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Reaching Sarasota yesterday put me back on my planned route. It was not,
however, even much of an approximation of Frank's 1920 route at this
point. Granddad and Granny had camped at various spots and had driven from
those spots to others multiple times. I did not attempt to retrace their
every move. In addition, since I had driven along my guess at some of
their route a few days ago, my planned route now was somewhat streamlined.
All of that explains why neither the rain I encountered yesterday nor
today's dark gray skies bothered me much.
As I've said, where the 1920 travelers passed through areas where the
Dixie Highway was known to be established, that's the route I chose. That
would have been the case through Orlando had I been southbound. But Orange
Avenue, which once carried the Dixie, is now one-way so I found myself on
Rosalind Avenue driving over a Black Lives Matter mural that was painted
on the street in June.
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Road work in Sanford had caused a detour around downtown and a short time
later those gray skies started to leak and further degrade my picture
taking capabilities. When I spotted an open brewery, I decided to take a
break and hope the rain passed. It didn't, but I enjoyed
two half-pours at
Blue Springs
Brewing anyway.
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Here's some evidence that the rain did not go away but actually increased
while I sipped.
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The Dunlawton Sugar Mill is one of the very few places
that I can actually visit and know for certain that Frank and Gertrude did
too. It was still raining when I stopped so I slipped on a poncho and
tucked a camera beneath it before heading in. The roof wasn't there when
Chris and I visited in
2001 so what we saw may
have been closer to
what they saw than
what is there today. Other improvements include several descriptive signs
including an overall view of the operation.
The Seminole Wars brought an end to the
operation around 1836 so more time has passed since Granny wrote her
description than had passed between her writing and the mill being active.
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A few miles up the road, between Holly Hill and Ormond Beach, this car lot
offered the opportunity to experience travel just as Granddad and Granny
did. I considered it briefly then rolled up the window, watched as the
wipers cleared my windshield, and continued on my way.
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