Rachel finds a coconut (via Vimeo)

Rachel finds a coconut (via Vimeo)

(via Where’s Walter?)

Road Rage in Fort Lauderdale

Day 108

Just so you don’t think it’s all wine and roses on the road, consider this: we manage to spend entire days driving from parking lot to parking lot all over metropolitan cities such as Fort Lauderdale, only to be turned away by insidious “No RV parking” signs. Walter is big, uncoordinated, and as good looking as he is, he sucks at elocution.

Today was one of those days. As we thoughtfully attempted to book RV parks in Miami (note to self: book eleven months in advance), we realized that we would be ‘homeless’ for the rest of the week. That is, held captive in the clutches of a corporate giant (aka Walmart) for days. Now, even for the really RV-savvy, three or more days of boon docking means you will have no water, a full sewage tank (or at least a stinking one), and the twitches from your lack of sleep in crime ridden Walmarts or abandoned malls. Two days is doable, but five to seven? Hah. Only if you don’t value your sanity or personal hygiene.

This is the fun packed day we had:

• Booked our stays in Key West and Austin, TX and spent all morning on the phone and Google maps.

• Bolted from the abandoned West Palm Beach mall parking lot after two cars started repeatedly circling around us. Didn’t stick around to find out their intentions. Left at noon and drove for an hour to Fort Lauderdale.

• Landed in a Target shopping centre so we could shower and eat a quick ham sandwich, but this Target was in a shopping centre, so we knew we couldn’t catch any Zeds there. Left at 3: 30pm.

• Tried to stop for gas at a Chevron, but the pump was broken. We nearly clipped the bikes off the back pulling through the narrow lane; the inclines are always steep too, so we we risk losing Bella, our scooter, every time we hit a slant. It is now 4:00pm.

• We got back on the freeway and rolled into the Hard Rock Cafe Casino (since casinos are mostly RV friendly), hoping for an adoring welcome. NO RV PARKING signs glinted angrily back at us, further reinforced by the police towers hovering in the lot for the Superbowl. 4: 20pm.

• Back on the freeway to a narrow Exxon. This time gas pumping was succesfull. 4:50pm.

• Programmed another Walmart into the GPS, but Travis turned Walter around because I was pouting. He asked me where I wanted to go. “To the beach!” I said. So we headed east. It is now 5pm. The sun would set in an hour.

• Several wrong turns later, we are moving along a narrow beach front road, looking for sand and the last chip of sun. Wrong turn leads to dead ends. Parking lots close in half an hour, but want to charge us $7 anyway. 5:20pm.

• Can’t park or turn around, keep heading south. No cafes, no more parking lots. Just a narrow strip of black top and one direction. 5:30pm.

• Programmed another Walmart into GPS. Saw it as we haul ourselves over a drawbridge, and lo and behold it loomed in the impending dark. 5:37pm.

• Hunkered down in a corner with rickety shopping carts and other RVs and semi-trucks. Hoping that Carl, the security guard in the old Buick will just move along and realize we are the least of his security concerns. We just want to reflect upon the day, and drink some fine Samuel Adams cream stout. 10:11pm.

So all of you critics that think we just sip margaritas on jeweled beaches all day while sending emails and playing tic tac toe— you are gravely mistaken.

We only do that on Tuesdays.

(via Where’s Walter?)

Those Cool Kids We Call Friends

Day 105

Photo By Kelly Sue, Flickr

Met a girl today. She just might have a better story than we do! For serious. This girl goes by the name of Kelly. She’s a friend of the nGenWorks crew and we met up by chance with the intention of swapping travel stories. Well, now I don’t even think I want to talk about this girl, because frankly, her travel stories outshine ours, and all four of you people reading this blog will just give up and stop reading so you can hear about real adventure.

Kelly decided to roam the country in her tent and trusty Saturn for a while after a sudden job change three years ago.

• Kelly has witnessed torrential downpours in Alabama from the canvas of her tent.
• Kelly has nearly tased a crazy lady for falsely accusing her of being a near hit and run driver.
• Kelly has traversed the wild lands of Mt. Zion to the prairies of South Dakota with the mere comforts of biodegradable soap and a bowie knife.
• Kelly has witnessed iguanas falling dead out of Florida trees due to climate change.

But Kelly didn’t have running water, a working toilet, or electricity, save for that little heater she could crank when the temperature dipped to just above freezing. How’s that for impressive?

So now that you know what real adventure is, we will have to overshadow her by telling you about how awesome it was washing dishes in our sink today. It was so awesome and now the dishes are so clean and phosphate free.

Just kidding, Kelly. You get full credit for today. You were such fun to talk to and now instead of consulting Trip Adviser or Lonely Planet for travel tips, we are going to call you. Repeatedly and with fervour. Until you wish you had just ignored the fact that we were fellow travelers in your hood that could bore you to tears with tales of asphalt and rain. Oh dear, Kelly. We might just make you want to get back on that road again, far, far away from us.

-wink-

Keep in touch!

(via Where’s Walter?)

Taking a Turn?

Day 106

I’m not sure, but I’m hoping we’re taking a turn. A good one. Mostly weather related. But in general, more sun equals more happiness. After all, this is the sunshine state.

Today you could run outside nude and drink in the rain like it was bathtub water. Not that we did, mind you. But there is a nudist colony about 40 miles from here: Sunsport Gardens Nudist Club, so if we change our minds they’ll welcome us with open arms. Come on now, that’s not the sort of adventure we’re engaged in!

We are loving the humidity in West Palm Beach, Florida. It’s amazing. Probably a lot like what it was to be a baby darting around in the womb, all warm and comfy. Sorry about all these images, folks. I may have consumed a little too much boxed wine tonight. But there’s beauty in that, right? The images, I mean. There’s so much freedom in this movement that it’s almost alarming. Shakes you up a bit. Makes you wonder what you’d be doing if you didn’t buy an RV and take it all the way to south Florida just because you felt like it.

The plan is to lay low here in Florida for about two to three weeks. Our birthday (yeah, that’s right, we share the same birthday: February 21st) is coming up, as is the good old corporate holiday of Valentine. We can zoom along down to Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and the Florida Keys and spend some quality time down there burning our sunburns.

If there are any takers, there’s plenty of room in the RV. Do not let the fact that Walter has a mild arterial coating disturb you. We’ll clean him good before your arrival.

(via Where’s Walter?)