February 2016 Pre-trip and Trip Reports

[SouthAlabama5er]

Well I'm back at work, I week of night shift, "I can do this". At least I'll be in the routine of being awake all night this will help with that midnight departure for the Fort.

Only thing I'll have to do when I get home is wash my truck and fill it up with fuel.

 

[peg110]

Well I'm back at work, I week of night shift, "I can do this". At least I'll be in the routine of being awake all night this will help with that midnight departure for the Fort.

I feel for ya. When we depart we usually leave early evening after a full day of work and when the kids get home from school. (I start at 6AM). Our main objective is to get through the DC Beltway area without too much issue. Since it takes us about 3 -4 hours to get to the beltway, it's not so bad (around 8 PM ish). We then stop south of DC (usually Ashland, VA) and stay at a truck stop.

Since I am the only one that will drive (okay, my eldest's boyfriend said he would but since he has only been driving in general for about a year, I am not ready to give him control of my 2014 F-250 with our 27' TT and all 5 of us), the "Breaks" are more on my schedule. I like driving in the night because traffic is usually less of an issue, but it's tough when I am used to being up all day and early.

Anyway, drive safe and have an awesome trip.

 

[SouthAlabama5er]

I don't feel so bad about our 8 hour drive now. My bunch is fast asleep before we get out of Mobile county, unless they wake up needing a bathroom break, I'll crack the valve on the aux fuel tank and it's a nonstop flight for us. But this trip my parents are following us down so I'm figuring on about three fuel stops for my dad's truck.

I need to Google and see if there is any Cracker Barrel Restaurants on I-75, I'm planning on them wanting a breakfast stop.

I also like driving at night, less traffic and less stress, I prefer leaving late at night on all our long distance trips.

 

[peg110]

I'd leave late and drive at night, but unfortunately, they (the family) won't let me sleep in during the day, not to mention the Dog has to be as close to me as possible when I am home. So he too makes it difficult to sleep during the day.

I wish I had an 8 hour drive. I also wish I had an aux tank. My F-250 (sadly gas not diesel.) only has about a 28 gallon tank. My previous F-150 had 36. Plus we have about 1100 miles of travel, so we typically do about 5 - 7 hours first evening, a full day the next day, and roll in on day 3 (second FULL day) early in the AM. Going home, we leave early and spend a full day driving and usually get back home mid afternoon the next day. (A sleep break in between, mostly for me).

If I could drive it straight through I am looking anywhere from 12 to 16 hours (depends on traffic, how heavy I am on the accelerator, etc..)

 

[PaHunter]

We will be departing around 2am on our trip, and will do around 12/13 hours the first day for a total of 775 miles. Have to be around Harrisburg before the rest of the world wakes up. The rest of 81 and 77 isn't to bad traffic wise. Although this trip will be on Friday vs Saturday last year so I do expect a little more traffic.

 

[tiggerdad]

I need to Google and see if there is any Cracker Barrel Restaurants on I-75, I'm planning on them wanting a breakfast stop.

Randy,
There is one in Lake City right after you get off of I-10 onto I-75. There is another in Gainesville, and then two in Ocala. Not sure on parking ease with that big rig you are pulling. Might want to Google Map it and take a look.

http://www.crackerbarrel.com/locations

I just put in Gainesville, FL and selected within 200 miles

 

[SouthAlabama5er]

Thanks Michael, I'm going to check that out now, I keep getting sidetracked here on the DIS.

 

[tiggerdad]

Aren't you supposed to be driving a boat!?

 

[SouthAlabama5er]

We're in town tied to the dock, hopefully we'll sit here all week without going offshore, a easy week.

 

[jbrostek]

Best of luck that you don't have to go out to sea Randy. I am sure you would rather be land based with internet and phone.

My drive is split in two days. The goal is to be on the road no later then 8:30, but since I am another hour from I95, we are shooting for 0730. We used to take 234 to I95, now doing 15 to 17 to I95. We generally stop at point south KOA, its a good amount of miles for the day and we pull in there around 7pm. Have some dinner, relax a little and get to bed, the next day get back on the road between 8 and 9 and get to the fort around 2-3. Gives us enough light at this time of the year to park, get setup and still have time to enjoy dinner and relax for the evening.

I have two weekends and weeks to finish packing and preparing for the trip and its looking good. The body came back for the golf cart, and it looks freaking awesome. The rest of the parts and pieces arrive tomorrow through next Tuesday so as soon as I can upload some pictures I will. This afternoon once I am done with work I am going to power wash the chassis, touch up some chassis paint and start pinning on the body. It wont look like much till the actual trim pieces and seats get taken care of, but I should have the body and top back on it by tomorrow.

 

[DisneyDad0f5]

Our kids get out of school early on Friday (noon) and the college daughter has a class and should be home by 12:30. I hope to hit the Alabama/Florida state line by 1:30. Eight hour drive and we should be there around 10:00 pm. Late start, but we are ready to be there! Less than a week to go.....

DDo5

 

[SouthAlabama5er]

Best of luck that you don't have to go out to sea Randy. I am sure you would rather be land based with internet and phone.

Thanks but I'm that lucky woke up tonight to see that we're loaded up with cargo to take offshore to a drill ship, great.

I haven't traveled I95 very much but I understand that is the busiest interstate in the country, hard to imagine anything worse than I75 in Florida, so safe travels to you jbrostek. Also I'm ready to see how your cart turns out. Tee Time hit up my checking account at the beginning of the week so I know it getting close for us, Kenny should love us this year we're renting 3 carts from him.

 

[SouthAlabama5er]

DDo5, you'll be pulling in to FW about the same time we are getting ready to leave Alabama, so I'll be looking for a traffic report buddy haha, a friend of mine that drives a truck for John Deere told me that they had some road work on I75. I'll call him this week and get a update on that and I'll pass it on on here.

 

[tiggerdad]

Yeah Kenny will like you a lot. Sorry about you having to earn your check.

 

[SouthAlabama5er]

Yeah Kenny will like you a lot. Sorry about you having to earn your check.

Yeah I hope everything works out as planned, I read some not so good reports on Kenny and his carts. We had a good experience with him last year. I wish he had a bigger trailer so I only would have to make one trip instead of two to pick up and drop off the carts. Haha I asked the lady about a discount rate for 3 or more carts when I booked them, she didn't think it was too funny.

Oh yeah, I gotta earn it this week, looking at the weather forecast this may be our only run thus week, fingers crossed.

 

[SouthAlabama5er]

Hey I just noticed I made it to DIS veteran, cool!

Ok is it just me or is this week dragging by real slow!!? I'm ready to head home Thursday, and head to my second home (Fort Wilderness) Friday night!

My DW went grocery shopping yesterday for the camper. I had made a deal with her, I promised to do everything to get the camper ready to roll, even loaded up my clothes, washed all the bedding and put them back on the beds (thats a job with 4 beds) before I left last thrusday, all she had to do was get her and my DS' clothes loaded up, and pick up a some groceries. I tried to make it as easy on her as I could since she has to work all week.

Hope everyone else is coming along good on your Pre trip planning and packing.

Jbrostek, we're waiting to see that golf cart all finished up.

 

[jbrostek]

Don't worry, some progress pictures will make it up here soon. Saturday I had planned more golf cart work, but I got a morning SOS call of sorts from my buddies at the shop. He has a project he is trying to complete before we all hitch up and leave for FL. So I went down there for the morning, it worked out as I was still waiting for paint to dry on some chassis parts I touched up that morning.

Saturday I got the main body pinned, the battery pack hooked back up and started pulling the old seat covers off. I would have done more on the cart that afternoon but the seat brackets where curing slowly due to the cooler weather. Sunday I had to work so not much progress there. Tonight I will install the bag well insert which lets me install the seat brackets that take care of the rear seat and front seat back. I have some seat hardware for the rear seat to paint this evening as well. The trim kit is due to deliver today so once I have the front axle cover and shock cover installed I will pin the nose back on.

From there is just reinstallation of the lights, tops, etc. I think she will look pretty good once its all said and done.

12 Days to departure!!!! The good thing is most of the shopping is done, and between golf cart stuff and work I will also start to load up the trailer with the dry goods, fire the fridge back up by next Monday and my goal is to have it 95% loaded by Wed evening. So Thursday and Friday we can recheck our lists and make sure nothing is forgotten.

 

[DisneyDad0f5]

DDo5, you'll be pulling in to FW about the same time we are getting ready to leave Alabama, so I'll be looking for a traffic report buddy haha, a friend of mine that drives a truck for John Deere told me that they had some road work on I75. I'll call him this week and get a update on that and I'll pass it on on here.

Randy,

We went to Disney in November and I do not recall any issues with construction. There was a wreck on the turnpike that we navigated around, but that was about it. If there are any trouble spots, I will let you know. We are going to be a little behind what I thought because of soccer practice for my son.

DDo5 (a.k.a. Mike)

 

[DisneyDad0f5]

Hey I just noticed I made it to DIS veteran, cool!

Congrats Randy!

 

[jbrostek]

Oh as for I95 travel south. It is heavier then I81 and I77. But since I avoid DC completely and we get a reasonable Saturday start we are well past bigger congestion areas at peak times for a Saturday (Richmond, Fayetteville.) Even around Florence, SC is not all that bad given that we are passing it just 4-5pm. Other then one year where we got a late start, I think our departure from Point South is perfect as we are usually south of Jacksonville before noon and stop for lunch. Orlando can be tricky at around 1pm but really not that bad on a Sunday.