The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1919-03-03
G. r. Maize Writes
OF Camping Trip
To East Coast
(By G. R. Maize.)
CHAPTER v.

the 14th. I am passing over our
trip from st. Augustine to New
Smyrna as we had to double baci
over that much of the same. To date
we had travelled q distance Of 20:
miles now We are on new roads
again goings south. Out of New Smyr-
ma the roads are fairly good. being
OF shell. Nothing happened until
about eight miles, when down went
a rear tire, but, carrying an extra,
soon fixed that and that was the first
we had had, with practically no en-
CINE trouble; we were playing in
good luck considering Lizzie was
born sometime in 1916, and had been
used for nearly two and one-half
years as milk car and one year as
q salesman road car. We bought a
new tube at the first stop so as to be
safe instead Of sorry. Arriving at
Titusville' we loaded up with gas and
Gil and pushed on to a free auto
camp at a place called Sharps. And
1t was some auto camp-just a, wide
place in the road. It was no camp at
adjust a joke. It is called Sharps'
free auto camp. 1t was free all
right; just as free as any other part
OF the public highway. 1t had the In
dian river ON the east and a high
woven wire fence on the west, but
there was country store there and
an advertisement Offering some real
estate for sale. See the point9 We
didn't see Mr.. Sharp; he was too
sharp for that, but it was late and
we had come all the way up from St.
Augustine and were now fourteen
miles south of Titusville. The roads
were fairly good but the country gem
orally were pretty sorry; few groves
but nothing like this section of the
country.
Early the next morning we pulled
out again, headed for Fort Pierce.
Things went pretty easy until we hit
the st. Lucie county line; they were
the poorest roads we had ever seen.
And at Vero they were so rough that
l almost turned back. True they
were repairing them; there were two
men and boy at work but the whole
country except a few short stretches
were simply awful. They had had
some cheap paving done some time
ago and it had gone to pieces maxi
ing 1t seem like driving over giant
cement doughnuts; get me? At vero
about 8 p. m. we stopped at what / |
shall call the Houn-dawg tea room;
that isn't the correct name but 1t is
more appropriate. As a high wind had |
been blowing in from the sea the dust
Ind sand were so bad we didn't at
,empt to eat dinner, but, believe me.
t was some tea room. The landlady
was lovely, so was the waiter and
he cook. Her place was immacu-
ately and artistically fixed up, her
ga was vile; her sandwiches were
ike poker chips in size, but were
roubled with the shorts; and the pie,
made out of bread crumbs and cut
EN- pieces to the pie, and all It cost
vas 70 cents. From now on I steer
lear Of all tea rooms whether they
'e hown-dawgs or white-poodledogs.
All | can say for the country, gener-
lily speaking is sorry. or course |
aw a few nice groves-the Kissim-
nee Fruit Co. had several nice ones
At Fort Pierce our bad roads ended.
they were fine from there on. Palm
Beach county, Broward and Dade
ounties have good oiled roads Ft.
Fierce didn't impress me favorably;
90 many empty store buildings; 1t
lad the appearance of frontier town
q the west. I'm from California. }
We could only find one grocery store
n the town, but possibly that was al!
hey needed, but it seemed every
Their door was garage. We camped
bout one hundred yards or so OF the
ity limits on the bank of the Indian
liver, which has the appearance of
small ocean In size. I have no
lea of its width or length; 1t ap-
cared to vary from one to five miles
'ide; was smooth and peaceful and
carcely any current at all, caused
y being so near sea level; we had
cen following II for miles and miles.
n leaving Fort Pierce we found
It OF what appeared to be rich mems
ONES at one time-nice, beautiful
Iaces' and some are now, but an aw
Il lot were about gone to rack and
lin. From there on we saw acres
nd acres of pineapple fields. This
,peared to be the wrong season for
lem to bear but it must be paying !"
dustry considering the acreage. At :,
lie time it appeared to be necessary u
covpr them 1ika tohaooo br4 tho4 d