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Normally when I finish a book in 4 days it means that I really like the book. In this case it means less than that because the 4 days were days without electricity following Hurricane Ian. Still, not a bad book.
This is #15 in Kellerman’s popular series of mysteries featuring psychologist Alex Delaware. In this one he treats, briefly, a troubled 15-year-old girl, Lauren Teague, and then, 10 years later, is approached by the girl’s mother because her daughter has gone missing. She is unable to get the police to care and she knows Alex has contacts within the force. Alex uses those contacts – primarily his gay detective buddy, Milo Sturgis – and embarks on a quest to find out what happened to his onetime patient.
Kellerman’s books are realistic as the plot moves forward, often slowly and incrementally, but always plausibly. In this case a few other bodies show up along the way, including another university student who disappeared a year before Lauren. Is a serial killer stalking the campus? The trail leads to several other psych department professors and then to the estate of the publisher of Duke magazine, an upscale soft porn periodical (can anyone say Playboy?).
Unless you have been living under a rock, you know by know that southwest Florida – including Ft Myers – was devastated last Wednesday by Hurricane Ian. I said in my previous post that I would have to wait for better bandwidth to document my experience. Well, my power is still out 4 days later and I don’t know when it will be restored, but I have a pretty reliable way to recharge my cell phone and laptop – and the connectivity via cell phone hotspot has improved – so I will give it a shot.
My site at The Glades
I arrived Friday and did a quick (20 miles) “test drive” of the RV on Saturday to convince myselft that the rig, after being stationary for almost a year, could safely go 40 miles. The test had some minor problems but was successful overall. So I booked 2 nights at The Glades in Moore Haven, about 40 miles east of my site and about 50 to 60 miles east of the projected path of the storm. I thought that would be far enough from the eye to prevent damage to the rig.
Then the storm moved east. When I made my plans the projected landfall was Tampa Bay, about 2 hours north. It actually made landfall first on Sanibel Island, just west of downtown Fort Myers (and about 15 miles from my home site), and moved across Cape Coral, Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte – a path much closer to my home than originally anticipated. The result was devastation – and death – all along the coast of southwest Florida.
The first night in The Glades was fine – I had power and water and it was a pleasant, if somewhat breezy, evening. The next day got progressively windier and by nightfall the RV was rocking as badly as it has rocked in 10 years of travel. I think I experienced some hurricane-force winds (about 75 mph) and had gusts of 50 to 60 all night long.
By Thursday morning the winds had subsided and I thought I could probably return to Ft Myers. But the reports of the devastation on the radio were so dire that I was not certain what I would encounter if I tried to go back. I considered calling the resort, but expected that no one would answer the phone. And even if they did they would not be able to tell me if the route was passable.
So I decided to make a trip with the truck to check out the route and the resort. I got within 5 miles of home before the traffic signals were dead. Travel from that point got slower. I tried to go the “back route” down Orange River Rd, but found that it was flooded about 18 inches deep – shallow enough that I could take the truck through it but wouldn’t want to haul the RV that way. So I decided to return a different way.
Debris at the resort entrance
The RV park was damaged – gates down, royal palms badly beaten up, tiki huts without caps. But the RVs that were there were undamaged and the clubhouse and common areas (swimming pool, etc) actually looked none the worse for wear. Pretty cosmetic damage, really. But no power, no water, no sewer, no cable, no internet. Still, no worse than what I had at The Glades. So if I could find a non-flooded route back, I would bring the RV home.
I went back via FL 80 (Palm Beach Blvd) and it was fine, except that it had more intersections with dead signals. Sill, passable. I brought the RV back. The normal 50-minute trip took about 90 minutes, but I made it without a problem.
My son’s home, sans porch roof
My site had tree and shrub damage, like every other site in the resort, but no damage to the Toyota or the shed. I spent much of the day clearing the site, then took my new, never-used, still-in-the-box generator to my son’s house in North Ft Myers (which lost its porch roof and had a tree fall on the car). I found it difficult to navigate as many roads were closed. I crossed the Caloosahatchie River on the US 41 bridge, which is a bit out of the way. On the other side of the bridge one of the southbound lanes was blocked by a cabin cruiser. I was driving and couldn’t take a photo, but it was a sight I have never seen. And never want to see again.
By Thursday night I had settled into my RV on my home site. It was sad seeing all the tree damage, but royal palms are good at recovering from nasty hurricanes so, hopefully, the place will be beautiful again within a year or so.
Other nearby areas – Sanibel Island and Fort Myers Beach in particular – were not so lucky. Utter devastation and many lives lost. I don’t like being without power (the water was restored by Friday) but feel very fortunate compared to many in the area.
Chronologically, this is the third of the (many) Jack Reacher novels by Lee Child. I like them all, as I have mentioned before. This one isn’t my favorite as it is long on suspense and air travel, but with relatively litte (for a Reacher story) action. It is also a book which, I realized when I started reading it, that I had read before, so much of the suspense was spoiled in a second reading. But I hadn’t reviewed it, possibly indicating that I had read it a long time ago. So I will review it now.
The story begins with Reacher in Key West, doing manual labor. A guy comes to town looking for Reacher. He finds him, but Reacher denies his identity – he didn’t know the guy, didn’t know the person (“Mrs Jacob”) who sent him. Why complicate his life?
Then two other guys appear, also looking for Reacher. And the first guy shows up dead. So much for keeping his life simple. What is going on? Reacher feels compelled to find out. He travels to New York City where the dead guy – a private investigator – had his office. He then discovers – by unintentionally crashing the funeral of his former commanding officer, Leon Garber – that the mysterious “Mrs Jacob” is the married name of Garber’s daughter, Jodie, now divorced.
Leon had been tasked, before his death, with investigating what had happened to a local boy, Victor Hobie, who had never returned from Vietnam but, oddly, was not listed as MIA. Child lets us, as readers, learn what happened to Hobie long before Reacher figures it out – he returned home, without telling his parents, and was living a life of crime in New York. Unraveling the mystery and taking down Hobie – and, in the process, falling in love with Jodie and saving her life – is the crux of the story.
Reacher, an inveterate drifter, inherits Garber’s home on the banks of the Hudson River. This creates a crisis of identity for Reacher which is not resolved when the book ends. But no one should be surprised that Reacher is still a drifter in later books in the series.
The 8th trip south (TS8) is in the books, so it is time to do the wrapup.
By the numbers:
10 hops, 2,919 route miles (292 miles per hop).
22 nights, all in hotels, $3,023 in hotel charges ($137.41 per night).
1,844 total driving miles, 93.6 gallons of gas (34.8 miles per gallon).
$312.24 in fuel costs ($3.34 per gallon).
The hotel costs were more in line with my pre-trip expectations (about $130 per night), but were still more than I originally budgeted. The fuel cost per gallon – and the mileage – were both considerably better than on the TN8.
Highlights:
The visit to the Corning Museum of Glass. It was MUCH better than I expected and Ooma liked it very much too.
A visit with Jimmy and Michelle, Ooma’s long-term friends, in Erie PA. They gave us a first-rate tour of the area, which we both liked more than we expected. And I was impressed with the quality of the wines produced there.
The Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison WI. I hadn’t been there in over 40 years and they were much better than I recalled. Ooma liked them too.
My 55th high school reunion. This was not a big thrill for Ooma – and I didn’t think it would be – but she tolerated it well and it was nice seeing some (very) old friends, both at the reunion and at several smaller events afterward.
My visit to the Chicago Art Institute. Ooma wasn’t feeling well and didn’t go, which was disappointing, but it was a nice afternoon for me.
The St Louis Zoo. This had been on my Zoo Bucket List (which isn’t very long) for many years. We both enjoyed it very much.
The Holiday Inn in Tupelo MS. I don’t usually include a hotel in a list of trip highlights, but this one was exceptional.
A visit with Ooma’s sister Maggy and her husband Tom in Daphne AL. A nice couple and a fine dinner.
Speaking of dinner, we ate very well on this trip. Good restaurants at almost every stop. I gained a few pounds – which is not a highlight – but is evidence of how well we ate.
The car performed well. No problems whatsoever.
Lowlights:
Poor weather in Erie PA. We had a good time despite the rain, but it could have been even better.
The Ohio Turnpike. Expensive and, despite their advertising, did not accept my EZPass. Annoying.
We didn’t get to Circus World in Baraboo WI. I was looking forward to this but time ran out.
Ooma’s continuing bout with “long COVID”. She didn’t feel well for much of the trip.
Planned versus actual routes:
TS8-1 planTS8-1 actialTS8-2 plan (revised)TS82 actual
Other than the diversion away from the Ohio Turnpike there were no major route changes.
I packed well for the trip – there was nothing that I needed that I didn’t have. But I actually packed too much. I could have gotten by with about 4 fewer shirts and 2 fewer pairs of shorts.
When I got back home the RV was intact. The problem with the internet (which was revealed early on when I was unable to connect with the shed’s air conditioner) turned out to be a disconnected cable, easily fixed.
But a hurricane – Hurricane Ian – is looming. I haven’t fully unpacked because I may have to haul the RV away if it heads toward Ft Myers. Only when that threat is gone will I feel like the TS8 is truly over.
295 miles almost entirely on I-75 (just 2 miles on FL 80 at the end) with a lunch stop near Ellenton FL. Cumulative TS8 route miles: 2919. Cumlative car miles: 3258. Miles since the end of Hop 9: 297. The extra miles were due to getting takeout dinner.
This was an easy trip, one that I have done many times before. As always, I-75 was very busy and there was a 10-minute delay due to an accident just south of Tampa. But otherwise a simple (and boring) trip.
Our overnight stay was at the Fairfield Inn & Suites in Lake City. A decent hotel, nothing special. The best thing about our room was that it was right next to a door to the parking lot so no cart was needed for our last unloading/loading. We did takeout from Gator’s Dockside, a nearby sports pub. The food was decent, not spectacular. But I got to participate in some 1950’s trivia while I waited. Made me feel good to be old.
This ends the TS8 – my longest road trip by car since my trip to Europe in 1974. I will do the wrapup next.
338 miles almost entirely on I-10, with fewer than 10 miles at the end on I-75. Cumulative TS8 route miles: 2624. Cumulative car miles: 2961. Miles since the end of Hop 8: 338. Yes, we went nowhere while in Daphne.
This was a straight shot east and replicated, almost identically, a hop on the trip to Austin (TX1). It is a boring ride which was interrupted only by a rest area stop and a lunch stop,, neither of which is worthy of note.
Our home in Daphne was the Hampton Inn Mobile – East Bay/Daphne. Perfectly adequate, though a bit tattered, with a nice view of Mobile Bay. The reason for stopping in Daphne was proximity to Ooma’s sister, Maggy, and her husband, Tom. An astute reader will recall that we saw Maggy, briefly, on the TX1 trip from Austin, but that she had a cold at that time and we could not get close. And we didn’t see Tom at all. This time we got to touch both and have dinner with them at Felix’s Fish Camp, an East Bay institution on the causeway. Great view, great service, great food. Arguably the best meal we have had on the entire trip, which is saying something as we have eaten very well. We all shared appetizers of Shrimp Cocktail Constantine and Fried Crawfish Tails (my first crawfish dish ever – delicious!) before entrees of Crabmeat Stuffed Fish Fillet for me and Fish and Shrimp for Ooma. All outstanding. And we got to see a bright red sunset over Mobile Bay. A wonderful evening all around.
The view from our table at Felix’sCrabmeat Stuffed Fish FilletMaggy and Tom
289 miles via US 45, AL 158, I-65, I-165 (northeast of Mobile), Alt US 90 and US 98 with a lunch and refueling stop in Meridian MS. Cumulative TS8 route miles: 2286. Cumulative car miles: 2624. Miles since the end of Hop 7: 307. The extra miles were due to some errands and a trip to the birthplace of Elvis Presley.
This was a pretty simple trip to navigate. The only problem came after lunch when we got a bit confused at how to get back on I-55. But we made it.
Our home in Tupelo was the Holiday Inn & Suites Tupelo North. This was, without question, the finest hotel we have encountered on the entire trip – both TN8 and TS8. Clean, attractive, comfortable with a pleasant staff and an outstanding bar and restaurant – what’s not to like? And it was one of the least expensive hotels we have encountered. Highly recommended.
Elvis’ birthplace, Tupelo MS
We didn’t do much on our day in Tupelo – it was really just a day of rest before we pushed on to Mobile – but I had to run some errands and the birthplace of Elvis Presley was just a mile away so I decided to stop by. I didn’t buy a ticket for the tour but I did wander around a bit and took a couple of photos. Graceland is more interesting, no doubt, but for Elvis fans this has to be a must-see attraction.
376 miles via I-55, TN 175, US 78, I-22, Natchez Trace Parkway and MS 178, with lunch and refueling stops. Cumulative TS8 route miles: 1997. Cumulative car miles: 2316. Miles since the end of Hop 6: 418. Most of the 52 extra car miles were due to the trip to the St Louis Zoo.
This was a very long travel day that started with a steady rain for the first hour. It eventually turned sunny and very warm. We made one rest area stop before lunch, which we tried to have at a Perkins in Blytheville. But after standing for 10 minutes waiting to be seated (the restaurant was busy but there were at least 10 empty tables), we were told that we would have to stand for another 15 minutes “until they got caught up.” We weren’t even offered the option of waiting at one of the open tables. We left. We got lunch at a Huddle House about 15 miles further south, in Osceola. I hadn’t eaten at a Huddle House in many years – probably over 20 – but it was quite good, with a cheerful waitress.
The GPS confused us for a bit south of Memphis when it told us to exit I-55 earlier than I expected. I pulled over to review the route and decided that it was acceptable. But after going over 5 miles on a local road and, after turning onto US 78, being told that we were to continue on that road (which was pretty crappy) for another 83 miles, we got concerned. But a quick glance at the GPS convinced me that this was a case where a crappy US highway would morph into an interstate highway. And after about 5 miles of crappy road it did, indeed, become a pretty nice interstate route, I-22.
Our home in St Louis was the Fairfield Inn and Suites South. The room we were given initially had a very noisy bathroom fan that could not be turned off, but after complaining they quickly shifted us to a room with a quiet fan. It was a very nice room with a comfortable king bed, a coffee maker (but not a Keurig), a microwave and a refrigerator. Also a very large bathroom with a beautiful shower. The best thing about the hotel, though, was the free breakfast. Tasty scrambled eggs and delicious bacon. Very few hotels serve bacon at breakfast now – we hadn’t had any since Erie – so I loaded up.
The fitness center had a scale and I summoned up the courage to use it. I have gained about 3 pounds on this trip, which I think is not too bad considering how well we have been eating.
A half serving of Angel Hair Roseanne
Speaking of eating well, we dined at Bartolino’s on Saturday night. We made a reservation and it is a good thing we did because the place was packed (we had to park a half block away). I don’t know the complete history, but this seems like a St Louis institution that has been around for a half century or more. The food was terrific. Ooma had escargot and I had a house salad with olives and bacon – both very good. Then we split an entree of Angel Hair Roseanne, a pasta dish with scallops and shrimp. Superb and very large – Ooma was unable to finish her half.
A few of you may be old enough to remember Marlin Perkins, host of the Wild Kingdom TV show that ran from 1963 to 1988. He was director of the St Louis Zoo, one of the preeminent zoos in the US. I like a good zoo and have always wanted to visit it. I got my opportunity on Saturday.
It didn’t disappoint. It is a very well-designed zoo, both for the animals and the human visitors. The habitats are natural and the grounds are beautiful with many lovely water features. We spent a few hours there and put about 2 miles on our sneakers. I wasn’t particularly happy with the photos I took, despite it being a beautiful day. Part of the difficulty is that animals move and when they aren’t moving they are often sleeping. The other difficulty is that we went on Saturday when the crowds were large and many children got in the way.
Water featureSomali wild ass
But it was fun and it was free. Well, except for the $15 parking charge.
