Monday – April 25, 2011
We left Sarasota, Florida fairly early and drove toward Route 75 by about 9:30 in the morning. We wanted to avoid driving into the cities of Tampa and St. Petersburg, because we wanted to make better progress driving north. After we were well north of the cities, we drove west on Route 52 toward the Gulf of Mexico. When we almost reached the beaches, we turned north onto Route 19.
It was a work day and Easter Monday, so there was very little traffic. It is amazing how many fast-food chain restaurants we have passed on this trip. I can understand why Europeans are appalled when they visit the U.S. I guess Americans eat a lot of greasy hamburgers! The other business which must be prospering is the pawn business. We can’t believe the quantity of pawn shops we have seen everywhere on this trip.
Fast-Food Restaurants & Ugly Signs
One tourist attraction which we didn’t stop to see was in Weeki Wachee, Florida. This is the famous “Mermaid Show”. Apparently, young women perform underwater wearing mermaid costumes and put on an “interesting” show. They carry breathing tubes with them and gracefully make it look like they’re breathing underwater. Oh well, maybe next time….
Northern Florida Farm Country
We drove for a couple of hours then decided to stop for lunch at the coastal town of Homosassa. The road toward the water was lined with trees dripping with Spanish Moss. It was a cool, dark and interesting road. About a half mile down there was an interesting structure. It was the remains of a sugar mill from the mid 1800s.
The Old Sugar Mill
The plaques around the stone mill explained that the region had been known for its sugar cane production. The mill was used to squeeze out the sugar from the cane. We took some photographs and then continued down the road.
The Other Side of the Mill with Iron Caldrons
At the end there were several buildings which housed tourist boats for hire. There was also a hotel and restaurant on the water. We decided to have lunch at the Riverside Crab House. I had read about the restaurant and wanted to go there, not for their crab, but for its proximity to Monkey Island.
Riverside Crab House
There is a small island located about 50 feet from the restaurant which is inhabited by five squirrel monkeys. People in the restaurant can watch the monkeys while eating their lunches or dinners.
Monkey Island
We continued north on Route 19 through rural Florida. There wasn’t much traffic and we passed citrus orchards, strawberry fields, and other agricultural farms. The terrain is flat and the soil is sandy. The temperature was 86 degrees, hot and humid. It is amazing that anything can grow here.
On the Way to Georgia
We continued east on Route 129 and finally got on Route 75 again. It was a long driving day through northern Florida and we finally crossed the Georgia border. We stopped at the Welcome Center for a map of Georgia and continued one exit to Valdosta.
A True ‘Blue Highway’
We drove to the Hampton Inn just off the highway and checked in. The architecture of this hotel was different than any of the others. There was a large three-story opening in the center of the building with the halls, leading to the rooms, overlooking the breakfast area.
The Front Porch
After we found our room, we returned outside to have dinner at the Family House Restaurant. This was a local Mom & Pop type eatery which served “home made” southern food. On the menu were such delectables as grilled or fried catfish, grits anyway, biscuits with sausage gravy, hush puppies, fried corn bread, southern fried chicken, etcetera, etcetera.
Interior of the Farm House Restaurant
I had Southern chicken ‘n’ dumplings with fried okra & green beans. Jeff had another Southern favorite: chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes with gravy and corn. It was an interesting place and the food was very tasty! It had been a long driving day. We saw many new and interesting places today.