Sometime
in September I'll mention the other things I've done as of late
(including my explanation of why unlike many, Alien: Romulus was a
movie I did not like, and I love both Alien & Aliens) but there's
plenty for me to say about how I took my first road trip in fifteen
(!) years and drove a vehicle from Florida to Kansas then flew back
home several days later. The reasons why aren't important—it's
nothing for anyone to be concerned about. The long drive on my own
wouldn't be a concern; sure, the only times that I'd been in a car on
the way to Kansas as an adult was w/ someone driving but I've driven
from Illinois to Florida on several occasions in the past. I had
podcasts and music to listen to so that wasn't a concern.
I
left on Sunday the 11th and drove to Tupelo, Mississippi;
America's Best Value Inn was just that. It wasn't fancy but at least
I slept in a king bed, had a mini fridge/microwave and it was less
than 100 bucks. First, food was at at a Cook Out restaurant, a
popular Carolinas joint but they had one in Troy, Alabama. Their
famed shakes were good but I hope their burgers aren't always burned
like they were here. Dinner was at a Jack's... no, not Jack in the
Box but an Alabama staple known as Jack's.
The chicken fingers were
tasty; the service, rather horrible. It took me a half hour to get my
food! They had an issue making food but of course it took me
overhearing a conversation to know this instead of anyone informing
me of that fact. Never stop at the Jack's in Parrish, Alabama. What I
learned on this trip: the theory concerning how workers in certain
occupations went to other jobs after COVID so at places like gas
stations and restaurants in general, the average worker is not that
great at their job, to say the least. I wasn't sure if it was just a
Florida thing but it seems to be true nationwide.
Monday
the 12th I drove to the Wichita area of Kansas and oh boy,
it left me frazzled. Not only was there busy traffic in Arkansas and
Oklahoma, I was stunned by how many bad, erratic drives there were.
No details but I was relieved to be at my final destination. It was
at least amusing to get gas and then a quick bite to eat at a KUM &
GO station (that name will soon be eradicated as they were bought out
recently. Might as well, given that the food service &
maintenance on their soft drink dispenser was only mediocre. It's
always neat to stop at a Sinclair as hey, a dinosaur is their logo
and dinos are cool.
Oh,
and in Memphis a rest room stop was needed and as I literally drove
by the giant pyramid that used to be an arena but now is a giant Bass
Pro Shops, that's where I stopped then looked around for a short
amount of time. They have a LOT in there, including a pond in the
middle, restaurants and a museum. Believe it or not, me and two pals
once went on Spring Break in Memphis 21 years ago and we saw the
Memphis Grizzlies beat the Chicago Bulls in a game as tickets were
only like 9 bucks each. The area looked great but otherwise was
rather lousy. They were still building their current arena at the
time. It sat abandoned for years until the bizarre idea happened for
it to become a huge store. It was nice to visit there again, in other
words.
I
won't dwell on my time in Kansas, except that of course it was nice
to hang out with family, and at one point babysit a toddler for a
bit. Thankfully that turned out fine as he was usually preoccupied
and otherwise didn't have any meltdowns. Nothing new was visited in
Wichita yet that's OK. I did visit a Casey's in Oklahoma for a Monday
evening meal the another afternoon in Kansas for a drink. I hadn't
visited a Casey's General Store in many years. That's where I had
Mountain Dew Overdrive (a punch) and Goji Citrus Strawberry. Both
were good, as was me having LiveWire. They haven't sold LiveWire in
Florida in years, sadly.
Friday
the 16th, it was time to fly home. Allegiant doesn't have
direct flights to Orlando or the Tampa area so instead, it was
Southwest for me. I'd never been on Southwest before; heck, I'd never
been on a flight w/ a layover before either. The first flight was to
St. Louis then a 2 hour wait until the flight to Orlando
International. The first flight was bumpy but otherwise fine. In St.
Louis it seemed a neat idea to try a local delicacy, which was sold
in more than one restaurant. I had the toasted ravioli; interesting
yet good.
The flight to Orlando was in the evening so was only 1/6
full. Pretty soon they'll end this practice but they still currently
assign you a spot in line, where you then enter the plane and pick
your own seat. Both times were aisle seats so it was much more
comfortable than the typical Allegiant flight. The service on both
legs was rather good; there was free (salty) pretzels and a beverage,
my checked suitcase was free—so overall I was happy w/ Southwest.
The airline has occasional hiccups due to their ancient computer
system but don't worry, there was no issue on either Boeing 737 I was
on, even the MAX that was the second leg. What a horrible past few
years Boeing has had but that's another topic for another time.
Overall,
even with the negatives, it was nice to see that I can still drive 20
some odd hours over the span of two days even as a middle-aged
person, experience some new things, and spend time w/ family. Like I
said, I'll see you in September.