Author Archives: Sparky
You call THAT a storm?
We had back-to-back hurricanes this month here in Fort Myers. They both packed a lot of punch and did major damage in other places. Yes, there was some damage locally but for the most part they missed me. The second – Milton – came closest to a direct hit but landed about 50 miles north. … Continue reading
Around the world?
Marlene and I have done a lot of traveling together in the two years since we met – a transatlantic cruise, a transpacific cruise, several Caribbean cruises and road trips to GA and New England. We just booked another Caribbean cruise for January 2025, for my birthday, and have a 25-night cruise through the Panama … Continue reading
TS_10 wrapup
The 10th trip south was longer than the 10th trip north (TN_10), both in miles and time. It knocked some items off my bucket list. And Marlene and I arrived home still liking each other. I call that a success. By the numbers: Highlights: Lowlights: Planned and actual routes: The plan and actual only resemble … Continue reading
TS_10 Hop 8: Tallahassee FL to Lehigh Acres FL
415 miles via I-10, US 19, US 98, FL 60, US 27, FL 29 and FL 82. Cumulative route miles: 2,482. Auto miles on this hop: 415. Cumulative auto miles: 2,519. This was a LONG trip – over 8 hours on the road – mostly because I chose to avoid I-75. And because Marlene wanted … Continue reading
TS_10 Hop 7: Nashville TN to Tallahassee FL
486 miles via I-40, I-440 (around Nashville), I-65 and US 27. Cumulative route miles: 2,067. Auto miles: 615. Cumulative auto miles: 2,196. We had one snack/bio stop at a Wendy’s in Mongomery AL. The weather was very good, fortunately, because this was a LONG day of driving. About 8 hours behind the wheel. But the … Continue reading
TS_10 Hop 6: Louisville KY to Nashville TN
212 miles via I-264, US 31W, KY 841, I-65, I-24 and I-40. Cumulative route miles: 1,581. Auto miles on this hop: 22. Cumulative auto miles: 1,656. There were no extra auto miles. However, the route was rather tortuous: first to Churchill Downs where we tried (and failed) to get a souvenir, then to a gas … Continue reading
TS_10 Hop 5: St Clairsville OH to Louisville KY
323 miles via US 40 (through St Clairsville), I-70, I-270 (south of Columbus OH), I-71 and I-264 into Louisville KY. Cumulative route miles: 1,369. Auto miles on this hop: 340. Cumulative auto miles: 1,434. The extra miles on this hop were due to a trip to the Wheeling Island Casino in Wheeling WV. We started … Continue reading
TS_10 Hop 4: Harrisburg PA to St Clairsville OH
270 miles via I-81, US 30, I-70, I-470 (around Wheeling) and I-70 (again). Cumulative route miles: 1,046. Auto miles: 286. Cumulative auto miles: 1,094. We stopped at the Flight 93 Memorial near Shanksville PA. The extra miles were from the trip to the Hershey Chocolate World. This was a clear, warm day with relatively little … Continue reading
Hershey Chocolate World
Milton Hershey did much more than create a chocolate bar in 1900 – he created an entire community. And it is now a destination with something for everyone – an amusement park, a private boarding school, a botanical garden, several hotels and resorts and Hershey Chocolate World – a place where one can learn how … Continue reading
TS_10 Hop 3: Schenectady NY to Harrisburg PA
361 miles via NY 7, I-88, I-81, PA 347, I-380, I-81 (again), PA 309, US 202, PA 772, US 30, PA 283, I-283, I-81 (yet again) and US 22. Cumulative route miles: 776. Auto miles: 373. Cumulative auto miles: 808. The 12 non-route miles were the trip to the casino. This hop included several stops. … Continue reading