Winter 2026
- vvbfree0
- Apr 5
- 2 min read
After a winter escape to Florida, we rolled out of Massachusetts on January 5, trading snowbanks for sunshine. Our time down south took us through Camp Margaritaville in Auburndale, FL, Fort Wilderness at Disney, with a visit from our kids, and then to Riverside RV Resort in Arcadia, FL, to spend the remainder of winter with friends—each stop adding its own flavor to the trip and plenty of great memories along the way.
I didn’t bother tracking the mileage on the way down—too busy watching the weather and staying one step ahead of winter. 😄
This trip, though, told the story: 1,695 miles from Florida back to Massachusetts.
Fuel & Numbers
MA → Auburndale, FL
233.40 gallons | Avg $3.63/gal | Open Roads savings: $105.66
Arcadia, FL → MA
245.73 gallons | Avg $6.16/gal | Open Roads savings: $175.68
And yes… the gas price record goes to a TA in Connecticut at a jaw-dropping $8.07/gal. Normally, that’s a keep-driving moment—but with Open Roads bringing it down to $5.57, it became a slightly less painful stop.
The Route North
We changed things up, heading north, sticking to Florida’s west coast, and running I-75 north to I-40 and I-81. The goal was simple: avoid I-95 and stay on wide, multi-lane roads—especially with the wave of campers all heading north at the same time.
We kept our overnight stops easy and close to the highway:
A peaceful Harvest Hosts stay at a Wild Horse Vineyard
Bass Pro Shops
A KOA stop for a much-needed dump, water refill, and our first campfire of the year—a treat after Florida’s dry winter
And Cabela’s to round things out
On the Road
The drive itself was smooth and mostly uneventful—just the way you like it. A few small slowdowns here and there, but nothing major. Even Atlanta, midweek mid-morning, worked in our favor with only a brief backup.
The one moment that made us sit up a little straighter was coming across a fifth wheel that had slipped off its truck. Luckily, it happened just ahead of us, just barely out of the breakdown lane, and didn’t affect traffic much yet—but it was definitely a reminder of how quickly things can change on the road.
Leaving our last stop a few hours earlier than normal was a lucky event. We went through Allentown, Pennsylvania, at about 8 am… an hour and a half before a small plane landed on the highway we recently passed through.
Back in Massachusetts
We rolled back into Massachusetts with a full tank, ready to feed the AquaHot heat system—because winter wasn’t quite ready to let go just yet. 🥶
All in all, it was a great trip to Massachusetts: solid planning, smooth travel, a few memorable moments, and another chapter in the journey logged.
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