I decided that I needed to take a quick summer trip, so I packed a bag and booked a flight to sunny Orlando, FL. The morning started way too early for my “summer” tastes—5:30am. I was mostly ready to go, but still didn’t get out of the house until 6:30. I drove to Owensboro, KY, to hop a plane to Orlando. If you’ve never had the pleasure of taking the non-stop flight from Owensboro to Sanford Int’l Airport (basically North Orlando), you should give it a try. Although at first the flight seems cheap, they charge you for everything extra, from priority seating to drinks & snacks on the flight. I saved big by going with the Open Seating option and smuggling my own crunchy snack on board.
 |
| My plane |
 |
| Everything looks so small from up here |
The flight itself was fairly uneventful. I sat next to a girl who put her headphones on and closed her eyes. I was lucky enough to get a window seat, and even luckier to have very few clouds obstructing my view of the ground below. A short two hours later, I had my suitcase (it was the first one off the plane—that never happens) and was plugging along toward the Alamo Rent-A-Car station. I’ve never rented a car before, but I can now say that the experience was pretty painless. I rented a Compact car and got to have my pick of the lot. The Kia Rio spoke to me, and before long I had my borrowed GPS up and running (thanks, Granny!) and was on my way.
First, I drove to the hotel near the airport where I’ll spend Night #3 of this trip. I wanted to see how far away from the airport it was. On the way there I spied a Walmart (mental note: go back there later!), among a bazillion other stores. I think I could’ve spent the whole trip in that one area! I found my hotel and lo and behold—across the highway from it was a Joe’s Crab Shack (my favorite). After a not-so-quick lunch there, I went back to Walmart to pick up some snacks before heading myself to Cocoa Beach.
 |
| Kia Rio rental car...she was a good lil rental |
 |
| This bridge was sooo tall. I'm near Port Canaveral, which is a couple miles from Cocoa Beach |
On the way to Cocoa Beach, I really think my GPS was trying to send me on the scenic route. I got off the main road and went through a town called Oviedo (a place I can totally see myself retiring to in the winter months….someday). I went through a few more little towns and picked up some halfway healthy ice cream to be my traveling buddy. An hour and fifteen minutes later, I popped up over a bridge into the Port Canaveral/Cocoa Beach area. I’ll admit, I had that “tourist” look down pat—slow driving, picture taking, and oogling a mile a minute. I pulled into my hotel and marveled that it was less than half a mile away from Ron Jon’s Surf Shop and one block from the beach. YES! After I got checked in, I was even more excited to learn my room was a suite with a fridge (for all my Walmart-bought snacks), it was the only suite on the right side of the elevators, AND it was located near the stairs (extra exercise)! What more could a girl ask for? Oh yeah, how about a fantastic view of the ocean, barely a block away??? Yes, please!
 |
| Leading up to the beach |
 |
| Wet tootsies |
I spent a couple of hours soaking up the sun and waves on the beach. I can’t tell you how good it felt to lay there, hearing the waves and feeling the sun beat down on my skin (and not in the mowing-the-yard or working-outside-because-I-have-to ways). It was awesome! After that I went back to my hotel room, showered, and headed to Cocoa Beach Pier. The Pier was about a mile from my hotel and a very nice walk. I ate supper on the Pier at Atlantic Ocean Grill. They had the BEST house salad I’d ever had. Maybe it had something to do with the grilled Jerk Shrimp I added to it. I also tried GATOR for my first time ever!! It reminded me of a porkchop. Unfortunately, my meal lasted until after dark, so I walked back to my hotel in the most well-lit, occupied area I could find—next to the highway. I’d planned on walking back along the beach. I guess I’ll just have to do that tomorrow!
 |
| Gator...yum! |
No comments:
Post a Comment