Bunkin' with Unk
Day 1
A New Plane Wrapper
Day 2
A Taste of the Dixie
Day 3
Reminiscing
Day 4
A Wee Bit O' Dixie Loop
Day 5
No Pavement Required
Day 6
Lakes: Great!
Day 7
Bells, Bok, & Cardinal
Day 8
The Tampa Loop
Day 9
Weeki Wachi Wow!
My recent Christmas trip included a previously missed stretch of the Dixie Highway and I decided to start tracking which parts of the DH I've driven and which still await. The method I chose, marking them of a 1923 map, proved to have some shortcomings. I think I've solved them with my own "map" which I've made the subject of a blog post. My current Dixie Highway score is shown here. In addition to marking driven sections in green, the section driven for the first time on this trip is shown in yellow.
February 4, 2012 (day 9)
I finished off the trip -- and the Dixie Highway Tampa-Saint Petersburg
Loop -- following a stop at Weeki Wachee Springs. I've been wanting to do
that just about forever.
February 3, 2012 (day 8)
I drove the bigger half of the Dixie Highway Tampa-Saint Petersburg Loop,
took a stroll around Ybor City, and ended the day reuniting with a friend
I hadn't seen in a long time. The wonderful weather continued.
February 2, 2012 (day 7)
The day got off to a great start with a massage then the afternoon was
spent at Bok Tower Gardens.
February 1, 2012 (day 6)
We hitched a ride on a boat and I got to see at least one bird I'd never
knowingly seen before along with plenty of the more familiar kind.
January 31, 2012 (day 5)
We had no luck finding a Lee-Dixie marker but we did found the old sugar
mill and made it all the way on the brick road north of Espanola.
January 30, 2012 (day 4)
We took a look at a short stretch of the Dixie Highway Tampa-St.
Petersburg Loop.
January 29, 2012 (day 3)
I warned of reports with only a thermometer and now I deliver.
January 28, 2012 (day 2)
I drove a few miles of the Dixie Highway and discovered a Citurs Center.
January 27, 2012 (day 1)
Today was mostly expressway as I hurried toward Florida but I did stop by
a vastly improved old gas station and an incredible diner.
Prelude - January 23, 2012
I was born and raised in Darke County Ohio and visit there frequently.
Among the many relatives in Darke and neighboring counties is my Uncle
Eldon who I used to meet occasionally for breakfast. I'm not sure how it
started but there was a period when he might call me when he had an idle
Saturday to see if I was coming up or I might call him when I knew I was
heading north with time to spare. More often than not it was a miss but we
expected that and would try again at the next opportunity. We connected
about one out of three tries and were sometimes joined by a few other
relatives. Over time, the hit rate diminished and we got out of the habit.
One reason the misses increased was that he bought a small home in Florida
and started spending much of the winter and bits of the other seasons
there.
Uncle Eldon called a few days ago. It was kind of like those "Wanna have breakfast?" calls except it was "Wanna get warm?". Other family members will be visiting in February but he was alone for the last half of January and thought I might be interested. I couldn't think of a single reason not to go and a fifty reasons (as in degrees difference in temperature) to go. With a chance to pick up on those breakfast conversations thrown in, it was just about a no brainer. Come Saturday, I'll be in central Florida.