Eastern Road Trip Wrap Up, Post 26-32
- Jimmy Lee
- Aug 9
- 2 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
Our road trip reached its westernmost point in Mississippi before beginning the return back north through Florida, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
Friday, August 1 – Friday, August 7, 2026
Mississippi
The road trip continues with departing from Montgomery, AL on Friday morning (8/1) and heading to coastal Mississippi. We spent Friday and Saturday nights, staying with Jimmy’s uncle, which is where Baxter now lives. During our 2024 hike of the Appalachian Trail, Baxter stayed here for most of the year. While cruising with him in 2025, we realized that Baxter may have been happier living in a house than on the boat. Then when Jimmy’s uncle brought up the subject of Baxter coming back to Mississippi, we agreed that it was the best thing to do. Seeing how happy Baxter was on this visit reinforced that the right decision was made and we are thankful that Jimmy’s uncle suggested that Baxter move back in with him.
Baxter chilling out in Mississippi
Usually when we visit Mississippi, it seems to be during cool weather, so we were pleased when Jimmy’s uncle took us out on his boat. The scenery of coastal Mississippi’s bayous is so pretty and peaceful. It was also fun to tool around checking out the neighborhoods, most of which have been rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina.
Enjoying the Jourdan River in Mississippi
Florida
Sunday morning, we said our goodbyes and began the drive east to our hometown of Tallahassee, FL. We had lived in the Tallahassee area until we moved onboard Utopia in 2023, and since we no longer have a land-based home, things like doctors' appointments and shopping need some extra planning. On this visit Jimmy had one doctor appointment (we have kept our Tallahassee doctors) and we had a bunch of packages waiting for us at a couple of places in Tallahassee.
During our stay we ran many errands, visited colleagues, and spent some time with Sondra’s sister, niece, and nephew. Also while here, Sondra cleaned up and stowed her backpacking gear into a friend’s attic, guaranteeing a Tallahassee visit before resuming her Appalachian Trail hike in the Spring.
Most of our trips into Tallahassee are done with a tight schedule. This time we planned to stay four nights and ended up with some free which included seeing two movies in theaters. Those will be the only two theater movies we will see in 2026.
North Carolina & Pennsylvania
At the end of our “long” visit to Tallahassee we resumed our tour of gas stations and roadway pit stops, this time driving north. On Thursday evening we stayed with Jimmy’s sister in Charlotte, NC and were back on the road before 7 a.m. Friday morning. It was a long day in the car that ended in Bloomsburg, PA, a town close to where we met up with one of Sondra’s nephews.
It was a pleasant end to our east coast road trip and now it is time to head to the west coast to visit a few more family members.
Post 26-32
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