked the next 3, to Charleston. In Charleston I booked the final 3. I think this was a good strategy as it allowed for the possibility that circumstances or interests would change (they didn’t). And it gave me time to consider some options for the final 3 hops. The original plan was to do a “space coast” (Cape Canaveral) route, but Jett was not interested in Cape Canaveral and I don’t like I-95 and I-4. So we opted for a trip across Georgia, to the Florida panhandle, and then down US 98 and I-75. That gave us an opportunity to spend a few days in the Florida panhandle and Homosassa, both of which held more appeal for Jett.
The final mileage: 3,070 which includes just over 1,000 non-tow (i.e., driving the truck around) miles. Half of those were in Massachusetts during our 6-day stay there. The rest were visiting points of interest and doing chores (eating, refueling, shopping). The truck, with its repaired engine, performed admirably.
The highlights of the trip? Biltmore, Ellie Schiller Wildlife State Park (more on this in the next post), the Blue Ridge Parkway, Cherry Hill Park, General Coffee State Park. The lowlights? Jett’s health (she is still coughing) and the 2016 election. I try to not be political here, but the fact is that when I think of this trip I will think of the sleepless night in General Coffee when the scope of the election disaster became apparent.
Our home for the two nights was the Homosassa River Sun RV Resort in Homosassa, FL. This park’s main advantage was proximity to Crystal River and our site’s proximity to the laundromat. We had a large cache of dirty laundry that needed washing, so getting a site next door to the spanking-new laundromat was a boon. I also got to watch the first half of the Patriots/Seahawks game (they lost!) at the Suncoast Bar and Grill in Homosassa. I went there specifically to watch the game, but also decided to eat there, to stretch out my stay. I was expecting the place to be busy but in fact I was the only patron. So I got a chance to meet and chat with the owner and his barmaid wife. Nice folks. He also makes a very fine blackened chicken breast sandwich. It was better than fair – one of the better sandwiches I have had lately. It was a fun experience, tempered only by the fact that they shut down at 10pm, during halftime at the game. I didn’t get to see the disappointing (for the Patriots) finish. Probably not a bad thing.
The RV park was a mixed bag. Yes, the site was large and, for our purposes, the location adjacent to the laundromat was perfect. But the office had misplaced my reservation, the office was hard to find (no signage – probably due to their recent name change – but “Office” would have been simple and effective), the roads were narrow and the cable didn’t work. We had two quiet, TV-free nights to end the trip (ironically, the cable was out when we got to our destination, so the cable-free nights stretched to 3). Most annoying was the fact that they neglected to inform us that they would be repaving the driveway Monday morning, so we were delayed getting on the road. And no one told us what to do – wait or go to the emergency exit (one resident told us to do that but another resident immediately disagreed and said that the back exit was locked. We had to call the office to find out what to do (wait a few minutes for the paving equipment to clear the driveway). The whole experience left me feeling that they just didn’t have their act together. Not recommended.
I seem to have either gotten no pictures of Homosassa River or have lost them. No great loss.