October 21, 2023 Day 14 Perry Florida to Thomasville Georgia 85.4 miles
It’s another bright sunny day. The wind is blowing and the morning temperature is about 60 degrees. Rob needed to do some work on the brakes so we were later getting away this morning. He replaced a missing brake rod pin. We have a short drive so all is good.
We stopped for ice on the way out of town at an ice vending machine called twice the ice. Well that was way more ice than we needed but several people are getting ice as well. Rob gave them our leftovers.
A friendly gentleman came up and asked about the car. He had grown up around old cars so he was more knowledgeable than some. He had a good story to tell about his father getting a new car every four years. It was always a Ford so when Lee Iacocca was head of Ford he invited this guy’s parents to attend a weekend discussion of what to name some of the new cars. What a story.
As we drove through more of town we noticed how many buildings had plastic covering their roofs. This all had to be from whatever the storm was that came through. Numerous piles of limbs were all along the barrow pit. Sometimes tin roofing and insulation was there also. This had to have occurred some time back because the leaves are brown on the broken limbs. Out of town sections of forest had more trees down than up. In one place a crew was working to clear some of the downed trees and limbs. They had a two trailer semis into which they put the debris. More trucks were coming because we saw two more.
Finally the wind damage ended. More open space and cotton fields. Some of the cotton had been picked but other fields remained white. The plants look dead so the fields look mostly white. When the cotton is picked, it is baled like hay in big round bales. The difference is the wrapping is pink or yellow. Don’t know the significance of the color. The side of the road has lots of individual pieces of cotton that must have come off some of the harvesting equipment.
We arrived about 12:15 and actually got to check in. Our room has a living room, lights that come on automatically in the bathroom and a fancy shower with a seat and two shower heads. One is stationary and one is moveable. Maybe they saw us coming.
Rob spent a little time cleaning the car and then we went to the fairgrounds to check in. The fairgrounds has a large grassy area where numerous large trailers are already parked. Great place for those car trailers. Rob talked with a local man who will bring an oil collection pan and a way to dispose of the oil tomorrow morning. Now Rob will be able to change the oil. He will perform an “on the road” grease job as well. So far, we have traveled 3,011 miles from home on this trip.
Next stop was the grocery store to get food for supper. It was a big grocery with lots of interesting items. We actually saw canned okra and canned rutabagas. We must be in the south.
Spoffords Travel 