Road Trip Archives

August 22, 2014

Cape to Athens

I was supposed to head out for Athens, Ohio, on the afternoon of August 19 and make a leisurely two-day drive out of it, with some sightseeing along the way.

Right before I started breaking down the computer equipment for loading, the weather alert radio went off with a severe thunderstorm warning with reports of baseball-sized hail west of us. I didn’t want to take a chance on getting holes punched in my windows before heading off cross-country, so I holed up under the overhang at the nearby funeral home. I was joined by two other cars shortly after.

We got some gusty winds, heavy rain and about five minutes of pea and marble-sized hail, but it blew through quickly. A few limbs snapped off a walnut tree on the side of the house, but that was about it. Based on scanner traffic, Jackson must have gotten more of the storm than we did.

Saying goodbye

Mother and I usually take a group selfie when I head out, but since I’m going back to Cape in about a week, we decided to go with a wave.

I think she’s been watching too much TV news out of St. Louis. That looks less like a wave than a “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” pose.

Traffic was OK

With only a couple of exceptions, traffic was light and moving smoothly. Some clouds popped up a few times, but I had more bug splatters than rain splatters on the windshield.

Worked in a few naps

Listening to a good audio book about World War II kept me awake, but I did stop at some rest areas for seven and nine-minute naps. This is what I saw when I woke up from one of them.

I was in good company: there were six or eight 18-wheelers in the parking lot with their diesel engines grumbling away. It was either that or their pilots were really snoring.

Rolled into Athens with 532 miles under my belt at about 1:18 a.m. (I lost an hour due to the time zone change.) Wife Lila complained that 1:18 isn’t an “about” time.

I tried to explain that the exact time would be 1:18:42. I just rounded it to 1:18.

I don’t think it’s going to be safe for me to go home.

July 24, 2014July 24, 2014

Adcock Is Nuts About Pecans

Wife Lila asked me to keep my eyes open for pecans. When I left the motel in Tifton, Georgia, this morning I noticed a sign that said Adcock Pecans and Peanuts “handful or truckloads.”

After an excellent breakfast of waffles and country ham at Waffle House, I asked some of the folks in there if Adcock had good deals or it they were just a tourist trap.

The concensus was that they had been around forever, but it wasn’t someplace that locals go. There are too many pecan trees around for anybody to pay for them, one man pointed out.

Better not buy them

When I walked into the place, which was about the size of a football field, if not longer, I encountered table after table of really pretty pecans and other goodies. I called Wife Lila to ask if she wanted me to get any.

She said the price was “okay, but not great.” On second thought, she said, don’t buy them: by the time they get hauled all over the country in a hot car, they probably wouldn’t be any good.

“It’s the same car I’m going to be riding in,” I objected.

There was a long, long pause. I got the point.

Here is a link to the Adcock website, if you are interested.

May 12, 2014February 20, 2016

A Change of Seasons

Friend Anne, who flew into Columbus Sunday to roadtrip to Florida with Curator Jessica got a completely different view of Old Man’s Cave than Foodie Jan did in February 2013.

February vs May

I told both Jan and Anne that one of the nice things about the park was that the gorge has enough twists and turns that you feel like you are alone even when other people are in the park. That statement certainly was true when the temperature was about 24 degrees.

That doesn’t apply to Mother’s Day Sunday after a cold winter, we found. The park hosted the biggest crowd I had ever seen there, and the noise levels were proportional to its size. There was lots of kid hollering and squealing going on all around us.

Still, I don’t begrudge them their fun. From what I saw, it was Mother’s Day they’ll remembered.

No crowds at Pencil Sharpener Museum

We didn’t have to fight with the crowds at the Paul A. Johnson Pencil Sharpener Museum. I think Anne was impressed.

March 31, 2014

Horsing Around in Florida

I finally got on the road back to Cape. I was later than planned, but earlier than I had actually figured I’d be wheels-up. The last thing I did before pulling out of the driveway was to grab a cloth and polish my glasses. That’s when I noticed one of the nose pieces was missing.

Sunday’s not a good time to try to find someplace to fix that, and the glasses didn’t feel too weird, so I decided to find a fix on Monday.

Needed a nap

About 200 miles up the road, I felt a little drowsy, so I swerved into the Canoe Creek rest area on the Florida Turnpike for a 22-minute nap. I actually woke up a couple of minutes early, maybe because of a bright reflection shining into my eyes.

The light was reflecting off a highly-chromed trailer with a window in its side. After staring at it a couple of minutes, something inside stared back at me. I decided it was time to quit horsing around and got back on the road.

Found a cheap, clean room

I made it to Lake City, where I stopped at the Comfort Suites motel I usually stay at. I asked how much for a room, and the clerk said, $98.”

“I’ve stayed here before for $69 and $79. Surely you can do better than that for a regular customer who has recommended you to his friends.”

“I’m sorry, that’s as low as I’m authorized to go,” she said.

I voted with my feet.

A quick Internet search turned up a 2-star motel within eyesight. I wasn’t crazy about the two-star part, but the reviews of the America’s Best Value Inn were favorable. Even the complaints were nit-picking (“it’s a long walk to the ice dispenser”).

The clerk was a nice guy who had been working there for three years. “I installed the carpet in the rooms, and when I was done, the job dried up and nobody was building anything, so I applied for this job.” He assured me that it was clean.

The room is small, but clean. Hey, I’m not holding a dance party. I just want to sleep in it.

Oh, yes. The price was NOT $98. The price was not $79. The price was not $69. The price was $45.95. You can’t beat that with a stick. Another good thing: it had some of the fastest wireless Internet connectivity of anyplace I’ve stayed.