Interim Update #1,261

On February 7th we decamped and, after re-provisioning a bit, set our course east, on Interstates 8, 10, and 12, mostly 10, headed for Florida, for les rendezvous with friends, family, and a reunion at Mousetopia. It is our 8th cross-country trip since retirement, our fifth in Le Sport. We are both native Floridians, so the trip is just bursting with meaning. 

Presently, February 13th, we are Wally-docked in Spanish Fort, Alabama, alongside fellow travelers Kathy and Rick (Travelin'Tortuga.com), whom we have known since 2010, meeting up on various continents over the years. After a stint hereabouts, they are headed back west, then north, for a summer traversing Canada. We had a pleasant dinner and evening together talking about--what else?--travel, past and future. 

Today, we will dip down into Florida, with stops eventually along the Redneck Riviera, Pensacola, Tallahassee, Bushnell, Orlando/Kissimmee, and then Ft. Lauderdale. By the end of March, we will have worked our way back north, visiting some of the coastal cities of the southeast, before returning to our eastern base in Knoxville. And whither then? Europe! Stay tuned.

One of the most significant commercial marvels in the South is
Buc-ees, the largest of all convenience stores; Vicki had learned of
them through her voluminous reading and contacts; from the highway
they look like enormous truck stops: but, no! no trucks! seriously;
above, me, with Buc-ee; we did not go inside; diesel was $3.39/gal,
which explains most of it

Baytown, TX: alpenglow on a refinery stack

Rick and Kathy, fellow travelers, with Travelin' Tortuga

Designing personal apparel for Mousetopia...