Tarrying at Tallahassee

Our drive from Okefenokee Swamp was scenic and comfortable as we once again chose to travel on a secondary highway, Route 6, which paralleled Interstate Highway 10. Ever since our stay at Ichetucknee Springs we’d wondered about the reason for the hundreds of acres of pine trees, planted in evenly spaced rows, which lined the roads, and the number of trucks, laden with freshly cut logs, that we passed on our day trips. A Ranger at Okefenokee solved the mystery by telling us that the land is owned by Weyerhauser. We surmised there must be a huge paper mill in the area and gave thanks that we never camped downwind of it. Route 6 cut through mile after mile of pine in all stages of growth. Black and brown patches, evidence of controlled burns, severed long sections of green.

We could hardly pass through Florida’s panhandle, on our way toward, Pensacola without stopping for a visit with Jay’s daughter, Lori; so we stopped there on Friday, April 30^th. Tallahassee was the first fairly large city we had experienced in more than a month and Chris, with Jay’s help, spent all day Saturday shopping for new shoes, jewelry, and a waterproof bag to hold our valuables while boating.

Over the previous few months we were spoiled by the sparsely populated campgrounds surrounded by trees and hiking trails and the clean, well-maintained facilities found in the state parks where we stayed. In comparison, the campground in Tallahassee was the complete opposite. We were assigned a pull-through site no more than 20’ wide (with our three slides extended we boast a 14’ wide beam) which faced a row of what one would commonly call trailer trash. At least six rusty, oxidized RVs of 60s vintage, complete with neglected inoperable junk cars, some in makeshift “garages” whose roofs had been absent for some time, was our view. We had the privilege of this vista all for three times more than what we had paid at the State Parks. We counted our blessings that our stay was only three nights.

When Chris makes an apparel purchase she and the item bond for life: Not her life, but the life of the item. Chris had lost one of her favorite gold, hoop earrings while walking around a campground one day. She and Jay retraced their steps and found it but not before a car tire had flattened, mangled and twisted it beyond use. A replacement pair was absolutely essential to her wardrobe!! Her collection of shoes was in dire need of updating and she was delighted to find exactly what she sought and all on SALE!!

Long hours at the computer had finally taken their toll on the seat cushion of Chris’ desk chair. It no longer kept even her light weight from bottoming out on the hard, metal base, her only relief a small, fluffy pillow. Saturday’s search of local office supply stores for an armless, good quality chair proved fruitless. But Chris lit up when she searched for stores on the internet and discovered a Cort Furniture store in Pensacola, our next destination. Her butt felt better already knowing it had only to endure the pain for four more days.

Lori and Sue had arranged to meet us for dinner Saturday night at a Mori Japanese Steakhouse. They had never had to make reservations before and did not this particular evening being unaware of the restaurant’s popularity due to the graduation day of a local college. The place was mobbed with the town’s cap bedecked youths and their families. All things happen for a reason and as it turned out we spent more time visiting together than we would have had there been no wait. We sipped drinks for an hour and a half at the bar catching up on events of the last year and getting to know their friends, Gary and Sandy.

The meal was worth the wait. With much fanfare and fire our chef prepared our dishes on a grill surrounded by a U-shaped table around which we sat. He cooked the food for all of us at the same time; first the vegetables, then the rice were sautéed in a mound of butter the size of a baseball and drenched with a special sauce. Then our individual meat/seafood was cooked to tender, succulent, mouthwatering perfection. Jay remarked that it was most likely the best meal he’d ever had.

Our dinner party; L-R, Lori, Sue, Sandy and Gary

Since the credit card needed to recover from the previous day’s meltdown, we spent all day Sunday catching up on the blog postings and other computer work then departed for our next campground in Niceville on Monday morning.