Tow’er from FL to PA
The search for the “perfect for us” tow vehicle was a long, drawn out process. Getting this “perfect for us” tow vehicle from Sarasota, FL to Limerick, PA was definitely one of those fun adventures. The first step was to make sure that Jay Johnson was available for this planned adventure. It was not only easy to include Jay in the plans because he lived about an hour north of Sarasota, but also because he is always up for a good adventure. Oh yea, I also need to mention that he is an experienced truck driver and would be invaluable during a trip like this.
The next step was selecting a weekend that worked for everyone involved; the seller,(Chris) the buyer (me!), and my hired transportation consultant (Jay!). We all identified a weekend in February to complete the transaction and bring the Big Tow’er north to its new temporary home. While I was in flight from PHL to TPA, I realized how lucky I was to be heading back to Florida for the second time in the first two months of 2015. Oh, someday Betsy and I won’t need to plan reasons to escape winter!
Jay and I headed south from his home in Palm Harbor early in the morning in his purple Suzuki X90, which I sometimes refer to as “The Grape"! It was a scenic, beautiful Florida winter morning as we headed over the Sky Bridge outside of St. Petersburg. Chris met us at the storage facility where he stored the truck in Sarasota. I was very grateful that Chris was willing to take the time to do a complete walk through of the truck AND allow me to record the walk through with my GoPro camera. Thanks for being the cameraman Jay!
After thanking Chris we hooked up The Grape to the back of the Big Tow’er and headed back to Palm Harbor. It was quite a sight, a big white truck towing a little purple car. Yes, we even noticed a couple of passing motorists taking a quick photo! Back in Palm Harbor, we noticed a minor problem, the truck did not always go into reverse when you selected that gear. Uh, Oh! Do we head out on a 20+ hour trip without being able to always back up? Karen (Jay’s fiance’) voted no, but of course Jay and I voted yes. Besides, we didn’t plan on backing up that much anyway!
We pulled out of Palm Harbor around 2:00 on Saturday afternoon, destination Limerick, PA. The truck drove great, with Jay and I alternating drivers. As the states disappeared behind us and day turned into night, we took notice of a winter storm heading East into our anticipated path somewhere around Washington, DC. Well, we had to remember it was February and we were heading into the Northeast. We pressed on north into the night, but we definitely noticed a light rain and heavy fog as we crossed the Virginia border just south of Richmond. Visibility had deterioratedand a light snow began around 3:00 AM to the point we chose to pull into a rest stop and rest for a couple of hours until the storm passed.
7:00 AM arrived quickly, but a couple of hours sleeping in the bunks the Big Tow’er provided were definitely appreciated. The sun shone brightly as we made a quick stop in Richmond to chat with my younger brother Rick and his wife Karen. The final leg of the trip went quickly and we arrived in Limerick, PA around 2:00 on Sunday afternoon. Mission accomplished! Betsy was glad we were home safely! Jay and I slept well that night. Monday morning we dropped Jay at the airport so he could head back to the warmth of Florida! Thanks for sharing in the adventure Jay!
