MY TRIP TO PORT ARANSAS: Part One

For my new followers, I am traveling to Farley's Boat Works in Port Aransas, Texas to help build a couple of loaner boats for the 2016 Texas 200. 

Like most of my travels lately, this one too has been an adventure. I wanted to use my Southwest Rapid Rewards that have been piling up for the last three years. But in order to do that, I would have to book a flight out of Ft. Lauderdale, a city nearly four hours from Key West. I thought it would be worth the savings, so I booked my flight. When the total airfare came to $11.20, I was ecstatic. I thought this is going to be a cheap trip. Okay, but how am I going to get to Ft. Lauderdale? There is a shuttle that runs from Key West to the airports in both Miami and Ft. Lauderdale. That would be simple and i heard they are cheap. NOT. $100 each way, and my outgoing flight leaves too early to get there on time by shuttle. I had a coupon for discounted car rental with Budget: $43.00. I thought that was a good deal, until I went to pick up the car and my charge was $43 PLUS this and that, which brought it over $100. Crap, this is not looking like a very cheap trip after all.

My flight leaves at 6 am, so I left my house at 11:30 pm to give me plenty of time for the four hour drive and delays along the way. Thirty minutes from home and a sheriff’s car pulls in behind me and turns on those dreaded blinky lights of his. Apparently I’m not accustomed to cars with new fandangled knobs, because my tails lights were not on. The headlights came on, so I assumed the tail lights did also. I was unaware that there is a knob you have to turn on the tail lights too. Well, that’s just stupid, and the policeman probably thought that about me. That was my first hiccup.

Another couple hours down the road, and a dump truck comes barreling up behind me on a one lane road. He’s right on my bumper and I’m getting concerned. All the sudden he gets even closer, pulls the left like he is going to pass me, but there is not enough room between me and the divider. At that moment I’m thinking it’s a good thing I went a head and bought their insurance, because this truck is about to flatten this Ford Focus. Pulling back, he waits for another mile or so for the second lane, and then passes me. That was my second hiccup.

A little farther down the road, on the Florida Turnpike, a car comes roaring up in the lane to the right of me. When he gets just past me, he slows down then drops back behind me. He does this three more times. Now I’m thinking that $100 shuttle wasn’t such a bad idea. I could let someone else do the driving, drop me off at the airport door, and I wouldn’t have all these “hiccups”. 

Well, I did want more adventures this year, and so far.. it has been.