Our time in FL, as always, went so fast! Before we knew it, holidays were celebrated and it was time for moving on. We had quite the ambitious travel schedule planned. People might ask – since we are full-timers, shouldn’t we slow down and not be in such a rush? It’s a completely valid question and here’s my reply: I don’t like to shorten our time with my family in FL, neither did I want to miss a single day on the arrival side in TX, so we opted for the 1350 miles in 5 days.

Day 1: 313 miles Clearwater to Marianna FL Walmart

Since we were going to boondock at a Walmart, we weren’t in a huge hurry to leave, in spite of the amount of miles. We lifted our jacks and were on our way by about 9:30am. Things went smoothly until we stopped for a potty break in the town of Chiefland. Bill did his walk around and found this:

You may be looking at the above pic and saying “That doesn’t look good!” or you might be saying “What is that?” It is the hanger that attaches the axle to the frame. The weld broke – NOT GOOD! Thank goodness Bill is so diligent in keeping an eye on our equipment! Long time readers may recall we’ve had this exact issue (and it was the exact same spot!) before, back in fall of 2017 in Campbellsville KY.

The problem was it was the day after Christmas and we weren’t sure we’d find anyone open. And we had lots of miles still in front of us, as this happened about 150 miles from Clearwater. Bill called a place and when a machine answered, saying they were “unable to answer the call right now” he took the car and went to see if maybe someone was in a shop area. The recording didn’t say they were closed, but apparently they were.

On the way back, he noticed a custom motorcycle shop about a block up, so he walked there to see if he could find help. The owner of the shop, Jones Performance Cycles, was there and came to take a look. He said he could help us! Bill, very slowly and carefully, drove to the shop so the owner, Chris, could clean off the old weld. He then told us we would need to drive to his home where he kept his larger welding machine.

Chris hopped in the truck with Bill and I followed in the car. He took it very slowly. Chris led him into his yard and Bill parked beside his garage in the backyard. Chris brought out his welder, and the cord was about 5 feet too short for him to reach the rig. We couldn’t park any closer due to the roofline of the garage. Oh no!

Bill, thinking quickly, asked Chris if he minded if he built an extension cord? Bill explained what he did for a living and said he had plenty of appropriate wire onboard. Thankfully, Chris was willing! In about 10 minutes, the extension was set up and Chris began working on our repair. He did an amazing job!

Afterward, Bill removed the extension and restored his electric panel. Chris hopped back in the truck, and we headed back toward his shop. He got out at the corner and walked back, so we could easily make the left and we back on our way. What a great guy! If you ever need a repair in the Chiefland FL area or a custom motorcycle, look up Chris Jones at Jones Performance Cycles!

What was supposed to be a 5-minute potty break turned into a 2 1/2 hour repair stop, but we are grateful it wasn’t worse. I am also grateful that I opted to route us on RT 19, verses I75. I don’t even want to think about how that could have went had Bill discovered the issue at a rest area on I75. Would have been WAY worse! We would have been driving at full highway speeds and the potential for damage would have been much greater. In addition, we would have either needed a mobile welder to come out or possibly a tow. Either of those would have been significantly more expensive and time-consuming than it was.

Even with the “not in a hurry” start time and 2 1/3 hour repair stop, we still made it to our original planned stop, the SuperWalmart in Marianna FL. We don’t prefer to arrive in the dark, but we figured Walmart parking lots are generally well lit, and we were right. We went in and grabbed a couple items, ate some dinner, watched some TV and fell asleep.

Day 2: 299 miles to Slidell LA Elks Lodge

We woke fairly early and after some breakfast, Bill went to fill the car with gas, and then the truck with diesel. He prefers to go without the trailer, as it is much easier and usually less expensive than using a truck stop. We were on the road around 9:30am.

It was an easy ride, to the Elks Lodge in Slidell LA, which was welcomed after the previous days’ excitement. They have a camp host to greet us and help us decide on a site. We choose to back up so we could have a view of their large pond out our back window. What a beautiful location! Sadly, the lodge was closed that evening, but we didn’t mind relaxing at home.

Day 3: 333 miles to Shreveport LA Elks Lodge

We were back on the road early, considering we had our longest travel day of the five in front of us. I had looked on their website and knew the lodge would be open for business, and there would be dinner. I was happy we wouldn’t have to cook!

Finding the lodge was no problem at all, GPS got us there easily. Parking was also easy as there were brand new, level cement parking sites. Bill got us parked, I got Callie settled after pushing out the slides, and we headed inside for an adult beverage and something to eat.

What a fantastic and welcoming lodge! There was a basketball game on and people were wearing colors! Dinner was pot luck and I felt bad not bringing anything. I was told not to worry as we were guests – AND – as first-time guests, our first drink was on the house. We sat at the bar, chatting with the regulars. One person, in particular, was very interested in our lifestyle and we talked to him for quite a while. Turns out he was the chef and was in the process of cooking his first turducken. We discovered that he was originally from NJ, so we knew lots of the same places. Was a very fun evening!

Day 4: 210 miles to Arlington TX Elks Lodge

Knowing this would be a shorter day, we were not in a hurry to get moving. We wanted to arrive by 3:00, so we left about 10am.

We enjoyed another easy day, as we were arrived and parked by 3:15pm. Dinner was going to be with a friend from high school, Gary, and his husband, Ernesto. They came to pick us up after we were settled. They accepted our invite to take the tour of our home.

Since they know the area better, I was happy when Ernesto offered to drive. Gary had chosen a locally owned restaurant, Babe’s Chicken Dinner House. Gary had been wanting to take Ernesto there and since it was close by, it was the perfect opportunity!

Babe’s did not disappoint! The decor was interesting, it felt like you were eating outdoors, as there were storefronts surrounding the dining room. Food was served family-style, which was nice since you got to then taste everything!

Thanks again to Gary & Ernesto for a wonderful evening! We loved finally meeting Ernesto and catching up! Hope it isn’t so long til we see you next!

Day 4: 195 miles to Live Oak Ranch, Merkel TX

In spite of this being our shortest drive day, I was anxious to get moving! We were going to be seeing Steven & Linda and staying with them at her parents place, Live Oak Ranch in Merkel TX! We were both very excited!

We did heed Gary & Ernesto’s advice and waited until after rush hour(s). Dallas/Fort Worth area is known for its terrible traffic and we all know by now how I HATE traffic!

Once we were on our way, after bottoming out our bicycles on the back getting out of the driveway, it was another easy drive day, straight west out I20. Linda had sent directions, but they got lost in translation somewhere and instead of following the GPS, I attempted to follow hers. Turned out to be a mistake, as she told me the wrong exit number and after the first turn, nothing matched. Luckily we had a phone signal and I called to say “HELP!” She and Steven met us at a corner and led us where we needed to go. Whew!

We got all parked and set up beside the large Live Oak that (I assume) the property is named for. We had a great view out our back window of an open field. We were so happy to sitting still for a few days!

1350 miles in 5 days – we don’t necessarily encourage travel like that. Most people think we are nuts when we do it, but I already explained the logic in the opening paragraph. We don’t do it very often and I’m glad!

Next up: Happy 2020!

Previous post: https://bkamericanodyssey.com/2020/02/21/fl-2019-highlights/

Bill and I would like to thank all our loyal readers! We appreciate each one of you! If you are a new reader, we’d like to invite you to sign up to receive an email with each new post. You can find the “follow blog via email” button to the side and below. Thanks so much!

We also invite you to check out our Stuff You Need Page and use our Amazon Affiliate link. You can also click “search here”. You can still use your Amazon Prime. You can choose to purchase one of our pre-picked items and/or anything else you need from Amazon. Thanks so much!

Did you know we have Facebook and Instagram pages? Its fun to follow us there!

Please let us know you are out there by commenting below! We LOVE hearing from our readers!