After a stop in Cartersville, Ga., The Spirit heads to Florida

Cartersville, Ga., is the next place where OOIDA’s touring trailer is scheduled to stop.

Jon Osburn, skipper of the Spirit of the American Trucker, plans to be there Monday through Wednesday, April 15-17.

Look for The Spirit at the TA Travel Center at Exit 296 from Interstate 75.

Cartersville is on the northwest edge of the Atlanta metropolitan area. It is about 40 miles from downtown Atlanta and about 75 miles southeast of Chattanooga, Tenn.

When he leaves Cartersville, Jon plans to head to Florida for a few stops and then in May head to Louisiana.

Interstate 75 connects the northern tip of Michigan to South Florida, passing through six states: Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio and Michigan. The southern terminus of the interstate highway is in suburban Miami. The northern terminus is in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., at the International Bridge crossing into Canada at the east end of Lake Superior.

Between Chattanooga and Cartersville, I-75 passes along the eastern edge of Johns Mountain Wildlife Management Area, which covers nearly 25,000 acres. In the distance to the east of the highway is the Chattahoochee National Forest.

A stretch of I-75 has been named the Larry McDonald Memorial Highway. It is named for a doctor-turned-politician who was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. He was killed when the Korean passenger jet carrying him was shot down by a Soviet interceptor aircraft on Sept. 1, 1983. The Soviets claimed the aircraft was a U.S. spy plane. All 269 passengers and crew members aboard were killed, including McDonald.

McDonald had served in the House of Representatives since 1975. He was flying aboard a Korean Air Lines flight from New York City to Seoul by way of Anchorage, Alaska. McDonald was a staunch conservative and the second president of the John Birch Society. He was opposed to mandatory federal school integration programs.

Whenever you see The Spirit tour truck, go say hello to Jon. He enjoys visiting about the Association’s activities and current issues. You also can join or renew your OOIDA membership for $10 off the regular price there. Also, you can get vouchers for flu, shingles and pneumonia vaccines from Jon at The Spirit.