Leaving the north....

November 20^th, 2019

Today is the day….off toward the warmth and sunshine. We had an unavoidable later start today which was perhaps not a bad thing since the weather was not great. Traveling in the daylight was a bonus.  It was indeed a snowy start to our trip with the snow becoming heavier as we approached the border. The road to Grand Forks and then to Fargo was snow covered and traffic was slowed due to the conditions. We continued on through falling snow and less than ideal roads. By the time we reached Fergus Fall we it was time to call it a day.  It was time to rest, regroup and try again in the morning. We settled peacefully at the AmericInn in Fergus Falls, MN. after our stormy winter start. Luckily the hotel offered a free hearty gumbo soup from 5-7 so we did not even have to leave the hotel to get something to eat.

November 21, 2019

No more snow, but this second day brought heavy rain followed by a dark cloudy day. This was one of the cloudiest darkest days I have seen. At 2 in the afternoon it looked like dusk. The wind was raw and I hated to step out of the car at the rest stops. We attempted to listen to an audio

book but it did not capture our interest. I have a few downloaded so will try again tomorrow. After a long day on the road we stopped and stayed in Oglesby Illinois. Oglesby is a quaint little town about the size of Neepawa we figured. Supper at a local diner provided a more than an ample meal. Roger ordered the stir fry that came on a huge platter. It had more vegetables in it than a family would eat in a week. Not to mention a heaping portion of chicken. I figured I was safe with the senior turkey plate. Nope!!! Slightly smaller platter, but enough turkey for three people. I can’t imagine what the regular portion would have been like. It was a quick evening... early to bed, early to rise .......

November 22, 2019

I begin this writing while we are starting of our days journey. It’s 7:15 and we are rolling down the highway south on I 39. No rain, no snow and a temp of O C. Best we have had yet. There is a promise of 18 C later today and perhaps I can shed my sock! :) . The sun is trying to break through the clouds as we see slivers of yellow through the grey. It will be a while I think before we see it’s entirety but the promise is there.

Well....the promise faded quickly as the day progressed, the cloud cover thickened and it was another day of grayness. Knowing we were heading to the Florida sun gave us courage to push on.  Nashville was its usual busy city with heavy traffic but I could not help but smile as we passed through remembering all the fun we had last time we stopped there.

As darkness approached we decided to stop in Mufreesburo TN ( on the south side Nashville). Supper was at a local Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen. Great food and great atmosphere. Another early to bed so we could hit the road early!

November 23rd

After a wonderful restful sleep we were on the road by just after 7a.m.

Wow, can it rain here. Roger did not want to stop so we pushed on hoping to eventually drive

out of it. There was a flood advisory and I knew why. It was like the sky had opened up

dumping water full force. I was very tense and it was very quiet in the car as Roger concentrated on the road ahead and traffic. Many trucks and cars used their flashing lights which helped us navigate through the winding mountainous area near Chattanooga. Of course there are always the hotshots that speed on through passing everyone and spraying water adding to the reduced visibility. I decided, I was too old for this now. I could do without the type adventure! Still however, keeping my eye on the prize, FLORIDA!!!

 The weather improved as the day wore on and as we approached the Florida border the sun started to shine. We stopped at a rest stop and wow, it was warm, 21C. . We smiled at each other and said, this is what we have been waiting for. All was right with the world.  The original plan was to stop in Jacksonville for the night but as I started to search the internet on my phone for hotels Roger asked how I felt about driving on to the condo. I readily agreed, let’s keep going.

We reached our destination at 9:30pm after just over 14 hours on the road. The evening was warm and stars were in the sky and the smell of the Florida air brought smiles to our faces. We made it. With the stressful road trip behind us like a faded dream our minds and hearts focused on the coming days of fun and sun!