18 July 2007

I know I was beat last night, but this morning is the reason I want to be on the way out of town before I stop for the night. (Although how you can be "on your way out" of the south Florida megapolis I don't know.) From where I started, it was 30 miles to the beginning of I-95.

It took me almost an hour and a half to get to the freeway (20 mph average). And this stretch is the only place I saw rain all day; and not much of that. In retrospect, I probably should have taken the "Florida Turnpike." I hate screwing with toll roads, but it would have cost me a few bucks and saved almost an hour.

It was such a relief to be moving again, I didn't mind that it was an interstate. And move it did, mostly 10-15 over, with occasional slowing in construction zones. At my first gas stop, I got out the wet towel, which helped some with the heat, although it was pretty humid.

I stopped at a rest stop half way through the tank, and renewed the water in the towel. I was getting low on gas as I approached Jacksonville, but there was construction, and I didn't want to stop in town ... finally, a major exit appeared. I still had 12 miles showing on the gauge, but figured "why push it" and got off. As I slowed at the bottom of the ramp, the engine died. It restarted, roughly, and I made the turn, but then it died again, and wouldn't start. At this point, I'm hoping it is out of gas; if it's anything more serious, that won't be good... There's a gas station on the right side of the road, about 100 yards, so I push it in, fill it up (and it takes 6.078 gallons--never put in that much before--time for a pump recalibration?) and it starts. Whew!

Shortly before the Georgia border, I got off I-95 and back on civilized roads--what a relief! It's still hot, but it's a lot more relaxed. I figure I'll stop at the first opportunity after 1600, and that appears to be Jesup. There are a number of handy motels, I pick the Western ($50); drive around looking for groceries, and end up at Wal*Mart for the third night in a row ($13)

States: Florida, Georgia.
492 GPS miles (6021 total), 60.6 moving average (took a lot of interstate to get it that high after the bad start), 83.1 max.
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