Welcome to the

Random words, pictures and thoughts of one who always wishes to be on the mind's road to discovery!

About Me

My photo
Connecticut River Valley, New England, United States

Sunday, February 24, 2013

HaChaCha--We're in Florida

Sunday February 24, 2013 7:20 pm Room 321 Quality Inn Crestview, Florida

A very tiring day for some reason and in some ways disappointing so far as sights are concerned. We headed out of Perry at about 930 and decided to hop on the Interstate to get south a bit faster. We stayed on I75 for about fifty miles to Ashburn where we picked up route 112 and then 97 to Bainbridge. The weather was perfect, sunny, highs in the 60's and few clouds in the sky. Being Sunday in the South there was little traffic anywhere since each and every one of the two or three Baptist churches in any given little town was packed. Or at least the lots were. Bill always jokes on these back roads after he's seen two houses, okay, the Church has to be around here somewhere and it usually is!  LOL

This part of Georgia, the South to Southwest area, is filled with pecan orchards. The older trees are woolly with resurrection fern and, with all the recent rain, it is particularly green and thick. The upper branches of the trees are festooned with great kissing balls of mistletoe. Both of these make the trees much more striking than the young whippersnappers in the newer orchards. There are also large open fields planted with cover crops including mustard --mostly to replenish the soil although in the case of peanut fields, of which there are many---Sylvester, Ga through which we passed is the home of Peter Pan Peanut Butter--that is not necessary. We passed several large peanut processing plants owned by Golden Peanut Co. As we neared Bainbridge we also saw many fields in which corn is planted and at least one plant extolling Georgia Sweet Corn. Bill says that all the early corn at PC comes from Bainbridge. He loved it when customers would ask if it was local corn in May and June. LOL

Being on a back road there was no fanfare upon our entry into Florida at Chattahoochee. The only indication was the huge sign outside a building declaring it to be the Florida State Hospital. I, of course, knew we had left Ga in our dust, since the map lay across my lap. Within a few minutes of travelling I 10--again to make a bit of time before heading south to the cost and the beaches of the Panhandle---we entered Central Time Zone. Ah, an hour gained.

Once more we left the Interstate to ride a back road down to 98 which, according to the map, hugs the Gulf shore. Forget it--the water is at least a block south or at most four blocks south. The beaches are totally out of sight unless you wanted to go down a side street to see it and then you could not drive beside it. I was so disappointed, having heard that the beaches of white sand are so beautiful and having not been able to see them last year because of torrential rain. I will say that there do not seem to be the condo upon condo buildings that one finds on the Atlantic Coast of Florida. When we arrived at Destin, having not seen a single beach we decided to head back up north to our reserved room in Crestview. Happily, I was too cheap to pay a toll to go across the mid-bay bridge so we wound up seeing the Emerald Grande, which is a gorgeously flamboyant old hotel and also the white dunes of Ft Walton Beach. So all was not lost.

Proceeded up 85 with no major sites unless you count the field on Eglin AFB with a huge collection of various flying machines. Bill was too tired to stop and I was ready to get " home".  Checked in and asked for an upgrade---a beautiful suite. Bill is in the living room watching TV while I type. He went out to eat at a Mexican restaurant--didn't appeal to me--so he brought me a double bacon cheeseburger from Wendy's. I don't know the last time I had one--it has been years--and it was deliciously fattening and cholesterol building--washed down with a wild cherry pepsi--gourmet feeds, No??

So, Daytona is over--we were down here last year--in New Smyrna where we could see the lights of Daytona making a glow in the night sky. Danica didn't do too badly for her first time--8th. More important to me--the Oscars are on tonight. I really prefer the BAFTAs and did watch them earlier in January but I'd like to see how the awards compare. The British are much more formal and the host is always Frye--who is witty without being slapstick ---I'm not looking forward to McFarland this year.  Who knows if I'll make it through the show.  Tired, tired, tired.  Tomorrow we'll bid Florida goodbye. I think we'll take the Interstate and then head to the Mobile Bay Ferry, which we really enjoyed last year. It the weather is too foul we may just have to brave getting around Mobile and on to Biloxi by land. Will fill you in tomorrow night--so long for now, roadies. KandB

No comments:

Post a Comment