April 22, Tallahassee, Florida.
I am unable to update my route map because my camera needed repairs—it did not take kindly to being dropped. It was fixed and shipped to my next mail drop in Augusta, Georgia. I thought I’d be there this coming week. But, Serendipity has other ideas.
Tomorrow, I will head for Apalachicola National Forest in Florida’s big bend. A half-million acre pine forest, a scenic coastal drive, and a few miles of barrier islands ought to keep me mesmerized for a few days. Please, Mistress of the Universe, let the islands be unspoiled. I haven’t recovered from The Great Wall of Condos on Perdido Key where Florida and Alabama are joined at the beach.
# # #
Yesterday, I tried something new. I saw a fun post in another blog—pix of a Manhattan bank building converted to 32-room mansion. I hit the re-blog button, and WordPress notified all my subscribers there was a new post from me. That was slick for everyone who is subscribed to my blog. But most people learn about new posts by receiving an email from me.
The re-blogged post appears at the top of my Welcome Page. That is not where I’d want it. If I can’t figure out how to move it, I will delete it in a few days. Re-blogging is a new feature at WordPress and I don’t know how often I’ll use it. But I do want to point out that, for several hundred passengers, you are less likely to see any future re-blogs unless subscribed.
I am going to continue with the notification lists anyway.
If anyone knows more about re-blogging than I do, please let me know. Recently, someone wanted to re-blog one of my posts, but there is no re-blog button at my site. My research hasn’t turned up a way to add this feature to my site.
# # #
I haven’t forgotten the follow up page to The Villages. It is involving more fact-checking than I anticipated. Soon.
February 20, 2112. Mt. Dora, FL (25 miles north of Orlando)
December 5, 2011. Fairhope, AL. Below find an updated map of my snaky itinerary.
I will be posting soon f the charming town of Fairhope.
November 13, 2011. Fayetteville, AR.
I’ve been looking online for an interactive map of the US to trace my route. I haven’t found anything and I am retreating to the old-fashioned way–a line drawn on a paper map.
The route drawn below tells the story of year one of the travels of the Jolly Swag. I spent a lot of time in the Southwest and returned to the Bay Area twice. Stage two of our booster rocket hurled me eastward. The red line on the map terminates at Joplin, MO.
September 16, 2011. Payson Az.
Two weeks ago I acquired a new website with the domain name of Allevenson.com . Since then I have been migrating the files of A Year on the Road to the new site. Two days ago I published the first post to the new site. I found out the subscriber list did not transport. Furthermore the some WordPress functionality was lost at the new site–including a subscriber button.
Because there are a few subscribers who do not receive notifications from the Googlegroup or the Yahoo group, I have posted the most recent blog to the old (WordPress site).
To those few people who are subscribed to the old site and are on the notification list. They received What are the Odds twice. This should not happen again. Until I solve the functionality problems, I will post to the old site.
A Year on the Road 
Al,
This visual is not only helpful but visually impressive.
Thanks for sharing. So many more places to explore. The
future is bright filled with adventure and new teachings
throughout your journey. The destination is not the point
and I like that you know that well.
Karen
i recently purchased my first motorhome….class c 31ft 2008 coachmen… used it just once..went to cooperstown ny…baseball hall of fame….just the begining of many adventures …
Congrats on the motorhome. I am beginning to feel like a godfather. Two are the second of the passengers of the blog who has purchased a motorhome. Three others are talking about it so seriously that I think they are past the pipe dream stage. If you are not off cruising when I come by, I will look forward to a visit and a tour in June of 2012.
How did you do that map AL? Great work. I’d like to do something similar.
David,
I take my inspiration from the Russians.
I spent hours cruising the ‘Net looking for a high tech solution and found nothing. So I went for low tech.
The map is paper from AAA. The route is a red marker pen. I flattened it on the floor and photographed it with a digital camera. I enhanced the file in Photoshop–mostly I just pumped up the contrast.
NASA spent twelve million dollars developing a pen that would work in space. The Russians used a pencil.
I will be in Florida soon enough and will be in touch regarding your referral.
travelling in winter is wayyyy different than summer or better weather..in better weather, i’d recommend northern travel..i’d check out chattanooga..also checkout the “redneck riviera” and c how it’s been affected by the oil spill over a year later..that seems up your alley..go from southern louisiana to mississippi, alabama, florida
Clear and accurate with the map. I remember how exciting road trips were with Triple A’s “Triptik” and those great red lines leading us to wherever. When you hit Florida I hope you get to Naples where people celebrate the sunset. We intend to be there in February or March. You are learning so much hands on style!
Al
Great map of your trek. I love to see where you’ve been.
Been wondering about your upcoming route. Love our RV, but not in the snow and ice!
My intention always was to be a climate bird. I did not do a good job of staying ahead of the change of seasons in my first year on the road. I found places I did not want to rush through. So I was still in Taos in August and Kansas in November.
Plus I did not realize what life in an uninsulated box with windows that were heat sinks in summer and heat escape routes in cold weather.
Here on the Gulf I have had a few cold nights but mostly lovely days and mild nights. I hope to do better next year. Winter will be a test. I expect to wait for spring before heading north. The east coast is the land of my routes. There are many places I have not visited for 30-40 ears and lots of family and school chums I’ve rarely seen in the same period. I will not have the Fulltimer Bug out of my system until I do 2012.
I will huddle with myself next fall. Let the two years on the road sink in, and think about what I want the rest of my life to look like. Anchored or mobile? A place to call home or a place to call home base? I expect my compulsion for risky adventure will be overtaken by my desire for companionship. Next year will be another year of exploration and discovery and the beginning of transition.
I feel I am living in the most wonderful all curses. The one that goes, May you live in interesting times.
Good idea. I might copy it.
You’re welcome to it.
AL
Hey Al, The way those red lines you drew on the map wobble all over the place I’m wondering if you didn’t take several cases of Calif wine with you on this Jolly Swag adventure? Jim
Or one might say I ran out of Merlot in Leavenworth and have been on the wagon since.
AL
Hi Al,
You are really savoring you journey. I’m enjoying your travels. New Orleans is a great place. I guess you’ll be down in the warm country during winter.
I know you will have fun.
The thing about travel is the more you get the more you want.
Happy travels Al.
April
We just returned from a road trip to Colorado to visit Jerry’s daughters. I counted 37 vehicles in the ditches through Nebraska to Minnesota and swore to the heavens that I will never road trip in the winter again.
I understand the snowbird and long to be one..if only the money gods would bless me.
My Mom & Dad’s retirement town – Mt Dora, FL. Some where – I have a t-shirt that says, “I skied Mt Dora”. It got great reactions when I lived in Colorado. LOL
We are in Virginia for now. Spent 2-1/2 months in Florida. Found a park for the big RV near Tampa that charged $250/mo plus electricity. Spent some time near Orlando too. Next stop is the Virginia State Samboree in Urbana, VA and beyond that is the National Samboree in Louisville, KY with multiple stops along the way. We love the RV and traveling but we tend to not do the off grid style of camping called boondocking – as you do. We are spoiled and love the electricity and water hookups.
We are trying to figure out where we want our legal residence to be. Taxes seem to be the driving force here. I am old enough now that I must take pittance distributions from all my retirement portfolios and it is taxed as income along with my Social Security and pensions. Gotta support those anchor babies ya know! Of course my step daughter in Colorado is an abuser of all the entitlements a single, young parent can garner. So in effect I pay for her needs/wants too.
Love the blogs – keep going Al!
I am interested in following your experiences as you make your way back to your roots along the Eastern Seaboard. My own heritage is in central and southeastern Pennsylvania, and i have always felt that the old homily, “You can take the boy out of Pennsylvania but you can’t take Pennsylvania out of the boy,” applied to my life experience. When I return to the rolling hills around Lewisburg and State College, PA I feel as though i am once again truly at home.
Dave