Travel from Homestead to Sugarloaf Key, Florida

We drove our coach 122 miles, about 3 hours of driving, from Everglades National Park in Homestead, Florida to Sugarloaf Key, Florida.

This was a late change; we had planned to stay a couple of days more, but decided to leave early to avoid some bad weather.

Here’s a map showing our route, heading down the Overseas Highway in the Keys:

Route map

An interactive map:

Leaving our site:

Leaving site

We stopped at the dump station, which was rather popular at that time:

Dump station

A bird in Everglades:

Bird in Everglades

Leaving next to the entrance station:

Entrance station

Road works:

Road works

Entering route 1:

Entering route 1

Our coach in traffic cams:

Traffic cam

Traffic cam

Overseas Highway, with an adjacent fishing bridge:

Overseas Highway

Overseas Highway

Fuel stop:

Fuel stop

Fuel stop

Fuel stop

Paladin sat on the dash at the fuel stop, but jumped down once underway again:

Paladin on dash

Turtle hospital:

Turtle hospital

Overseas Highway

Overseas Highway

Overseas Highway

Overseas Highway

Overseas Highway

Overseas Highway

Passing Encore Sunshine Key, where we stayed a couple of days later:

Encore Sunshine Key

Encore Sunshine Key

Encore Sunshine Key

Overseas Highway

Overseas Highway

Overseas Highway

Our destination:

KOA

Guided to our site (even though it was literally right around that corner):

Guided to our site

Travel from Clermont to Homestead, Florida

We drove our coach 289 miles, about 5 hours of driving, from Thousand Trails Orlando in Clermont, Florida to Everglades National Park in Homestead, Florida.

Here’s a map showing our route, heading south along Florida’s Turnpike:

Route map

An interactive map, showing potential stops:

Leaving TTO:

Leaving TTO

Toll plaza:

Toll plaza

Sinclair Road:

Sinclair Road

Toll plaza:

Toll plaza

Entering the Florida’s Turnpike toll freeway:

Florida's Turnpike

Service plaza rest stop:

Service plaza

Our coach in traffic cams:

Our coach in traffic cam

Our coach in traffic cam

Our coach in traffic cam

Service plaza lunch stop:

Service plaza

Service plaza

Earl of Sandwich; it was a very nice sandwich:

Earl of Sandwich

Earl of Sandwich

Earl of Sandwich

We bought and activated a Sun Pass toll transponder for our truck:

Sun Pass

Another traffic cam shot:

Traffic cam

Florida’s Turnpike:

Florida's Turnpark

Fuel stop, alongside another Tiffin Allegro Bus (slightly newer):

Fuel stop

Fuel stop

Fuel stop

Hard Rock guitar building:

Hard Rock guitar building

End of the turnpike:

End of the turnpark

Entering Everglades National Park:

Everglades National Park

The entrance station, with a lot of traffic (other times we went through only had one or two cars):

Everglades National Park entrance

The ranger in the booth loved seeing Paladin on the dash:

Everglades National Park entrance

The turn to the Long Pine Key campground:

Long Pine Key

Campground entrance:

Long Pine Key entrance

Our site:

Our site

Travel from Carrabelle to Clermont, Florida

We drove our coach 263 miles, about 5 hours of driving, from Carrabelle, Florida to Clermont, Florida. Our first travel day of 2024.

Here’s a map showing our route, heading southeast:

Map route

An interactive map, with possible stops:

We pulled our coach out to toad up:

Toading up

Bye beach:

Bye beach

Look out birds; you can come back to your tasty roadkill after we go by:

Birds

Birds

We stopped in front of a gas station for lunch:

Stop in front of gas station

Stop in front of gas station

Stop in front of gas station

Gas station lunch; not ideal, but not bad:

Lunch

Joining I-75:

I-75

A traffic cam, showing our coach:

Traffic cam

A rest area stop:

Rest area

Joining Florida’s Turnpike toll road:

Florida's Turnpike

The Villages:

The Villages

“Florida’s Turnpike, The Less Stressway” (maybe if they improved the road surface a bit):

Florida's Turnpike

Another traffic cam:

Traffic cam

Toll at the exit; our Freedom Pass transponder worked:

Toll at exit

Toll at exit

Toll at exit

Citrus Tower:

Citrus Tower

Arriving at our destination, Thousand Trails Orlando:

Thousand Trails Orlando

Thousand Trails Orlando

Thousand Trails Orlando

Normally in Thousand Trails parks you roam around to pick your own site, but TTO is different; they have people guide you to a site. We were directed to this parking lot to await a guide:

Thousand Trails Orlando

Guided to site:

Guided to site

Arriving at our site:

Site

Not ideal, but nice to not have anyone behind us:

Site

Travel from Spanish Fort, Alabama to Carrabelle, Florida

We drove our coach 257 miles, about 5 hours of driving, from Spanish Fort, Alabama to Carrabelle, Florida. Our last travel day of 2023. (Yes, the blog posts are a bit delayed; we do things faster than I can post about them!)

Here’s a map showing our route, heading east:

Route map

An interactive map, with potential stops marked:

Leaving the state park:

Leaving state park

I-10:

I-10

Entering Florida:

Florida state line

“No stopping; photo opp in welcome center”:

Photo opp in welcome center

We did stop at the Welcome Center rest stop for a quick break, though didn’t go into the Welcome Center:

Welcome center rest stop

Welcome center rest stop

Home of the Blue Angels:

Welcome center rest stop

Our coach at the rest stop on a traffic cam:

Welcome center rest stop

Welcome center rest stop

I had fun spotting our coach via other traffic cams too:

Our coach via traffic cam

Our coach via traffic cam

Our coach via traffic cam

Bridge over Escambia Bay:

Bridge over Escambia Bay

Bridge over Escambia Bay

Bridge

More traffic cams:

Our coach via traffic cam

Our coach via traffic cam

Our coach via traffic cam

Our coach via traffic cam

Our coach via traffic cam

Our coach via traffic cam

Our coach via traffic cam

Another rest area stop, this time for lunch:

Rest area

Sleepy Paladin enjoying the stacked dining chairs:

Paladin

Rest area

 

Rest area

An interesting feature of the rest areas was a truck windshield washer:

Truck windshield washer

We also appreciated signs that displayed the rest area truck parking availability (which was also available via the traffic website):

Rest area truck parking count

Speaking of, a couple more:

Our coach via traffic cam

Our coach via traffic cam

Then we exited I-10, for some highway travel:

Exit

Starting with a fuel stop:

Fuel stop

While Jenn fueled up, I went in and got some Cokes (to help us stay alert) and snacks:

Snacks

$284.62 for 77.787 gallons of diesel; we saved $22.17 off that with our discount card:

$284.62 for 77.787 gallons of diesel

Paladin watching us from the dash:

Paladin

Cotton field:

Cotton field

Blountstown mural:

Bloutstown mural

Blountstown

The bridge where we entered Eastern Time Zone:

Bridge

Bridge

An uncomfortably narrow road:

Narrow road

A portion was also a little under water; not ideal:

Road under water

Road under water

Road under water

Roadworks to alleviate the flooding; a tight squeeze:

Roadworks

Our destination for the end of the year:

Our destination

Our destination

Our destination

Our destination

A long drive, but then we were stationary for three weeks.

Travel from New Orleans, Louisiana to Spanish Fort, Alabama

We drove our coach 146 miles, about 2 hours of driving, from New Orleans, Louisiana to Spanish Fort, Alabama.

Here’s a map showing our route, heading northeast:

Route

An interactive map with potential stops; we actually only stopped at the Flying J:

Preparing to leave our site:

Preparing to leave our site

Hooking up our truck, with the City of New Orleans paddleboat in the background:

Hooking up our truck

Rail crossing and onramp:

Rail crossing and onramp

Drawbridge:

Drawbridge

Bridge:

Bridge

Another drawbridge:

Drawbridge

I-10:

I-10

“Welcome to Mississippi”:

Welcome to Mississippi

We stopped at a Flying J truck stop for lunch:

Flying J

The truck parking was rather full. With our toad attached we can’t back up, and this parking area has back-to-back spots, so we could only park where there was two adjacent ones empty so we could pull through. It was a difficult turn and tight squeeze, but Jenn’s driving skills got it done:

Parking between trucks

Parked between trucks

Parked with trucks

This Flying J has a Denny’s restaurant, so we had lunch there:

Denny's menu

Denny's menu

I tried a rather decadent “choconana pancake slam”, just to be different:

Breakfast for lunch

Jenn’s was a bit more conventional:

Breakfast for lunch

Back to our coach:

Back to our coach

“I love the way you look at me” Buc-ee’s billboard… a little creepy, perhaps:

I love the way you look at me

I had fun spotting our coach passing by on traffic cameras:

Our coach via traffic camera

Our coach via traffic camera

Bridge:

Bridge

An amusing info sign: “Cats have 9 lives. You are not a cat. Buckle up”:

Cats have 9 lives, you are not a cat. Buckle up

Another traffic camera:

Our coach via traffic camera

Alabama state line:

Alabama state line

“Welcome to Sweet Home Alabama”:

Welcome to Sweet Home Alabama

I think these are electrical transformers:

Transformers on a truck

Another couple of glimpses of our coach on Alabama traffic cameras:

Our coach via traffic camera

Our coach via traffic camera

Mobile, Alabama:

Mobile, Alabama

A tunnel under the Mobile River:

Tunnel

You can see it curving downward as it goes under the river:

Tunnel

Tunnel

USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park:

USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park

USS Alabama Battleship

Our destination for the next two weeks, Meaher State Park:

Meaher State Park

Check out the video from this drive, which includes a picture-in-picture of the view from the truck behind our coach.