3 Weeks to Florida and Back part #3

In the past I could leave my brother's place at Homosassa or Mom's Condo on Ormond Beach, and be home by late that night or early in the morning {1 or 2am} without a problem....well, here I was 50 hours already into this trip and I had not arrived at Venice, my old home town in the 50s and early 60s, on the Gulf of Mexico, as of yet...I was scheduled to stay at the Ramada on the 41 By~Pass, thanks to John Langley, fellow Vietnam Air Force SP...whose daughter was one of the movers and shakers at that location, he got me a great rate, and the room was outstanding, especially for $59 a night...my thanks again to John and his daughter for the kind gesture.  Arriving at about 1:30pm I had time before check~in and immediately headed for the Gulf and my old fishing haunt, the Venice Jetties {South}.

 

One of the few places that have not changed much over the 65 years since our family moved to South Venice back in 1954...the Jetties is pretty much the same...a few changes, better facilities, and of course the fishing is not what it was in my Dad's day...but I enjoyed stopping by and breathing in some old memories from those days of my youth back in the 1950s and early 60s...the place is still "Home" as far as I'm concerned...although I have not lived there since 1963,  and mom sold the house on School Street and Pineland Avenue, back in the early

1980s...she told me today she should have kept it as a retirement house...I didn't argue.  The current owners have done some nice landscape work, but the house, in general, looks much the same as it did in 1962 and beyond.

After some searching, since the Ramada is called the "Venezia" and has no "Ramada" sign in sight...I saw three cops at a mall snack bar, I stopped the Jeep and asked..."Where the Hell is the Ramada"?  One young officer smiled and pointed across the street..."They just don't call it that", he replied.

Once situated in my room{photo of my room at bottom} I called my old pal, John Langley, and he picked me up awhile later and we traveled through some of the old neighborhoods...everything has changed and grown, especially the traffic...proving once again, "You Can't Go Home" ...although I still consider Venice "Home", a visit is all I will do, even if the prices were cheap, which they are not, I would never be able to handle the crowds, traffic, or Summer rain and humidity.  So a visit on occasion will have to do.

John and I went out to the Cracker Barrel out by the I-75 exit...had a good meal and conversation, and he gave me several items for our Vietnam Sky Cop Reunion and Silent Auction, for next April at Dayton.

Dropping me off back at the "Venezia"...I walked across the By Pass US 41 grabbed a 6 pack of craft beer and prepared to watch some playoff baseball for the night, before getting up and heading for Naples after breakfast on Saturday morning.

Part #4 up Next....arriving in Naples...

Photos-{Top}~Sunset after a storm along Venice Beach {2} Me and the Jeep arrive at the South Jetties {3} The House mom and dad owned at School Street and Pineland Avenue, we lived there from 1958-63, when we moved to Ohio, mom sold it back in the early 1980s  {4} John Langley my old Vietnam Air Force Dog Handler buddy from Maine who has lived in Venice for some 30 years....{5} A good sized boat heads out to the Gulf to fish, between the South and North Jetties...and below, a look at my Ramada Venice Room and a link to their site:

Ramada Venice 

Back to Florida and Back in 3 Weeks, part #2

Dismissing that the leak in the rear axle was a major problem, at least at this point in the trip...I grabbed a 'free' Breakfast at the Hampton Inn where I was staying in Athens, Tennessee, and headed south...my plans on jumping on some back and old US Routes was now abandoned...I would stay on the Interstate at least until I cut off for Homosassa to pour some of my brother's ashes in the river there...not wanting to take a chance to need Jeep repairs out in the middle of nowhere.

   "Atlanta" After I retired from the Van Wert County Health Department in 2002, I quickly took a gig delivering Motor Home RVs throughout the country and Canada...for the next 5 1/2 years I traveled much of the time in 3 or 4 day stretches, except during Spring Baseball Season, when I worked the local and Regional High School Varsity Games.  Atlanta, along with LA, and Chicago, had to be the worst of the areas I had to drive through...this trip was NO exception.

The I 75 experience between 25 miles north of Atlanta and 25 miles south was not pleasant by any stretch of my imagination...and I've traveled that route on many occasions...and many times in the old Jeep Wrangler, so this was not a surprise, but unwelcome just the same.  I had planned to get near Gainesville, home of the Florida Gators, and travel west on the back routes to Crystal River and Homosassa the next morning...so despite the congestion and delays, I made it close to the I 10 crossing and stopped at a little dive of a motel, which, being only $49 served it purpose, Hell I only wanted to sleep there, not own the damn place {See Hamptons Inn}, so I grabbed a few beers, after filling up at the Shell across the way, and some snacks...I watched baseball playoffs and got a decent night's sleep....the Axle Leak appeared no worse...

"On to Homosassa"...Until moving back to Ohio in 2007 my brother Mike resided at a place called the Manatee Campgrounds...actually a small trailer park on the river, he became "Mayor" of the Manatee Pub...parked his boat there and traveled many places in the decade or so that proceeded his move back to Celina....the last couple of years were not that kind to him financially or physically, but in retrospect, it was, for the most part, a good time in his life...and after consulting with his daughters, my 2 nieces, we decided the Manatee would be a great place to pour some of his ashes into the river.

I jumped off I 75 near Gainesville, and took Florida 121 through "Old Florida" {not much of that left, especially in the south or near the coasts, in the Sunshine State.  I hooked up with  Highway 98/19 and headed to Crystal River and from the gas stop there {where it appears my Shell Credit Card was hacked} on to the Manatee Pub, where some of the Good Ol Boys and Mike's running mates were already downing beers at 10 in the morning...a beer lover am I, but even I can't do that...nor do I want to.

After talking to those guys and Jeff the owner, we deposited about 1/3 of Mike into the waters along the pub, which flow into the Homosassa River....Mike would, I think, found some peace there.  Now it was on to my old hometown of Venice, where we resided most of the 1950s into the early 60s...despite the mass changes, I still consider Venice as "Home"....that story in part #3 coming up next.

Back Later...with Part #3 "Arriving in Venice, the Old Hometown"

Blogger is screwing with my photo uploads, and only allowing me to post my "Rough" photos from my I Phone...so I give you the Jeep, leak no worse for wear sitting at the little Motel Dive off I 75 near White Springs, Florida...nothing special, but the price was right and it was clean.   {2} Outside Crystal River, on "Follow that Dream Blvd" where Elvis made the movie of the same name when I was still living in Florida, back in 1961....{3} Some of Brother Mike's Ashes...I have never dropped human remain ashes into the water, some float others make a mass and slowly sink...I'm sure my older brother didn't mind and would be pleased with the locations I chose for his final resting spots...

Looking Back at 3 Weeks in Florida

Just got back from 20 days and 19 nights traveling to and from Florida....12 of those "House Sitting". and Pet Sitting at my youngest sister's place in Naples, while her and her husband, Denmark Mike, were back in his home country for a visit there....the rest traveling around Florida and visiting old friends, and missing some I planned on getting together with....the time flew by, and I stayed busy for the most part....

The next few installments I will spend looking back at the trip, and showing off some photos of same.

    Day 1....Off I Go!

I, should in retrospect, be pleased with the final results of the trip...starting out on Wednesday, October 9th, I weighed myself, and came in at 190.4...this morning I am 187 straight out...so, despite the beers and good food, my calorie intake, and especially carb intake was at a level, along with plenty of hot weather walking, my 70 year old ass had lost a few pounds...and now, only 12 to go to get back to 175, a level I have not been at since around 1984...we will see if I can continue to slowly lose during the coming Holiday Season.

I left Celina at 9:30 knowing I needed to not be in Naples until sometime Saturday the 12th, to get my instructions from their departure for Denmark from Ft. Lauderdale on Sunday the 13th...so I had plenty of time, and by plan or not, I took it...driving a Jeep Wrangler 3500 miles over a 20 day trip will take it out of anybody, let alone someone "getting long in the tooth".

I took US 127 out of my place for the first few hours, before finally get on I-75 just north of Cincinnati...I did not know how long I was going to stay on the "back routes" but once on 75, I was pretty much done, until northern Florida, where I would cut west towards Homosassa, where I would deposit 1/3rd of my late brother Mike's ashes at his old stomping grounds at the Manatee Pub on the river.  The other portions would be set free at the Venice Jetties where we fished a lot as kids growing up in Venice and South Venice, Florida, on the Gulf....the rest of Mike at the Sister and Brother-in-Law's place on the Naples Harbor, off their dock on the channel...he spent much of his last winters there fishing and having a drink or 3 on that dock.

First day I got as far as Athens, Tennessee, located on I-75 between Knoxville and Chattanooga...I got a way to expensive room at the Hampton Inn, and went across the street to grab a bite a Ruby Tuesdays...one of the few "Dining Out" Meals I would enjoy....when your brother in law is a world class chef, and leaves you plenty of steaks and seafood to enjoy while cooking over the grill on their Bar/Lanai area on the water, why would you dine out and pay money? 

When I left Ruby's I crossed back to the motel lot and started to pull a few more items out to take to the room, I caught a glimpse of a leak on the right rear passenger side tire...Damn!  Here I was less than 10 hours and  435 miles and here was my first Jeep "Issue" …. time to contact an old friend, who knows much about vehicles....more on that later.

So Day #1 was in the Books....not the worst, but the leak had me somewhat concerned, I didn't need a long delay to solve that, but NO delay was what I really wanted....and it turned out to be that case...

Up Next  Day #2 on to Florida....

Top Photo...the Wrangler sitting at the Hampton Inn in Athens, Tennessee....leak not visible...turned out to be a Axle Seal Leak, ended up replacing both right and left while in Naples...2nd photo, the Jeep sitting in the Drive, as I prepare it and me for the 3 week adventure/working {well not really working} trip...