Bob. He just didn't care.
Finally, I said, "Bob, I sure wouldn't want to hitch hike along this road, especially at night."
This time Bob answered. "Muuurrff."
I'm not sure whether he was agreeing with me, or asking me to keep quiet so he could sleep.
Fortunately for him, we soon left the alligator area around the Myakka river, and followed county road 72 into Arcadia. From there we got onto county road 70, which took us by the two large state prisons in Desoto County.
No alligators on this part of the trip, but every few miles we'd see a large black animal carcass on the side of the road - a wild hogs that had encountered a car or one of the large trucks carrying oranges from the numerous groves we passed.
Three hours into the trip, we drove through the small town of Lake Placid and continued on around the northern tip of Lake Okeechobee. This part of the state was mostly rural, cattle ranches and grass farms, separated by tropical forests.
It was a pleasant drive. Not much traffic, and a lot of interesting scenery.
Four hours into the trip, we reached Fort Pierce on the east coast of Florida, the first major city we'd encountered since leaving Sarasota on the west coast.
At Fort Pierce, we crossed under I-95 and followed Kings Highway north to US 1, until we reached the small city of Vero Beach. In Vero, we got onto US 60, which would take us to Hutchinson Island - the long barrier island that is the Treasure Coast.
According to my GPS, we were about two miles from the Merrill Barber bridge that would take us off the mainland and onto Hutchinson Island, when we saw a large flashing road sign warning of possible bridge closings due to high winds.
I mentioned this to Bob, who was still sleeping in the passenger seat. "Bob, they say the bridge might close when the storm hits.
"If that happens, we could get stuck on the island with no way off for a few days. Think I should stop and get you some extra food?"
Bob said, "Muuurrph!"
Apparently, he thought stopping was a good idea.
Even though I had plenty of food in the Love Bus, stopping one more time before we left the mainland would give me a chance to stretch my legs, while picking up a few 'just in case' supplies.
As luck would have it, on my right at the next stop light there was a shopping center with a large Publix grocery store, so I pulled in and parked.
"Bob, you're in charge until I get back. Make sure no one gets in."
He yawned, showing all his teeth, and replied, "Murrrph." He had everything under control.
The weather in Florida this time of the year was cool with almost no humidity. And even with the windows closed, the inside of the motorhome would stay well within Bob's comfort zone.
Inside Publix, I picked up a bag of roasted chicken kitty food, Bob's favorite. And for me, I got a few more frozen dinners, another dozen eggs, some bacon, another quart of orange juice, and another case of bottled water.
I didn't need any of this, but there was no reason not to stock up. I had plenty of room and knew from experience that having too much food was always better than running out.
After returning to the Love Bus and securely stowing the extra supplies, we got back onto US 1, and crossed over the bridge onto Hutchinson Island.
Being a barrier island, with the vast Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Indian river to the west, island residents were very aware of the potential damage from even minor storms.
Strong winds could knock out power, tropical rains could quickly produce flooding, and high waves could inundate the streets.
Coming off the bridge, it was clear the locals were taking the coming storm seriously. Retailers were stacking sandbags in front of their stores, others were bolting hurricane panels over plate glass windows.
City maintenance crews were clearing culverts and removing vegetation from storm drains. Dump trucks and backhoes
Finally, I said, "Bob, I sure wouldn't want to hitch hike along this road, especially at night."
This time Bob answered. "Muuurrff."
I'm not sure whether he was agreeing with me, or asking me to keep quiet so he could sleep.
Fortunately for him, we soon left the alligator area around the Myakka river, and followed county road 72 into Arcadia. From there we got onto county road 70, which took us by the two large state prisons in Desoto County.
No alligators on this part of the trip, but every few miles we'd see a large black animal carcass on the side of the road - a wild hogs that had encountered a car or one of the large trucks carrying oranges from the numerous groves we passed.
Three hours into the trip, we drove through the small town of Lake Placid and continued on around the northern tip of Lake Okeechobee. This part of the state was mostly rural, cattle ranches and grass farms, separated by tropical forests.
It was a pleasant drive. Not much traffic, and a lot of interesting scenery.
Four hours into the trip, we reached Fort Pierce on the east coast of Florida, the first major city we'd encountered since leaving Sarasota on the west coast.
At Fort Pierce, we crossed under I-95 and followed Kings Highway north to US 1, until we reached the small city of Vero Beach. In Vero, we got onto US 60, which would take us to Hutchinson Island - the long barrier island that is the Treasure Coast.
According to my GPS, we were about two miles from the Merrill Barber bridge that would take us off the mainland and onto Hutchinson Island, when we saw a large flashing road sign warning of possible bridge closings due to high winds.
I mentioned this to Bob, who was still sleeping in the passenger seat. "Bob, they say the bridge might close when the storm hits.
"If that happens, we could get stuck on the island with no way off for a few days. Think I should stop and get you some extra food?"
Bob said, "Muuurrph!"
Apparently, he thought stopping was a good idea.
Even though I had plenty of food in the Love Bus, stopping one more time before we left the mainland would give me a chance to stretch my legs, while picking up a few 'just in case' supplies.
As luck would have it, on my right at the next stop light there was a shopping center with a large Publix grocery store, so I pulled in and parked.
"Bob, you're in charge until I get back. Make sure no one gets in."
He yawned, showing all his teeth, and replied, "Murrrph." He had everything under control.
The weather in Florida this time of the year was cool with almost no humidity. And even with the windows closed, the inside of the motorhome would stay well within Bob's comfort zone.
Inside Publix, I picked up a bag of roasted chicken kitty food, Bob's favorite. And for me, I got a few more frozen dinners, another dozen eggs, some bacon, another quart of orange juice, and another case of bottled water.
I didn't need any of this, but there was no reason not to stock up. I had plenty of room and knew from experience that having too much food was always better than running out.
After returning to the Love Bus and securely stowing the extra supplies, we got back onto US 1, and crossed over the bridge onto Hutchinson Island.
Being a barrier island, with the vast Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Indian river to the west, island residents were very aware of the potential damage from even minor storms.
Strong winds could knock out power, tropical rains could quickly produce flooding, and high waves could inundate the streets.
Coming off the bridge, it was clear the locals were taking the coming storm seriously. Retailers were stacking sandbags in front of their stores, others were bolting hurricane panels over plate glass windows.
City maintenance crews were clearing culverts and removing vegetation from storm drains. Dump trucks and backhoes
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