Who: Steve, 46, and Sue, 44, 11th trip to WDW
When: 9/30 till 10/10
Where: Old Key West/Hilton Head
Why: We own the perfect Florida car now, so LET'S GO!
September 30th was a nice day in the Poconos. No rain in the forecast, no hurricanes headed up the coast, everything seemed good to go. I must admit that Jeanne, Charley, Ivan and Frances had me more than a little nervous. I was less concerned about being at the World during a hurricane that I was about driving through one. I watch enough episodes of "Storm Stories" to know that hurricanes and cars don't mix. So I would be lying if I said I was not a little apprehensive. But we had planned this trip a long time, and we were on a mission!
I was actually looking forward to the drive. We had driven in May 2003, and we left at noon and intended to drive all night and arrive at WDW in the early morning. BIG mistake!
By 3:30 AM we were so tired we were all over the road and ended up stopping at a hotel in Jacksonville rather than risk wrecking on the road. This time, we talked to other friends (not the ones who told us to leave at noon) and they all said the same thing: Drive at night. Hmm...that made sense. I am a night person, and I work nights (swing shift) so I am used to being up at night. The original plan was to leave at midnight and arrive around 6 PM. Steve kept pushing up that time, and we planned to leave around 8 or 9.
Now, I was really excited about the drive. Steve, on the other hand, was apprehensive about the long road ahead of us. About 4 weeks out from the trip, he started saying that it really wasn't too late to fly. I asked him how we were supposed to get to Hilton Head for 2 days? That quieted him for a while, but then he would start again. This went on about every 5 or 6 days, right up until the day before we left. On that day, he FINALLY admitted that, yea, he was kinda excited about driving the convertible, too!
He got home from work a little early that day, and we finished packing. I had loaded some things in the car, and we put the rest, including our new, soft-sided collapsible cooler. (Side note: I would highly recommend one of these for a long car trip. Takes up less room then a regular cooler, kept everything cold and fresh, and had wheels and a handle like a suitcase!) We brought our own half-and-half, since we always have problems finding that on property. We also brought snacks, coffee grinder and coffee, wine, water, cereal and laundry stuff. I threw a roll of paper towels in as an afterthought (this would come in handy later, but not for what you might think!
) We put our luggage in, our cameras, and we were ready to go! We were off at 7 PM! Steve, the video guy, taped us leaving the driveway and heading South!!
We stopped for dinner at a Cracker Barrel about an hour away from us, where we had a lovely dinner. The waitress was ready to pack up and go with us when she found out where we were heading. We drove down the PA turnpike to 95, which we took and crossed our first state line: Delaware! We continued down 95, through Maryland, where ther was construction. We were playing music, talking, and really having a great time. We made our first gas stop, where I got a really good coffee!
At about 11:30, Steve decided to get some sleep, as we would need to switch drivers in the morning and he needed some rest. He slept through some of Virginia and a part of North Carolina, where we hit a little rain. He woke up when I stopped again for gas and bathroom break, about 3 AM. He took over the driving and I dozed on and off. I really wasn't tired...to me, this was like a night shift! At about 6 AM, we stopped in Florence, SC to get something to eat. We were bound and determined to eat at a Waffle House, something we had never done. There were alot of firsts this trip, I'll try to point them out as I go! We had waffles (what else?) and Steve had grits. He eats them "The Northern Way" with milk and sugar, but he loves them and we can never find them (other than the instant kind) here in Yankee country! I took the wheel again and we were headed back south! Steve went back to sleep for a bit.
Around 7:30, we hit the Georgia border. It was foggy! I don't know if it was the fact that I was tired or the weather, but the fog was racing past the car and it was actually disorienting me! I didn't feel safe driving, so I pulled into the next rest area. Steve woke up and asked what was wrong. I told him I just wanted to rest until the fog let up. He said he was fine and would drive, I should get some sleep. I didn't think I would be able to sleep (the car is great, but a little smaller than the Pathfiner!) But, I climbed into the passenger seat, cuddle up and used...let's see, what to use...AH HA!! The roll of paper towels! what a great pillow! I was out in about 3 minutes, slept for a little over an hour
(can we say, Power Nap?) and woke feeling at least 110% better! We were still in Georgia, it was warm, the sun was trying to break through, it was time....THE TOP CAME DOWN!! WooooHoooo!! I honestly believe that everyone should own or at least drive a convertible once in their life! There is nothing like it! We blasted the tunes, I put my sunscreen on, and we rolled into Florida!!!
We stopped at the welcome center to take some pictures. I got a really cool shot of the car with Steve behind the wheel, looking very cool!
Then it was onward. As we got deeper into Florida, we began to see hurricane damage.
As thrilled as we were about this vacation, this was a very sobering moment. It brought it all home. It's one thing to see it on TV and feel bad for the people, but it is a totally different thing to be in the midst of the devastation. It hit us hard. First, we saw trees bent over. Then we saw trees gone, stripped of leaves, just sticks. Then, we saw buildings with no windows. Then we saw buildings with blue tarps where their roof was supposed to be. There were stretches of roads that had absolutely no billboards left...NONE!
We would drive by a seemingly untouched area and right next to it would be an area with no vegetation yet. The radio station was asking people to come down and help unload food at the Humane Society, and we almost went, but we weren't sure what city they were in. The thing that really impressed us was that almost every commercial on the radio had a message designed to help the hurricane victims. Insurance companies advertising to call, Home Depot offering free financing till 2006, some furniture company offering furniture at cost...it was truly a warm message in the midst of catastrophe.
Soon, we were on I-4, an hour away!! Past the exit for Sanford Airport, past the road for Orlando Airport, past Universal...there it is!!! Our exit for Downtown Disney!! WE ARE SOOOOO HERE!!! As we drove in we noticed still more damage. Lots and lots of vegetation destroyed. It will take WDW and Florida many years to recover from the damage. We pulled up to Old Key West, and heard those words we had driven 1107 miles and 18 hours to hear:
"Welcome Home!!"
Next....Oh, this is a REALLY nice villa, Coconut shrimp and "I think I'm finally tired now!"