View From the Road
Surprises Are Always Welcome
By
May 8, 2008 - 4:09:52 PM

This last week I had plant pickups from areas that were in different parts of the state than I normally travel. I was pleased with the change. I like a variety of locations; it keeps my driving more interesting.

I needed to travel down to La Belle and then to Naples, for the initial part of my trip. From LaBelle I traveled down through Immokalee  to find my way to Naples. The route was one I had not traveled in some years, and frankly it had not changed much from my last time on those roads. It is always good for me to take some detours from my normal weekly trips. It was refreshing to see some areas from my previous adventures.

I traveled about 550 miles that day, picking up plants in about seven nurseries around south Florida. The agriculture business is at its peak this time of the year. The fields are filled with workers. And the roads are filled with trucks.

The foliage and flowers are only a small part of the products that Florida supplies to the rest of the nation. As the year passes the workers and the crops follow the roads northward, until late fall when it all returns to South Florida.

The scenery and the wildlife along my new route was interesting but not too different. I was traveling during the mid-day hours, so early morning and late evening produce the best chance of viewing wildlife. That evening, on my way back to our terminal netted the sight of a few possums, but nothing really exciting.
Throughout the week my travels took me back to Miami and Homestead, so the one day off the beaten path was a nice diversion.

With any luck, next week will send me in a different direction. That destination will be revealed when I look in my envelope Monday morning at about 4:00 AM.

Each week the opportunity for a new “View From The Road” comes my way. Surprises are always welcome.



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