It was 7:50 AM when I pulled away from home in Charlotte, my RV, on my first boon-docking trip. Boon-docking is when you are camping with no amenities like water, electrical or sewer hook-ups – you have to be reliant on what you have. I was a little nervous. I took all day Saturday, the day before to get ready. I had done some extra cooking the day before so I would have leftovers I could reheat for the trip and not have to worry about cooking. I slept great Saturday night and got up at 5:30AM my usual time. I had my coffee, fed and walked the girls all before 7AM. I had a longs ways to travel and I wanted to leave by 8AM – I was 10 minutes early. Once I got past Watkinsville and started down 441 towards Madison the nervousness went away and was replaced by a calm, excitement –  I was on adventure. Everything I was doing and experiencing  was new – I was out of my comfort zone but didn’t care. I felt that I had prepared and planned well for this trip and I would just deal with anything unexpected when or if it happened. 

After the first 200 miles I really started to love Charlotte. She drives and handles so nicely and of course it’s beyond great to travel with your own bathroom. It’s also nice to have a refrigerator and freezer on board as well. We got on I-75 at Forsyth and had no trouble keeping up with the traffic at 70-75 MPH. I was a little worried about a 400 + mile trip, but I stopped 3 or 4 times to stretch my legs, eat my lunch and for fuel, plus listening to my book (Autobiography of Malcolm X) the trip went by surprisingly fast. I don’t know maybe this nomadic lifestyle suits me – I just want/need my girls with me. 

I stayed at the Harvest Host site Briziflora on Sunday night January 29, 2023. It is only about 60 miles from the Truma service center where I had a 9AM appointment on Monday. The farm is located just a few miles off on interstate 75 which made it very convenient. After exiting I-75 onto county road 470 it was just about 5 miles before you turn left onto state road 479 and then less than a mile was the entrance to Braziflora Farm. There are no signs or markings other than some big posts that outline the opening. I arrived about 3:30 PM – it was a 420 mile trip from Athens. When I got there the host was helping some customers with some plants, but she excused herself long enough to show me where to set up. By the time I stretched my legs and set-up my RV, she was ready to show me around. This is a working farm that provides plants, fruits, vegetables and canned goods to the local community. Inside her house she had several free standing racks full of canned goods and a freezer full of different kinds of breads. She had a private tasting set up for me with several of her canned goods and one of her homemade banana breads.

All of her canned fruits, veggies and peppers were made with a Brazilian spice influence – they were delicious. I ended up buying 75 dollars worth of canned goods which included; A loaf of pumpkin, coconut bread, hot peppers (but not the hottest), figs with oranges, pineapples, and a jar of tomato sauce. I probably spent too much, but they were good and I have a special place in my heart for entrepreneurs. This woman has done a fabulous job in the 5 short years since she has started this farm. She is a first generation immigrant and has been here in the US for 22 years. This farm has pigs, goats, cows, donkeys, green houses as well as fields of crops. If you are ever neat Lake Panasoffkee Florida and need a place to stay for the night I highly recommend Braziflora Farms. I wished I had brought my bike because County road 479 was shady and not much traffic – perfect for cycling. I saw several cyclists riding on it.