6th trip south (TS6) plan

I am not sure why I bother to announce a trip “plan” because if recent history is a guide the actual trip will bear little resemblance. But I am either a creature of habit or an optimistic fool – or some combination thereof.

This will be our 6th trip from New England to Florida, hence the “Sixth Trip South” designation. I won’t be dawdling much because (1) Jett’s health is rather delicate and I think a longer-than-necessary trip will be considered torture by some, including her, and (2) I want to arrive in Ft Myers a month before the election so that I can participate. I have already signed up to be a poll worker in Lee County, Florida.

That said, this won’t be a straight shot down I-95. For one, we have to avoid New York City and Philadelphia, as always. I also want to get to the Virginia Beach area to do a little genealogical research. So, yeah, a little diversion. But otherwise pretty straight.

My plan has us traveling 1,685 miles in 8 hops over 17 days. The itinerary:

• 2 nights in Saugerties NY. I hope to spend a few hours exploring this area of the Hudson River Valley.
• 1 night in Kutztown PA. This is just an overnight but is close enough to Pennsylvania Dutch country that maybe we can get a good country meal.
• 4 nights in College Park MD. This is the “visit the kids” stop, but in Maryland rather than Virginia. We have stayed at Cherry Hill Park before and love it, though I doubt we will love it as much in the pandemic.
• 3 nights near Virginia Beach. I hope to find a few graves of my colonial ancestors and maybe get a glimpse of the Yorktown battlefield too.
• 3 nights in Myrtle Beach SC. This should be an R&R stop, weather permitting. The hop from Virginia Beach to Myrtle Beach is the longest of the trip and will require a refueling stop.
• 2 nights near Savannah GA. I don’t have any specific plans for the day here, but there are some interesting cemeteries nearby and maybe I can get some fried green tomatoes for Jett.
• 1 night at Salt Springs FL. This is just an overnight but is part of my attempt to avoid I-4 on this trip.

The plan has us departing on Wed Sep 16 and arriving Fri Oct 2. This is cutting it close for Jett’s medical appointments. As you know, she did not get the CT scan and MRI that were originally scheduled for last week. Her infusion is scheduled for Sep 15 and the MRI has been rescheduled for Sep 14. The results of the MRI should be available when we meet with the doctor on the 15th. The CT scan, however, has been rescheduled for Sep 16 at noon. So the plan is to button up the RV before we head to the CT scan, then immediately hitch up and depart when we get back. The results of the CT scan will have to be transmitted to Florida to be evaluated there.

All of this depends, of course, on the health of both Jett and the truck.

Keeping my fingers crossed on both.