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(pretty dusty dashboard!)

Jubilee and I are on our way.

A long day of driving, mostly in the rain. But the a/c in my car was working (unlike my trip last year), and sometimes was downright cold. When I reached Orlando around noon, the sky was a deep grey which soon gave way to great bolts of lightning and torrential rain. Even with my windshield wipers at full speed, it was hard to know where my lane was. The rain was off and on until we were well up into Georgia.

My speedometer read 195,400 when I left. The car is running well. This is the same car that, a year ago, I swore would never see Florida again. It now looks like this car will see 200K. In fact, it may already be there, being that the speedometer didn't work for several month.

Driving through Florida was the same (and more of the same). I noticed that the "Jesus saves" and "Hell is forever" billboards have been replaced by pictures of 18 day old embryos with beating hearts. I don't understand this Crusade, or the motive that is really behind it. Somehow I doubt that saving babies is the goal.

We crossed the Suwannee River and the Apahapa River in Northern Florida. Seeing these Indian names for the rivers is encouraging. Remembering rather than re-naming.

I had my first McDonald's Latte, and was disappointed. They're probably using inferior coffee or something. It had an ashen aftertaste. Yet it was the same price as Starbucks. The Starbucks on the highway and in the rest stops have disappeared. Hmmm. I'm not sure that this further McDonald-ization of the American highways is good. I always looked forward to getting a good Starbucks Latte while driving.

Also disappointing are the radio stations. NPR is not always easy to find, and everything else is junk.

Here are some photos from a gas stop in Northern Florida. I wish I had bought some fruit.

We traveled about 550 miles straight north. 600 more to go to get to Greenville.