On The Road, In The oleragtop

So this morning, I headed out to Jessica's home town to spend Christmas week staying at my friend Carri's home and just trying Celebrate Life.

I headed down to the beach to do my cursory cruise prior to going On The Road.



Then I saw this burb and had to get a shot of it for the Bus. It is for sale, but I didn't bother to stop and inquire the price. No More Projects!

The following shot is, to me, mysterious. Of all the beachline available, these sea gulls decide to hang out, inches from each other, and then no more for several hundred yards and then, another cluster of them. Ahhh, Another Mystery.

Ironically enough, as those of you Counting Along With Me know, I do not have a TV at the Taj Mahal, having chosen internet over the boob box, you should know, here at Carri's home, CARS in on TV right now. I love it!!!

So anyway, heading out of town, I pass by the Daytona International Speedway and hear race cars out practicing for a future event. I think this is cool.

So my initial intent was to stay off our Interstate system. But as I planned my non-Interstate route, I realize it would take me on International Speedway Boulevard from Daytona to Deland. Now as I have traveled this roadway before, I know that drive is a, literal, pain in the butt. This is one of the few highways in Florida constructed of concrete, complete with those concrete expansion joints. Why, I don't know. So anyway that 15 mile drive from Daytona to Deland totally wears me out, and I did not want to start this adventure out with that.

So, I decided to head out on I-4 down to MickeyMouseLand and catch up to Highway 17 down through the west central portion of The Sunshine State to end up in Punta Gorda and then catch I-75 for the final 65 miles into Naples.

Now, travelling on I-4, these two dudes, with Kansas license plates, pass this oleragtop by. Their luggage in the back of this Subaru Forester was loaded to the roof and they had a bike rack on the back on the that BRAT offspring. I have mentioned that Forester was loaded to the gills, but that bike rack? Totally empty.

Later, while cruisung through Kissimmee, I get a call from thehorsefarmer wanting me to go check out a Lil Mule, he has found on Craigslist, to document the windshield pattern he need an image of to know what he needs to do to thebarngoddess's new daily driver to get it into the period correctness.

So I stop, fire up the laptop and verify the address and this is what I come up with. Yeah, it is called "Truck Heaven".

Well unfortunately, horsefarmer, that place is closed up tight...looks more like "Truck Hell" to me and the Owners, unfortunately. With that empty lot that "Lil Mule"is now gone.

While there, I filled up the oleragtop with petro. $18.33 from R to F. $1.51 a gallon!!

Later, still in St. Cloud, I see this modified Camaro. Why, again, I Don't Know.

On the back of this aberration it said "I Got Your Jeep Thing..Now It Burns When I Pee". Yeah, this is my daily driver.

Can't quite figure out the license plate, but just below it, redneck style, it says, "Chicks Dig It", thankfully, "no chicks" I know. Thank goodness this quickly passed and I got to see this

yeah, a, to me, Super Cool Old Ford COE, circa 1965. Bus?

Just a tad later, I had to meet up with Mother Nature and cut off on a side street toward CEMEX, a concrete supplier. As I knew they were not working on a Sunday, I knew I had a private spot to meet with nature, and I found it. Although, I must say, this catch with Mother Nature was unexpected. I saw these creatures on that side road and, I can tell you this....

I shot this image at the same level as the top of the doors of the oleragtop., top down, windows down and it was a bit disconcerting. But God watches out for the Ignorant.

Hang on, gotta go watch Paul Newman show 95 how to turn right!!!

Man, I love CARS.

On down 17, I spotted this old Ranchero and Mustang sitting on the side of the road.

And there are a ton of lakes just south of MickeyMouseLand.

Honey!!! Someone Stole The Motorhome!!

And further south I began seeing a bunch of orange groves.

And orange hauling trucks.

I also got to see the Kid's street.

In Bartow, I saw the Peace River orange processing plant.



and further south...more flatlands.

Truly Nolan is a south Florida pest control company. All over down here he has old cars with his name on them. This one happens to be a 1950 Studebaker. Later I saw a 53 Chevy.

And a couple observations from the road:

A bunch of the areas of I passed through in Central Florida are pretty poor and mostly ethnic. In Wauchula, Florida nearly every sign in in both english and spanish. But the chevy dealer there? Its name is English Chevrolet.

In Arcadia, I stopped at a Wendys for a couple dollar sandwiches. I moseyed on over to the Wally World parking next door to eat them. This old man drove up and parked his Buick SUV in the parking space the farthest from that Big Box. I thought he had done so so his truck wouldn't get any dings, but he parked between an old Chevy truck and a beat up Nissan!!

In Zolpho Springs, the fire department is located in a mobile home!

And finally, out in the middle of those flatlands, between Arcadia and Zolpho Springs I saw two huge FedEx semis heading north on a Sunday. Must be the season.

Anyway, hope you all are staying warm and enjoying the Holiday season.

Til the next installment. Celebrate Life.