We left this morning around 8:00 AM and now it's 9:30 PM and Eldy is still driving. We made a lot of stops today. Two fuel stops...We have to be careful with fuel. Some of these diesel station/truck stops are BIODIESEL--which can cause fuel filters to clog because they do such a good job of cleaning your engine's fuel system. You better have extra fuel filters on hand if you don't use bio diesel on a regular basis.We caught ourselves short at the first station when we realized ALL the pumps were biodiesel, so on we went. .We have never used this type of fuel in our Phaeton, so we didn't want to start super cleaning our engine NOW....Karen, of Travels with Karen and Al, did a great blog about using biodiesel fuel, if you would like to know more information. Here's a link to her discussion on biodiesel.
We hit a couple of rest stop stops...This one near Pensacola...It was beautiful!
It was wonderful to see the different terrain...Lots of water of course, through the panhandle of Florida....And then bye bye to large bodies of water for now until we crossed some big rivers later in the day....
Some of the interesting decor on the bridges....
Then as you move through Alabama on I-65, it gets really hilly around Montgomery...Sparky loved the changing scenery, seeing all the varieties of trees and the green hills of Alabama and Tennessee, the stone cliffs and rock walls that line the highways, a hot air balloon in the sky at dusk in Tennessee. It's great to see some different terrain besides palm trees! We're heading for the welcome center at the Kentucky/Tennessee border for our goal tonight. Overnight parking is allowed....
At any rate, Eldy hit over 752 miles today...a new driving record! Sparky doesn't know whether to be proud of him or annoyed at his insistence that he cover a lot of ground today. She's a little of both, mainly because it's not good to sit and drive for all that time, even if we did take breaks! And did Sparky help with driving...Well, no...she gets very stressed when she drives, and Eldy, bless his heart, did not want to add to her stress level with her just now starting to feel better....
We got to the Welcome Center, and although they were not completely full, the truck/RV sites were extremely narrow. They were so tight, that you'd have to worry about your automatic doorsteps maybe bumping the rig next to you, (a slight exaggeration). Both of us, as tired as we were, said, nope! Not gonna do that, so back out on the highway we went and just immediately past the welcome center was a Flying J truck stop. Yep, that will work!
Parked the rig, and got a bite to eat at Denny's...Eldy decided he wanted a grilled cheese sandwich so here's Denny's version....EWWWWWWWW! Those are breaded CHEESE STICKS sandwiched in between more melted cheese. Is that not one of the grossest food items you have seen?
Eldy said it was surprisingly good. Sparky had a RELATIVELY healthier turkey club sandwich, taking out half the bread.
We collapsed for the night. We even slept through the periodic announcements for "SHOWER #34, NOW READY" for the truckers, blaring through the parking lot speakers...Four hundred some miles left to go, piece of cake for Eldo!
See ya later......
When I was young and driving a car, I did 1,000 miles at once. Those days are gone for good!
ReplyDeleteI can't believe you covered so much distance in a day!
752 miles would take us 4 days, at least! I guess staying at a Flying J helps, but we could never drive that long.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you'll be seeing your own doctor. Peace of mind is a wonderful thing.
I'm with you on that sandwich. Does't look at all appealing.
I'm glad you found non bio-diesel fuel. The Pilot and Flying J's in Florida are all bio-diesel. We found one in Georgia, but they seem to be getting rare. We did change both fuel filters and have 2 additional sets...just in case. So far, so good. (knock on wood)
Good luck at the doctors today.
It's tough to find anything that's half ways healthy at a place like Denny's. That sandwich looks deadly. I think I would have had to give it a pass.
ReplyDeleteThat's a lot of driving, but if you have a comfy seat and a nice handling vehicle, it get it.
Good luck with your appointment.
D'oh! I meant to say "I" get it. And I do.
ReplyDeleteHoly cow. No way could we do that many miles in a day. Since I don't eat cheese that sandwich is a double yuck for me. Be safe on the rest of the journey.
ReplyDeleteThe man is on a mission, my younger days I drove to Florida for a three day weekend from Ontario 1,000 miles each way.
ReplyDeleteLove that rest area near Pensacola and the mapped trail, especially the decorated overpasses as well.
Travel safe soon home.
Well Eldy takes the cake that's for sure. 13.5 hours of driving and 752 miles I think beats Paul's top number by a long way.
ReplyDeleteLoved reading your blog today!
ReplyDeleteCummins information on Biodiesel is here http://cumminsengines.com/every/customer/biodiesel_faq.page
ReplyDeleteLarry