Down and Out with the Goin' South Blues

The engine is overheating, the cab of the pickup truck fits two uncomfortably, and there are three of us. We have only made it half way across Alligator Alley and the blistering Florida sun is bearing down relentlessly. On top of this, we have no place to stay for the next three nights. Road tripping has become my number one choice for any vacation.

Breaks are always the highlight of any students’ academic career. It provides time to lay low for a while, take a breather from the maddening requirements of college, and overall enjoy themselves. Over winter break, myself and a friend and fellow student of UML went to Florida to visit our comrade who was working with Habitat for Humanity on the outskirts of Orlando. With time drawing near, and tickets already purchased, we came to find he was asked to leave immediately for reasons that need not be mentioned here.

After landing in Tampa on a reroute, Pete and I were greeted by Dylan, who’s entire life and worldly possessions were packed into the back of his recently purchased pick-up, which was a manual, and proved rather uncomfortable for whoever had to squeeze in the middle seat, if it could even be called a seat.

We spent the day driving, to beaches, through the city, killing time. Our plan was to drive to Fort Lauderdale, that night, but a friend of ours had moved to Tampa for school and we stayed the first night with her.

The next day we drove for nearly 15 hours, down the western coastline, across the tip, and over to Ft. Lauderdale. While crossing the bottom of Florida, through what is known as Alligator Alley, the pick-up decided to overheat, in the middle of The Everglades.

Fortunately, we were close enough to a rest stop that we managed to wheel the smoking junk box to a safe spot to cool. Now there is nothing to do but wait.

After about a half hour or so of pouring water on the engine and smoking cigarettes, we managed to bring it back down to a reasonable temperature, and hit the road again to close out the final half of the hellish, sun-burnt road.

This was only the first of our car troubles. For the duration of the trip, we struggled to deal with the stick shift in such close quarters, constantly stalling out, at times in the middle of a 2-lane main road, which, in Florida, are the only roads around.

By the end of our little getaway, it was decided that Pete would fly back, and I would ride back with Dylan, from Ft. Lauderdale all the way back to Massachusetts. Before leaving, the car needed an inspection, which took 3 hours, for seemingly minute problems. In the end, we didn’t leave the Sunshine State until sometime past 10: pm.

Driving up the entire East Coast of America was daunting, but a good experience. It was enjoyable to see all the different states, even if we were just passing through them. The south is indeed very different from the north. Nowhere in the north can you find a gas station selling beer and fireworks, named Po Boys, no less.

I would like to and plan to go on another road trip over the summer or in a year, and found that the overall experience was exciting and unpredictable, as well as a good change of scenery. Any students looking for something new to do, a road trip is something to consider, but plan ahead, and make sure you have a car with plenty of breathing room.