Key West; Day 4; 3/31/14

We left our motel in Thomasville, GA at 8:10 and it was 50 degrees. The sun was shining bright. Chris wanted to check out the courthouse in Thomasville because we’d been told the previous day at the Pebble Hill Plantation that the same architect who designed some buildings at Pebble Hill designed the courthouse in Thomasville. When I went to the motel lobby to get directions I found out that the old courthouse is across the street from the new courthouse so I am assuming the old building is what we were looking for. I think we found the building but we’ll never know for sure.old building in Thomasville, GA

We rocketed east to Valdosta, GA, hopped on I-75 and rode south into Florida. We reached the Florida line at 9:30 and it was 59 degrees.

We stopped for gas at a Lake City area exit. The ladies were unable to use the restroom at the gas station because there was no toilet paper and it was nasty dirty anyway. So we went to the gas station across the street to find the men’s restroom was out of order. Welcome to Florida!our first stop in Florida

We stopped at exit 329 off of I-75 for a fast-food lunch. We chose Wendy’s, only to find out the line was backed out the door because the cash register was not working and they were taking cash only. We opted to go to Burger King across the street. My double WHOPPER was tasty.

In the Tampa area we stopped at the Tampa Electric Manatee Viewing Center. It was a fun stop and we got to see some manatees, a small stingray, numerous fish (including a small shark), a couple different tropical birds, and a boat load of little lizards.Chris and Mel looking for manatees on the tidal walkway in the Tampa Electric Manatee Viewing Area

We stopped for gas later and were snacking on some “Best Choice” peanuts that we purchased before the trip from the Price Chopper in Shawnee. Chris found a bunch of them stuck together by some sort of rubbery membrane type material. We were discussing what the devil it might be when Mel, the intellectual of the group, said it was obviously the remnants of a “nut sack.” He then proceeded to pluck a nut from the membrane and eat it.nasty bunch of peanuts

We stopped for the night at a Quality Inn in Fort Myers, FL. We rode 412 miles in fabulous weather. The high temperature was 79 and it was sunny or partly cloudy all day. We rode most of the day on I-75, which would not normally be our first choice but we had ground to cover.

Tomorrow we plan on making it into Key West. Hot smile

For more pictures from today click on the following link: https://plus.google.com/photos/104542123131082631220/albums/5997131096697814401?authkey=CImV2dek0_-tngE

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