Contrast Between Florida and Minnesota

Today is the day Betsy (Dave's wife) and I travel to Florida — there couldn't be more contrast between the two states right now! Our temperature in Minnesota is -16 degrees with -35 degrees wind chill. You can see from the photo take at Myakka River State Park that Greg and Dave are enjoying some nice weather!

Yesterday they had their first full day of just enjoying Florida after their multi-day trip from Minnesota. Dave is working on learning about his new trailer and Greg spent time yesterday cleaning up our trusted motor home after the long journey. They will pick up "both the Betsys" at the airport today, and then we'll head back to Myakka River State Park for one night before heading to Koreshan State Park tomorrow.

What a Difference a Day Makes!

Greg and Dave did meet up safely in St. Louis — after both their long days of driving in some very stressful conditions, they decided not to drive further but parked their rigs (our motor home and Dave's new trailer) at a Flying J truck stop and slept.

Dave is an early riser — so they were up and driving by 5 am. Before too long, the bad dreams of ice and snow were behind them as the weather got nicer and nicer. By dinner time, they were passing through Atlanta and on their way to another Flying J truck stop in Jackson, Georgia. Their goal had been to get past Atlanta.

At the truck stop, they parked and ate a taco dinner — yesterday's weather woes already almost forgotten!

5th Year of the Florida Adventure Begins!

2014 is the 5th year of Greg's great Florida adventure— with the winter we're having, it couldn't be a better time to leave Minnesota.

The day that Greg was supposed to leave, we had a "monster storm" that dropped lots of snow followed by high winds and cold. The highway between southern Minnesota and northern Iowa (his travel route) was closed due to being covered with snow and ice. So, we spent the day digging out in Minnetonka while waiting for another day to pass hoping that the road conditions will improve.

This year, Greg is traveling down to Florida with his good friend, Dave Larsen, who is picking up his new trailer in St. Louis, MO. They will be traveling to the Fort Myers area, setting up campsites, and then picking up Dave's wife (also named Betsy) and me who are flying into Florida at the end of next week.

Greg left this morning at about 6:30 am. Dave was about 6 hours ahead of him and reported the roads "weren't great" from Minneapolis to mid Iowa, but hopefully will continue to improve. Dave will wait for Greg in St. Louis and then they will caravan on together until they reach the campsite in Florida.