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My Brightline Train Trip-Part 4

13 Mar

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

New Years Day (1/1/2024 Continued)

After we had boarded the train and found our seats, we discovered that the Brightline train is being used by a lot of people as a commuter train for the stations between Miami and West Palm Beach.  There was a large passenger exchange at our station, as well as at the Boca Raton and West Palm Beach stations.

Photo Credit: https://www.istockphoto.com/people-waiting-for-train/

By the time we got to the Melbourne area, the sun was setting, and it was hard to see outside with the reflection of the lights in the train car.  I did notice, however, that the train whistle was not sounding as often heading north in the dark as the one did heading south in the daylight.  That seemed a little scary to me, when I thought of the many vehicles that have been hit by these trains since they started traveling this route at these higher speeds.

Photo Credit: https://www.fox35orlando.com/brightline/crash

The speed was slower heading north (Average 76 mph) thru the more congested areas, and we were able to see a few things we recognized.  We were able to see the big Cocoa water tower, and the SR-528 overpass as we turned west and passed under the highway.  Once the train was on the straight-away, parallelling SR-528, the train’s speed increased to about 125 mph (not much to see along this stretch) and before we knew it, we were pulling into the Orlando Airport Terminal “C” Brightline Station and the end of our New Year’s Day train trip.

Photo Credit: https://www.rail-tech.com/brightlines-orlando-station/  

Billy walked me to the Wally Park shuttle pickup area where we said our goodbyes.  I called for a shuttle pickup and Billy found his car and headed home.  It wasn’t long before the Wally Park shuttle pulled up.  The shuttle driver had other passengers to pick up at the different airlines, so it took almost 20-minutes for him to deliver me to my car at the Wally Park parking area.  I had forgotten to write down my parking “Row” and parking “Slot” so it took him a while to find the right “Row” and “Slot” and my car (How could I have forgotten to do that?).

Photo Credit: https://www.google.com/search=Wally/Park/Shuttle

Once we found my car, it was a familiar route home to Titusville via south on SR-436 and east on SR-528 approximately 35 miles.  This route runs right along a portion of the same Brightline Train track we had just been on.  By the time I arrived home, DiVoran had prepared a great “Welcome Home” supper for me and had it waiting.  She and that home-cooked supper were a welcome site after this long day with Billy to Fort Lauderdale and return on the Brightline High-Speed train.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

That brings to a close the adventures of “My Brightline Train Trip” with my son, Billy, on New Year’s Day of 2024.  I would have to say that this was a very interesting once–in-a-lifetime experience that I enjoyed sharing with my son, and am looking forward to doing it again (with Billy) once Brightline has finished the Orlando to Tampa leg of their system.  In the meantime, I think I will continue to do my trips to the south Florida area by car (Road Trips).  Thanks for joining me for this short one-day Brightline train trip.  It’s been fun!  See you next time.

Image Credit: https://www.dreamstime.com/illustration/goodbye/

—–The End—–

ill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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My Brightline Train Trip-Part 3

6 Mar

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

New Years Day (1/1/2024 Continued)

Our next RideCircuit driver, for the ride back to the Brightline Station,  regaled us with the history and stories of the areas of Fort Lauderdale as we passed thru them, such as what was presently going on in the neighborhood where he lived.

Photo Credit: https://observernewspaperonline.com/2021/11/01/brightline-offers-door-to-door-transportation/

As we passed an old church building, he pointed at it and informed us that it had originally been built in 1921 as the St. Anthony’s Catholic church.  When that parish moved to a larger building in 1949, they sold the building to the Lutheran Evangelical Church and the building’s facade was moved to its present location.  The building was registered as a “Historic Landmark” by the city fathers, and sat vacant for many years.  In 2017 the building was sold to a local developer and the “Holly Blue” Restaurant & Lounge project was begun.  The restoration was finally finished in 2023, and that’s what I call a unique building transformation story.

Photo Credit: https://fortlauderdalecra.com/theabbey/FortLauderdale/neighborhood/

At one point a bunch of young kids on bicycles came riding at us, acting as if they were going to crash into us.  I grabbed the back of the seat in front of me when our driver didn’t slow down, and the cyclists peeled off around our shuttle vehicle, laughing and shouting at us.  When I asked him what that was all about, he told us about the gangs of young kids on bicycles that were stopping and terrorizing motorists in certain areas of Fort Lauderdale, causing the local law enforcement folks a lot of headaches.  He said several cyclists had deliberately run into cars, and then sued the motorists for damages (No money had been awarded to the cyclists that he knew of).

Photo Credit: https://wsvn.com/news/video-shows-dangerous-behavior-involving-bicyclists-cars-in-fort-lauderdale/

Our RideCircuit shuttle driver dropped us off right in front of the Brightline Station.  Billy and I had purchased coach tickets for our return trip, so we didn’t have access to the 1stCClass Lounge at this station.  However, we did inspect the lounge and found that it wasn’t as plush as the one in Orlando, but was still quit comfortable.

Photo Credit: https://www.roadtripsforfamilies.com/fort-lauderdale/

At first, we heard an announcement that our 3:25 train was going to be a few minutes late, but then heard the call that the train was arriving pretty much on-time.  We proceeded to the track-side waiting area, with the other passengers, and watched the train pull into the station.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites 

We had purchased a coach tickets for our return trip to compare 1st class seating, comfort, and amenities with that of coach.  Of course, the price was half that of 1stclass seating and that had something to do with our choice of return tickets also

Photo Credit: Bill Lites 

As we boarded the coach car for our return trip, we found our reserved seats (side-by-side with no table) and discovered that coach seating was a little more crowded than 1stclass, and not as roomy as first class seating (No tables between some seats, so less legroom).

Photo Credit: https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/brightline-

The train left the Fort Lauderdale station within a minute or two of our original 3:25 departure time and we were surprised to see that the car we were in was full.  Once we left the Fort Lauderdale station, Billy accessed the “Speed” and “Google Maps” apps on his iPhone so we could keep track of our progress and speed for the return trip.

Photo Credit: https://apps.apple.com/speedometer-speed-tracker

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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My Brightline Train Trip:Part 2

28 Feb

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

New Years Day (1/1/2024 Continued)

I was surprised at how quickly the passenger exchange took place at the West Palm Beach station.   Within about two minutes the train was moving again.  The train picked up speed, and before long we had passed thru Lake Worth Beach, Boynton Beach, and Delray Beach, before arriving at the Boca Raton station.  Another quick passenger exchange took place, and we were off again.  We quickly passed thru Deerfield Beach, Hillsboro Beach, and Pompano Beach, before arriving at the Fort Lauderdale station.

Photo Credit: https://www.flickr.com/fortlauderdale/brightline/station/

Since it was New Year’s Day, and most of the museums were closed, our plan had been to visit the Museum of Discovery and Science first, and then catch an Uber to a restaurant on Los Olas Street for lunch.  Then after lunch we had planned to catch another Uber to the beach for a stroll in the sun, before returning to the Brightline Station for our 3:25 pm return train ride back to Orlando.

Photo Credit: https://onthegrid.city/museum-of-discovery-and-science

However, when we exited the Brightline Station, and were looking around for which way it was to the museum, a Brightline electric courtesy shuttle (Ridecircuit) driver across the street called us over.  She explained that as Brightline ‘Premium’ passengers she was available to take us anywhere we wanted to go within a 5-mile radius, FREE!  We were not aware of this amenity, and immediately took her up on the deal.  Since it was getting close to lunch time anyway, and the Ridecircult shuttle was right there, ready to go, we decided to change our plans and have lunch first.

Photo Credit: https://www.ridecircuit.com/fortlauderdale

Our friendly Ridecircult shuttle driver took us to Los Olas Street and showed us the “Restaurant Row” area.  We checked out the many great restaurants as we rode thru the area and asked her to drop us off at the Cuba Libre Cuben Restaurant.   

Photo Credit: https://www.cubalibrerestaurant.com/in/fortlauderdale/

She gave us a phone number to call for our next FREE Ridecircult shuttle ride to the beach and she was on her way.  At the Cuba Libre Restaurant, we sat at an outdoor table where we could “people watch” and admire the many antique and luxury cars cruising up and down the crowded Los Olas Street.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

The Cuba Libre Restaurant doesn’t look all that big from the Los Olas Street entrance, but it is huge inside, because it is located on a corner lot that I didn’t notice when we exited the Ridecircult shuttle out front.  I can just imagine what last night’s New Year’s Eve festive atmosphere must have been like, with a full crowd and all that great Cuban music and dancers. Just the place to be to celebrate the New Year in.            

Photo Credit: https://www.cubalibrerestaurant.com/in/fortlauderdale/

However, at 11:30 am on New Year’s Day, as you can see in the photo below, there were nothing but empty tables, set for the lunch crowd, for us to choose from.  We ordered their Ropa Vieja plate (one of Billy’s favorites) served with plantains and black beans and rice.  There was enough for two, so we split that delicious meal.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

After that delightful meal, we called for our next Brightline FREE Ridecircult shuttle pickup for a ride to the beach.  This time the man who picked us up had a serious problem with his vehicle’s running gear (it was making a lot of noise) and said he hoped it would last until he got us to the beach.  We made it to the beach, and he dropped us off at the Cortez Street entrance to the beach, just north and across A1A from the Elbow Room.  Then he headed off to his repair station for a replacement vehicle.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

The weather was warm by now, and the beach was crowded with sun-worshipers.  We were both surprised at the sight, as it had been cold enough in Orlando (this morning) that we both had left our houses with jackets on.  It is amazing how different the weather can be in just a short distance traveled south this time of year in Florida.  We walked the beach for a while and then realized that the time for our 3:25 pm Brightline train back to Orlando was getting closer, and we needed to allow time for our Brightline FREE Ridecircult shuttle to pick us up and get us back to the station. We called for a pickup and watched for him, as the traffic up and down A1A was really heavy.  Our shuttle finally arrived and the trip to the station was very interesting.

Photo Credit: https://www.ridecircuit.com/fortlauderdale

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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My Brightline Train Trip-Part 1

21 Feb

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

New Years Day (1/1/2024)

This day started early for me as I needed to drive to Orlando, Florida to meet my son, Billy, for our first ever Brightline High-Speed train ride.  After a quick breakfast, I made the 35-mile trip from my home in Titusville to Orlando on SR-528 and found the Wally Park off-site parking (As I mentioned in the Prolog, I chose the Wally Park off-site parking because the Brightline Station parking directions at the airport Terminal “C” seemed a little confusing, and I didn’t want to deal with the potential of being late for our 8:50 Brightline departure).

Photo Credit: https://m.facebook.com/WallyPark

It only took the Wally Park Customer Shuttle about ten minutes, after picking me up, to take me directly to the Brightline Station entrance located in Terminal ‘C’ at the Orlando International Airport.  That included two stops at airlines to pick up other passengers.

Photo Credit: https://www.google.com/search=Wally/Park/Shuttle

I took the escalator to the 3rd floor where I met my son, Billy, at the Brightline Station ticket area.  We used our e-tickets to enter the 1st class lounge to wait for them to call our 8:50 train.  I was surprised at how comfortable and spacious the lounge was.

Photo Credit: https://touringplans.com/brightline-train-to-orlando/

We were able to avail ourselves of an assortment of self-serve complimentary breakfast items such as scrambled eggs, sausage, home-fried potatoes, cheese cubes, and sliced ham.  Coffee, soft drinks, and bottled water were also available.

Photo Credit: https://upgradedpoints.com/travel/brightline-train-review/

I was impressed with the eco-utensils provided to us to eat with at the 1st Class Lounge, and later on the train.  Even though everything provided to eat with was recyceable, the wooden cutlery was so different from the plastic utensils I am use to receiving at most fast food places (and even at some restaurants) now days.  It was a unique experience.

Phot Credit: Bill Lites

When our 8:50 am train to Fort Lauderdale and Miami was called, we took our bottled water from the lounge, and proceeded thru the entry turnstiles (with our QR Code), down the stairs to the train on Track One, and entered the 1st- class car.  We found our reserved seats on the single seat side with a table between the seats.

Photo Credit: https://thepointsguy.com/news/brightline/

Billy got busy setting up his Speed Tracker App in his iPhone so we could track the speed of the train on our journey.  The train was only lightly loaded with passengers, and I was amazed at how smooth the train ride was from the Orlando Airport (Terminal ‘C’), east along SR-528 to Brevard County where the track turned south toward Miami.

Photo Credit: https://apps.apple.com/speedometer-speed-tracker

Billy said the highest speed he recorded along this straight stretch of track was 125 mph!  Billy also loaded the Google Maps app in his iPhone so we could track our progress as well as the train’s speed.  As the train slowed down for the turn south, we began looking for familiar sights along the train route adjacent to US-1.

Photo Credit: https://www.pinterest.com/cocoa-florida-water-tower/

We saw the big Cocoa water tower, and Rockledge Square.  Then somewhere along this southern portion of the route, we must have moved onto a short piece of the FEC track, because the train began to rock and roll enough to make a few people sick.  That was the only short stretch of rough track that I remember during the entire trip.

Photo Credit: https://www.istockphoto.com/motion-sickness/

Luckily, this didn’t last long, and we were back on a smooth ride.  Then we passed over the Eua Galle River, Crane Creek (Melbourne), Turkey Creek (Palm Bay), St. Sebastian River (Sebastian) bridges, and thru the small towns of Wabasso, Winter Beach, and Gifford.  Then we passed thru Vero Beach, Jensen Beach, skirted the St. Lucy River inlet, thru Port Salerno, and Fort Pierce, before arriving at our first stop at West Palm Beach.  As the train was slowing, there was an announcement telling passengers who were getting off at this station to gather their belongings and prepare to exit the train, as“This stop would only be for a few moments.”

Photo Credit: https://www.theledger.com/brightline/

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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My Brightline Train Trip

14 Feb

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Prolog 

To give you a little background on the Brightline High-Speed train in Florida; it is said to be the only privately owned and operated inter-city passenger railroad in the United States.  Planning for the development of this inter-city route began way back in March 2012. Construction on the first leg of the route (Miami to West Palm Beach) began in 2014 and passenger service was inaugurated in 2018.  Phase-2 of the inter-city plan (West Palm Beach to Orlando) began around 2018 with use of some segments of the existing Florida East Coast (FEC) railroad track system, and passenger service for that leg of the route started in 2023.  I’ve heard that the ultimate goal of the Brightline system will include passenger service connecting the now operating, Miami to Orlando leg, with connecting legs to the Tampa/St. Petersburg area sometime in the not-to-distant future.

Photo Credit: wikipedia.org/wiki/Brightline#/media/File:BrightLine

I have been waiting all these years for Phase-2 of the Brightline high-speed train route, from Orlando to West Palm Beach, to be completed so I could take a ride on that train.  Then on New Year’s Day, January 1, 2024 I got my chance.  I guess Brightline was afraid that the holiday might not produce the mass of travelers they needed to keep revenues steady (or some other reason) and they offered ½-price tickets for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.  I jumped on that offer and my son, Billy, and I bought our New Year’s Day e-tickets for a day-trip from Orlando to Fort Lauderdale and return on-line.

                   Photo Credit:  Bill Lites

When I researched the Brightline airport parking at Terminal ‘C’, the directions seemed a little confusing to me, with all the new construction going on at the airport, so I chose to use the Wally Park off-site parking.  I purchased a one-day car reservation on-line so I wouldn’t have to worry about parking at the airport.  I Goggled the Wally Park address, near the Orlando Airport so I could enter it into my Waze that would take me right to it on New Year’s Day morning. 

Photo Credit:  Bill Lites

So, now I was all set, and looking forward to that grand adventure with my son, Billy.  I’ll be telling you all about our experiences, beginning next week here on “All Things R New” with my blog called “My Brightline Train Trip Part 1.”  So, stay tuned for all the fun.

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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2023 Road Trip-Part 20

7 Feb

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Day 20 – August 3

: After breakfast this morning, I got my things together and met Billy, who was already waiting for me in the lobby of the motel.  I had wanted to visit a couple of museums in St. Petersburg today, but Billy told me he needed to be home by the early afternoon, so, we would have to save those museum visits for another trip.  I asked him if he had had his breakfast and was ready to start today’s activities, and he said, “Yes, let’s get going.”  We headed east on SR-688, across the Howard Frankland Bridge (SR-60), to pick up I-4 (east) for 25 miles to visit the Robert W. Willaford Railroad Museum in Plant City, FL.  This museum is housed in the original 1909 Union Station Depot building and displays antique railroad artifacts and memorabilia.  Museum visitors can view passing trains up-close from the museum’s Viewing Platform located adjacent to the museum.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Now we continued east 25 miles on I-4 to visit the Fantasy of Flight Museum located in Polk City, FL.  This amazing aviation museum has 50+ beautifully restored civilian and WWII military aircraft that all fly.  The owner of this museum, Kermit Weeks, has restored most of these aircraft over the years and flys one of them every day that the museum is open.  After landing, he will sit on the wing and tell his visitors the complete history of that particular aircraft.  Some of his tour guides are dressed in vintage costumes as ‘Rosie the Riveter’ and ‘Gracy the Wing Walker.’  Best looking tour guides I’ve seen at any museum.

     Photo Credit: https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/fantasy+of+flight+museum/  

Continuing east another 30 miles on I-4 we wanted to visit the Warbird Air Museum located in Kissimmee, FL. but when we arrived at the address, adjacent to the Kissimmee Municipal Airport, we discovered the museum had been closed and all the aircraft moved to somewhere in South Carolina.  That was quite a surprise!  So, since it was almost noon, and we were in Kissimmee, I asked Billy if he would like to have lunch at the Columbia Spanish Restaurant.  DiVoran and I had enjoyed lunch at the Columbia Restaurant (located at the St. Petersburg Pier) back while we were on vacation there, and really liked their food.  I had their Pork Chops with black beans & rice and plantains, and Billy had Ropa Viejas with Spanish rice and plantains.  It was excellent!

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

After that delicious dining experience, we took our ‘Take Out Bags full of leftovers and continued north on I-4 thru downtown Orlando traffic (not bad at this time of day) for about an hour to deliver Billy home in Orange City.  Lisa was glad to see us and told us about her trip back from Atlanta.  After a bathroom break, I headed east on SR-46 the last 55 miles of my 2023 Road Trip to my home in Titusville, FL.  The first thing DiVoran said was, “Where did you get that beautiful red van?”  I hadn’t told her about my troubles, because I was afraid she would worry about me.  After helping me unload the van, she cooked me the first home-cooked meal I’d had in almost three weeks.  Yummm!

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Of course, I had to tell her the whole van breakdown story, and when I was through, she said, “You know I have always wanted a red car, but I never expected to get one this way.”  We laughed about that, and I told her I thought I had earned the ‘Old Things R New’ (our blog website) ‘Most Adventurous’ award for this trip, and that I didn’t think I would ever plan another trip this long again.  It was just too long.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

This brings to a close the narrative of my 2023 Road Trip.  I hope you have enjoyed reading about my adventures (most of them) as much as I have enjoyed remembering (most of them) and writing about them.  Join me again next time as I explore new areas of our wonderful country and visit new historical places and museums.  Keep your eyes on the road and drive safely.

Photo Credit: https://www.clipartmax.com/cartoon-driver-waving/

—–The End—-

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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2023 Road Trip-Part 19A

31 Jan

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Day 19 – August 2 

(Continued) The drive from the MOSI Museum to downtown Ybor City only took us about ten minutes, where we wanted to visit the Ybor City Museum located in the historic 1923 Ferlita Bakery building within the Ybor City State Park, but it was closed.  However, we did find out that the building was used as a bakery until 1973 when it was refurbished and taken over by the museum as part of the Ybor City State Park.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

As we toured the Ybor City State Park, and its many restored buildings and casitas (workers’ cottages) dating from the 1890s, we noticed the many colorful chickens and roosters scratching and crowing most everywhere we looked.  Then we saw a ‘Warning’ sign telling us not to feed the chickens, and that they were protected by the city.  What an interesting old city tradition that is!

Photo Credit https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;Ybor+City+roosters

 After that interesting stroll thru the history of Ybor City, we drove into downtown Tampa to try to visit the Tampa Police Museum, but it was closed.  Since we were in downtown Tampa, we drove a few short blocks to visit the Tampa Firefighters Museum.  This museum is housed in the original 1911 Fire Station #1 that was restored in 1974, before becoming the Firefighters Museum in 1978 when the new Fire Station was built.  The museum’s centerpiece is their beautifully restored 1927 American LaFrance fire engine and the museum also displays a variety of antique firefighting artifacts and memorabilia dating from the 1800s.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Since it was getting late, and our motel was in Clearwater, FL this evening, we decided to head that way to make sure they didn’t give our room to someone else.  I gave Greta (my Garmin) the address of the motel and she took us right to it with no problems.  When we checked in with our reservations at the motel, the desk clerk told me, that as a ‘Platinum Member’ our rooms had been upgraded to Suites (that hadn’t happened before).  I thanked him and when we arrived at our second-floor rooms, we were both shocked to find large two-room suites with kitchenette, dining area, two TVs, and with balconies overlooking their central garden.  Billy said, “WOW, some upgrade!”

Photo Credit: https://images.search.yahoo.com/Clarion+inn+Clearwater+Beach+fl

 After we got our things in our rooms, I told Billy that I would like to eat at Crabby Bill’s located in Indian Rocks Beach (DiVoran and I had eaten there once during a vacation) and I knew he liked seafood.  He said that was fine with him.  By the time we arrived at the restaurant, the entire dining area was jammed with people, but luckily, we found seats at the bar.  I had their fresh Frog Legs plate served with sweet potato fries and their special seafood sauce.  It was great.  Billy had Blackened Fish Tacos with Creole Remoulade sauce.  We traded bites of each other’s dish and we had to say they were both excellent.

Photo Credit: https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/frog+legs+crabby+bill’s+indian+rocks+beach+fl

 After that great dining experience, and before we left the restaurant, asked a waitress to take our picture with Crabby Bill’s mascot, “Crabby Bear” to remember the occasion.  Billy wanted to walk off some of his dinner with a walk on the beach, so we ambled down to the beach, and enjoyed a moonlight stroll among the sea oats with the gentle sound of the waves in the background.  Relaxed from the day’s activities and all the good food, we headed back to the motel for a good night’s rest.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

 

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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2023 Road Trip-Part 19

24 Jan

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Day 19 – August 2:  

After breakfast this morning, I packed up my things and met Billy in the lobby of the motel to start today’s museum hunt.  We headed south out of Valdosta for 35 miles on US-129, across the border into Florida, to visit the Old Jail Museum located in Jasper, FL.  This museum, also known as the Hamilton County Historic Old Jail Museum, is situated in the original old 1893 two-story jail building that served as Hamilton County’s only jail until 1984.  This museum displays antique jail exhibits, artifacts, and photos to help visitors get an idea of how prisoners lived at the turn-of-the-century in rural Georgia.  The building was originally designed, as many jails were in the 1800s, to house not only prisoners but also with living quarters for the local Sheriff (Warden) and his family.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Now we continued south another 20 miles on US-129 to visit the Live Oak Union Passenger Depot Museum located in Live Oak, FL.  This museum is situated in the old 1861 Savannah, Florida & Western Railroad (SF&W) freight depot and was restored in 1885 to serve Live Oak and the surrounding Suwannee County area’s expanding railroad business.  The museum displays antique railroad artifacts, photos, and memorabilia related to the influence the railroad had on the growth of this area in the mid-1800s.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

After leaving Live Oak, we headed southeast about 25 miles on US-90 to just west of Lake City, FL where we picked up I-75 and turned south.  We had gone about 35 miles south on I-75 when ‘nature’ called, and we pulled into the nearest Rest Stop.  After that refreshing stop (we needed some exercise), we noticed this sign for the Snake Wall, and checked it out.  It turns out that it is an inclined walkway that is described as “A unique piece of functional art (curving 325’ long) that successfully combines protection of the surrounding ecosystem and the roadway” and also provides access to the Payne Prairie Overlook.  An impressive design, and it gets your blood pumping at a good rate, all at the same time (sorry, but the info marker was weathered).

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Now it was another 45 miles south on I-75 to visit the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing located just south of Ocala, FL.  I had visited this museum on another road trip, but Billy hadn’t been there, and he wanted to see all the racing machines.  We spent a long time looking at the 90+ drag racing machines and another 50+ beautifully restored antique cars in the Antique Car building.  WOW!  What a collection!  We learned that they race R/C model drag racing machines at the museum once each month, and Billy and I are planning to visit that event as soon as we

can.  Sounds like a lot of fun.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Leaving that amazing museum, we continued south on I-75 another 15 miles to visit the Florida Carriage Museum in Weirsdale, FL and the Florida Pioneer Village in Dade City, FL but they were both closed.  So, continuing another 35 miles south on I-75 we visited the Mission Base Museum & MOSI located just west of Thonotosassa, FL.  This hugh facility Is a scientific playground for all ages, with 100+ hands-on activities including the Mission Moon Base Lunar Colony, VR Simulator and a planetarium.  It was obvious from the number of kids in the lobby that school was out, at least for this bunch.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

 

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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2023 Road Trip-Part 18

17 Jan

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Day 18 – August 1

 After breakfast this morning, I packed up my things and called my son, Billy, to let him know I was on my way to pick him up.  We said our goodbyes to Lacey (she had to go to work) and Lisa (she was driving their car back to Florida) and Billy and I headed south 25 miles, thru morning rush-hour traffic, on I-85 & I-285 to visit the Waffle House Museum located in Decatur, GA.  This small museum is located on the site where Joe Rogers and Tom Forkner opened their first Waffle House Restaurant in 1955. Since we didn’t have a tour appointment, we just took photos and headed for our next museum on today’s list.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Now it was only 15 miles southwest on I-20 & I-85 (more morning traffic) to visit the Hapeville Depot Museum located in Hapeville, GA but it was closed.  So, we continued south another 10 miles on I-75 to visit the Old Train Depot Museum located in Jonesboro, GA.  This museum is situated in the old 1867 M&W Railroad depot that replaced the original 1846 M&W depot and was restored in 1880.  The museum displays early 1800s railroad artifacts and memorabilia, as well as being the home of the ‘Road to Tara’ Museum, which has a collection of ‘Gone with the Wind’ artifacts, costumes, and movie memorabilia.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

After that interesting museum visit, it was only about 15 miles south on US-41 where we tried to visit the Army Aviation Museum located adjacent to the Clayton County Airport in Hampton, GA.  We had no trouble finding the airport, and the sign for the museum.  We followed the arrow on the sign, over some really rough roads and behinds some airplane hangars, but we just couldn’t find the museum anywhere.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

So, we gave up on finding that museum and continued south about 100 miles to visit the Georgia Rural Telephone Museum located in Leslie, GA.  For some reason Greta (my Garmin) took us over many back roads on a circuitous route (supposedly on US-19) to get us to this museum.  We finally arrived at the museum and found it to be one of the largest and most interesting museums we have visited on this road trip.  There were literally thousands of telephones, arranged in pretty much chronological order, dating from that instrument’s inception, in 1875 by Alexander Graham Bell, to the present.  This is a very impressive museum!  It was worth the trouble we went thru to find it.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

After that amazing tour of the Telephone Museum, we discovered we had ended up almost 20 miles west of I-75 (the reason for all those back roads to get to Leslie).  Now we needed to head back east on US-280 to visit the Cordele Rail Museum located in Cordele, GA but found that it was closed when we got there.  So, we continued south another 40 miles on I-75 where we visited the Tifton Terminal Railway Museum located in Tifton, GA. This museum is situated in the old restored 1910 Atlantic Coast Line (ACL) depot and displays antique railroad exhibits, artifacts, and memorabilia dating from the mid-1800s.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

By now we were getting hungry, and I gave Greta (my Garmin) the address of the motel 50 miles south, in Valdosta, GA and she took us right to it.  I had told Billy the night before that I had a leftover Pork Chop dinner from the night before, so Lisa had made him some ham and cheese sandwiches for his dinner in the motel tonight.  He told me that he was tired and was going to head to bed after we finished our dinner, so I warmed up my leftover Pork Chop plate and enjoyed that delicious meal again.  What a treat that was.  As usual I couldn’t find anything on TV to hold my interest, so I just recorded the day’s activities and went to bed.

Photo Credit: https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/pork+chops+greenbean+cassarole+potatos+gravy

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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2023 Road Trip-Part 17

10 Jan

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Day 17 – July 31:  

After breakfast this morning, I packed up my things and headed southeast for 35 miles on US-431 to Gadsden, AL where I turned east on US-278 for another 45 miles, across the border into Georgia, to visit the Cocoa Cola Museum located in Cedartown, GA but they were closed.  So, now I headed east 30 miles on SR-113 and tried to visit the Savoy Automobile Museum located in Cartersville, GA but they seemed to also be closed.  As I was driving around the building looking for the entrance, this guy, John, came out and told me they were closed.  When I told him I was on a road trip from Florida he said, “Well, I guess I could show you around some.”

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

This is a really great museum!   With 75+ beautifully restored unique cars and trucks of all types and models (many on a rotation basis), in five galleries, this museum tells the story of the varied aspects of the automobile’s evolution from its inception (the 1901 Oldsmobile Curved Dash Runabout is said to be the first mass produced car in the US-Wikipedia) to the present.  John was very kind to act as my personal tour guide as the other workers were in the process of rearranging the museum’s five galleries for the next event.  I thanked him for allowing me to see the museum’s collection and was on my way to the next museum on my list for today.

                                    1901 Oldsmobile Curved Dash Runabout  

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

From the Savoy Museum, I headed southeast 25 miles on I-75 to visit the Marietta Fire Museum located in Marietta, GA.  This museum is housed in the original 1886 Fire Station #1 building and displays many antique fire engines, pieces of firefighting equipment, and firefighting artifacts, used by the Marietta Fire Department from as early as 1854.  The museum’s centerpiece is their 1879 horse-drawn ‘Silsby Steamer’ steam-powered pumper.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

While I was in Marietta, I wanted to visit the Aviation History & Technology Center, but they were closed.  Not to be discouraged, I tried to visit the Lockheed-Martin Aviation Museum but discovered it was within the company gated complex not open to the public.  So, now I headed the short 15 miles northeast on SR-120 (not so short in traffic) to visit the Southeastern Railway Museum in Duluth, Ga just north of downtown Atlanta.  This museum is said to have the largest collection of rolling stock in Georgia, with 21 locomotives, including the ‘General II’ 4-4-0 Steam Locomotive, and 31 pullman, freight, and caboose cars dating from 1911 in their inventory.  Rides in their restored Pullman car train are offered daily and during Special Events.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Several months ago, our son, Billy, had mentioned how someday he would like to join me on one of my road trips.  I really didn’t think he would like the fast-paced type road trip I typically planned.  So, this time I recommended that he meet me in Atlanta, where his daughter (our Granddaughter) lived, and ride with me the last three days of this trip.  He thought that was a great idea, so he and his wife, Lisa, drove to Atlanta a few days before I was planned to arrive, to visit with their daughter, Lacey.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

After my visit to the Southeastern Railway Museum, there in Duluth, I called Billy, and we linked up at the El Rinconcito Mexican Restaurant for dinner.  I had the Chili Relleno, Beef Enchilada and Beef Taco plate with yellow rice and refried beans that was delicious.  We had a great visit at the restaurant, and then went to Lacey’s apartment for some more reminiscing about family, jobs, and my road trip experiences.  Lacey introduced me to her new dog, Russet, and then showed us her ‘garden plot’.  After we were all talked out, I said my good-nights and headed for my motel a short distance away in Norcross for the night.  Greta (My Garmin) found the motel without any problem, and after I got my things into my room, I recorded my day’s activities and tried to watch some TV.  Nothing interested me, so I just went to bed with a full tummy.

Photo Credit: https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;chili+relleno+enchilada+taco+plate

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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