Let me Be a Tourist
It seems even more appropriate now to be writing this after reading Larche’s blog about road trips. He will probably be rest assured to know that the age-old sense of adventure and exploration behind a wheel with the windows rolled down still lives on strong.
Road trips have developed into traditions for me, with certain rituals associated with them like midnight stops for sketchy gas station food, or an unexpected visit to a restaurant chain I hadn’t seen since I was 12 and visiting my step-family in the mid-west.
Finding I had a rare 3-day weekend for my labor day, I couldn’t let it go to waste. My room-mate Carrie and I packed up the backseat of my car (because the trunk is reserved for beach toys) and headed to Orlando for some stereotypical tourism. Since our destination was the Island of Adventure we found it only fitting to wear bandannas and listen to pirate music along the way.
But what makes a great road trip is the unexpected. Even if at the time it seems bad, it still creates some conflict which makes for a great story afterward.
On the way to Orlando we got stuck in a terrible thunderstorm… which actually seemed to follow us for several hours like one of those cartoons where there’s a cloud overhead. At one point Carrie and I were rolling along when all of a sudden we heard a loud noise and went blind for a few seconds. I don’t know how close that bolt of lightning came to my car, but I know it was too close for comfort.
Shortly afterward, my gas light went on and I searched for an exit only to find that Florida is a very spread out state, full of spaces of nowhere in between.
When we finally found an exit, I merged off the interstate, turning right at a red light trying to coast into the gas station across the street. I made it to about 100 feet away, not because I ran out of gas (which I really was afraid I would do) but because I got pulled over for failing to come to a complete stop at that red light at 2a.m.
Mad as I was, I got even angrier when I discovered that this county in particular had unique fines just for that offense. One ticket for $183 later, we arrived at our destination shortly afterward… battered, worn, but not discouraged.
The rest of the weekend went off without a hitch. Carrie and I were complete tourists, wide-eyed at the rides, shows, and hilarious characters Universal had to offer. We went to two parks and spent some time on CityWalk where a great live band with a very talented saxophone player made the bumps in the road seem small and trivial.
One last thing I realized about road trips, the road home is always quieter and more smooth. Hey! I called Panama City home!
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About Me
I was born and raised just outside the nation's capital in northern Virginia, and recently graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a major of Broadcast Journalism and minor in International Relations. I studied abroad for a while in Italy and also traveled to Shanghai, China for a journalism class. During college I worked at CBS6 in Richmond, VA as well as FOX5 in Washington D.C. I'm glad to be in sunny Florida and look forward to making Panama City my home for the next few years...
Recent Entries:
- A Death, a Birth, and a New Year
- Difficult Times to Give Thanks
- World of Couch Potatoes
- Trying the Trolley - Day 5
- Trying the Trolley - Day 4
- Trying the Trolley - Day 2
- Trying the Trolley - Day 3
- Trying the Trolley - Day 1
- A Year-Old Newby
- Throwing a Bone
- Relay for Life a Success!
- Sometimes Too Removed
- Those Born Without Wings Should Jump Instead
- Those Born Without Wings Shouldn’t Fly
- February Sweeping me off my Feet
Other News13 Blogs:
- The Casual Historian - Larche Hardy
- Derby Girl - Enocha Van Lierop
- The Newby - Jessi Chapin
- Gainesville, Georgia's All American Girl - Tuquyen Mach
