50 States Day 252

Treasure Island to Ft. Lauderdale, 292 miles




"When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it."
~Henry Ford

The drop dead goal was 4:00 p.m. that's when the cruise ship left. Working backwards, we estimated I should launch at 7:00 a.m., giving us plenty for time to arrive. I mean, four hour ride, drop the bike at the shop for service 1/2 hour, ride with the in laws to the rental car drop off, another thirty minutes, hop in a cab to the cruise hip. One, two o'clock tops. Plenty of time.

Do you ever feel like the universe is working against you? 
First the ride took almost six hours, as the mileage was much longer than we thought, then we overshot the exit (missed one teeny weenie direction on the Google Maps, oops my bad), got to the bike shop where the friendly service technician was enjoying his third full day for employment. After thirty minutes or so of going through what it needed, he noticed the trailer (on his third inspection of the bike). Can't leave that here. What?

Try a storage place a block away. Nope, indoor only. Fine, forget the service, we'll go another couple of miles to a real storage place. Drove six miles, no luck. Meanwhile, QG, while riding with her folks, called the cruise line and we could park the bike there. 

We followed the GPS in a circle (more of a rectangle) then found the rental place to drop off the car. Next they would take a cab and I would ride to the parking garage. 

We're pushing three o'clock by now and the four of us are showing signs of stress! I rode to the parking garage and they say no motorcycles. Huh? My wife called! I check the boarding pass. Oops. Wrong ship, wrong garage. Drive back across the Port and find the garage. Hike to the ship and get on board at 3:15. Oh. The ship disembarks at four and boarding stops at 3:15. That's cutting it pretty close. 



Now we're onboard the Grand Princess, the ship has set sail, and we enjoyed a tasty meal. If you've ever eaten on a cruise ship, you know we ate. A lot. Of really great food. Finally, a show.

But believe me, I did not find my beach today. Maybe tomorrow. 



QG here, I did not find my beach today either.  My parents are the people who take getting to the airport two hours early seriously.  When we were in the parking lot of the bike shop at one o'clock, there was some serious tension going on. The GPS was leading us on a merry chase NOT to the rental car agency, the tension escalated.  We got a cab to the port with a great cab driver and did all our paperwork and no Kevin.  Stress level is higher.  Now sitting in a quiet cabin with the waves sushing on the side of the ship I can start to relax.  Maybe tomorrow will be a beach day.  Tonight I will read a bit and listen to the waves and watch for passing cruise ships.  I should go run up and down all the stairs after the dinner we ate!

QG



See you tomorrow, more cruising.   



2 comments:

Mel said...

Sorry to hear the miles are much longer in Florida. I thought that was only in Texas and Montana. Glad to hear your ship came in and you were able to catch it. They probably saw you coming, but just couldn't get the doors closed in time. LOL
Reminds me of the saying: With my luck, when my ship comes in, I'll probably be at the airport!

Unknown said...

That is funny because when the ship came in we WERE at the airport! Fortunately we were on the ship when it went out.
KP