---

---

Alicia Argiz-Lyons, Executive Director for Kids Wish Network, gives us a wonderful send-off in downtown Tampa at the Tampa Bay History Center. Proceeds from the donations on this tour will benefit Kids Wish Network, and we are proud to have partnered with them on this adventure. Alicia arranged for the news helicopter to film our departure out of Tampa with the Packard weaving her way out of downtown traffic!

We had some friends from the Hyde Park Rotary Club come to see us off- Harry Heuman, Bill Moline, District Governor Ed Odom, Alicia Argiz-Lyons, Kelly Lyons, President Ruth VanDyke.

A big THANK YOU to Tampa Bay History Center for hosting our send-off, and the Columbia Cafe for supplying the guava pastries and coffee. Thanks again to Alicia and her husband Kelly for the send off and the cooler full of bottled water!
DG Ed Odom pitched in for the car magnets that say "Tampa to Montreal, etc." Thank you Ed!

190 miles/ 4 hours

About 3 hours into the trip we lost the generator, the hot interstate driving was too much for it and it basically melted down. So now we are running on battery alone! Brando has great foresight and brought a spare battery and a power pack


On the run, now that we have to drive a little slower with the heat and without the electric fuel pump or generator, so Subway sandwiches from the gas station, and off we go.


215 miles/ 5 hours

We are so blessed on our travels. We rarely go a day on the road without seeing an accident, and today we saw two. But luckily nothing that delayed us too much, but we pray for those interstate accident victims. This was a big collision.

It is oppressively hot driving out of Florida. We have frozen bottles of water to hold close to us, and Brando has rigged up a fan blowing over the small ice chest... I think they call it the prototype air conditioner from the Flintstones!

My laptop woke up with the worst possible virus, nothing but black screen. So many itinerary plans I need from this computer, not to mention the blog here, I must get it fixed. So when we take it to the Staples at Hilton Head, we are hit by a Hummer in the parking lot! Nothing serious, small fender bend, Brando can work with it. But the manager and security guards came out to tell us that they saw the video of the hit, and we were standing still when the Hummer backed into us. The clash of the Titans... Hummer vs Packard. No casualties.

Arrive 6:00pm at the home of Charles and Sharilynn Dolab, Hilton Head, SC. Lovely folks, beautiful home, and a welcomed ice cold bedroom and fantastic shower to cool off. THANK YOU Charles and Sharilynn!


Rotary Club of Hilton Head Island- Cafe St. Tropez, 841 Hwy. 278 S. Island Sq., Hilton Head Island 6:30

One of the nicest dinner meetings ever, and the club was as friendly as can be. We even had one member talk the police into NOT giving us a ticket for parking in the no parking zone!

We got the chance to meet one of our ACHAFR members, Geoff Wheatley in person! Cheers Geoff!

---