Welcome to Florida

After paying for our site, we left Macon Georgia at 08:50, it was a warm 7 C. (44 F.)  brrr. (Note to Caro et Julie, the manager looks and sounds like Roy from the Shipping War) We stopped at 08:51, I could see in my right mirror that the door of the trailer was swinging open… I was the last person to go in the trailer; I had forgotten to lock the door! Bad Richard, Bad!

Since it was a short 300 km drive for the day, my intention was to drive on secondary roads to see more of the landscape. However, the speed limit was 55 mi.  (88 KM) and pulling the trailer, even though the speed was fine I felt I couldn’t be safe because of all the driveways where cars were coming out of, plus the traffic lights… I had to keep watching every driveway just in case . So we decided to go back on the interstate.

We saw a lot of cotton fields, it remind me of driving with snow bank… I’m running away from that!

Cotton filed in Georgia

 

We had lunch at Pizza Hut. We took the buffet but were disappointed… they were not too quick re-filling the food and never even had pasta available.

We usually stop at the tourist center whenever we enter a new state.  We get the state map and some pamphlets on the attractions that can be found in that state. We had heard that when you arrive in Florida, they  also have free orange juice at the Tourist Center.   Just before Exit 2 in Georgia on I-75, on the Georgia/Florida state line, there are a lot of signs advertising for the Florida Tourist Center, free orange juice and free maps at Exit 2… Don’t stop there it's a trap.  The only thing there was a kiosk selling oranges and I assume orange juice. It was NOT the Florida tourist information center… grrrrr

Got back on the road, and the very next exit –in Florida this time- was the tourist center. We stopped got OJ, a map and all kind of information.

We arrived at the Florida Gateway RV resort around 13:30. It is a PA  (Passport America discount) and they charge $22, but in case you missed it… it’s a RESORT. So there is a lot of resort stuff… There is a hot spa… but it was cold, the water was at 17 C. (63 F.)! They are selling membership, I don’t think so! The owner is a Canadian from Ontario.

 Florida Gateway RV resort, Oct 30 2012 

The campsite is grass so before setting up I checked and saw several red ant’s hill. I got the ant killers ammunition and started a war.  I surrounded their camp (sprayed all around the ant hills). The battle field is now covered with dead bodies… I know they're called fire ants but there was NO smoke column coming from them!

You can rent this site, it comes with a spa, BBQ, sink, chairs, cement pad, shrub, NO ANTS!

My wife caught me spitting in the pond!

3 Palm trees and a princess!

After my shower tonight, we got a new neighbour! It’s a motorhome that arrived around 18:15, we had just looked at the really long shadow our trailer was casting, because of the topography (no mountain). Then the motorhome arrived and we were in their shadow…

Today, Halloween day, we are leaving Jasper (how not appropriate) and driving down another 2 hours to Bushnell. We will be meeting with Jo and André. We will all go to a store where they sell sun screen material.

Distance of the day: 310 KM (185 Mi.)