Saturday 9/16/2023 – The Circle Continues

Rain, Rain, go away! We sat out all morning after Mary and I finished our walk, after our rain delay! Finally, around noon, we decided to get cleaned up and Charlie was ready to “rest his eyes!” Around 1pm, the sun broke through the clouds, and it started to get a bit warmer!

Mid-afternoon we decided to take a drive and we discovered that Montgomery has an Air Force Base! By the 1920s, Montgomery became an important link in the growing system of aerial mail service. It was in the early 1930s when the Army Air Corps Tactical School moved to Maxwell and Montgomery became the country's intellectual center for airpower education. In 1994, the 42nd Air Base Wing, which had its own history of bombardment and air refueling missions since the early 1940s, was transferred to Maxwell Air Force Base from Loring Air Force Base, which closed that year.

The location of Maxwell Air Force Base is home to a proud tradition of aviators and airpower advocates, dating all the way back to the Wright Brothers' flying school, which was built on this site in 1910. In May of that year, the first recorded heavier-than-air night flights in aviation history occurred here. One newspaper article written at the time noted that the Wright flyer was seen "glinting now and then in the moonlight."

The 42nd Air Base Wing is the host unit for Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base. Their mission is critical to national security; it provides the foundation for success for Air University, the 908th Airlift Wing; the Business and Enterprise Systems Directorate; and more than 30 tenant units.

The Wing ensures Airmen are ready to deploy in support of US military operations worldwide and takes a proactive approach to promoting their professional and personal growth. The Wing is also responsible for the safety and security of the base, which it accomplishes through force protection, maintaining and modernizing facilities and infrastructure, and seeking efficient new ways of conducting operations. With a population of more than 12,500 active duty, reserve, civilian and contractor personnel, the Maxwell-Gunter community has a significant economic and cultural impact on the River Region.

We love to camp at Gunter Hill Corps of Engineer Campground. The campground has two loops, Antioch and Catoma. 

Antioch has water and electric sites, but the sites are more wooded, and the views of the water are spectacular! Catoma loop has full hook up sites, all the sites are paved and mowed. It is located along Catoma Creek, southwest of Montgomery Alabama.

Friday 9/15/2023 – The Circle Continues

Mary and I drove the first leg of our trip today to Gunter Hill. We did walk and here is a sunrise picture! Because I was driving, you will have to enjoy my colorful commentary without pictures, until we switched drivers!

We departed Torreya State Park at 10am or was it 9am… our phones and smart watches kept going back and forth between Eastern and Central time! We took the same route we took yesterday to go to lunch, US 12 to US 20 into Bristol and onto Blountstown. Before Blountstown, you cross the Apalachicola River, which is also where we officially crossed into the central time zone.

In Blountstown, we turned north on US 71. The City of Blountstown was named for John Blount, a Seminole Indian Chief. Blount was a guide for General Andrew Jackson who invaded Spanish Florida in 1818. This invasion caused the United States to purchase Florida from Spain and the territory became a part of the US in 1821.

Blountstown murals is brightly decorated with several large and colorful murals on their Main Street buildings. There is one that spells out the town name with pictures of all the things that make Blountstown so special. There is a beautiful waving flag of red, white and blue. On the side of a boutique is several ladies shopping and all the goods they can purchase. There is another mural where the centerpiece looks like an old, colorized postcard. There are images of landmark buildings surrounding the centerpiece postcard.

In Marrietta FL, we got gas and changed drivers. We did not get gas at Texaco, but I love the look of the old gas signs!

The Historic Russ House was built in the 1890s and significantly remodeled in 1910. One of the most beautiful Classical Revival/Queen Anne homes in America, it is an impressive landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Said to be haunted, it has been the focus of a number of paranormal investigations and is rumored to have several ghosts. I’ll pass on the guided tours!

In Campbellton Florida, I spotted Southern Fields Brewery. Too bad it is so early in the morning! It is a family-owned brewery. The property was a 120-year-old restored bank building and new building addition. The founder, Brian Walker and his family, have roots that go deep into the community. The family harvested and milled their own wood fallen by Hurricane Michael creating the interior walls. The wood for the bar is made out of 325 plus year old wood. All the tables in the tasting room are made from reclaimed wood from a loft originally in the bank building. Live music on the weekends and an onsite food truck will keep patrons coming back and staying for food, fun, and good times.

Before we crossed the border from Florida into Alabama unceremoniously, we turned onto US 231, which we will take all the way to Montgomery. There was no “welcome to Alabama” sign. Just the GPS saying, “State border ahead” and the “welcome” rest area. 

The first town we come to is Dothan. We have been here before for Alabama Good Sam rallies. Dothan Alabama is where peanuts reign supreme! Move over Georgia! In fact, Dothan is known as the “Peanut Capital of the World!” Dothan is the center of a 100-mile radius where more than half of all peanuts in the US are grown. Every Fall, Dothan hosts the National Peanut Festival, a two-week event to honor local peanut farmers and celebrate the harvest season. There is a Peanut Parade, rides, livestock shows, agricultural displays and, of course, lots of peanuts to munch on.

On our travels, we have seen many animals and other objects “on parade.” Horses in Rochester NY and Shawnee OK. Bulldogs in Athens, GA. Apples in Winchester VA. Bears in Hendersonville NC. Swans in Lakeland FL and Bucky Badger in Madison WI. 

In Dothan AL, you will find Peanuts around town! Giant peanuts are on almost every corner in Dothan! It was created by The Dothan Downtown Redevelopment Authority. Local businesses, civic organizations, and individuals purchased and decorated their peanut according to their own concept. The 5-foot-high peanut sculptures are made entirely of fiberglass. Each sculpture is as unique as the individual organization itself. I only have a few pictures because I did not want to ask Charlie would not drive us all over Dothan to see the peanuts, like he did in Iowa. HE helped me create our own "Freedom Rock tour" to see the rocks painted by Ray “Bubba” Sorensen II! Want to read more about those rocks? Check it out here.

On our route, we passed close to Fort Novosel. Never heard of it. That’s because it was Fort Rucker. But the Army “brass” had an issue with Army Installations being named for a Civil War officer, Confederate Colonel Edmund Rucker. I cannot fault the decorated solider the fort is named for now, Chief Warrant Officer Michael J. Novosel. He was an Army aviator and Medal of Honor recipient. The post is the primary flight training installation for U.S. Army Aviators and is home to the United States Army Aviation Center of Excellence and the United States Army Aviation Museum.

Along US 231 there is a reinforced concrete river bridge, thought to be the first in Alabama. It was erected over Pea River in 1920-21. It was dedicated as a memorial to the 57 men from Dale County who lost their lives in World War 1. In 1977, through the efforts of the Dale County Historical Society, The Veterans Memorial Bridge was placed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage by The Alabama Historical Commission.

In Troy Alabama, we passed Bicentennial Park. It looked like a great tribute to Veterans. A collection of military and civilian memorials and the stories behind them.

We turned of Route 231 and made our way to Gunter Hill a Corps of Engineer campground, our home for two nights! 

The view from our sites never disappoints!

#TwoLaneAdventures

Thursday 9/14/2023 – The Circle Continues

We reserved two nights at Torreya State Park, near Rock Bluff Florida. Mary and I enjoyed an early morning walk on all the paved roads in the park. There were signs that the trails could contain snakes, so we avoided them!

We walked to The Gregory House. It is a beautiful Southern mansion built in 1849 by prominent Calhoun County planter Jason Gregory. Originally stood across the Apalachicola River from the park at Ocheesee Landing. When first built, it stood atop 5-foot-high brick pillars, an architectural feature that kept the interior of the home safe from the annual floods of the river. Gregory's plantation prospered until the beginning of the Civil War and the abolition of slavery. 

During the Civil War, Confederate army and navy officers occasionally visited the home. Some of the victims of the explosion of the ill-fated Confederate gunboat C.S.S. Chattahoochee were brought there for care until they could be carried upriver to Columbus, Georgia. The war was not profitable for Gregory's plantation. He moved away, and over time the house fell into disrepair. Although one of his daughters moved back for a time and restored the home, it had become dilapidated by the time Torreya State Park was created during the 1930s.

Eventually the Neal Lumber Co. took ownership of the home and donated it to the new Torreya State Park. In 1935 the Civilian Conservation Corps disassembled the entire building and moved it across the river to its present location in the park. The high bluffs overlooking the Apalachicola River make this park one of Florida's most scenic places. It was developed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930s. Hiking and birdwatching are the most popular activities here. There are over 100 species of birds have been spotted in the park.

The park is named for an extremely rare species of Torreya tree that grows only on the bluffs along the Apalachicola River. The park’s high plateaus, steep bluffs and deep ravines are covered with a forest that harbors a variety of rare plants and animals. Many of them are more common farther north than this location.

We took a drive today and went through Bristol, Florida. Bristol was first settled and became the county seat in 1859. When the town was first settled it included one store, three sawmills, three gristmills, a hotel, several churches, and a population of 300. Mail was brought in by boat and the principal exports were cotton, oranges, honey, beeswax, and hides.

Located not far from Bristol in Liberty County, is the Garden of Eden Trail. It is part of the 6,295-acre Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve. The Nature Conservancy built the trail with the help of an army of volunteers over a number of years. I would have loved to stop, but checking out the reviews, it was not in the cards with Charlie & Gerry with us. If Mary had not walked with me this morning, she might have been game. But the reviews said the trail was more like 5-mile, not the 3.75-mile hike the web site states.

We enjoyed lunch in Blountstown, a town we will pass through tomorrow. So, I won’t share much today other than to say we enjoyed pizza and salad lunch, and Jody was the best waitress around!

Stay tuned for more adventures tomorrow! #TwoLaneAdventures

Wednesday 9/13/2023 – The Circle Continues

Today, I got up at my normal time and walked for a mile on my own and then I met up with Mary, Charlie’s sister and we walked for 2 miles. She dropped off and picked up her husband and went over to have coffee with Charlie. I finished up my 4-miles alone and enjoyed the sunrise across the RV resort.

We had a leisurely morning at Southern Leisure, and we departed at 11am for our drive to Torreya State Park.

We traveled on US 19/98 from Chiefland to Cross City. Cross City is part of Dixie County. It is probably the most remote, sparsely populated county in Florida. Cross City, with a population of less than 2,000 people, is the largest town in the county.

On the northern side of the city is Putnam Lodge. The historic Putnam Lodge was built in 1927-28 by the Putnam Lumber Company, the Putnam Hotel is part of a bygone era in Florida’s forestry history. The lobby and the dining room of the 36-room lodge were decorated exclusively with the still preserved, artfully stenciled “pecky cypress,” a now virtually extinct lumber product. In its day, the Putnam Lumber Company, founded by William O’Brien, a timber magnate of Irish descent, and associates including E. B. Putnam, employed hundreds at its two state-of-the-art sawmills in Shamrock. The mills annually produced and shipped worldwide millions of feet of “deep swamp tidewater cypress” and “dense Florida longleaf yellow pine” lumber, products that are now rare because the old growth trees are gone.

We saw our first real evidence of storm debris on the southern edge of Cross City, look closely and you can see the twisted metal high up in the tree!

North of Cross City is a cut-off road that heads to the Gulf and the town of Steinhatchee. Some of you may remember hearing that name during the aftermath of Idalia news coverage. 

Steinhatchee was devastated by the winds and flood water. We could see more of that damage as we continued to head north-west on US 19/98.

The town of Salem is on US 19/98 and it is almost directly northeast, about 15-miles, inland from where Idalia made landfall in Keaton Beach. You could see some tree and home damage here.

About 20-miles north of Salem, we arrived in Perry Florida. You would be amazed at the amount of visible damage you could see in this populated city. Here are a few pictures to show the damage and the massive clean-up effort.

We have stayed at the Perry KOA before and the owners, Debby and Brian, are originally from western NY. The front of the park looked OK, but on the interior, they have lots of large old oaks. We pray, they faired well. They have put a great deal of time, money and work into making the park a great place to stay!

Here are a few more pictures of the destruction in Perry.

This is the Forestry Museum in Perry. There used to be a large number of standing pines here.

In Perry we stopped at Walmart, so we could grab a few things and have lunch!

On the north side of Perry US 19 and US 98 split, we stayed on US 98 and started heading in more of a westerly direction along the Gulf coast. 

US 98 is part of the Big Bend Scenic Byway. Heading toward Apalachicola, this scenic drive offers so much to the average traveler, with wildlife, waterways, and woods. These areas are inhabited by birds, butterflies, animals and wildflowers. If you are out for a Sunday drive and taking your time. You can trace the footsteps of the Apalachee and the Creek, Spanish Conquistadors, British and American troops, pioneers, cotton and timber barons, and Hollywood producers by following the Byway to historic markers, interpretive displays, parks, museums, forts, depots, lighthouses and historic buildings. Experience the diverse scenery, small towns, farms and rural countryside that is Old Florida. I think it’s one of the most beautiful Florida scenic drives around!

In St Marks, we turned off the scenic byway onto FL 267, traveling through the Wakulla Springs Basin. Wakulla is one of the largest springs in the US and is the end of one of the longest and deepest cave systems in the world. Teams of cave divers have explored and mapped 32 miles of the cave system during the past 20 years setting world records in the process. Approximately 400 million gallons of water flow from the spring daily creating the nine-mile Wakulla River.  The spring is fed by a 1300 square-mile basin, the largest spring basin in Florida.

We turned onto FL 20 as we neared our destination for the next 2 days, Torreya State Park. Tomorrow we will explore the park and the area!

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!

Monday, September 11th, 2023 - The Circle Begins

We have spent the summer in our Florida home. Which, we have not done since the "COVID" summer. We had obligations to tend to in our community, with Charlie's position on the HOA board. We also had lots of fun with our neighbors that live here year-round. Also, those that come back down from Indiana because it is cooler in Florida!

But, tomorrow we hit the road for a 58-day adventure and we are taking y'all along!

I will do my best to post a blog daily or every other day! Stay tuned for our adventures on our own, with family, on Yankee RV Tours caravans and rallies!

This first blog pictures are of our last sunset from our patio. Charlie and I are enjoying drinks and our amazing view! Ahhhhh, life is great!