The Flat Tire in Nowhere land…

The I75 South between Detroit, Michigan, and Hallandale Beach Florida was a twenty-four-hour drive from Toronto. Herb Looker and his wife Miriam had been doing the trip for over twenty-five years. The drive was something they looked forward to every year. They knew every Cracker Barrel exit. They loved the down-home country food and the atmosphere of the Cracker Barrel. When it was time to call it a day and pull off for the night, they would stay at a Drury Inn or a Hampton Inn. They had stayed at other motels over the years, but those two were consistently good, and they offered a nice breakfast in the morning.

It was the first of November when Herb and Miriam left for their condo in Hallandale. The weather forecast was saying that it was going to be a harsh winter and they didn’t want to get stuck in a snow storm trying to escape. The corridor between Woodstock, Ontario, and Windsor could be treacherous in the winter. They wanted to avoid problems.

They left Toronto at seven am and they crossed into Detroit and got onto the I75 South at eleven forty. The Michigan highway was down to a single lane in most places because of construction. The traffic wasn’t moving fast and once they entered Ohio they hit their first Cracker Barrel for lunch. The drive through Ohio was steady, and they got into Kentucky at around five-thirty and ended up stopping at exit one eleven in Lexington, Kentucky. They had a very nice dinner and watched some television. They went to sleep at ten, woke up at six, showered, packed, and had a decent breakfast. They were back on the I75 at seven-thirty. The drive through Kentucky was smooth and easy and they enjoyed watching the temperature get warmer.

They entered Tennessee and made pretty good progress through the Mountains. They always worried about fog but there were no problems. Herb and Miriam listened to Sirius XM and talked about the world and crazy political situations. Time was moving very fast. They used Bob Hunter’s book Along The I75 for interesting information and to map their progress.

They pulled off the I75 as they entered Georgia to visit the Welcome Station. They used the bathroom and stretched their legs. They got back into the car and decided to visit a pecan plantation where they loaded up on nuts and jams.