THE BIG DAY ARRIVES

Finally, the big day for our journey to Wyoming has arrived. Sunday began with a threat of rain as we loaded the food for the trip and closed up the house for the summer. We drove both the RV and the Honda Fit (henceforth referred as the dinghy) to a shopping center about a mile from our house to connect the dinghy and RV for the journey. Installing a “brake buddy” that applies the brake pedal to the dinghy when the driver applies the brakes in the RV, is a technical challenge that we think we have mastered. At 10:55 a.m. we pulled out of the parking and headed towards I-75 as small raindrops began to pelt the windshield.





Our journey north on I-75 past Lake City and then west on I-10 was without sunglasses as we were in cloud cover and rain through Tallahassee. Once we passed the Florida capital the sun began to shine as we pulled into the Quincy Flying J for the first gas stop with the dingy attached. Flying J truck stops are nice in that they have a separate lane for RV’s pulling a dinghy or a trailer which allows a nice wide turn around the station and then back to the highway. Another great feature is the pumps for RV’s don’t shut off at $75 like other pumps. At 8 miles to the gallon, the RV seems to suck gas.

We pulled in to River Bend Campground in Holt, Florida which is about 12 miles west of Crestview around 4:30 CDT. After hooking up the RV (connecting shore power and water lines) we drove back to Crestview to meet Mike Parks and his wife Gene for dinner. Mike is a 3-sport contest official in west Florida and is one of the leaders in his officials’ organization. Mike’s bigger claim is he worked in the E ring (highest security area) of the Pentagon when he was in the Air Force. Mike met Gene in Washington, D.C. while they were both in the Air Force, and they both have stories to tell about military lifestyle and travel.