With the 1997 Aerostar having developed a radiator leak involving one of the head gaskets, I begin looking for a replacement van. I was in Corpus Christie, Texas when I located one that looked like a good vehicle but it was a long distance away near Miami about 1500 miles from me. After a four day drive, I arrived in the area where the owner of the 1996 was located and asked him to drive the vehicle to me where I was overnighting at a d-mart.

When Ozzie arrives I hand him the money and a Bill of Sale for him to sign. He signs the paper, counts the money and then begins to describe (or what seems to me, brag about) the upgrades and other items he has done. He also gives me a folder of receipts and document that go with the van. After talking about the van, I tell him that I will take care of it for him. He then gets into the car with his mom and then leaves the parking lot.

With a couple hours of daylight left, I begin transferring my things into the new Windjammer. But soon, the light fades from the sky and I put away everything, close the doors and lock the 96 van. I climb into the 97, where I still have my desk and bed and then catch up on my journal writing before I get into the horizontal.

Awake, dress in my summer blues, drive out of the parking lot and then turn west on SH 94 to where it exits the city and enters the everglade swamp lands. When SH 94 ends, I turn north on SH 97 and drive about five miles until I arrive at US 41, also locally known as the Tamiami Trail.

I follow the Tamiami Trail first east through the Everglades National Park and stop at one of the visitor centers. I purchase a sticker and then after a couple of photos, I return to US 41 eastward during which the transmission begins to slip so, I stop to check the fluid level and find it to need some fluid added. After returning the level back up to between the lines, I then continue east to Naples where the US highway turns northward which I follow all the way to Fort Myers. I stop in Fort Myers to check the level and find it to be low again, so I drive to an ap-mart to purchase some Trans-X fluid to add as I continue on my drive. After leaving Fort Myers, I continue north on US 41 until I arrive at an east-west route called Tuckers Grade and drive east a short distance to IH 75 where I turn north and continue on the interstate for the rest of my day.

For the next week, I continue to purchase and add transmission fluid several times each day as I drive to Columbia, Tennessee where I hope to connect with my friend and gain access to his contact for rebuilding my transmission.

Yesterday, Joe drives me to Columbia, Tennessee drops me off at the repair shop where the jammer transmission has been repaired, I pay the bill and then drive to Starbucks to get online. When I leave there, I drive back south to Joe′s home and upon arriving, Joe rides in my van with me to town where we stop for fish tacos at a local Mexican restaurant.

Today, I pack out, say goodbye to my good friends, and drive down the driveway to Lewter Hollow road, west on Ardmore Ridge road and then turn north on US 31 to Columbia, Tennessee where I stop for a couple of days until I am ready to continue my westward drive back to my Winter Sojourn in Texas.