Our first "leg" was from home in Greenville SC down to Brunswick GA. It was a very picturesque route and we passed through lots of small towns and open spaces. We took sarnis and snacks with us in a cool bag along with frozen waters, and remarkably, the waters were still semi-frozen on Friday morning!
We stayed at the Super 8 motel in Brunswick, cheap and cheerful and (I know people say "you get what you pay for") the room was small and basic, but it was disabled access, clean, and on the first floor. AJ, our "did-it-all" host was a really nice guy. Although it was just a "grab-what-you-want" breakfast, there were beverages, cereals, fruit and muffins and we weren't disappointed. We really couldn't complain at only $53, plus tax, for the night.
On Friday, we continued our drive down to Florida, choosing to go "the scenic route" down US 1. We arrived in Titusville late lunchtime, checking out all the changes since we had A) lived there and b) hubby had last been down a few years ago.
Our first stop, in Titusville, was at the marina, and we drove around to where I used to go to watch the manatees. It's got a paved parking area now, where it used to be just a sand/gravel road. The old ball field now has a skateboard ramp set up, and there's a nice kiddie play area alongside the river's edge.
We checked into the Holiday Inn on Hwy 50, and I wasn't too happy at first. Despite a sign on the elevator stating not to use it in the event of a fire, the disabled access room was on the SECOND floor. That made no sense to me and my anxiety over it pushed my blood pressure up at first, but it was a nice room and the bed was comfy ... and the pillows were so amazing we bought 2 to bring home with us! I was disappointed in the bathroom, as there was something nasty along the back of the toilet seat, I couldn't be bothered complaining so sprayed it with Lysol and cleaned it myself.
Our "go to" for dinner was the Cracker Barrel in front of the hotel, and I had a chef salad (no crackers, no croutons, no dressing, and I took home most of the bacon bits and ham, I'd had them "on the side" anyway, so kept my sodium level down and enjoyed my meal!
That evening, we visited friends. I had not seen JR in 20 years, and I finally got to meet his wife. He's an additional son, and I'm very proud of all he's achieved in his life.
On Saturday, we went to Cocoa Beach so that hubby could catch some of the Air Show. We grabbed some snacks from Publix for an early lunch, and watched a B-52 bomber, and an A-10 jet, from the parking lot. Then we went and parked a little farther down the road and hubby walked down to the beach to see some of it better. I had not got us tickets as all the "seating" was on the beach and I know my walker and I would not make it. I stayed in the truck and read my book for awhile.
The beach was packed and there were cruise ships off shore and within view. Hubby may be a Florida boy, born and bred, but 20 years in SC have made him less used to the heat and humidity, and when he got hot, he came back to the truck, and our next stop was Ron-Jon's. As we headed down to it, we were passed (in the opposite direction) by e mergency vehicles - it was only later that we found out that a small plane flying in the air show had come down just off the beach, when the pilot began having issues.
At Ron Jon's, I again stayed in the truck and read. I am NOT a shopper. The idea of struggling through crowds in Ron Jon's did not interest me in the least. Hubby went in to buy tee shirts for us as souvenirs of the trip, and grabbed one each for Zayleigh, Lily, Daniel and Sami as well. He remembers when Ron Jon's was a much smaller place than it is now.
We stopped for lunch at an awesome little restaurant Southern Charm Cafe and it was lovely. I had a grilled chicken salad and fries with no salt (I love fries with my salad!) and took half of it home. The portions are huge. The staff are all friendly and unfazed by my list of dos and don'ts for my salad. They even grilled my chicken with no seasoning for me! Definitely a place not to miss if you're don that way and hungry!
We drove back to the hotel via a drive around Jetty Park, and the port (Cape Canaveral) and State Road 3 through the Space Center although it actually doesn't let you all the way through how it used to, there are now gates blocking part of it for employees only, and the road meanders around and then gets back on it later.
I was happy. My memories of hot Summer days were of alligators basking along the roadside canals and we saw 3 medium size gators as we drove down the road.
I was disappointed not to be able to visit the Harry T and Harriette Moore Museum (it's closed on weekends) as it did not exist when we lived in Florida, and they were among some of the inspirational people I've admired, in my life.
We did make it to the cemetery on Garden Street, so that hubby could visit his mum's grave. It had been almost 40 years since he had last been able to be there, so her spot took some finding but finally, with some help from his sister by phone, he found it.
Yesterday's drive home was somewhat traumatic, we had some bad weather en-route and that - along with crazy drivers - had my blood pressure pushing 200/100 most of the way home, even with me taking my emergency drugs along the way. We had to stop to let me try to to relax a bit, and drop it a few points, before continuing on, so we had lots of mini-stops along the way. It took us 11 and a half hours to get home. My poor hubby was driving for probably 10 hours of that time.
Just after leaving Brunswick GA, the truck gave us a warning that we were losing tire pressure in one of our tires. We had just stopped at a roadside sign to see what it was about.
Hubby checked and it was leaking around the valve stem, so he got air at a gas station, I did a LOT of praying, and - as always - God was good and we made it home.
Everywhere we stopped, I was dropping off AVON brochures, and talking to people about it. Yes, I'm obsessed with my business, I guess.
It was a good trip but I won't be doing it again, too stressful on my body. Saturday and Sunday, my legs and ankles swelled badly and my blood pressure was bad. It'll be back to shorter, closer-to-home jaunts for me in future, like my favourites, Helen GA and Bryson City NC.
#gladtobehome #AVONFlorida #AVONGeorgia #road trip #airshow #Titusville #SpaceCenter #CapeCanaveral #SouthernCharmCafe
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