Day 37
Day 37: November 4, 2021 (Panama City FL to Tallahassee FL)
I did not sleep well last night. I feel asleep about 8:30 PM; a little later than normal. At 12:30 AM, someone across the hall slammed their door three times. That woke me up and I couldn’t get back to sleep. After tossing and turning for 3 hours, I got up at 3:30 AM and started writing.
Today, I wrote about Laura and me telling our parents that we were going to get married as soon as Laura turned 18 and emphasized that we were not pregnant; as they all assumed. We were going to get married at the courthouse. Laura’s parents decided we needed a wedding. So, we had one. I wrote about that too.
Kimberly, Ron, and I met for breakfast at 6:30 AM and mapped out the bike route. We ate, packed up our rooms, loaded up the RV, and got our day started. We drove a few miles for fair road conditions.
It was a chilly, damp, and windy morning. The wind was a fricken headwind again and it cost me about 2-3 gears, or about 4-5 mph. The road was a two-lane highway with a 3-foot shoulder that was overgrown in places.
The traffic was moderate and included a relatively high percentage of 18-wheelers. When they were going the speed limit (60 mph), it wasn’t too bad. When they were going 75 mph, with on-coming traffic, and an overgrown shoulder; it was scary as hell.
I only rode for a few hours today. With the wind, the speeding 18-wheelers, being 60 years old, having ridden over 2,000 miles, and having been on a bicycle for over 5 weeks straight; I had enough. I put the bike on the RV, and we drove to the hotel.
After checking in at the hotel, Kimberly, Ron, and I went for lunch. By the time we finished, it was after 3 PM.
Laura was flying in today. She’s joining me for the last few days of the ride and then we’re staying a few days in Jacksonville before heading home to Mesa. I’m so ready to get back into my routine in Mesa.
Laura’s flight was due in at 5:34 PM. I decided to meet Laura at the airport; she hasn’t been feeling well the last few days. So, I thought I relieve the stress of driving in an unknown city to an unknown hotel.
I took an Uber to the airport. Laura rented an SUV, which is how we were getting back to the hotel. I arrived at the airport in Tallahassee at 5:20 PM. Just as I sit down, I get a text from Laura that her flight has not landing yet; there’s a disabled plane blocking the runway. The pilot didn’t know how long the delay would be.
I check the flight status. It was only going to be a 10-minute delay; then another 10; then 15; then another 15. I got another text from Laura. The pilot just announced that her flight is being diverted to Jacksonville. Jacksonville is 160 miles from Tallahassee.
I went to the Hertz counter to get the SUV Laura rented; I was going to drive to Jacksonville and pick her up. They didn’t give me any hassle about getting the SUV; I was surprised since it was in Laura’s name, and it was pre-paid. But the SUV was scheduled to be returned to Tallahassee. I asked to change it to Jacksonville.
The attendant didn’t know how to do that. Fortunately, his colleague did. It took about 20 minutes to get it fixed, but they did. I stayed patient even though I was anxious to get on the road. I had a five-hour drive ahead of me and it was already 6:30 PM.
I got the keys and the contract and walk to the SUV. Of course, it’s in the last stall. I got in the SUV and was just about ready to start it when Laura called. She said that the pilot just announced that they would be flying back to Tallahassee as soon as they re-fueled and were cleared.
Laura’s flight finally landed at 8:10; we got her bags, drove to the hotel, and arrived about 9 PM. Laura had only eaten snacks all day; she was very hungry. We went to a sports bar near the hotel, ate, and got back to the hotel at 10:30 PM.