"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...
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