February 8, 2015, Ocala, FL to Marianna, FL

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The one about Florida scenery.

Off I went with some of the Loners to The Flea Market at Marion, with my “Sandy Wells Flea Market shopping bag with wheels” tucked under my arm. Other than butterfly fries with cheese, a hotdog and a bottle of water, $6 thank you very much, I did not buy one single thing! I looked at produce, and nothing moved me. Some of the other girls bought hats and scarves and other great flea market treasures. Nothing moved me. That’s the way it goes sometimes.

Back at Grand Oaks I started to break camp; I folded alnd stowed my bicycle, emptied holding tanks, disconnected water, rolled up awning, and just sat and enjoyed the beautiful sunny afternoon. I didn’t go to happy hour today nor dinner at The Bistro at the resort, I just sat and puttered around, vacuumed wiped down counter tops Nesting I want to call it.

Have you noticed Jupiter in the western sky at sunset? Go take a look. The night of the full moon this week made a beautiful picture of the two. The last thing I heard with Winston was the Coyotes howling in the distance, and the first thing I heard this morning was the Coyotes howling. Somehow it was eerier this morning at 6:15 due to the ground fog.

I was on the road before 7, first stop Rock N Roll Laundry. $2.50/load to wash, $.25/6 minutes to dry. Excellent machines, a nice attendant, and great RockNRoll music. The attendant even let me bring Winston inside.

I travelled over the river and thru the woods, avoiding the interstates and ended up travelling all but 20 miles of the 286 I did today on back roads. US27, US 19, and a small bit of I10. Longleaf Pine trees everywhere with the pointy and short needle palm growing underneath them . Gas prices were creeping up. Remember last week I saw it go from $1.93 to $2.10 while I was pumping? Well in these backwater towns, it was $2.20. Ouch.

I don’t know what Floridians call this part of their world. If Florida is the panhandle state, I drove the right part of that pan handle. It shaped like a bend, like the back of the knee. Mile after mile after mile of logging deforested areas, followed by newly planted pine trees, followed by some I thought looked 5 years old, but how would I know that? I did not see any trucks with logs, just lots of empty earth. Every now and then there was a cattle ranch (or is it farm because I am in FL). I passed thru the Apalachicola National Forest (no logging there, but I did see controlled burn happening.) According to Wikipedia The Apalachicola National Forest is the largest US National Forest in the state of Florida It encompasses 632,890 acres (988 sq. mi. I have now driven thru all 3 Florida state forrests.

Everywhere there is an open field I see large ant mounds. Hundreds of them.

I also passed a place called Iron Horse Mud Ranch, and made note to look it up, and here’s what I found:

http://ironhorsemudranch.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&layout=item&id=337&Itemid=141

500+ acres of just what it sounds like. Iron Horses (cars/trucks) driving thru mud bogs. Ugh. Click the link, you need to look at the pictures

My travel research led me to a Walmart in Marianna, FL. I missed the exit. I knew I was tired when that happened. It was a very long day, and I hit a time zone change just west of Tallahassee making it an even longer day. My research showed the Walmart 25 miles up the road was a “No Overnight Parking Walmart”. So, I backtracked, mumbling all the way.

Before I pulled in I saw a Pilot truck stop. My loyalty card gives me $.03/gallon discount. I filled up at $2.059/gallon, just under $100. I pulled into Walmart; I was the first overnighter here at 3:30, really 4:30, but other rigs and trucks are always pulling in. Temp 83 degrees in the sun – awesomeness. Lots of other stores here, I looked in the Dollar Tree, but no different Mardi Gras decorations from what I picked up the other day. I made a donation at Walmart. This is one of the more ‘ghetto’ Walmarts I have been in, shelves needed stocking, carts needed to be rounded up, etc, but I did get Zatidor allergy eye drops, campho-phenique for the cold sore on my upper lip, growl, a new laundry basket to replace the one I overstuffed and broke this morning, and Valentine window cling decorations for Moya’s windows.

There is a variety of fast food and other restaurants around, I checked out the menu at the nearby taqueria, but nothing appealed. I took Winston on a long walk thru the parking lot while it was still daylight and met Bill. His bright yellow passenger van tows a 20 foot trailer. He’s also on his way to Mardi Gras. I couldn’t figure out if he was alone or traveling with someone. Like me, he left Ocala this morning, and we pretty much travelled the same route. Work took him to NO right after Katrina and he hasn’t been there since. Like me, he is interested to see the changes. His job took him all over the US, he was a library system facilities manager and I guess I know what that is. He is just enjoying life on the road now. Said the worst road he ever hauled his trailer on was PCH (SR1) in CA. I can’t imagine doing that at all!

I am hunkering down for my overnight at Walmart. I feel safe here, there is security patrolling already and I am parked under a huge light with doors and windows locked. I did not put my levelers down or my slide out and I keep my step up and my keys in the ignition. No electricity. I will turn on the generator later to watch a bit of TV, but I am not into the Grammy Awards at all, so I might just crochet and listen to my book (Lincoln Child, “The Third Gate” which really has my interest.) Dinner will end up being PF Chang’s Shrimp LoMein. Yummy.

Cuteness. I wondered why there were a bunch of cars parked this far out in the parking lot Now I know I see a bunch of dads with very tired looking little boys dressed in soccer uniforms pulling in and scattering to the cars. Must have been a game or tournament they caravanned to. I remember those days.



Kat out

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