Liz is thinking we should go to the redneck riviera this winter. The extra 1000 miles round trip to Florida relatives versus visiting long-term dock neighbors there seems quite attractive and we love the food! Conecuh sausage can't be beaten.

Suzie says she wants to go over there and see you guys this week. Sammi likes the little trail down at the ramp. We are pretty free on time.

Sounds like a good idea! We will be tied up on Wednesday, otherwise not much. Hey, I wonder if Navigators is open. Website said pretty soon last time I checked. I will look again!

Navigators isn't open yet. Sounds like the construction is pretty much done but they are still looking for staff. By the time you get back down here we should be able to get some coconut shrimp and listen to some music. We'll talk to you about when we can shoot over that way. If you come over to the beach just stop by any time. I'm still working on the bathroom so we're always here.

We had a very pleasant week stay at Oakhaven in the Barth. Sunny and 80's all week. Saw a bunch of our neighbors and helped with Saturday breakfast. Liz had a busy week looking at new park models. Lots of options to choose from. Unfortunately, good things come to an end. We have doctor and dentist appts back home.
We left the Sunshine state this morning and drove about 500 miles to UBRVRAPE to visit Nick and Donna. About 300 miles of I75, with moderate traffic and the rest through rural Georgia (not Atlanta!) on pleasant, wide open highways. We are planning to visit a day or so, then on to the great white north on Tuesday.

We left Cagles about 8AM on Tuesday morning. About 1075 miles left to go. Drove through Athens, Georgia, around Waynesville, NC then back to Knoxville and north. Made good time through Tennessee and Kentucky. We had considered stopping overnight but Liz was going strong. Unfortunately, that put us just south of Cincinnati around 5PM. Traffic apps indicated stop and go downtown. We took the east bypass with a few slow spots, and lost only about 15 minutes.

We drove on, got to Michigan about 8PM. Making good time, we decided we could be home by midnight. Ah, yes, then the construction turd fairy....

I96 is the east/west main freeway from Grand Rapids to Detroit. US23 is a main freeway the runs past Toledo Ohio and all the way to Mackinac Bridge. The are very rarely completely closed, even when under construction...

We were cruising on US23 north of Ann Arbor only to discover that BOTH directions of US23 and ALL the ramps to I96 were closed! No warning signs to let us know. A half an hour of stop and go, to get us detoured to WB I96. OK, I guess we're going home the long way via Lansing...

What are the odds that US23 would be shut down completely, paving for 3 nights (never happened before...) AND we would be heading north on a random return trip.... 100% !!!!!

Road construction is almost always completed by late October to avoid cold conditions and snow. I suspect this project was running late and they panicked and had to finish continuously.

Made it home about 40 minutes late. Other than the road closure fiasco in Michigan, it was not too bad. (Naturally, it was snowing lightly when we got here to welcome us..)

We will head back to the sunshine as soon as passible!

Isn't travelling just fun!! That is the good thing about an RV trip just pull over and have a nice view of the world when the going is too much. Well perhaps by your return trip all will be smooth sailing!!

By December the weather has turned for sure and many of the RV parks have closed for the season. It is nice to know the coach is "winterized" in Florida.

Driving the car is far easier than the coach, especially in winter. We'll roll the dice in December and head back. It is nice to get there and have the coach already set up.

18 degrees this morning. Six inches of snow..... more on the way.
Why did I leave Florida?

Heading back Dec 9.

That would pretty much close down the state of Louisiana .

It is a nuisance, that's for sure.

It was fairly localized, but we had no school for several of the nearby districts. The ground underneath is still not frozen so there is slimy slush below. Very messy. (That's why I keep that old red 4WD Chevy truck)

48 yesterday and 51 this morning, but it will get back to the 70s today and 80s tomorrow so we can handle it. See you soon.

Well, now that it is time to go south, we had 47 degrees this morning and the snow is gone!

Jumped in the Prius and Liz drove 12 hours to Cleveland, Tennessee. Smooth sailing through Cincinnati and most of the way. Of course, with only 60 miles to go we went almost around Knoxville at 6PM on a Saturday, 4 miles to the outbound I75 leg, when some idiot rear ended another and blocked two lanes. Half hour of stop and go, to get two miles.... situation normal.

Made it to the Baymont Inn in Cleveland. Nice room, clean and quiet. A good run overall.

Tomorrow we'll roll the I75 dice again and head south. Hoping Sunday morning will get us around Chattanooga and through Atlanta one more time. We should be at Oakhaven for dinner, with any luck.

Looks like the weatherman knew you were dragging all that cool air down here. 80 today but only 68 tomorrow. Right back up to the upper 70s after that. 2 items of good news. Navigator is open and Middle Beach road is repaired and open. Drive careful and see you soon.

We woke up to 50 and rain. Got on the road by 8AM. Sailed around Chattanooga, then on to Atlanta. 10AM Sunday morning, minimal traffic, but we still had to have an accident to prove we're on I75. Two cars had crashed and hit the concrete median wall. Closed two left lanes but we only had to slow a bit to get around.

Continued south, light rain, medium traffic. Around Macon it started to rain really hard. About 3 hours of heavy rain slowed traffic. We got a couple hours of light rain in northern Florida, then more heavy rain around Gainesville at 81 degrees. When we got near Tampa the sky opened again, by then the temps had dropped to 66. With an hour to go, traffic stopped on I75. We left the freeway and drove the last hour on back roads. Finally arrived about a half hour late.

A long two day trip but we're back in Florida, where we belong in the winter. Between traffic and Mother Nature it was a bit tedious. The old 09 Prius ran like a champ, 80mph ad 42mpg all the way! It has over 205,000 miles on it and it used less than 1/2 qt on the 1500 mile trip. It has been a really good car.

Now for a few months of warmth and sunshine!
(Kalkaska is calling for 4-7 inches of snow by tomorrow night. We escaped just in time.)

Have Barth, now in residence!