Driving to Florida

We packed the car with all our clothes and gear last night so we could get up and leave at 5 am. However, we were awake at 4 am, so we loaded the cooler and got on the road by 4:30. In addition to clothes for our three-week trip to Florida, we took hiking gear, binoculars, fishing tackle and two rifles in case we were able to do a wild hog hunt. We also brought a large tub to bring the dressed pig back to Kentucky.

Because of our early departure, there was very little traffic as we drove south on I-75 through Kentucky and Tennessee. There was a fair amount of traffic around Knoxville and Chattanooga but not as bad as we have had in the past. Even as we drove south to Atlanta there was a fair amount of traffic, but it moved, and we made good time. We had a breakfast of deli turkey sandwiches on sourdough bread and an apple. As we drove, we wished Emily a happy 34th birthday. We visited with her yesterday evening and watched Thomas so she and Ian could go out to a Nepalese restaurant in Lexington for her birthday dinner.

Confederate Memorial at Stone Mountain Georgia

We had planned to stop at Stone Mountain Park in Atlanta. It was about halfway on our drive to Homosassa, Florida and would be a good place to stretch our legs. We also wanted to see the famous carving in the mountain depicting the Confederate heroes of Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson and Jefferson Davis. We paid the $20 admission fee to the park and picked up a map but couldn’t find the carving on the map. Similarly, when we looked the park up online, we found a lot of information on recreation activities at the park but nothing on the carving. We drove around the mountain looking for the figures that are carved in the stone. Mary finally spotted a bit of the panel that was mostly obscured by the trees. We parked as close as we could but couldn’t find a path to get a view. We backtracked to an old road along the sightseeing railroad track and walked toward the carved stone panel. Once in front of the carving, we found no signage or description of the figures. There was a lot of moss and black algae on the figures. We had the feeling that the park was trying to downplay the Confederate carving, which started the area attraction, and promote other recreational activities in the park. After being in the park for a little over an hour, we left and continued south toward Homosassa.

We got gas in the Atlanta area at Sam’s Club. We were pleased to find it for $2.85 since gas prices had been higher along the way and are even higher along the Florida Gulf Coast. I ran into Sam’s to use the bathroom and saw that it was packed. I suspect part of the crowd was that it was Saturday afternoon. Since today is the day before the Super Bowl, many shoppers were preparing for their parties. Mary got out our other turkey sandwiches on sourdough for our lunch. As we got back on the highway, we saw that a truck had lost the load of water bottles, scattering them over the highway entrance ramp.

The drive from Atlanta through southern Georgia and Florida wasn’t bad. There was a good bit of traffic on the highway, but we moved at the speed limit. As we continued south, the temperature continued to warm to nearly 80 degrees, so we turned on the air conditioner. We snacked on a bag of German peanut puffs from Aldi for our afternoon snack. We left I-75 at Gainesville and drove toward Homosassa, arriving at Whittington’s around 6:45. We unpacked a few things that we would need tonight, saving the bulk of the unpacking until tomorrow.

Mark had prepared sauteed shrimp with brioche bread and a garden salad. It was very good. We had a nice but brief visit then went to bed early. Mark went out to his new sauna for 30 minutes before he turned in.