The day started off foggy, which was unexpected, and made for a pretty morning at the campground. I say campground, but this place was a bit strange.
There were quite a few RV's like my parents, fifth-wheels, trailers etc, but more than a few had been modified into something that was far more permanent. Even trailers that are supposed to move around from place to place seem to have sprouted permanent roofs.
And then there are the "park model" trailers that are never going to move again, with porches, carports and concrete driveways. When I say they'll never move again, there is one way they'll go someplace: the moment a hurricane swipes through. Which leads to the next strange thing:
And then there's this sign that was posted on the shower house door. I...don't even know what to say. Yes, this was a strange place indeed.
I've always wanted to drive down Tamiami Trail, which is further south than I-75 / Alligator Alley.
I don't know what I expected to see or find down that way, bug the Big Cypress Natural Preserve was an interesting place for sure. I wish I had been able to spend more time poking about, but sadly I had a plane to catch.
Alligators, of course.
Lots of alligators. Sunning themselves in the warmth, and not really doing much else.
There really wasn't much else to see as we moved eastward into the Florida Everglades, just mile after mile of flat swampland and blue skies. Eventually we reached the far western edges of Miami, and the urban sprawl set in.
After slogging through early-afternoon Miami traffic, I made it to the Ft. Lauderdale airport and said goodbye to my folks and the red truck.
For this leg of the trip, I was flying on US Air. It was a fairly unremarkable flight.
Nice view of Fort Lauderdale coastline.
Flying above the clouds somehow felt magical, as it always does.
Fantastic sunset, flying over what I believe was Mexico.
Hello, Phoenix! My first view of the city since 1996, and then I was only passing through.
I finally arrived, and made it to the rental car counter. I was early by a few hours, but I figured they'd surely have a car for me. Oh, how wrong I was! I had to kill almost 3 hours, so my friend Steph's friend in Phoenix came to pick me up, and we all went out for Ethiopian food. That beer, whatever it was, was one of the best tasting drinks I've ever had.
The jet lag, combined with the warm Phoenix air and the fantastic food made me supremely tired, but I still had to return back to the airport to pick up my rental car.
Not tired enough to accept a ratty 2013 Hyundai with 47,000 miles on it.
Of course the Chevy was an "upgrade" for some weird reason, but it only had 17k on the odometer and was a hatchback, far more preferable than the sedan. So I splurged, and set off to find my Airbnb that I was staying at with Steph. A short while later I was showered and in bed, thankful to finally be resting.
