Last night found me in a nondescript commercial campground about 20 miles east of Tallahassee. I stopped there because it was less expensive than the nearby KOA and because it was near a dog track. I've never been to the races, canine or equine, and this seemed like the time to go.

It was only a buck to get in, which was fine with me. I only intended to catch a race or two, anyway, and then make it back to my tent in time to watch the next-to-last appearance of Johnny Carson on the Tonight show. It was a fun show; Robin Williams was his usual manic self and Bette Midler suddenly remembered what made her such a fun entertainer earlier in her career. No Wind Beneath My Wings, no overblown From a Distance; instead she dusted off some old tunes the way she used to do: a jivey Miss Otis Regrets and a melancholy take on One for my Baby (and One More for the Road). By now, you must be sick of hearing about Carson's farewell but I have to admit it made me kind of sad. I haven't watched him much in recent years; I find Dave Letterman much more entertaining. But I grew up watching Johnny. I remember, as a kid, what a special treat it was to get to stay up late and watch the whole show, and even in recent years, you could certainly do worse than to tune in the Tonight show when you needed a little late night company. And though I enjoy Jay Leno's standup work, I don't think he's a great host. If he's still on in 30 years, I'll eat my words but...

Anyway, the dog races were kind of creepy. A sleazy crowd watching a bunch of really skinny dogs chase a faux rabbit around the track; glamorous it wasn't. I almost won on a trifecta, though, which would have increased the glamour quotient a great deal. Another of the many things I'll try during this trip and probably never do again, like eating boiled peanuts!

I woke up today and began to consider a destination for later this evening when it hit me: this was the first day of the Memorial Day Weekend. I had vague plans for hitting the western end of the Florida gulf coast, as I'd heard the beaches around Pensacola were great. But whom did I think I was kidding? There would be no accommodations to be found if I didn't get on the stick. I called a couple of the state park campgrounds along the coast and found one near Panama City, St. Joseph's Peninsula State Park, that had a few sites still available on a first come-first served basis. So, I got it in gear, drove rapidly (but safely), and just made it. I ended up about 50 yards from the beach in a nice shady spot; a pretty good start to the holiday weekend, I must say.

Continue on the American Odyssey.
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