Beach and mountains in one trip
Friday, June 7 – An odd-numbered year meant another Florida family vacation. Timing and other commitments proved problematic. First Carolyn’s family dropped out. Scott and Julia started full-time jobs and also had to cancel. Finally, Mom, worried about Dave’s condition and the long drive, backed out as well.
Michelle, Lynne and Jim left in Lynne’s Odyssey minivan a little before 5:00 A.M. Construction on I-74 had closed the onramp from Colerain so we caught the expressway at North Bend Road, taking advantage of the route to stop at a drive-through for coffee. The day was overcast as we set out. We stopped for breakfast at the McDonald’s in Berea, the same one we had hit the previous Florida trip. We opted for I-75 to Knoxville and I-40 rather than 25E and were rewarded with pea-soup fog making the climb from Jellico. As we neared Newport the rain started falling and was coming down in a torrent as we drove through the Pigeon River gap, letting up as we made our way into North Carolina.
Just before the Canton exit, traffic slowed to a crawl and a Highway Patrol car shot past us on the shoulder. We exited at Canton where Apple Maps on the phone managed to get us going 180 degrees wrong on the Asheville Highway. Once righted, we paralleled I-40, rejoining I-40 past the problem area at Wiggins Road. We slowed again at the I-26 interchange but traffic was soon flowing smoothly despite some pesky rain. We stopped for lunch in Columbus, North Carolina, and the highway ramps used roundabouts at their intersections with U.S. 74. The line at Wendy’s reminded us why we usually packed a picnic for the first day.
We had planned to leave I-26 in Newberry and take U.S. 321 down to Hardeeville but the light traffic in South Carolina persuaded us to follow our usual route. Columbia produced the expected jams and had a couple of slowdowns on the way to I-95 but much better going than we had been experiencing. Tropical Storm Andrea had blown through the low country the night before but we had sunny skies once past Columbia and on the way to Savannah. Our stop was at the Baymont on the south side of Savannah and we walked across the street to Sonic for al fresco dining.
Saturday, June 8 – We always plan to take our time on Saturday so we don’t arrive in New Smyrna too early. That plan never works. After breakfast at the Baymont (bit of a disappointment, given what we paid for it) we set out on 95 south. For the second day in a row, the McDonald’s we stopped at for coffee said their latte maker wasn’t working so Lynne was latte-less the drive down. In Jacksonville we took a sightseeing detour, first to Everbank Field (formerly the Gator Bowl) to see where the Jaguars play, then to see Fort Caroline National Memorial. Our Garmin did its best to make that trip a mess giving us directions that didn’t match the roads we were on and telling us to turn left or right whenever there was a bend in the road. We finally arrived at the Theodore Roosevelt area in Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve. We never did find the entrance to the Fort Caroline section and were now a good 45 minutes into our 8 mile detour to see the fort, so we gave up and headed back to I-95.
A couple of miles north of the 44 exit, we came upon an accident. A car was on its back in the median. The accident must have just happened; no emergency vehicles were there yet, but there were plenty of people already pulled over and lending hand. Despite the nearly hour-long detour in Jacksonville and stopping for lunch in Ormond Beach, we still arrived at the Hacienda del Sol II around 1:00 P.M. Last time we had gotten there early, we had to sit around the clubhouse for an hour because our unit wasn’t ready. This time we were able to get right in, running into Alex and Penny in the parking lot as we started to unload, and Cliff’s family as we wheeled the luggage cart up to our room. We were in room 414. Cliff was in 507 and Alex in 308. Cliff’s unit was the same one the Lawrences were in two years before.
Our unit was very nicely decorated but the light switches defied logic. First order of business was a run to Publix. Michelle hit the beach and pool without putting on sunblock first. Not a good idea. Alex and the kids had some excitement when two lifeguards and a helicopter came out to see if they were alright. Storms moved in later in the afternoon and it was pouring rain when Cliff, Alex and Jim ran up to Manny’s for the traditional first night pizza dinner. Cliff wanted to watch the Belmont so we got a late start and ate a very late dinner.
Sunday, June 9 – Saw dolphins in the morning. The sunrise was not very good due to the lingering overcast from the previous day’s storms. The water was cool in the ocean and we were at high tide so we abandoned the beach after an hour or so and spent the rest of the morning at the pool. After lunch Jim and Lynne stopped by Bethune Park to see the manatees. A very lazy, nap-filled afternoon was capped with dinner at Touch of Italy.
Monday, June 10 – Beach and pool in the morning, followed by a lazy afternoon. Lynne and Jim drove around a little while out shopping for sundries to see what was different (not much) and what was the same (just about everything). Michelle opted to eat with the Diersings who were grilling out. Jim and Lynne ate at Mi Mexico.
Tuesday, June 11 – Cliff and Alex went golfing so everyone else from their group opted for the pool over the beach. We joined them until lunchtime. After lunch, Jim went to Bethune to see the manatees. It was bright and sunny at the Hacienda but was pouring rain in Bethune Beach. Overcast and rumbles of thunder followed him back but it didn’t rain back at the condo. Dinner at the condo. The overcast lasted through the evening.
Wednesday, June 12 – Jim and Lynne had breakfast at C’s Waffles in the shopping center where the Food Lion had been. Laundry in the morning followed by pool and beach. In the afternoon we went to S’mores for ice cream. No overcast at all; bright and sunny all day. Ate dinner in
Thursday, June 13 – Jim and Lynne drove out to Deland to see if it looked like a possible retirement spot and decided it didn’t. No sign of the Diersings in the morning. Michelle opted to stay out of the sun. Jim and Lynne hit the pool. Lunch at Chase’s and it was hot and muggy. Jim and Michelle went to Bethune to see the manatees in the afternoon. We were still pretty full from lunch so we skipped the restaurants and drove up to Daytona. The car said it was 97 degrees when we got there. We played the Kahuna Falls course at Hawaiian Falls mini golf. Jim won. We stopped at Cow Licks for ice cream on the way back. At the New Smyrna airpot, we saw the DC-7 that is supposed to become a restaurant some day.
Friday, June 14 – Breakfast at Manny’s. The ocean was the best it had been so for in the morning, perfect for floating and bobbing on the waves. Lynne ran over to the International Deli and picked up some Napoleons after lunch – they were superb. This was Alex and Pen’s last night so we all went out to eat at Hidden Treasure in Rose Bay. Skies looked threatening on the drive up but the rain held off until after we ate. Instead, we sat outside in muggy, stifling air without a hint of a breeze. The food was very good at least. When we got back to the Hacienda del Sol, an Amazon box was sitting inside the storm door of our unit – Lynne’s first delivery while on vacation.
Saturday, June 15 – Jim walked to Surfside and back barefoot, a three mile round trip and ended up with the blisters to prove it. Jim and Lynne drove out to Myrtle Park to see a remnant of the original canal system built by Turnbull’s original settlers and drove around looking at real estate in Port Orange before eating brunch at Mom’s on U.S. 1. Alex and crew left for Cincinnati in the morning. We barely saw Cliff’s crew at all. Ate dinner in.
Sunday, June 16 – Overcast in the morning. Lynne hung out by the pool, Jim drove around photographing wildlife, and Michelle sat around the condo. Between the cloudy weather, the U.S. Open on TV, bug bites and early rising, the afternoon turned into a very lazy affair. Dinner at P.J.’s. We sat in the air conditioned section for a change. The sun finally decided to come out while we were eating and the air quickly turned stifling.
Monday, June 17 – Rain in the morning. Packing day of sorts; we ran the laundry, did some clean up and put a few things we weren’t going to use again in the car. Jim’s feet were still bothering him so he skipped the morning pool session. Lynne met a man named Michael Ford who had written a book about JFK’s assassination that was due to be published later this summer. He struck up a conversation with her after noticing her with her Kindle down by the pool every day. Large thunderstorms erupted in the afternoon, emptying out the pool and beach. We ate dinner at Pappa’s and stopped at Publix for travel snacks and antacids
Tuesday, June 18 – We were out of the Hacienda del Sol II by 7:00 despite our lack of concern of an early start. As Lynne said, it’s in our DNA to hit the road early. Traffic was very light on I-95. Breakfast was at a Cracker Barrel in Palm Coast. The parking lot was nearly empty, as was the restaurant, a very different experience from the usual. In South Carolina we decided to try route 321 which runs almost directly north from Hardeeville to Columbia since we were in no hurry. The road was in sad shape in the low country, with potholes and lots of places where the roadway was sliding to the right. There were also lots of small towns that slowed us down and it felt like we weren’t making any progress.
After 1:00 we finally found a town large enough to support a restaurant, Clara’s Fried Chicken and More in Fairfax. The fried chicken was good but the sides ranged from okay to abyssmal. Continuing up 321, we passed through Denmark, Sweden and Norway, entered North from the south and left North from the north, and finally made it to I-77 just outside Columbia. According to the Garmin, the shortcut added about an hour to the trip. Hardeeville to Columbia is 140 miles of interstate. 321 shaved 13 miles off but took longer. So much for that experiment.
The Garmin took us through construction and downtown Pineville to the Sheraton Four Points. Thunderstorms erupted as we headed out for dinner at Applebee’s but the sun was back out by the time we finished eating. We had a nice large room in the Sheraton with plenty of electrical outlets for chargers – a very good thing in the age of portable electronics!
Wednesday, June 19 – Michelle and Jim went to Carowinds while Lynne stayed back at the Four Points for a day of relaxation, room service and lounging by the pool. Michelle got rides in on all the junior and adult coasters except for Vortex which was down for the day. She started feeling queasy in the afternoon so she and Jim returned to the hotel. Once she was feeling better, we all ate breakfast for dinner at IHOP.
Thursday, June 20 – Left Charlotte on I-77. Caught a glimpse of the Panther’s stadium as we passed downtown. Traffic was heavier than we expected but we made it to Mount Airy before noon. Lynne was disappointed the town didn’t look more like Mayberry but after a stop at the visitor’s center, we saw Floyd’s Barber Shop, the playhouse and museum with the statue of Sheriff Taylor and Opie by the fishing hole, the house where Andy Griffith grew up. On the way out of town we saw the North Carolina Granite Corporation’s quarry, the largest in the world according to the visitors center, and the source of the stone used in the World War II memorial on the national mall.
Our GPS had us take U.S. 52 out of Mount Airy north through Fancy Gap to catch I-77. While eating lunch, Jim booked a room at the Hampton Inn in downtown Gatlinburg. Our estimated arrival time was around 5:00. We hit massive congestion on the stretch where I-77 and I-81 overlap and took an hour and a half to travel ten miles. The congestion was all caused by a backlog on I-81 northbound, but brought both lanes to a crawl. With rest stops and gassing up the car, as well as Sevierville and Pigeon Forge traffic, we didn’t get into Gatlinburg until 6:45. Walked next door to TGI Friday’s for dinner. Our room was small, but otherwise very nice, with a balcony overlooking the creek, and the Ober Gatlinburg Tramway across the street.
Friday, June 21 – Michelle had trouble getting to sleep so we let her go as long as we could in the morning, spending our time listening to the water tumbling in the creek beside the balcony and shopping for some fudge. As check-out time approached, we got Michelle up, packed and headed over to the Wild Plum Tea Room for lunch. It was as good as we remembered. The Garmin had us take Dudley Creek back from East Parkway to catch the parkway up through Pigeon Forge and Sevierville. Traffic was not too bad and we made decent time through Tennessee and Kentucky on I-40 and I-75, with just a little rain here and there. The Garmin, which totally tanked on the congestion that hit us on I-77, finally remembered it was set up to receive traffic alerts and warned of congestion on I-75 between I-275 and Cincinnati. We took I-275 west to bypass the mess, catching I-74 to take us home. Since tradition had pretty much gone out the window this trip, we skipped Skyline for our welcome home dinner and ordered pizza instead.
Milestones on this trip: Bored Michelle going to Andy Griffith’s home town.
States and provinces we visited: Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Virginia, Indiana.
Capital cities we saw: Columbia.
