Scribble World Travel Blog

Life Break

I’m taking a life break-overlooking the crashing waves, a bird, sailboats, and resort buildings.  It’s very windy and I’m sitting on a cheerful purple bench and feel a slight mist when the larger waves plummet to the stone.  It’s interesting seeing just one bird-perhaps an individualist or a loner.

It would be cool if we could find somewhere with a pool & shower we could use for a few bucks.  We spent the night at a rest area.  The sign said there was an armed security guard patrolling the premises.  It was a peaceful rainy night.

Today is just gorgeous-clear blue skies, sunny and windy-upper 60′s.  It’s interesting to see these great big rocks piled high around the shore.  I wonder if that happens naturally?  There are seashells embedded in them.  1:54 P.M.

Continued: 4:45 P.M. Now we’re on Siesta public beach sitting on a big beach towel together.  Chris is sipping a cappuccino beer he got at the Whole Foods in Austin, TX.  We’re playing in the sand with our feet.  It’s a very bright and windy day.  Oh, and we saw a crowd gathered around a drum circle on the beach with belly dancers in the middle.  That was different.

Park near Tampa, Florida

We spent the night in an elementary school parking lot.  It was Saturday so we didn’t have to worry about waking up to a swarm of school children.  We stopped at a city park somewhere near Tampa that was just a really cool place.  There were trails that had fitness activities to try-things to climb, jump over or stretch on.  There was also a wooded area to walk around.

We continued on to Tampa where there was a parade going on, but the roads were narrow and there were people everywhere. We couldn’t find parking for less than $20 and decided to move on.

Help, We’re Locked Out of Our Van!

Ok, so around 3:30 we stopped at a Starbucks.  Chris had been driving, but my keys were in the ignition-I ran inside to use the restroom, taking for granted that he had the keys.  We ordered our drinks and were on our way back out when Chris got this concerned look on his face and asked if I had a spare key-I thought he was joking.  Turns out he had taken the keys out of the ignition, then opened the side door to get something-set my keys down next to his, then forgot BOTH sets of keys.

I’m irritated, he’s defensive-things are escalating-he’s determined to fix it ourselves-not to pay someone a bunch of money for a careless mistake. He’s trying to figure out a way to get through the window, or open the hood in hopes of triggering a fuse that might unlock the doors..I’m worrying he’s going to make things worse…things are getting tense and neither one of us wants to be the one to ask for help…plus our cell phones are in the van.

Then Mike came along…this guy had the patience of a saint-he stood with me for 2 hours as we worked things out.  I said how we didn’t have much money & mentioned how our cargo box had been hit and it seemed like we were having a bit of bad luck.  He had suggested AAA, then had another thought-what about the Honda Dealer?

Next thing I know, I’m back in Starbucks using their phone book to find a Honda dealer & and I get ahold of a nice guy who says, “no problem, happens to all of us, I can get you a spare for $5, where are you?”  Only it turns out the unfamilar city I’m in is more than an hour and a half away, so he goes online and gets me another number.  Only the next guy is more concerned with red tape-he says he needs proof of ownership-my ID and insurance card are not enough.  I say I’ve got the title in my van..he talks to his manager and calls me back to say he’s sorry but they can’t.  I’m breaking the bad news to Chris & Mike-Mike says I should call back and ask to speak with the manager-to be persistant.  This I do, but am still getting the same story.  I’m about the hang up, Chris reaches for the phone, “so if I pull up our registration online, will that suffice?”  Finally, the guy relents, but we still had to get there.  Mike’s car was full of stuff, but he pointed to a car from Montana with a bike on the roof, “he’s got a bike, you’ve got a bike….worth a shot.”  And sure enough, the guy from Montana comes out, is real nice and agrees to give Chris a ride to the dealer.  Mike waits with me and keeps me entertained with travel stories, stem cell research, a restaurant he walked by in South Korea with a cat chained to the oven, his soft spot for animals and the 3 cats he’s adopted, among other things.

A guy from the Honda dealership gave Chris a ride back, and we had a spare key for just $3, (plus the $4 it had cost to pull up our proof of ownership)-but all in all, way cheaper than the alternatives.

It’s funny how things can just sort of work themselves out. The lesson of the day was persistence.  I never would have thought to pick up that phone and call again after being told no.  Plus, in a funny way I got what I had wanted-to stop driving, spend some time outdoors and get to know someone.  Kind of reminds me of The Secret.

St. George State Park Island Review

It was nice relaxing by the docks and people watching in Apalachicola, FL earlier….imagining what people’s lives are like….what’s it like to live on a boat? I see a computer peaking through the ship’s window-do they have internet access, I wonder?..I wonder how that couple meet?

Anyway, we’re spending the night on St. George State Park Island. It was around $21 which seems a little high just for a place to park and sleep in our own van, but it’s decent-the showers are hot and the facilities are clean and well stocked. Our campsite has an electric box with a light, our own picnic table, a fire pit, (we’d go look for wood, but the aligators might eat us)-we saw a sign posted nearby advising caution-it says there are aligators on the island and they will eat anything. I can hear the ocean. Now we’re inside listening to Radio Classics on Sirius Satellite radio from the comfort of our travel van.

St. George Island State Park
1900 E Golf Beach Dr.
St. George ISLD, FL

We’ve Got The Florida Parking Blues…

So far, Florida has not been the most welcoming state-there are so many “no overnight parking” signs everywhere we go.  We finally just pulled over in a Walmart parking lot, and got an oil change while we were at it.
Earlier, we explored a couple nice beaches.  Bit of rain this evening, so it’s humid and warm-we’re on top of the covers.