Vol. 22 No. 2 - 30 April, 2018

We spent the first week of April at the house in Daytona Beach, Florida.  The truck needed a check over and preventative maintenance, it went in the garage on Monday afternoon 2 April.  Found something wrong, chased parts and got it fixed – that took a few days.  Looked for a load out before the weekend, but nothing going to warm states, ended up securing one to New York, to load on Monday, 9th - back to the cold!

Weather in Daytona for the first part of the week was overcast, and foggy.  On Saturday afternoon, 7 April, it was nicer. Jim and I went for a motorbike ride over to Beach Street for a carnival sponsored by the Riverfront Shops.  Super Saturday!  It was four events rolled into one – Grits and Glory, The Great Burger Battle, National Beer Day, and Art Attack!
Website:  Enjoy delicious grits at Grits and Glory.  See the work of dozens of local artists and let the kids create their own masterpiece at Art Attack!  Celebrate National Beer Day with multiple libation stops, and live entertainment.  And sample slider-sized burgers and vote for your favourites at the Great Burger Battle.  There’s something for everyone!

Three blocks of Beach Street were closed to vehicles - bands playing on each block, and stalls set up both sides of the street, businesses were open.

An alley from a parking lot to Beach Street.

Storms clouds starting to build - rain was forecast.

Beach Street is actually along the Halifax River, it has been redeveloped over the years in to several blocks of restaurants, art studios, museums, antique shops, and other specialty stores. A great area to spend some time.

A little history -  National Beer Day is April 7.  That is the day beer was allowed to be legally manufactured and sold in the USA after Prohibition.

In 1919, Congress passed the 18^th Amendment, prohibiting the sale, transportation, and production of alcohol in the US.  This was the start of the Prohibition era, which made many Americans turn to creative ways to enjoy their illicit beverages.

Fourteen years later, when President Franklin Roosevelt took office, he signed the Cullen-Harrison Act, which once again made selling and consuming low-alcohol beverages (like beer and wine) legal.

During the Great Depression in 1932, this enactment of the new law helped uncork much needed revenue that could be made through the sale of alcohol beverages once again.  The Act was passed on March 22, 1933, but officially, the act went into effect on April 7 of that year, leading many Americans to take to the streets and celebrate with – a beer!  (2018 - the 85th anniversary of the end of Prohibition.)

For Super Saturday - there were several bars and breweries offering samples of local beer, also beer for sale.

Jim tried a Pomegranate burger, offered for the Great Burger Battle; I tried the Grits.

Grits are a mostly ‘Southern USA’ dish.  Basically, a porridge made from corn that is ground into a coarse 'meal' and boiled with either water or milk.  The grits offered for Grits and Glory were combinations of many ingredients and flavours, jazzed up from the regular grits – savoury and sweet.  I tried the Savoury Jambalaya Grits, the description - crawfish andouille sausage pepper jack corn crab pico grits.  They tasted great!

Crowds were low likely because of the stormy weather forecast.
We left mid-afternoon, just missed the storm.  Had decided to have dinner at Crabby Joe's on the Sunglow Pier, but there was a 40 minute wait for a table, so we went to DJ's Deck instead.

Crabby Joe's Restaurant on Sunglow Pier - the nice afternoon changed to overcast and dreary again.

Not a good beach day!

At DJ's Deck under the Dunlawton Bridge, South Daytona.  A lot of fishing boats sitting out the weather. 

Followed this beautiful classic Alfa Romeo out of the parking lot – probably 1960’s era (we didn’t see the front of it).

Alfa Romeo, was founded by a Frenchman – and with Italian investors commenced production in 1910 with its factory in Milan, Italy.  The brand is known for sporty vehicles and has been involved in car racing since 1911.  Alfa Romeo has competed successfully in Grand Prix motor racing, Formula One, sportscar racing, touring car racing, and rallies.

In the 1960s Alfa Romeo became famous for its small cars and models specifically designed for the Italian Police and Carabinieri.  A very cool car.

For the first week of April, the weather in Florida was not typical Spring weather.  Overcast, foggy days, a couple of very windy days.

The corner of our house, looking towards the Atlantic Ocean - still foggy at noon.

Saw this cool Indian motorcycle - decked out in animal pelts, feathers, horns, skulls, etc....

We left Daytona Beach on Sunday afternoon 8 April, to load in Pooler, Georgia on Monday morning 9 April at JCB Equipment.
A photo of the Sunday sunset from our vantage point in the truckstop!

Two forklifts loaded in Pooler, Georgia for Albany and East Syracuse, New York.

Headed north, getting cooler - early morning start.

Then an accident ahead, traffic stopped / slow moving for an hour.

With time lost due to the traffic jam, and two tyre replacements on the trailer (must have run over something sharp - one tyre replaced on Monday, the one next to it on Tuesday), we made our first stop in Latham (Albany area), New York on late Tuesday afternoon at Sunbelt Rentals.
Experienced snow flurries and the temperature went down to -5 C (23 F) that night.  Wednesday morning, forklifts at sunrise, delivered another one to United Rentals in East Syracuse, New York.

Forklifts at sunrise - United Rentals, East Syracuse, NY.

The next load was 300 kms south (200 miles) in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.  Still cold, and snow flurries, and ice on the sides of the highway.

Ice on the sides of road cuttings, southern New York state, near Ithaca.

Loaded at Trenco, Inc. - reels that required tarps, going to Florida.

Williamsport, Pennsylvania to Wildwood, Florida.

Each time we have been in the cold north, on the trip south we have the truck and trailer washed to get the salt off.  The roads are treated with salt to melt the snow and ice, but it is extremely corrosive to vehicles and equipment.

Lined up at the truck wash.

Driving into Florida - more fog.

The reels and cable delivered to a Duke Energy depot near Wildwood, Florida on Friday morning.  We were at the house mid afternoon, truck parked and then out on the motorbike.  We had not expected to be back so soon, so had nothing planned or much to be done - it was a leisurely couple of days.  Went up to Ormond-by-the Sea to the Beach Brewery. There was a Maine Lobster food truck there, we shared a Lobster Quesadilla, that was different, and tasted good. 

Lobster Quesadilla.

Food Truck at Beach Brewery, Ormond-by-the-Sea.

Next stop was a bit closer to the house - dinner and the sunset at Sunsetters Bar and Grill at the eastern end of the Main Street bridge.

We got to Sunsetters almost two hours before sunset, so had time for a couple of drinks and a lovely dinner.

Waiting for the sun to set, we occupied ourselves with the area, a bit of wildlife, and Jim noticed big swirls in the river.  Turned out to be a group of dolphins - 6 or 8 playing quite close.  I only had my phone camera, so did not get any good photos of the dolphins,

There is a dolphin fin in the centre of the photo.

Sunsetters gives complimentary rum punches to everyone prior to sunset and the exact time is counted down over the speakers to toast the sunset.

The dolphins were still playing in the river when we left.

Saturday evening, Lis and Harvey came to the Beach to our place and we walked to the Ocean Walk and had dinner and drinks at Mai Tai Bar.  We chose that restaurant by the ocean to see the rocket scheduled to launch.

Mai Tai Bar is next to the Bandshell.

Space.com: Shortly after liftoff, ULA (United Launch Alliance) shut down its live video feed from Atlas V at the request of the US Air Force.  About five and a half hours after liftoff, the two satellites separate and be carried into geosynchronous orbit, 22,236 miles ( 35,786 kms) above Earth, where they can keep watch over the same region of the planet. 

After dinner, we walked along the Boardwalk.  Several new rides and eateries have been added for the summer tourist season.  We continued down Main Street and back to the house.  It was a lovely evening outdoors with Liz and Harvey.

Sunday afternoon we were back in the truck, headed to Pooler, Georgia again to be ready to load Monday morning.  We like the Pooler loads, easier to load, usually easy deliveries, and nice people to work with.

Pooler, Georgia to Topeka, Indiana and Canton, Ohio.

Loaded a forklift and a mini excavator at JCB. Both machines imported.   The mini excavator delivered Tuesday afternoon to a farm implement place in Topeka, Indiana.  A small rural town with a large Amish population, the owners of the store were Amish.  There were horse and buggies all over the place.

The next morning, delivered the forklift to Sunbelt Rentals in Canton, Ohio.  To get to their business required a hairpin left turn. With traffic and railway lines, Jim had to drive over the edge of the median curb with a trailer tyre and it resulted in a 30 cm (12 inch) split in the side wall of the outside tyre.  It was still holding air, but would not for long!  Found a tyre shop in Canton that had the correct size tyres and could get us in. Jim got a matching pair.  That is FOUR trailer tyres the first month of work - two others will need replacing later on this year, but these four were not anticipated.

Two trailer tyres required in Canton, Ohio.

The next loads were a drilling rig move. Tri-State Drilling required many truck loads to move equipment from one site (Pataskala, Ohio) to other work sites.
Tri-State Drilling, Inc. is a provider of drilled foundations for electrical transmission lines. There was a stockpile of electric poles.

Our first load was 10 drill bits (3ft to 8ft wide) and crane mats under them. Delivered that in the afternoon 130 miles to Middle Point, Ohio.

The next morning - it was snowing, turned into rain and a cold wind.  The truck was covered in salt again!

Loaded three drill casings, and took them to another Tri-State Drilling site in Huntertown, Indiana, north of Fort Wayne.

Cold, snowy, rainy, windy day!

Friday morning, 20 April we loaded in Lafayette, Indiana - CAT engines.

Lafayette, Indiana to New Iberia, Louisiana.

There was plenty of time to drive to Louisiana, so on the way south got an oil change, the truck washed, had a sensor replaced in the ABS, and replaced an exhaust elbow that had developed a hole.  About noon on Sunday we stayed at a truckstop in Denham Springs, there are nearby restaurants and a Bass Pro Shop - sports store.  All good for filling in the afternoon, and the weather was sunny and warm!

We had beers and snacks mid afternoon at Lonestar Steakhouse, then later dinner at the Swamp Box Cafe for Louisiana food, and they have an awesome mural covering one wall of the restaurant.

Swamp Box Cafe in Denham Springs, Louisiana.

Delivered the engines to Louisiana CAT in New Iberia on Monday morning, then over the eastern side of Baton Rouge to a small town on the Mississippi River, Convent and loaded one galvanised pole at Millenium Galvanizing. We had a bit of an overhang, in the front and rear of the trailer, but a nice easy load for Orlando, Florida.

Convent, Louisiana to Orlando, Florida.

Eastbound and a sunrise in Florida.

The delivery Tuesday afternoon was for a large utility project in south east Orlando, Florida.  The city has many new subdivisions.  A stockpile of poles there already, ours was a one third piece of an electricity pole.
Fast unload, then to the house in Daytona Beach.  A couple of days off at the house for relaxing.  Stopped at the Beachside Brew Pub in Ormond-by-the Sea again.  Mijos Food Truck there this time, we had beers and a some great Mexican food.

Beachside Brew Pub, interesting way of storing the t-shirts.

A lovely ride back to Daytona Beach along A1A prior to sunset.

Condos along the ocean.

Bel Aire Shopping Plaza and palm trees.

New construction beside the beach near our house.

My cousin, Catherine from Queensland, Australia had a conference in Lake Mary, Florida and then a Caribbean cruise.  Jim and I picked her up after the conference on Friday, 27th around mid day and we showed her a little of the area where we live.

A drive through some of the small towns of Sanford and Deland, to visit Blue Springs State Park, near Orange City.
Jim and I had not been to Blue Springs State Park at any other time of the year other than Bike Weeks in March.  At that time, there are large numbers of manatees in the warmer water of the springs.  The water was warmer in the lakes now and we did not see any manatees at the Springs, but still a lovely Florida experience.

My cousin, Catherine and I at Blue Springs State Park, Orange City, Florida.

Brochure:  Gold rush prospector turned orange grower, Louis Thursby purchased Blue Spring in 1856.  He built his three story house atop an Indian midden in 1872.  Before the railroad came, Blue Spring Landing was a hotbed of steamboat activity, shipping tourists and goods to Jacksonville and beyond.  The state of Florida purchased the land in the 1970's to preserve the spring for a winter refuge for the manatees.

A boardwalk along the rive and spring - shaded by moss covered trees.

Found a tiled manatee work of art!

In the entrance from the river to the lake, we thought we saw a manatee, but zooming with the camera showed it was a turtle on a log.
A major Daytona Beach attraction is the International Speedway, we stopped and took a few photos, it is huge (seats about 101,000 people), and impressive.

Bass Pro Sport Stores opened about a year ago in Daytona Beach across the street from the Speedway.  Our first visit to it.  Florida animals on display, but also one wall was a mural of the early days of racing on beach.

The display of Florida fish and wildlife at the rear of Bass Pro Shop in Daytona Beach, an aquarium of live fish.

It was Jeep Beach 2018 in Daytona Beach for 4 days.  Thousands of jeeps in the area - and people.  Hidden Treasures Rum Bar & Restaurant at Ponce Inlet was a great choice for an early dinner, no waiting for a table.  Located beside the water, we saw pelicans, herons, and egrets.  Casual, relaxing and great food.

A big tree in the middle of the restaurant.

The restaurant is across the street from Ponce Inlet Lighthouse.

After dinner, to the house and walk to the Bandshell, Boardwalk, drinks on The Roof on the Pier and sunset - then via Main Street to the house.

Sunset from The Roof.

Looking at my camera the next morning, I noticed the neighbourhood squirrel family that resides across the street.  Managed to get a photo of one of them looking back at me.

A quick drive over Main Street drawbridge, along Beach Street, then over the International Speedway Boulevard (ISB) bridge to show Catherine the mosaics of Florida animals on the bridge.

A few errands to get done Saturday morning, then work our way south at first following US Highway 1.  A slight detour through the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge. Stopped at Manatee Cove.  There were lots of manatee here and easily visible from the observation deck to see them playing near the bank of the Haulover Canal.

The Merritt Island Wildlife Visitors Centre has many exhibits and displays.

Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge surrounds the Kennedy Space Center / Cape Canaveral complex.  Driving south from the visitors centre, the Vehicle Assembly Building and launch area can be seen on the horizon.

Lunch in Titusville at Dixie Crossroads Restaurant.  A unique Florida restaurant, with a moat of fish and turtles, and the rock shrimp in a top hat at the entrance.

Catherine's photo stolen from her Facebook page - turtles and fish in the 'moat'.

Catherine's photo - stolen from her Facebook page.

Dixie Crossroads is known for Florida Rock Shrimp - we shared a dozen of them - yum.

Website:  Dixie Crossroads has been serving great tasting wild ocean-caught seafood, char-grilled steaks, prime rib, chicken, fresh salads and their famous corn fritters since 1983.  The menu features the very best local shrimp and fish caught from Port Canaveral.

We all had a bowl of Cajun Shrimp soup - delicious. Catherine enjoyed a local Crab Cake, I had the broiled Florida Catfish, and we divided and sampled each others meals.  :-)

After some photos at Dixie Crossroads, we travelled down Interstate Highway 95 south to Miami Beach - taking the interstate highway is faster with no lights.  Delivered Catherine to a motel for that night, and she joined a cruise ship the next day.  Jim and I got back to Daytona Beach in less than 5 hours, with one quick coffee and comfort stop.  We totally enjoyed our time with Catherine, and sharing a little of our bit of Florida with her.

Sunday about noon, Jim and I were in the truck and headed north to Pooler, Georgia to be ready to load Monday morning at JCB, Inc.
Two forklifts loaded by 8.30am and headed north to New York.

Pooler, Georgia to Maryland and New York.