Part #10...the Florida Trip, Final Chapter, Heading Home

Heading Home, with one more glitch...

Got up before sunrise on Sunday {October 27th} and took the Jeep for a ride to Tom's workplace, the Stables between Astor and DeLand, Florida...River and Horse Country for sure. Tom introduced me to several of his co~workers, some of the horses he takes care of, and then we said our good~byes, and I head back down the muddy sand road and back towards Highway 40...I had the phone GPS plugged into getting back to I-75 and off I went towards Ocala.

I had plans to stop and spend the night somewhere in Tennessee or southern Kentucky, but as it turned out, I was making great time...so I stopped south of Atlanta to get some Currant Jelly for Patricia and her Christmas Cookies....she used to make thousands a year, but has cut that back to several hundred, still a lot of baking...lucky for us she gives them as presents to family and friends, and I get to look at them and enjoy a couple, but not many, thus allowing me to keep my weight down over the Holidays....I stopped for gas and the jelly at an old place called the Magnolia Plantation...it's been

there for years, so long that we used to stop there on our way back to Florida from our Ohio Vacations, back in the late 50s and early 60s...Brother Mike and I would buy several boxes of Fireworks, illegal in Florida at the time, and take them back to Venice, and raise some Hell in the neighborhood.  The old building, located just off I-75 looks much the same as it did 60 years ago...located near Tifton, Georgia, back in the day it was located on US 41, which still runs next to the Interstate in that location.

The traffic on this Sunday, at least heading north, wasn't that bad around Atlanta this time...so before I knew it I was in Tennessee and got to Kentucky before dark...so it hit me...I might as well head for home.  If the traffic stayed steady, I would make it home before Midnight...well, the traffic was OK, except for some major construction delays in southern Kentucky before Lexington...however, the Jeep had one more "surprise" in store for me as I got closer to Ohio.

After getting past the Capitol City, I stopped for fuel and coffee between Lexington and Cincinnati...and that's when I heard the noise...a major clicking sound, in what I though was the right front wheel.  Well Hell, it was Sunday Night, I could drive on and see what shook out, after all I have had AAA Plus for well over 30 years, and the towing is free, if I got to within 100 miles of Celina {I was about 175 out at this time} I could just have it towed home, so on I went.

As I crossed the bridge into Cincinnati over the Ohio River...BANG! A pop and the ABS and several other Yellow Warning Lights went on...they weren't Red, so I figured I could maybe make it to the Rest Area some 15 miles north.  I did, called youngest son Hal, who lives about 15 miles north of the rest stop, he told me he would make up a bed and I could stay there if I made it....I did.

Actually the probably, although expensive{another $335}, was not disabling, so I spent the night, went fishing with the Grandson's, who didn't have school {they switch between home schooling and a Christian School on rotating days}...we caught several, as Hal joined us at lunch.  I had read up on the ABS problem and realized that it was not disabling, so after lunch I headed home, arriving early afternoon...the Jeep would eventually get back in the shop, not once, but twice, for other issues...the most costly part of the trip was the Jeep, at around $1500 in repairs{one with the 4WD was not trip related however}...I still have not got my "refund" from the coverage I had placed on the Wrangler when I purchased it...but that will come, hopefully, before Christmas.

Anyway, that is it...my 3 week adventure was done, just in time for Cold Weather to arrive here in Western Ohio....

If I don't post again before the New Year, Merry Christmas and a Happy 2020 to all...

back later>>>>actually I will post one more batch of  photos, some of my favorites, from the trip, in the next couple of days....today, you have the Jeep, before it's issues, the Old and Somewhat Famous, Magnolia Plantation, Patricia's Cookies, and Kasyn the oldest grandson...not from our fishing that day, but earlier in the summer on Grand Lake...

Back with a full house of trip photos....later!