Here I am at the Warehouse. Notice my license plate (TIGERS) |
With
the promise of a great meet, I decided to make the long drive from my place
(Fairmont, WV) to St. Petersburg. Besides, I hadn't been to Florida
in over 21 years, so that was another excuse. I really wrestled with
the idea of either driving my car or riding my Triumph Tiger, and even
to the last minute I couldn't make up my mind. I decided to drive,
simply because I could bring more plates back and forth, and furthermore,
even though it is expected to be great riding weather down in Florida,
who knows what the weather may be like when I have to get home. I
can think of worse places to get stuck in, besides Florida, but still,
I have to earn a living, and I need to be back to work the following Tuesday.
Amazingly I was able to drive from Fairmont to Jacksonville FL in a day, but what a long day that was. It took a good 13 hours to get there, with minimal stopping. As I set foot in Florida after my 21 year absence, I noticed how much warmer it was down there, even in January. The following day, I made it to Jeff's Warehouse in good time, passing through Gainesville (Home of the Florida Gators). |
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First, let's talk about the Warehouse, which houses Jeff Francis' museum. Inside you will find an incredible collection of highway signs, porcelain advertising signs, railroad signs, petrolania (mainly Texaco) and of course license plates. There are a few vintage cars, and old fire truck, and even a mini gas station complete with period pumps and advertising! |
 
Great assortment of State and Federal Highway markers. |
Assorted London Underground signs. |
Texaco Signs + an old Studebaker |
The meet itself drew over 50 collectors, many from out of state. Of course those from the "North" were mostly people who spend their winter months in Florida. I was one of the few to actually drive the distance. After experiencing the 70 degree weather, no wonder so many people head here for the winter. In fact, along I-95 to Jacksonville I pretty much spotted every Eastern US state! Lots of NJ, New York, and even the smaller states such as Delaware and Rhode Island.
 Joe
Koehler - of Manitoba. against a backdrop of beautiful advertising signs
owned by Francis. Like Francis, Joe collects highway signs and license
plates. He is holding a rare, early Manitoba route sign. |
Steve Raiche explaining a concept to Chuck Sakryd. |
Gerry Gingras of Vermont - who spends his winters in Florida. |
Ted Smith of Savannah, GA, holding one of his wants" - a wartime Savannah city tax plate. |
Gordon White & Wife, Ed English of Scituate, Mass. |
With so many plates - inevitably an accident will happen. Clean-up Time! |
Trading activity in front of Jeff's Firetruck |
Jeff had lots and lots of dollar plates. Included were many from the John Craig collection. |
Leaving the meet....
I noticed that US 19, the very route which goes through Fairmont, ends up in St. Petersburg. So, I could head north and take the slow way home. I did take US 19 all the way up to Georgia, at which point, I veered off to the left for Auburn (home ot the Auburn Tigers). Then, the following day, my next stop was Clemson, SC, home of the Clemson Tigers. Let's just say I had a tigerrific vacation.
Page created Feb. 3, 2002