6. St. Augustine, FL

Today we drove 437 KM and landed in St. Augustine, FL

Ah, the Medi-Pac call. The extra cost for Carol to get health insurance coverage for the last day of our trip would be CAN $250 because her top-up plan is in increments of 10 days. So by returning one day early, (our return date for insurance purposes was a guess) she saves $250. The plan now is to be back in Canada on or before April 5, 2018 when Carol will send in a request for the rebate and proof of her return (envelope post-marked before April 5.)

It is always a hassle to do business via phone while on the road. We cannot travel with an office in the car or on the bikes. The businesses we deal with do not understand how difficult it is travelling and taking notes, sending faxes, printing documents, receiving email, etc. Living out of a suitcase is not easy.

We found a reasonable Inn in St. Augustine, but… there are no eateries around the motel. Just fast food places with French fries and burgers. I am getting to the age where I am pickier about where I stay, what I eat and how clean the place is.

 

The Smart Stay Inn is ok, just not cozy and comfy. It’s ok for one night, maybe 2.

We are away from downtown, old town, St. Augustine; we need to take the car to visit the tourist area. Then, of course, we need to find parking. Sometimes, when you add up the inconvenience and the parking and the breakfast, it is cheaper to stay in a better place that has all those conveniences built in.

5. Louisville, GA

More Snow Even in South Carolina

Well, we saw Greenville, S. C. a little bit of it anyway and liked the part of Greenville we did see. We parked in front of the BMW MOA office and walked the neighborhood first before finding our way into the MOA office.   

Reedy River Falls

It is a lovely area with a Park across the street from the office and a river running through it (Reedy River). With the waterfalls over large granite rocks it was a truly idyllic, park-like setting with flowers in bloom, albeit now covered in the remains of the snow that just passed through. 

Snow Damaged Pansies

The park is lovely, the office? Not so much.

Sharing Office Space With the Car Clubs

I found it unfriendly, cluttered, and full of schlock, disorganized. No way would I run a place like this if in charge. The MOA can be very glad they don’t have me as a boss. Much of the stuff displayed needs to be in boxes in an attic: Makes me look at the MOA in a very different way.

With Charles Townes

Along the pedestrian street in front of the ‘office’ was a statue of Charles Townes, the inventor of the maser (forerunner of the laser) who shared a Nobel Prize for his invention in 1964 with 2 Russians.

Laser Light is Part of the Statue

 

 

Canada Geese Are Everywhere

Naturally, we saw many Canada Geese!  Is there a spot in the U.S. that does not have those? Sometimes I ask myself if they are a pest or beneficial.  There sure are tons of them, they are everywhere.

Carol received a call from Medi-Pac, to please call back. Medi-Pac is her out-of-the-country insurance company. It’s too late in the day to call back; she will have to do this tomorrow. 

We found a cheap motel in Louisville, GA for the night. The motel was nothing to write home about. Even the Wi-Fi did not work well.

Total KM for today   439.

Going South!

4. Still in Statesville, N.C.

We woke up and had 5” of new snow and it was still snowing; the roads were slick and dangerous. Do we need to be on the road in weather like this? The forecast was for more snow during the day and snow until at least 5 PM for the region.

We extended our stay at the hotel.

We had leftovers for lunch of stuff we had in our bags and walked up to the Waffle House next door for dinner.

A lazy day, with just reading and staying put. Good to have Wi-Fi. Good to be safe, rather than trying to beat the traffic in weather like this.

0 KM for today………we are still in Statesville, N.C.