June 19, 2015: Getting there is half the fun . . .
Read MoreI was headed to the Gulf coast of Florida on this weekend. My friend from high school, Paul, got married earlier in the year and invited me to a party on the beach in the town of Indian Shores west of Tampa. I hadn't seen him in a good many years and decided to make the 500 mile drive.
I value my time behind the wheel and will go to great lengths to enjoy it when the opportunity arises. This means half of the fun of traveling is getting to my destination. Traversing the 500 miles between Athens, GA and Indian Shores, FL was going to take about 8 hours of driving. I planned to do as much of it as I could with the roof down.My 500 mile journey begins in Athens, GA, heading south on US Route 129. This takes me to Macon, GA and Interstate 75, my route for the next 370 miles. This is what the scenery looks like as seen from the southbound lanes of Interstate 75 in northern Florida near Gainesville. There's not a whole lot here. Some may find this type of traveling boring. But I call it relaxing.
My final destination is the town of Indian Shores, FL, which is on the Gulf Coast barrier island of Sand Key to the west of the Tampa metro area. My friend Paul recommended that I avoid downtown Tampa altogether, (a very smart idea at 5 PM on a Friday). He suggested that I exit I-75 north of the city near the town of Wesley Chapel, FL and head west to the Suncoast Parkway. This road is not as heavily traveled and proved to be an enjoyable drive.