From Charleston to Florida

By the time we were ready to leave Charleston we’d had overload springs installed on our car and we had also bought electric brakes that we could operate with a lever from inside the vehicle. This was a great saving for the car brakes. Chuck had never pulled a trailer larger than a boat trailer, but he had a lot of experience driving large vehicles.

He didn't think we’d have any problems moving our mobile home back to Florida.  He would not have time to take us to Key West; the Boat was leaving Charleston and going back to the North Atlantic.

Our plan was to drive to Dade City and park it in my parents’ yard till he came back from the North Atlantic, and then finish the trip to Key West.

Old Ashley River Bridge

Towers on Bridge

We left Charleston just at break of day, and were on the downhill grade of the old Ashley River Bridge heading south on old Hwy 17, a Greyhound Bus passed us and as it passed it was sucking us toward it. We had just cleared the end of the bridge.

Chuck braked enough to slow the process, but he over steered a little in turning away and we almost left the road on the right, he turned the wheel in the opposite direction and even though he was not pressing the gas we were going a bit faster because of the downhill grade and the weight of the trailer pushing us.

He tapped the brakes again to slow us down some more, but again he over steered in the opposite direction.  This time we almost left the road on the left side of the highway.

He turned the wheel right again and as soon as he had it going in the right direction this time he locked the electric brakes and really stomped down on the the car brakes at the same time, black smoke boiled out from under the trailer and car. The early morning air was filled with the powerful odor of burning rubber.

We came to a full stop; thank God nothing had been coming from either direction we had the road to ourselves after the Greyhound passed. We just sat there for a minute or so letting our nerves chill, and then we got on the road again.

He learned volumes from that near mishap; the rest of the trip was smooth sailing except for overheating in the hills of Ocala, Florida. We had to stop for awhile and let everything cool down. He even let me have a go at the wheel.  Something I would never have tried alone.

Stock Island Florida
Opposite Golf Course on Overseas Highway

When the Boat came back to Key West he came up to Dade City and we finished our trip to Key West. We moved into a Park next door to the Islander Drive Inn Theater on Stock Island. We lived there for a few months till we could get a spot in town closer to the base.