Tuesday 9/12/2023 – The Circle Continues

Why name this trip "The Circle?" I am glad you asked! If you look at the route we take, it's not a circle, but we do end up where we started much like a circle does! Part of this two-lane adventure is two American Mountain Music tours with Yankee RV Tours, so we will be standing in "The Circle" at the Grand Ole Opry. Hence, the adventure's name! Follow along and enjoy the adventure! 

We had our morning rituals for the last time until we return after “The Circle” adventure we are heading out on. I got up a little early and took my walk. Charlie had the coffee ready on the patio and we enjoyed the morning together. Charlie had a few actions to finish up with the HOA board, before we could depart today. 

We were shooting for a noon departure, but we managed to get out by 11:30 am! We had our own private “farewell” party waiting on the corner of Danny & Britni. I tried to snap a picture, but Charlie was ready to go… no stopping! LOL

Zephyrhills was first settled in 1882. It was home to a booming lumber and turpentine industry. It was originally called Abbott and later Abbot Station when the Seaboard Coastline Railroad established a depot there. In 1910 the town's name was formally changed to Zephyrhills when Howard Jeffries, a retired Union Army captain, established a retirement community for other veterans called the Zephyrhills Colony Company. It's said that the name was derived from the warm breezes, zephyrs, which blew across the rolling hills.

Dade City is the town next to Zephyrhills, it was named after Major Francis L. Dade, who was a Major in Company B, 4th Infantry of the United States Army during the Second Seminole War. Major Dade was killed in a battle with Seminole Indians that came to be known as the "Dade Massacre".  He is buried at the Saint Augustine National Cemetery in Saint Augustine, Florida. 

Dade City was originally established on December 23, 1836 as "Fort Dade", a year after the "Dade Massacre" and the death of Major Dade. The community of Dade City was incorporated into Pasco County in 1889. The Dade City Heritage Museum is housed in the old Atlantic Coastline Train Depot. Which was built by the Atlantic Coastline Railroad in 1912 to replace a structure located about 1/4 mile north, the Atlantic Coastline Train Depot in Dade City was the first site in Pasco County to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places in July of 1994. The museum consists of a main exhibition space, a model train room, and a Community Archive and Reading Room.

After Dade City, we headed west on US 98 towards Brooksville, which is the next big town you come to. We took the truck route to get around the center of Brooksville. The city is named for US Representative Preston Brooks. The city's founding families settled here in the 1840s, establishing plantations dependent on slave labor. Charles Sumner was a United States Senator from Massachusetts in the years before the American Civil War. He was an outspoken opponent of slavery and known for his fiery speeches on the subject. Preston Brooks was a congressman from South Carolina, and an equally outspoken advocate of slavery. One day in 1856, Sumner gave a speech in the Senate that was especially insulting to the South. Brooks savagely attacked Sumner on the Senate floor and nearly beat him to death with a cane. Brooks attack on the hated Yankee senator made him a hero in the South, and Brooksville was very much a southern city in the years during and after the civil war.

US 19 merges with US 98 south of Homosassa. We used to stay at a campground in Homosassa, but 70 miles is just too short of a first day of traveling! The road construction along this route never seems to end! After a stop light, we got the green light and started to go. Charlie saw a motorcycle in his side view mirror that made a left-hand turn into the path of a semi. He saw the guy fly up in the air and the bike go tumbling away. We were headed north, and the accident occurred in the southbound lanes. It really shook Charlie up.

We had a very nice phone call from our traveling friends, Gary & Sheryl. They are headed south back to Florida from Michigan, while we are headed north. Sheryl and Gary were enjoying the two-lane roads and wanted Charlie to know it! We enjoyed traveling with them last year. We certainly will miss them this year! But are looking forward to working with Tony & Barbara!

We stopped at an Arby’s just north of Homosassa and while I was inside getting the food. He was outside showing a couple our rig. They have been looking for this model and when they saw us on the road, they were thrilled when we turned into the parking lot. They really wanted to see inside. Naturally, being the shy guy he is, Charlie brought them in and showed them everything we love about our rig!

Crystal River is part of Central Florida’s “Nature Coast.” When the water temperature drops in the Gulf of Mexico, manatees move to the warmer waters of the Crystal River, followed closely by nature-loving tourists and other visitors. Crystal River is one of the few places where you can swim with manatees. The springs flow at a constant 72 degrees, making the waters attractive to all sorts of swimmers in the winter. Many summer visitors enjoy the 72 degrees of the springs too!

After Crystal River, you pass through a few more small towns, but mostly it is just 4 lane divided highway along the coast. Our destination for the night is Chiefland. 

Chiefland is a unique southern community located in North Central Florida.  Community standards are set high in this family-oriented society. Chiefland calls itself the "Gem of the Suwannee Valley.” Manatee Springs State Park is located west of town; the crystal-clear water is a "first-magnitude" spring that flows directly into the Suwannee River. We are inland from Cedar Key and tomorrow, we will pass close to Keaton Beach, where hurricane Idalia made landfall.

It was a good day of traveling today, even with the tour of our coach and the visit with our new friends, JW and Deana in the Bealls parking lot! We arrived at 3pm for the night Southern Leisure RV Resort, a Sun Community, in Chiefland Florida.

We met up with Charlie's sister, Mary, and his brother in law Gerry. We will be traveling with them for the next 25 days! The weather does not look conducive to sitting out tonight after it cools off! Oh, well. Tomorrow is another day!