A Hard Day's Drive from Macon

By the time we left Macon at 8:00 a.m., we were happy to get on the road for our last day. Traffic was steady but not too heavy in the cold foggy morning, in temperatures hovering around 40F. We made great time to the Florida Welcome Center, full of northerners in fleece jackets and jeans. Still, the free orange juice was delicious and we were in Florida, after all.

Cold and foggy at Florida Welcome Center

I drove a hundred miles or so to the well equipped and super clean Petro Ocala where we got gas and a bite at Wendy's. By now we were into the Florida weather we had hoped for and we stripped off a layer of clothing. Fortunately Bob got back behind the wheel, because not far down the road our progress slowed and we crawled on I75 for about an hour, moving only a mile or so.

Pile-up on I75 South, about 14 miles from I275.

Finally, a police car made its way through the two jammed lanes of traffic, stopping a few hundred yards away. We slowly went by an accident involving at least four large vehicles on the left, each rammed into the one ahead of it. Another SUV on the right side of the freeway had a smashed front end.

It was a sobering sight. Traffic sped up and we were soon on I275 toward the Tampa Bay area. The Sunday afternoon congestion around TPA was horrendous. Fast and crazy. These drivers were not graduates of the Bob Hennessey School of Driving.

Checked into Sunrise Resort at about 4:00 p.m. 83F on the deck. Took care of unpacking and grocery shopping and we finished the day looking out at Boca Ciega Bay, beverages in hand.

Florida pics.