Scribble World Travel Blog

Valentine Parking Blues

February 14, 2008 on 7:12 am | In Florida, Travel | No Comments

We tried parking at Melbourne Beach first, but right as we were getting cozy a cop came, shined his spotlight at us and asked for my ID.  He wasn’t very helpful in suggesting alternatives.  We tried the small Walmart nearby but there were “no overnight parking” signs everywhere.  We went to big beach parking lot and found more unfriendly signs.  We followed signs through residential areas to get to a library.  When we got there, we tried to use their wireless internet access, as we’ve done many times before, but this was the least friendly one yet-we connected only to find ourselves unable to leave the homepage that said, “sorry we’re closed.” There were more signs, so we didn’t stay.  Instead, I went to the dog park across the way, that didn’t have any signs.

I parked in the darker of the two parking lots, near the woods, hoping we wouldn’t be disturbed again.  Florida isn’t a very friendly state-all these empty parking lots and twice as many “no parking” signs, what’s the deal?

There’s a pond in front of us and a woodsy area to the rear.  It’s fairly secluded.

Cont. 12:56 A.M. A cop did find us at the dog park.  He ran both of our ID’s and talked over the intercom.  He said we could stay there tonight, but not to make a habit of it.

A few minutes after he left, another car that was old and beat up pulled in right behind us….where he’d be least visible.  It just seemed odd..that in that whole empty parking lot, he would hide right behind us.  My mind conjured that he had heard the cop talking about our whereabouts and that he cleared us-so he, a wanted felon, knowing of this location found us & hid behind us where he’d be least visible.  I shared this paranoid late night theory with Chris and he got spooked and said we’d better leave, he wouldn’t be able to sleep now.  Chris got behind the wheel and tore out of there really fast, the car started following us but after a mile or so turned around and went back.  It’s 1:01 A.M. now.

1:57 A.M. We’re in a travel agency parking lot.  The van windows are foggy. I have to pee.  It’s a tar parking lot-there is nowhere to go.  Great….

Chris says this’ll be the 4th time we’ve tried to sleep tonight.  I finally drove until I found a Super Walmart and we spent the few remaining hours of the night there.