Author Archives: Sparky
4 days, 3 nights in Dumfries VA
Ooma and I stayed for 4 nights in Dumfries VA, guests of Jett’s son, Devin, and his family. It was a lovely respite from travel and would have been relaxing had they not arranged so many fun and interesting activities for us. We went out to dinner the night we arrived (Texas Roadhouse), with Devin’s … Continue reading
TN8 Hop 4: Rocky Mount NC to Dumfries VA
208 miles via US 64, I-95 and VA 234 with a diversion at the start to get the car washed and a brief lunch break. Cumulative car miles: 1134. There were no extra car miles as this was a simple overnight stop – we parked, we slept, we left. We had dinner in the hotel. … Continue reading
TN8 Hop 3: Charleston SC to Rocky Mount NC
290 miles via I-526 (north and west of Charleston), I-26, SC 52, some county roads, SC 527, I-95 and US 64. 325 car miles since the end of Hop 2. Cumulative car miles: 926. The extra miles were due to our 2 sightseeing trips into Charleston. We stopped at South of the Border to acquire … Continue reading
“Finding My Father’s War” by Walter J. Eldridge
Copyright 2004 by Walter J Eldridge. Published by PageFree Publishing, Inc, Oswego MI. Disclaimer: the author is a fraternity brother. I have had this book in my to-be-read pile for over a year and, frankly, was dreading it a bit. I thought it would be a dry recounting of World War II history. Instead it … Continue reading
Charleston SC
I have been to Charleston several times, but this was Ooma’s first visit. It was fun being able to share some of my favorite places in one of my favorite cities with my favorite woman. We dined at Tommy Condon’s (fried green tomatoes for an appetizer, heirloom tomato caprese salad with shrimp for Ooma and … Continue reading
TN8 Hop 2: Kingsland GA to Charleston SC
199 miles via I-95 and US 17 with a lunch break at the Frampton Plantation Museum near the intersection of I-95 and US 17. 256 car miles. Cumulative miles: 601. The extra miles were due to our sightseeing trip into St Marys. This was an easy trip to navigate – didn’t even use the GPS. … Continue reading
St Marys GA
Our first stop on the TN8 was Kingsland GA. But the real attraction was the nearby town of St Marys – a town that Ooma and I visited today. This is a beautiful, quiet little town on the banks of the St Marys River and home to the Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base. Ooma has … Continue reading
TN8 Hop 1: Ft Myers FL to Kingsland GA
345 miles via FL 80, I-75, FL 326, US 301 and I-95 with a refueling/lunch stop in Bushnell and a brief bio break at a rest area on I-75 north of Bushnell. Cumulative miles: 345. The planned route had us taking I-10 into Jacksonville and I-295 north and west of Jacksonville, but Google decided, before … Continue reading
“Florida Roadkill” by Tim Dorsey
Copyright 1999 by Tim Dorsey. Published by William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, New York. About halfway through this book I thought “This is like reading an updated version of It;s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, but with everyone high on drugs and lots of killing – not just one guy ‘kicking the … Continue reading
Eighth trip north (TN8) preview – revised
Speaking of plans for the TN8, they have been significantly revised – not because of the unexpected arrival of COVID but because I have decided to leave Rusty behind, with my son. Planning hotel stays with a dog – especially an elderly, incontinent dog – became too difficult. So Ooma has graciously thrown out all … Continue reading