The plan was to get up bright and early, pack the last few items and head out. This plan; however, was made without consideration that we would spend Friday evening having a wonderful send-off dinner with our dear friends in Vero Beach or that upon arriving home the only thing that would be packed would be our bed with us and good intentions of an early rise.
The sun rose at 6:45. We rose somewhat later and only a little hungover and to this forecast:
Now being fairly cautious people we figured that, even though it probably wouldn’t come ashore or be too strong if it did, we should probably put the shutters on before leaving for 3 weeks. After all it is August and the peak of the season. Fortunately we had already put the big shutters on the back sliders and front door for a little added security and peace of mind so it only delayed our departure an hour to hang the rest.
Of course, all the while we’re being delayed, the weather is closing in from the south. But when finally the dogs and cat and perishable food and last minute this-and-that had been loaded we pulled out to a cloudy and only slightly breezy morning… and got a mile down the road before we had to pull over and check the load that had now had a chance to move around a bit.
And then the storm front hit…
Now we’ve only had this rig a week or so and most of that time it’s been sitting in the driveway. The few miles I had driven from and to and from the dealership and to Jensen Beach and back hadn’t really prepared me for the fun I was about to have heading up the turnpike with a stiff crosswind, tailwind, crosswind, no wind, WTF-gusting wind, etc. Luckily by the time we reached Ft Pierce I was a bit stressed but we had gotten in front of the front and it was clear sailing for the rest of the day.
One frustrating thing about living a ways down America’s wang is that it takes so long to get out of it, specially if you’re heading west. So at the end of day one we have made it to Pensacola and logged 570 miles.
