A significantly better organised camp break than last time meant that we were dumped and heading out of the gate at about 9.30am. Our first obstacle of the day was the very steep uphill grade to get out onto the road, something that the Sienna took well, if a little slowly. See, who says you can't tow with a Minivan? Heading down the I75 again and it was 350 miles to our destination just to the North of Orlando, Florida. I felt a certain pride that we were headed to Orlando and not going to Walt Disney World. Deviant, aren't I?
We motored for a few hours, stopping for a hearty breakfast (of cream doughnuts) at a Walmart along the way, then to fuel up just a few miles short of the Florida Border. We came through a really wicked rain storm that had claimed at least three accidents in the short time it took us to pass through, which is where having your speed limited can come in quite handy in preventing such silliness. Fuelling up can be a bit of a pain because a lot of gas pumps in the US don't like Canadian credit cards, which means you have to go in to the kiosk and pay up front for a set amount of fuel. We're hardly going to make a break for it with the trailer weighing the car down so I don't really think it's necessary, but security is security apparently. Shortly after fuelling, we were flagged by a couple of men in a car who indicated that we had a problem with one of the trailer wheels. Wary of there being mechanical mishaps so far from home but also wary of all sorts of other strangeness that can happen, I pulled off at the next exit and stopped (in full view of a fruit stand and a load of people) where the men were waiting. They said there was some wobbling on one of the wheels and that if I pulled into a truck stop just on the other side of the Florida State Line they'd be able to look at the bearings. Still a bit wary, I tested the wheel lugs (one slightly loose) and the tyres but everything seemed OK to me. We set off again with me peering in the mirror to get a glimpse of the wheel as we were moving. I couldn't see anything wrong, and the trailer was behaving itself so we decided that maybe it was a scam that these men were pulling, so we determined to carry on regardless.
Just over the Florida State Line, we stopped at the official welcome center for essential activities (ahem) and to try to find the next instalment of Dave Hunter's excellent Along The I75, this one to cover Florida. Not only did the welcome center stock the book but would accept no money for it. Result! So, armed with a new, interesting and free book, we set off for our final leg, down to Lake Griffin State Park. Then it began to rain. It rained and rained and rained, making the driving difficult and slow. This was, I supposed, some semi-tropical downpour sent to smite my holiday but I suspect, more mundanely, that it was due to the very hot weather that had been building for weeks.
We moved out of the rain a little way north of Ocala and when we arrived at the campground it was hot and dry (but threatening). We were upgraded from Standard site to Premier site but only give us a pitch where it was a little more private. the site was very narrow and sandy but we were able to set up quickly and get the awning out. Now, if you've been following this blog, you'll know that the phrase Get The Awning Out is in fact a secret signal to start a downpour and today, gentle reader, was no exception. No sooner had we fixed the fairy lights and the rain fell. It fell in such immense proportions, too, instantly forming rivers of mud and water and hammering on the aluminium skin of the trailer. I stood under the awning watching the water cascade off the lower end (always set it at a rakish angle to allow water to come off), wondering if I should bring the thing in again. Fifteen minutes of monsoon and it wasn't looking any better so off came the shirt and the specs and out I went into the storm. I can report that the rain in Florida arrives in copious amounts and is really quite warm. It took me about two minutes to get the awning stowed and in that time I was soaked through. Welcome to the Sunshine State, I thought.
The rain kept up (as did the heat) so we gave up the unequal struggle and headed out to eat. We settled on Stakis, the Greek and Italian specialists, just a few miles up the road. Now there will be those of you that will laugh but there is a precedent for mixing Greek and Italian cooking that is alive and well in the Greek Ionian Islands. I had the best pizza I've ever had in Zakynthos. Anyway, I digress, we were in Florida so I celebrated with a nice plate of Moussaka, as you do. We followed that with an ice cream, with Internet on the side, in the Fruitland Park branch of McDonald's. Later that evening, two very tired toads sweltered in the trailer trying to sleep whilst the air conditioner rumbled. Two tadpoles slumbered peacefully, oblivious to everything; the little buggers!
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