Day 12- The Home Stretch

So we are up by alarm clock at 7ish and checking all systems and fluid levels, we roll out about 8-8:15 as we have a solid drive.   I pretty much already know that our goal of being home by 6PM isn't going to happen without a teleporter or warp engine on the coach (Lucy's class starts at 6:30), but I feel good that we will make it home for me to be at work the following morning.

We get out and rolling down US 231 toward Panama City, FL and make a left on FL 73 and head toward Marianna (the day before this was the secondary goal to stay at the state park and tour the cavern when the park opened, but oh well....).  All goes well and soon we are on I-10 humming east.

As the morning is coolish, I'm rolling the rig up around 3,000 RPM and the alternator belt is quiet and we are making time around 75 or so MPH.   Too good to last, the belt starts squealing 30 minutes later and I have to back it down to about 68MPH or to keep it from squealing.  I dunno maybe it was the engine's way of saying to break her in gently (although she now has almost 2,000 miles on her).

The speedo is off, but this is about 67-68 and the top of my ability with the semi loose belt....

The hours roll by, we take a right on I-75 and stop for lunch in Lake City, FL.  We get back on the road and hit the turnpike.  The GMC having 6 wheels is classified as a 3 axle vehicle, although it really only has one axle up front.   Anyway, those extra two wheels basically double the turnpike charges and I'm none to keen to spend $30 to use a road for 250 miles.   As on the way up, we take it from I-75 to Kissimmee and get off.   Cost was about $5 as they get you for the stretch between Orlando and South Florida.   On the way up I took I-95 and US 192 to the turnpike in Kissimmee as it's only 12 miles longer than the turnpike (and about 20-25 min).  We roll down the turnpike and soon are whizzing through Orlando...

I get off in Kissimmee and beat my way east through St. Cloud.  It's not bad, just about 30 traffic lights to stop at and it gets a little monotonous.   Soon we are humming along on US 192 east and I come up on Holopaw Junction.   From my many trips to the Cooperative Motor Works I have found that taking 441 South to Okeechobee, FL and the FL 710 BeeLine to WPB, to be about the same amount of time in the motorhome.

At the last second, I bust a right at the blinking yellow light I first turned on in 1983 with my buddy Johnny K. and make haste south.

I love this road as there is nearly zero traffic and so relaxing.   Also my daughter likes to yell out the window at the cows to make them look up.  A short time later we are soon at FL 60 and the famous YeeHaw Junction.

About  60 minutes later we are in Okeechobee, FL and driving past Sirum's GMC

Sirum's is another GMC restoration shop in Florida.  I feel blessed to have so many options in Florida to keep these wonderful machines churning the highways and byways.   As you can see the parking lot is empty as it is after hours.   I have passed Jeff's shop a hundred times and yet they are always outside of  business hours.  One day, I will introduce myself when they are open!

From here it's only 90 minutes to the barn and this is very familiar ground and we waste no time in burning up the miles....

We arrive at the house about 12 hours after leaving Dothan, AL and are quite happy to be home.  I dump the sewer tank, we unload and I pack her up the side yard and get ready to get back to the daily grind......