Skyway Bridge

Wednesday, 6 November 2002: Perry, Florida - So, as we were driving today, DT says to me, "Hey, did I tell you about the alligator on the golf course yesterday?" Isn't it nice that we communicate in our 38 feet of spacious living area? He continues on with his tale, or should I say "tail", about looking for his lost ball when a 5-foot gator comes out of the pond! Looking for a little fresh, lean, human? No. As soon as the alligator heard DT, the reptile slithered back into the slime. Obviously terrified by DT's powerful swing, the alligator retreated to safety.

We had a very windy day - driving north on I-75, with winds so strong we actually had to pull off onto the local roads where we found nothing but stop lights and bumper-to-bumper traffic on routes 41 and 19. I have a terrible cough - probably from all the humidity and air conditioning - and I felt like dog doo all day. My driver was most frustrated at the traffic lights along the Gulf Coast. Obviously the powers-that-be set the lights to turn yellow just as he approached EVERY intersection! Maybe Goldie wouldn't get a ticket for running a red light, but it is possible the BC2 could have been tagged.

There were three exciting events of the day.

1. We drove over the Skyway Bridge, a 10-plus-mile-long toll bridge from Bradenton to St. Petersburg, over choppy seas and through high winds. However, not such high winds that the "High Wind Warning" lights were on. How strong do the winds have to be before the warning lights are illuminated? And, can someone explain to me why they build a bridge about 10-million feet over the ocean with flimsy 2-foot-high guard rails? We could go over that in one second! We had to PAY to drive over this death trap! $2 for 10 minutes of hell. (DT is laughing at me, he wasn't scared at all. What does he know?)

The Skyway Bridge

2. The U has offered us 4 Civil War tickets! Hmmm... Woody, Kathy, Steve and Mary... four friends! Four tickets! Coincidence? I don't think so!

3. Forever experimenting with our RV convection/electric/microwave oven, I "broiled" chicken breasts. Served with rice, steamed asparagus, tomato salad and sourdough rolls - a lovely meal.

RV Park: Southern Oaks Campground in Perry, Florida