Steno, I'll be heading south to the Phoenix area in less than two weeks. Not as brave as you, I'll be towing the snake through hopefully rainless and snowless weather all the way.
Phoenix to the Tampa area is about 1100 miles, maybe we can meet about half way.
I thought this would be a quick trip, I may be wrong, unless I screwed up on using Mapquest. It showes a distance about the same as from IL to AZ.
Hey, maybe in the middle of winter we might be bored out of our heads and we'll meet each other in Norlands!
Ralph