Arriving in Lakeland - #61-02

January 9, 2006 (Mon)
Mars Hill, NC to Savannah, GA (338 /1020 miles)

36° overnight - That's an improvement - and up to 41° when we started out at 9:08. Thanks, Bob and Pat for a relaxing 4 days. You are so easy to be with. It was too bad we all had colds (off and on)! We will miss running into you as we travel in Florida.

Not much can be said about our travels today. It was Southeast on I-26 then South on I-95. The temperature climbed steadily as we came down out of the mountains and progressed further south until it settled on 70°. We stopped for gas ($2.17/gal) at about 11:00 just over the state line into South Carolina.

As we were finishing up our lunch in a rest area further on, a Chinook Concourse (like Q1) pulled in next to us. They were from NJ and had bought the motor home where we had bought Q1. We would have liked to have chatted with them but they took their dog, walking him we presume, and disappeared. They passed us I-95 just north of Savannah.

We stopped at this Walmart on our way north last year. The customer service people still don't understand Motor homing. When Mark asked if it would be all right to spend the night in the parking lot, the response was a blank stare. Spend the night in the parking lot? How absurd!

Q028248 Camp Walmart, Savannah, GA
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January 10, 2006 (Tue)
Savannah, GA to Lakeland, FL (324/1344 miles)

It was 45° when we started out at 7:35. We got gas at Walmart's Murphy USA ($2.22/gal) then found our way to I-95 South. The Darien discount mall made a good place to stop for breakfast, although our favorite fudge shop wouldn't be open for another hour and a half. It was just as well! The scenery and atmosphere was only slightly better than if we'd eaten breakfast in the Walmart lot before we started. The temperature was up to 55° by the time we were on the road again at 9:30.

US 301 down through the center of Florida is peppered with little towns who finance their police department by strictly enforcing their speed laws. Someone who has probably contributed more than his share has bought billboard space along the road "SPEED TRAP! Waldo 6 1/2 miles". It tends to slow the traffic down. The cops waiting in the outskirts of each town weren't getting many customers.

We got gas at Flying-J in Dade City ($2.31/gal) at 2:45 and pulled into Ed and Kathy's yard at 3:40.

Q028572 Ed and Kathy's yard (x3)
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January 11, 2006 (Wed) Lakeland, FL (2) - Bob and Winnie, friends from many years ago, are camped nearby and came over for a visit. We, Ed and Kathy, Winnie, Joanne, and Winnie's Mom (fellow campers in Ed and Kathy's yard), and Bob and Winnie - did you follow that? - all went out for lunch at Applebee's.
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January 12, 2006 (Thu) Lakeland, FL (3) - Beautiful day! It was a warm 76° and sunny. This is what Florida in the winter is all about! We spent a lazy morning reading in the sun, went to lunch (with Ed & Kathy, and Winnie, Joanne and Dorothea) at Ling's Buffet. Then sat around most of the afternoon. Another early-to-bed to see if we could make some headway on Mark's cold.