A couple of years ago, I did a post talking about how we left FL and drove 1350 miles in 5 days. (can read that post here) I realize most people think we were crazy to attempt that, but we did it successfully – in spite of a 2 1/2 hour repair delay on Day one. So, this year when we were planning the exact drive again, I asked Bill, “Think we can do it in 4 days?” We looked at the atlas, played with the GPS and GoogleMaps until we figured out exactly how we could make it work.

The day after Christmas my Mom came and picked up Billy. He was spending that day and night with my parents and they would get him to the airport the next day for his flight back to PA. We were on the road about 15 minutes ahead of our planned 10am departure. We had opted to take RT 19 vs 275 and 75, which we’ve done in the past.

About 45 miles into our trip, Bill someone at a red light got Bill’s attention and told him his back dually tires looked like they were smoking. He radioed me to tell me he would be pulling over ASAP. Thankfully there was a bank (which was closed since it was a Sunday) a couple of blocks in front of us that he was able to pull into. Sure enough, the brakes were HOT on that side.

After allowing some time for the brakes to cool off, he removed the tires to try and see what was going on. He decided fairly quickly that there was nothing left of the brake pads and the caliper was hanging up. So, a complete brake job was needed. Thankfully, there was an O’Reilly within walking distance and an Advance Auto only 1/2 mile away and between the two we were able to get all the parts needed. Bill had all the necessary tools. The whole repair (including returning the “core” for the caliper) only took about 2 hours and we were back on our way.

I’m so grateful someone alerted him to the issue. Even though I keep a watch on things, there was no way I could have seen smoke coming from a passenger-side truck tire.

We arrived at our first destination, the Walmart in Marianna FL without further problems. 315 miles down – 1035 to go.

With the excitement of the first day over, we looked forward to (hopefully) easier days – and we weren’t disappointed.

The end of day two had us pulling into the Bass Pro in Denham Springs, LA. 367 miles done that day for a total of 682 – 668 to go.

Our final night on the road had us at another Walmart, this time in Canton TX. Longest day at 369 miles, total 1051 – 299 left for day four.

It was an exciting day on day four, knowing we would be at our next location, with Steven and Linda at Live Oak Ranch in Merkel TX, for longer than one night. Callie was about DONE with her crate. While she is fine once she’s in, getting her in becomes a bit more difficult each day, with little protest “mews.” Day four 299 miles – 1350 total!

In the past, when we’ve arrived for friend visits, we’ve hopped out of the truck/car and gotten big welcoming hugs. This time we had to pass a test first – our first-ever COVID test. We are fully vaxxed and are very diligent about masking, but Linda’s parents are older and felt more comfortable with us having an official negative test before hugging commenced, so we happily obliged. It was the least we could do, after all, they were welcoming us to their home.

So, our hugs and hello’s waited the 15 minutes it took to complete the tests and get our negative results. While waiting for the results, it occurred to me we hadn’t had a discussion about what would happen if (God forbid) they had been positive. It was so good to see everyone and meet their daughter Zoe for the first time.

Relaxing, cooking, celebrating the New Year, and planning our Europe trip were all on the agenda – and happily, we got it all done! Well, the Europe trip planning will be more involved and time-consuming, but we got the broad strokes worked out.

Steven and Linda (of The Chouters & Bijou) have been traveling in Europe for almost three years now. They would love for you to follow along with them! Steven is an excellent and very talented photographer and their blog is filled with some amazing photos! Bill and I are planning to get a little taste of it when we join them later this year, exploring Ireland and Scotland. We will be renting a motorhome and spending about five weeks between the two countries.

Before long, sadly, it was time for moving on. At least we were comforted that when we see them next, it won’t be another two years AND it will be during a very exciting time while traveling in different countries! Still – goodbyes are never easy!

While in FL, we learned that friends, Mary and Rollie would be workamping along the way from Merkel to Spring Branch, so we made a reservation to stop and see them for one night. We pulled into Lake Brownwood State Park at about 2:30pm. Mary made us a delicious dinner and we talked well into the evening chatting. Thank you so much for dinner – it was great seeing you both!

The following day we arrived at the Center for Mental Wellness – and Cori, Greg, and Tripp! More about that next time!

p.s. it sure feels good to be caught up on the blog!

Previous Post: FL 2021 and Arwen’s First Birthday

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