THE HOME STRETCH

Day 151 - 2015-09-18 - Mileage 192 (19,570)

We went to Natchez MS today.  We had been intending to visit here for a while and this was a good opportunity.  We got in about 1:00 and went to the visitor’s center to buy tickets for a couple of antebellum home tours.  We went to Rosalie and Longwood.  I won’t go into the story of each one, but suffice it to say, we think we could spend a few days here and tour 3 homes a day, as well as take in the vibe of the “Under the Hill” section – along the river below the bluff where all the rich folks lived.  This city was spared the devastation of the Union’s Civil War strategy of burning everything in its wake, so much of the old downtown and residences are still intact.  Quite an interesting city that we will visit again.  Here are the two homes we visited today.

Day 152 - 2015-09-19 - Mileage 345 (19,915)

It was a driving day today.  We took Hwy 84 across MS and into Alabama.  We turned south and found ourselves at Florala (Yes, exactly on the Florida/Alabama border) State Park.  This is set on a nice lake, almost in the city of Florala, AL.  It’s been a while since I thought a campsite deserved a picture.  This one qualifies.

Day 153 - 2015-09-20 - Mileage 215 (20,130)

We made our way to St George Island State Park today.  Backroads out of Florala, a bit of I-10, and Hwy’s 69 and 98 through Apalachicola, then about 20 more miles to the park.  We are TRULY in Florida now.  We set up camp and went to the beach.  Few patrons, clear green warm water – we soaked to our heart’s content.

Day 154 - 2015-09-21 - Mileage 20 (20,150)

We just hung out at the beach today - along with hundreds of our closest jellyfish buddies.  The beach was littered with them.  So many that we did not go into the water for fear of stings.  We consoled ourselves with dinner at the Blue Parrot – gulf front dining on a nice patio. Shrimp was excellent, as was my old friend Sweetwater 420 IPA (Atlanta GA).

Day 155 - 2015-09-22 - Mileage 227 (20,377)

We made a stopover at Rainbow Springs State Park as our last night on the road.  We have kayaked the river before and wanted to see if the park would be a good place to stay if we want to do it again.  Turns out the answer is yes, so we’ll be back for a bit of a longer stay at some point.  The river was clear and pretty, although you really can’t see it in the picture.

Day 155 - 2015-09-23 – THE END

We made it home about 2:00 today.  To say the trip was special would be an understatement.  We aren’t really glad or sad to be home.  We did everything we wanted to do on the trip, we took our time, and now it’s over and we are home.  The house made it through our absence with flying colors.  Even my Gerry-rigged boat cover extension made it through the summer sun and storms.  Things look pretty good as we start to plan our next adventure.

So, here’s the Bottom Line on this trip:

Days on the Road:                            156

Miles Traveled:                                 20,477

Time Behind the Wheel:                    578 Hours, 36 minutes

Fuel Consumed:                               1,558.2 Gallons

Fuel Economy:                                 13.1 MPG

This will be the last post to this blog.  To those of you who took the trip with us, thanks and we hope you enjoyed it.  We certainly did.