Live Trip Map Day 6: December 29, 2008
Some '01 Repeats
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The bridge that ended yesterday starts today. The first view is from near the spot where last night's shot in the dark was taken and the second is from my motel room door. Inside the door can be seen here. The Jensen Beach Motel was acceptable but I had passed a couple of filled places just down the road that I imagine were better choices. That they were full and the Jensen Beach Motel was not is a clue.

The drive between Jensen Beach and Fort Pierce was possibly the most pleasant of the trip. Well maintained, numerous but gentle curves, and very nice views. The last photo was taken from a side road which I pulled on to specifically to get a shot of the water.

Fort Pierce is one of the places Granny mentioned in her 1920 letters ("...paid 37¢ for gas, the most we have paid yet...") and one we stopped at in 2001. I had intended to take a look in the Cobb building this time and a sign advertising breakfast made that a certainty. I chose a banana nut muffin to go with my ham & mushroom scramble and was served the best such muffin I've ever had. Fresh from the oven and topped with actual slices of banana. The P.P. Cobb General Store & Delicatessen offers nearly 500 brands of beer and a good selection of just about everything else you might need. It also has a very pleasant waitress (Nancy) and owner (Yuko). I know it's not right that a rocket launcher alarm clock blocks Yuko's "anything WAR can do PEACE can do BETTER" shirt. I'm sorry. I didn't notice.

Fort Pierce is quite a nice place. That's the P. P. Cobb Building on the other side of the Christmas tree and the fountain is a couple of blocks away. The Sunrise Theater on Second Street looks cool and seems to have lots going on.

When I plotted the 2001 retrace of my great-grandparents 1920 trip I knew so little about the roads of their day that I missed a lot. Quite a few sections of old Dixie Highway remain and some of them were undoubtedly driven by Frank. The first picture was taken a few miles north of St. Lucie. The next three are all from a one-lane stretch near Sebastian. The fourth and fifth are of unpaved sections near Mims and Gifford respectively.

Granddad & Granny, in 1921, marveled at the old machinery here and so did Chris & I in 2001. The dinosaurs are from a failed 1950s tourist attraction called Bongoland. The place is now operated by the Botanical Gardens of Volusia, Inc. as the Sugar Mill Botanical Gardens.

Parking for the gardens is in a small lot across the street from the entrance. As I left the gardens I immediately noticed the police officer talking with a couple next to the minivan I was parked beside. Getting closer, I could see bits of glass from a broken window and my stomach knotted. I had locked the car and the windows were up but the top was off. I often do that and joke that, if something goes missing, we'll only need to check out the tall people. It looked like today might be the day when I'd have to try that. But nothing was touched in my car. Either the burglary had happened before I arrived and I simply hadn't noticed the broken glass or the thieves, perhaps fearing an alarm, had bypassed my car. The GPS, laptop, and other highly portable articles were exposed and inviting. The policemen thought that the theft had most likely preceded my arrival. The couple were out a fanny pack with a cell phone and about $5.00 -- plus a passenger side window and a ruined day.


I knew of this nearby full sized replica of the Wright brothers first flight from old faithful RoadsideAmerica.com and thought it worth a stop. Orville pilots while Wilbur watches. ERAU? Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

This is another repeat from the 2001 trip but I don't recall it being so well defended.

I mentioned my NTN activities in an earlier post and decided to visit one of the more active sites near Ormond Beach. I met a few players and lead a couple of games for a couple of minutes but always ended up a few -- or more -- points short. Good people, good fun, and good food.

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