Last night I didn’t hear Jag come to bed.  This morning I did not hear him get up until he began using the hair dryer!  I was so pooped out last night I did not even dream. 

Our hotel serves a full, hot breakfast every morning and it was pretty good.  While enjoying our meal, a darling little girl named Hayley sat with her parents at the next table.  She was shy at first and I did not try to talk to her.  After a while, we began to talk about her toy, a stuffed unicorn.  She actually began to play with me and it brought back thoughts of my darling Mirabai.  Little Hayley is very bright and, like Mira at that age, uses the language very well.

We left Orlando/Lake Buena Vista at about 10 and hopped on the toll road.  The traffic was light and it was very pleasurable.  The tollway merged into I-75, which we followed for only a short distance.  We took a local road en route to Tallahassee, a very beautiful drive.  We passed forests and fields, went through small towns and I, for one, really enjoyed the slower pace.  Of course, this being Florida, a speed limit of 55 mph really means 80! 

One thing I noticed were the kudzu plants covering many of the trees and bushes alongside the road.  Previously I thought it was just English ivy.  While we were on the boat trip at Biscayne National Park, the ranger mentioned this very prolific plant.  It is not native to the United States.  It is, sadly, spreading quite fast.  It can eventually kill the host plants. 

We were unable to find a full-fledged rest area until about 2.30 PM.  Jag was really angry about it and has vowed to just drive places on the interstate highways unless there is no choice.  That is so boring and can really cause problems with keeping awake while driving.  In places such as the extremely flat topography of Florida, this can be a very big problem.  It happens anywhere the scenery has very few places that keep your eyes busy. 

We reached Tallahassee about 4.00 PM and are staying at the Quality Inn.  By using the Room Saver coupon, the room costs only $44 per night.  That price includes breakfast.  The room itself is nice, although pretty ordinary.  The desk clerk recommended Marie Livingston’s Steak House for dinner.  It was very good indeed.  Our food was tasty and our waitress, Chrissy, was a real sweetheart: a young woman from Detroit, Michigan, going to Florida State University where she is a junior majoring in accounting.  Unfortunately I could not find an internet link for the restaurant.

Back to the motel room to finish this entry, along with yesterday’s.  I think I will get it done this time.

On Saturday, we drove from Jacksonville halfway across the northern part of Florida to Tallahassee to see a college football game between Wake Forest and Florida State.  We didn't actually see much of Tallahassee other than driving around and walking seven blocks from the parking lot to the stadium.  Since both of us grew up in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, we are big Wake Forest fans.  We were some of the only ones there.  Quite a few people were not pleased to see us there, but the fans were actually pretty cool.  Doak Campbell Stadium is an interestingly beautiful structure.  From the outside, I would have never guessed that it was a stadium.  It looks like a cross between a classical college building and a castle.  The game itself was an ugly, sloppy game where neither team could punch in a touchdown.  Both teams came into the game ranked nationally.  Florida State turned the ball over 7 times.  The game was a total field goal fest, ending with Wake winning 12 to 3.  It was the third straight year that Wake beat FSU.  That's saying something considering that the Seminoles had beaten Wake 14 straight games before this current stretch.

Stopped in Tallahassee for what was left of the night. Not much to look at here. Planning to Drive down to Venice Beach Area, before going on to Disney the next day.

man we had a ball

I hold Selects to a bit higher standard than regular Holiday Inns, and this location doesn't quite meet it. Tallahassee is probably the last city in Florida I would visit willingly anyway, and this fits the situation. The hotel is tired and in serious need of renovation. To get hot water, start running the shower at least 15 minutes before you get in. Ice is on every even floor EXCEPT the 12th. Vending on every odd floor, but the machines on the 11th don't work. This is night number 3 of 3. Today housekeeping didn't bother to clean my room. I called the front desk for towels and soap. I suppose I should have been more specific. I received 3 towels. No washcloths or hand towels, and most important... no soap. Good thing I keep an extra bar in my suitcase. Internet cuts out unexpectedly. Maybe I can finish this post.... I am debating if I should eat dinner downstairs or go out and find something. Breakfast the past two mornings was alright. I'm just not a big fan of hotel restaurants. I have stayed at another Holiday Inn location in town and it was a hellhole. That's why I chose this location this time. If I ever get stuck here again, I'll stay at the Doubletree down the way.

I have been to this restaurant several times since it changed hands, and I love it more than ever! It was always one of my favorite restaurants, but the new owners have lowered the prices (almost every entree on the menu is $20 or less) and added some wonderful, unique dishes. The ambience remains a charming, converted beautiful home but has been modernized in a nice way. Chef Pascal is known for his delicious flare, especially with his z-sauce which is my personal favorite. Last night I went there and had an appetizer of steamed shrimp served with the z-sauce, a crisp, fresh salad with my personal favorite homemade blue cheese dressing, followed by a tender strip of Blue Steak. Yum! I enjoy Wednesdays when it is 2-4-1 drinks for the ladies at the bar, too. I also love that they added Sunday brunch to their menu (ooh, those ribs are melt-in-your-mouth, fall-off-the-bone scrumptious, and I am not a big meat eater normally!). The Prima Dolce Grille at Ninos offers an excellent selection of seafood, steak, and authentic European cuisine including German and Italian. I love this restaurant!

  Before leaving Tallahassee, We visited Maclay Gardens. More than a hundred years ago this land was a working plantation. Alfred Maclay bought this site in 1923 for a winter home and began planting his gardens. 28-acres of huge oaks and pines with Camellias, Azaleas, and Magnolias. After his death in 1953 his wife gave the gardens to the State of Florida. The Maclay House Museum was decorated for the holidays.

The park has 1000 acres offering swimming boating, fishing, picnics, hiking, jogging, bicycling, boating, fishing and horseback riding.

After a great morning at the Maclay Gardens we hit I-10 west towards Pensacola. Our first destination in Pensacola was the beach. Beautiful white sand and gorgeous homes along the dunes. It's winter and it is off season, not a lot of people on the beach. Plenty of spots with picnic tables and grills. I would love to come here in the summertime when it's warm and hit the water. The gulf was rough and had yellow flags up for the current. Saw a few surfer's out hitting the waves. It was odd that the sea fog was rolling in.

Tomorrow heading west on I-10 to Mobile, Alabama to see Battleship Memorial Park, home to the battleship USS ALABAMA and submarine USS DRUM.

After passing thru security, walk over to the Captial Welcome Center and pick up a map for a self guided tour. Catch the elevators up to the 22nd floor observation deck for a 360 degree view of the Tallahassee. North Florida is so beautiful with lots of rolling hills. Art work is displayed  from resident artists and the Artist Hall of Fame is also located within the gallery. Artist names to included, Jimmy Buffet and Ray Charles.

Located on the fifth floor is the visitors entrance to the House of Represenatives with 120 members. Each desk has three buttons. Red and geen for voting and yellow to summon a House page or messenger. The Senate with 40 members. Each Senator's desk has four buttons. The red and green buttons are used for voting. The yellow button is used to call a Senate page or messenger. The white button is used to tell the Senator that there is a phone call from their office.  There was no session today.

Located on the fourth floor is the House and Senate entrance.

On the Plaza level or Rotunda is the Florida State Seal and the Governor and Lieutenant Governor's offices. You can sign their guest book.

The Construction on the new Capital building was begun on November 8, 1973 and finished on August 19,1977. The Capital is done in "New Classicism" style. It rises to 307 feet from the public entrance to the 22nd floor observation deck. The Capital's public areas use an acre and half of travertine marble, imported from Italy, on the walls, and terrazzo on the floors. The estimated working life of he building is 100 years.

Upon completion of the "New" Capital,  the "Old" Capital building was refurbished to it's 1902 appearance.

The Capital does not have a "mortgage", because the 1972 Legislature appropriated the $43,070,741 needed before the cornerstone was laid. An additional $1,957,338 was committed to landscaping the west front area known as Waller Park. It was named after Judge Curtis L. Waller of the United States Circuit Court of Appeals. In 2003, "Stormsong", the centerpiece of Waller Park was added. It is a sculpture of a pod of playful dolphins within the Florida Heritage Foundation.

 The treaty with Spain, Florida became a Territory of the United States in 1821. At this time Florida had two capitals. Saint Augustine and Pensacola. With 400 miles between the two capitals, travel time took almost 20 days. In 1824, Tallahasse, the half-way point was chosen as the new capital of Florida.  On June 25, 1845, cannons roared and Florida was finally a state.

I had the opportunity to visit Florida's capitol city for an amazing experience.  I have always been one to write letters to congress, my senators, the president, etc for causes I believe in.  During this time last March, I had the fortune to participate in Florida Dialysis Day,a day of lobbying for our dialysis patients.  It was so amazing to talk to our representatives, to experience what it is like to lobby for a cause.  I was so grateful for this opportunity and hope I have a chance to do something like this again in the future.

Well, after my winter stay in Alabama, it was time to move on. My summer plan was to slowly move north and reach New England in the late summer, early fall. My first stop was to revisit the Elks Lodge in Tallahassee.

While here, I Visited the Tallahassee Museum which was a combination of Zoo and Museum. It was a nice place to visit and the animals had very nice enclosures in which to roam and play. Unlike some of the zoos that you used to see where the animals were cooped up in cages. They did a nice job here.

Summary: Elk Lodges: 40, Escapee RV Parks: 25, Public RV Parks: 29, National Parks: 42, Ships: 10, Forts: 17

Expenses: 34 months on the road with an average of $1926 per month.

My next stop was at the Elks Lodge in Tallahassee, Fl. Here I found RV parking with the first sewer dump at each RV site. It was secluded and away from the main parking lot which made it nice.

Due south from Tallahassee about 20 miles is the Gulf of Mexico and it was here I found an old fort, Ft San Marcos, dating back to the 17th century. The Spanish first established it then the  British and finally the Confederate Army all held it at one time or another. It was established to protect the St Marks and Wakulla rivers from invasion. These rivers are the home of the manatee but I did not see one.

On the ride back from the fort, I discovered a state park, Leon Sinks Geological Area. This is a park with trails through the Apalachiola National Forest that has some very good examples of "sinks". These are cavities made by rainwater dissolving the underlying limestone bedrock. Over time, the cavities collapse creating sinkholes or depressions at ground level. The trail through the forest is marked by blue blazes on the trees and if you were not careful, it would be easy to get lost. The thought crossed my mind......"Where in blue blazes am I?????." Very interesting to see.

Up the road a bit is Wakulla Springs State Park. This park contains one of the worlds largest and deepest freshwater springs. The outflow from the spring averages between 250,000 and 400,000 gallons of fresh water PER MINUTE. The spring opening is 180 feet deep and when the water is clear, (no rain), you can see the bottom from glass bottom boats. From the opening of the spring there is a labyrinth of underground tunnels and caverns that go for miles and miles as deep as 360 feet. Much has been explored by divers but they have only seen a fraction of the complex. Divers have found remains of Mastadons. Giant Sloths, Giant Armadillos at the bottom of the spring and in some of the caverns. On display at the spring is "Old Joe" the legendary guardian of wakulla Springs. For generations this eleven foot two inch alligator kept watch over swimmers and boaters from his perch on the far side of the spring. he was shot by pochers in 1967, was preserved and put on display.

The spring is the headwaters of the Wakulla River and I took a riverboat tour doiwn river a few miles. A beautiful trip with all kinds of wildlife all around including some big alligators.

Summary:

Elks Lodges: 20, Escapees Parks: 6, Public RV Parks: 9, National Parks: 19, Major Ships: 5, Forts: 10

Expenses: 8 months on the road with an average of $1919 per month.

I kinda suck at this game, don't I? I was really good at writing in the beginning, and now I write little meaningless entries. Sorry!! I will try to be better. At least I'm posting some pictures, so that's something. :)

We are playing at the Civic Center in Tallahassee. That = arena where Florida State plays basketball. Its so weird!!! I've never experienced a show in a venue like that, but apparently we will do this a few times on this tour. Luckily RENT plays really well like that ... can you imagine something like Full Monty (which some of our crew worked on when it played the same place) or Les Mis?

I'm tired of all my clothes. I heard it would happen, but I thought it would take longer. I'm excited to change seasons so I can wear something different!! And to reload the suitcases when I'm home.

Another show tonight and tomorrow we are on the road for a LONG time -- bussing from here to Louisville. Louisville, I have learned, is apparently not part of America and has no Bank of America. Nice. Especially when I have no debit card. I left it in an ATM in Melbourne. Can I get a round of applause, please? I've now been without it for a week. The fine people at BoA were supposed to send it priority mail to Tallahassee, but when I went to pick it up yesterday, I found out they had sent it regular mail to Topeka. Soooooo, that's great.  I will get it FINALLY (hopefully!) on Monday when I see my Dad and Rose in Oklahoma City.

We are back in Florida --Tallahassee -- until Thursday morning. I'm tired from a llllllong day on the bus, so I'm gonna go watch Deal or No Deal and veg out for a bit. Joe and I, two non-Jewish kids, fasted with Jared, our Musical Director, today for Yom Kippur. I was really happy when the sun went down :)  But I'm also really glad I did it.