First off, Google maps doesn’t know what the fuck they’re doing because I’m not sure how an 8 hour drive turned into an over ten hour drive. Seriously, how does that happen?  I’m not sure how that much of a discrepancy happened because the only time I was out of the truck was twice to fill up and five times at the rest stops. Hell, one of them was closed and I didn’t have to get out of the truck for that one, so you know I saved time there.

  
That’s not any of those 3 things in there. Always have an empty 44 ounce cup in the car for emergency circumstances…tip from a professional driver 

Today was a really long drive; I left at 9:30, thinking that traffic in Atlanta would have died down by then but I was wrong and Georgia 400 is not a NASCAR race. Somehow I made my way towards Macon and was on empty at Warner Robbins so that was fuel stop number one and gas was 1.869 a gallon in case you wanted to know. 

From there it’s a pretty straight shot clear down to Valdosta and the state line. There’s not really much going on in that part of Georgia. Sure there’s some historical site for Jimmy Carter, and lots of peanuts, pecans and billboards . Several of the billboards say “Strippers, Need We Say More?” No, they really don’t but I passed because I’m just not interested in seeing some poor girl who had to resort to dancing naked for a living. I’ve met enough strippers in my day and that’s a job that in the long run, kills the spirit of a once sweet and innocent girl and I hate to see that happen. 

After 4 hours or so, I finally made it to Florida but the trip of the day was only half over at that point. As usual, I stopped at the welcome center to get my free map and take care of personal business. One of the things that I’m very mindful of on this trip is using the bathroom while being transsexual. It shouldn’t be a crime but this is the Bible Belt and the people down here don’t see my kind a whole lot. While I’m pretty good at woodworking, sometimes I still have to question it. Not to long ago, Florida was trying to pass a bathroom bill through the state legislature. At this point it’s just best to pass on through and not draw any extra attention to yourself and I think that’s what I did.

When at the welcome center, I grabbed some literature and coupon books. Since it was close to where I was going and I wanted to see a beach at least once while I was down here, I set my course for Sarasota. 

  
The motel room I stayed in. A few blocks from the water, and not that bad for only $55 a night.

Driving through Florida is fairly easy. I was so glad to see that rest stops are located about every 40 miles, as they should be! It makes sense because a large portion of the state are senior citizens and with being a senior comes incontinance…I totally get it and I’m not even that old yet. After several hundred miles, lots of cigarettes and a few stops, I arrived in Sarasota. 

Publix was across the street from the motel and it reminded me of a Whole Paycheck Foods in Chicago except for the palm trees; but they had beer, so I picked up some Busch Light talls for later…hey, I earned it!  While beer is very filling and full of carbs, I was pretty hungry because I hadn’t eaten all day. While checking in with home (even though I’m 40, I still check in with mom and dad) I was looking for a place to get something to eat. Main Street, Sarasota was only a half mile away and since I was in a box truck, I decided to walk on over and find a place.   

  
I heard the music from a block away and it just called me towards it. Imagine it; a World of Beer in a sleepy Florida town where they roll the sidewalks up about 6:00 pm…if anyone would find this place, you knew it was gonna be me, right?

The music was cranking and the deejay had a British accent; who knew? All I really wanted to do was have a fish dinner near the beach. I guess shrimp tacos a few blocks away from the intercoastals qualifies as close  enough, right? Well that’s the way I feel about it. I’ve got my bathing suit with me and am really hoping to use it. I think I’ve got enough time tomorrow. Check out time is 11:00 and I’m scheduled to meet up with Greg and Kathy about noon. I’m going to unload the truck in record time. 

Y’all want to know something? All of that is in the future and the best laid plans can get snafu’d in an instant, so I’m not really worried about it right now. Tomorrow is going to take care of itself and will most likely go off without a hitch because I said it would and without my word, I’m nothing. I’m not clairvoyant, I just have a unique understanding of the human condition. I’ll always remember this day as the day I had a great time in Sarasota. 

Someday I hope to retire. Maybe this is the place, but then again, who knows where I’ll wind up. It could be here or a few hours south or many hours west. I have yet to answer that question but someday I will and and that will make all the difference.

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood and I took the one less traveled by 

Robert Frost, poet Laureate , Vermont, 1961

It truly has made all of the difference.

See y’all tomorrow!