We took the slow route today, hugging the panhandle coastline on US98 and then south until we turned off toward Steinhatchee (I think you pronounce “stein” as “steen” and “hatchee” means river if I have it right).

It was a longer trip than I think either of us expected it would be but it was a very interesting drive. So much of Florida is chock-a-block with buildings and cars and whatever. Today we drove through miles and miles of nothing but trees and swamps and wilderness on either side of the road. And probably gators, I would guess. And not a lot of traffic except for some trucks that came out of various mining operations or whatever, we couldn’t quite figure that out. Once when we tried to follow a little road to a boat launch, I dern near ran over a SNAKE! I wasn’t going very fast (it was a dirt/gravel road) but it was too fast to do much more than pray (in my own godless way) that I wouldn’t hit it. I didn’t but what a close call. We didn’t get to the boat launch. We were going to eat Road Food (PBJ on thin bread) there but it seemed like the road might go on forever, so we turned around and ate our Road Food back on the highway.

We are spending the night in Steinhatchee in an old-school motel. It is clean and I am gonna guess that most of the people who are also staying here (not very many on this off-season Monday night) will likely be in bed by 10 PM. In fact, we are still sitting outside at 9PM and I am worried that our quiet conversation and the GG’s occasional computer video will bother others. On the other hand, a fellow guest just walked down our way for help (or commiseration) about trouble-shooting his internet connection. The GG was uncharacteristically quiet about offering help but our fellow guest somehow managed it anyway.

We had a recommendation from friends both for Steinhatchee and the motel. I love the area and the motel seems fine and I am hoping that it will satisfy the GG’s hankering for stopping off at any old mom and pop type place alongside the road. Sometimes okay, sometimes a little dicey. The water tastes funny to me here. I’m sure it is okay and it’s just that I am spoiled by our fancy Planet A2 water but what the heck, we have bottled water in the Frog Hopper.

And then there was this thing that was in the lobby of the restaurant we ate at tonight. As I said on Facebook, I am *not* a Trump fan but I still love the friends and family who are (I just don’t understand). This photo op was just too funny to pass up. I do know enough to keep my mouth shut when I am in “Trump country”, which I think I am… So, we sat at the bar tonight and a friendly local chatted us up. I could not tell if he was Trumpian or not but I watched my words just in case. We did enjoy talking to him and he seemed just as interested in my life as he did the GG’s. That is a rare thing. It is always a bit difficult to decide how much to tell someone you meet when you are on vacation…

On the way out of the restaurant, I visited the Ladies Powder Room and, while I was in there, apparently a woman entered the lobby, saw Donald Trump there and said something like, “That Trump has got to go!” I guess not everyone around here agrees with the restaurant owner.

Today’s odometer reading 1255, so 222 miles. Fitbit? 13757 steps.

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