TS7 Hop 20 – Ocala FL to Fort Myers FL

Posted on October 2, 2021 by Sparky
TS7 Hop 20

210 miles via US 27, FL-64, US 17, FL-70, FL-31 and FL-80. Cumulative tow miles: 4188, Truck miles: 381. Cumulative truck miles: 5911. The extra truck miles were due to refueling and chores in the Ocala area.

I opted to take some back roads rather than the longer-but-faster (usually) I-75 route. I don’t like I-75 on weekends (today was a Saturday) as it tends to be very crowded. As it turned out, US 27 was pretty crowded too, so I am not sure it was a good route choice. But the hop was completed in about 4.5 hours, without incident (and the refrigerator stayed on).

Thus ends the TS7.

I booked the Wild Frontier RV Resort for a full week but left after 6 days – not because I didn’t like the resort but because I had done what I needed to do in Ocala (primarily family issues that I won’t be documenting here). I actually liked this resort a lot. The sites are spacious, with macadam surfaces and a lot of space between sites. The pool was small, which didn’t matter to me because I didn’t use it. I didn’t use the laundry, either, but it was very nice. The electric service was 50A and the cable TV was superb – over 100 channels.

Well, the cable TV would have been superb if I had been able to obtain a free decoder box, but the office ran out. So that is one complaint: if you are going to use a cable TV system that requires a decoder box, you should have enough boxes to give one to everyone. My other complaint is that the sites, though spacious, have very short and narrow macadam patches. Fitting my truck onto the site was difficult.

But, overall, a very nice, pleasant RV park.

Next: the TS7 wrapup.

Categories: FL, Places, Routes, RV Parks, TS7 | Leave a comment

TS7 Hop 19 – Dade City FL to Ocala FL

Posted on September 26, 2021 by Sparky
TS7 Hop 19

64 miles, almost all on US 301. Cumulative tow miles: 3978. Truck miles: 127. Cumulative truck miles: 5530. The extra truck miles were due to refueling and a bit of touring of central Florida.

This was a short hop. So short, in fact, that I had to kill some time in the parking lot of the South Sumter High School so that I didn’t arrive in Ocala before 1pm.

This was a trivial hop. For the record, the truck ran fine and the refrigerator stayed on. As if it mattered.

My home in Dade City was the Town & Country RV Resort. This is mostly a seasonal campground – lots of park models with just a few transient sites. It reminded me of my seasonal site in Naples in 2018, which I didn’t like very much. But, in truth, I didn’t really give it a fair shot. I felt a bit under the weather and basically didn’t leave the RV for the first 2 days.

Categories: FL, Places, Routes, RV Parks, TS7 | Leave a comment

TS7 Hop 18 – Tallahassee FL to Dade City FL

Posted on September 23, 2021 by Sparky
TS7 Hop 18

226 miles via I-10, US 19, US 98, US 27, I-10 and US 98 (again). Cumulative tow miles: 3914. Truck miles: 235. Cumulative truck miles: 5403. The extra truck miles were to refuel.

The RV GPS was pretty annoyed with me on this hop. Rather than taking the longer-but-faster route (I-10 to I-75) I opted to cut off a few miles by using US 19/98/27. I like US 98. It is flat and has very little traffic while I-75 is like driving an LA freeway. But the GPS, after I exited I-10 onto US 19, was insistent for about 30 minutes that I get my butt back to I-10.

But I outlasted it.

Good weather, flat roads, little traffic (except for I-75), the truck ran fine and the refrigerator stayed on. A good travel day.

And I am just one travel day from Fort Myers. But I am going to Ocala first. Family.

My one-night stay in Tallahassee was at the Tallahassee RV Park. This is a very nice overnight park. Almost all sites are pull-throughs and it is less than a mile from an exit off of I-10. The sites are large and the utilities are in good repair. But the roads – especially the entrance – are narrow with tight curves.

Categories: FL, Places, Routes, RV Parks, TS7 | Leave a comment

TS7 Hop 17 – Robertsdale AL to Tallahassee FL

Posted on September 22, 2021 by Sparky
TS7 Hop 17

224 miles, all on I-10 except for a few miles at either end. Cumulative tow miles: 3688. Truck miles: 332. Cumulative truck miles: 5168. The extra truck miles were due to a sightseeing trip north of Robertsdale and a refueling stop at Buc-ees.

It terms of navigation it doesn’t get any easier than this. Traffic wasn’t bad, the weather was good, the truck ran fine and the refrigerator stayed on.

The Styx River
Cheap ice

My two nights in Robertsdale were at the Riverside RV Resort. This is, overall, a very nice campground which is tainted in my view by the signs containing scripture quotes that are sprinkled around the property. I don’t get why campgrounds feel a need to evangelize. In this case it is a bit ironic as the campground is bordered by the Styx River which in Greek mythology is a harbinger of death.

I did one sightseeing trip to the north and west of Robertsdale. It didn’t produce much except a fairly nice sunset photo.

I stopped at Buc-ee’s to refuel on my way back to the RV. This was a revelation. Think 7-11 on steroids. The gas was relatively inexpensive, which was great, but the number of pumps – at least 60 – was about 4 times greater than any other convenience store I have ever seen. It also had some interesting fast food (I picked up a chopped brisket sandwich and freshly fried potato chips. Pretty good. Perhaps the strangest thing was an entire deli section devoted exclusively to… jerky. About 100 different kinds of jerky, all apparently made right there.

And the ice cubes – a 20 lb bag for 99 cents. If I had had room in my freezer I would have gotten a bag.

Sunset north of Robertsdale
Buc-ee’s gas pumps
Buc-ee’s mega convenience store
Ant bites

One nasty surprise that I discovered at Riverside: my injured foot. It was covered with fire ant bites, obviously from when I was tearing down at my previous stay in Vicksburg. I felt the bites but was very quick to get them off my feet (and very quick to spray my sandals with insect killer). I thought it was nothing, but those little ants pack a punch. My foot looked like it had a bad case of measles. Note to self: wear sneakers when tearing down the utilities.

I also thought: if this had been Jett’s foot she would have been in the ER. She was very allergic to all kinds of insect bites.

Categories: AL, FL, Food, Places, Routes, RV Parks, TS7 | Leave a comment

“The October List” by Jeffery Deaver

Posted on September 22, 2021 by Sparky

Copyright 2013 by Gunner Publications LLC. Published by Grand Central Publishing, New York.

I think Jeffery Deaver is a very talented author. Some of his plots – particularly the ones involving Lincoln Rhyme – are among the most complex and deviant ones I have encountered. I was really looking forward to reading The October List.

But I couldn’t finish it.

This is a book written in reverse – last chapter first, first chapter last. Even the title page and credits are at the back of the book. Why? All I can posit is that Deaver got bored writing in the conventional first-chapter-first style and decided to shake things up. But the result is that there is no groundwork laid. The reader is forced to jump into a plot involving a bunch of characters that have not been properly introduced and into a plot rife with mysterious references to events that have already occurred – but haven’t yet appeared in the book.

I was tempted to start at the back and read the chapters in numerical order, but that seemed like cheating. But to do it the way Deaver wanted me to do it was too much work.

I have set it aside. Maybe I will go back to it, maybe I won’t.

Incomplete.

Categories: Books | Leave a comment

TS7 Hop 16 – Vicksburg MS to Robertsdale AL

Posted on September 21, 2021 by Sparky
TS7 Hop 16

264 miles via I-20, US 49, I-59 through Hattiesburg, US 98, a zig-zag route through Mobile (I-65 and I-165 plus some local streets) and I-10. Cumulative tow miles: 3464. Truck miles: 297. Cumulative truck miles: 4836. The extra truck miles were due to the tour of the Vicksburg battlefield, but also trips to the casino, Walmart and a laundromat.

Ameristar casino

Other than a heavy shower west of Jackson, it was a nice day on mostly flat roads. I did a refueling stop just south of Hattiesburg. The GPS route through Mobile was nasty, but I didn’t get lost. The truck ran fine and the refrigerator stayed on.

So other trips (besides the battleground visit) in Vicksburg:

  • A short trip to the Ameristar casino where, once again, I walked out a winner. This time 10 cents to the good. The casino was small and I didn’t like it much so it was easy to walk out with my winnings.
  • A shopping trip to Walmart. All food this time.
  • A trip to the laundromat. I was running short of socks.

My home for 3 nights in Vicksburg was the Magnolia RV Park Resort. This is a fairly small park with the balance between transients and long-term (some VERY long-term) residents was about 50/50. The long-term RVs were pretty trashy, but the utilities were good, the dog park was great and the pool (which I didn’t use) looked very nice. And a convenient location with very good OTA television reception. So, overall, not bad.

My site at Magnolia

Categories: AL, MS, Places, Routes, RV Parks, TS7 | Leave a comment

Vicksburg National Military Park

Posted on September 18, 2021 by Sparky
The view from the fortifications commanding the (almost) Mississippi

I expected Vicksburg to be a highlight of the TS7 and I was right. It wasn’t what I expected, but it was a really fine Civil War battlefield.

So what was unexpected about the battlefield? Two things: it was more rural (I expected it to be right in Vicksburg but the visitor’s center and driving tour were about 3 miles from town) and it was much larger than I expected (I thought it would be compact, like a wall around a medieval town). As I learned very quickly when I got to the Visitor’s Center, the fortifications defended by the Confederates were over 8 miles long, in a semicircle around the town.

The view that came closest to what I was expecting is the one at the top of this post: the view from the Confederate battery that controlled the Mississippi. This is what made Vicksburg so strategically important. But the view today is considerably different than the view in 1863 as the water seen here is no longer the Mississippi River – it is the Yazoo River. The Mississippi changed course in a flood in 1879 and created a shortcut at the south end of Vicksburg. The Mississippi at Vicksburg is very broad – much broader than the Yazoo.

The Mississippi River at Vicksburg
One of the many state monuments

I started at the Visitor’s Center, looking at the small number of displays and viewing the 20-minute introductory film. Then I got a 20-minute talk by a park ranger where I was an audience of one. So it was more like a chat with someone who actually is knowledgeable about the battle. Then I drove the park, stopping at 12 of the 15 stops along the tour road – the other 3 were in a section of the park that was closed. The driving tour was about 15 miles long and took me about 2 hours to complete.

I took quite a few photos, some of the terrain and some of the monuments (there are over 1,500 monuments and markers in the park, including one large monument built by each state that participated in the battle). Because the battle at Vicksburg was a series of unsuccessful attacks on fortified positions, followed by a siege, the Confederate and Union lines were pretty static – unlike those at Gettysburg or Chickamauga. So the driving tour has many markers identifying the two lines of trenches. Yes, the siege of Vicksburg was trench warfare – a precursor of World War I.

A question in my mind, which I think I have now answered, was “why was Vicksburg so impregnable?” The answer: terrain. The Confederates had a series of well-fortified forts (redoubts, redans, lunettes), all on high ground overlooking very deep chasms. An attacking army could be – and was – cut to shreds. What the Union army needed was close air support, but that would not be available for over 50 years. Bad timing.

Looking up Fort Hill from the Union line

I have more photos of specific battle events, but I think this is a good sample of my day. I can check Vicksburg off my Civil War battlefield list.

Categories: Adventures, Historical Markers, MS, Places, TS7 | Leave a comment

TS7 Hop 15 – Omaha AR to Vicksburg MS

Posted on September 18, 2021 by Sparky
TS7 Hop 15

369 miles, almost entirely on US 65 (about 20 miles on I-20 into Vicksburg). Cumulative tow miles: 3200. Truck miles: 281. Cumulative truck miles: 4539. The extra truck miles were the refueling trip in Omaha.

This hop included a refueling stop in Pine Bluff AR. It was a very long day – about 6.5 hours of driving, the first half of it on a very twisty, hilly US 65. The second half was flat, but the skies opened up and I had to drive through some heavy showers.

The Ozark view at Ozark View

If ever there was a hop when the refrigerator needed to stay on, this was it. But, naturally, it didn’t. This refrigerator/inverter problem is obviously more complex than I thought. My current theory: the 12V power from the truck is not sufficient to power the inverter by itself, so it must draw from the battery too. If the battery is not fully charged then the inverter will cut out. So… I need to make sure the battery is fully charged before the next hop.

My overnight stop in Omaha was at the Ozark View RV Park, billed as “The Quiet Retreat”. I guess it was as I slept soundly. It also had, as advertised, a nice view of the Ozarks. The park is built on a hill so some of the sites would be a bit of a challenge for some rigs, but the staff was very friendly and gave me a tour – and choice – of available sites. I chose a very large pull-through. 50A service and a decent selection of OTA channels. Not a bad park.

I considered making a quick trip to Branson, but that would have required two trips to refuel (one to get there and one, on the return, to top off) and Branson is not a place for a casual observer. If you don’t have plans for a show there is little reason to go. It would be like going to a casino to watch the people having fun.

Ozark View RV Park (I am just past the rig with the trailer)
Categories: AR, LA, MS, Places, Routes, RV Parks, TS7 | Leave a comment

TS7 Hop 14 – Lee’s Summit MO to Omaha AR

Posted on September 17, 2021 by Sparky
TS7 Hop 14

Yes, there is an Omaha in Arkansas. I was surprised, too.

224 miles via I-470 (south of Kansas City), I-49, MO-7, MO-13, I-44 and US 65. Cumulative tow miles: 2833. Truck miles: 308. Cumulative truck miles: 4158. The extra truck miles were primarily due to a not-very-interesting auto tour of the KC area.

You probably won’t be surprised to hear that there is a lot of up-and-down on the roads through the Ozarks. As a result my mileage was pretty poor on this hop with my low fuel light appearing after just 210 miles. But I made it to the destination and then drove 10 miles back north to refuel (over 30 gallons – that doesn’t happen often).

The weather was nice, the roads were generally good (except for those dang hills) and the refrigerator stayed on. So a good hop.

My home is suburban Kansas City was at the Longview Campground, a county park in Lee’s Summit. This is a small campground – fewer than 50 sites. The RV sites are huge, surrounded by lots of open space. I originally booked for only 2 nights then decided to extend it to 4 nights. But my first site was not available for the extra nights so I had to move halfway through my stay. Maybe my shortest “hop” ever – right next door.

The first of two sites

The campground has fewer than 10 full-hookup sites, so I felt fortunate that I was able to snag two for my stay. But the campground was only about half full, which I found surprising.

Though located on a lake, I never really saw it. If there is a beach or boat access, they are well-hidden. But I wasn’t there to swim or boat, so no big deal. It might have made for some nice photos, though, if the water had been visible.

One of my neighbors was a Bible-thumping widow who was in training to become a missionary. I am not normally drawn to conservative Christians but she was quite attractive and very interesting (e.g., she used to be a golf pro). Chatting with her brightened my dog walks.

Categories: AR, MO, Places, Routes, RV Parks, TS7 | Leave a comment

“Play Dead” by Harlen Coben

Posted on September 17, 2021 by Sparky

Copyright 1990 by Harlen Coben. Published by Penguin Group, New York.

Harlen Coben is one of my favorite suspense/mystery writers. Play Dead is not one of his better books. In fact I would have to rate it as the worst of his books that I have read. But apparently it was also the first book he ever wrote and as a first effort it is pretty darn good.

So a quick synopsis. David Baskin is an NBA basketball star (nicknamed “White Lightning”) for the Boston Celtics, leading them to a championship. Laura Ayers is a top-tier model and CEO of her own fashion company. Think Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen. They meet, fall in love and elope (because her mother, for reasons not immediately obvious, is violently opposed to their union). But while on their honeymoon in Australia David drowns.

Or did he? Note to Coben – if you want to make the reader think he died, don’t signal the truth with a title like “play dead.”

Ok, so David didn’t really die. But why did he fake his death? And why, for God’s sake, did he decide to resurface, with a new face a new hair color and a new name (Mark Seidman) as a mysterious rookie for… yeah, you guessed it… the Boston Celtics? He is immediately nicknamed “White Lightning II”. Not a great strategy for keeping your fake death hidden.

The plot is deep and twisted and is, for the most part, nicely laid out, with appropriate flashbacks. But it isn’t a real headscratcher. The fake death is obvious and Coben’s insistence on avoiding gender identity of the perp (“the killer”, etc.) strongly suggests that he is trying to fool the reader about the gender of the bad… person.

Not bad for a first effort, but pick another Coben book if you want a really good one.

5 out of 10.

Categories: Books | Leave a comment