Adventure Awaits

When Chris and I returned to the workforce, we, unfortunately, ended up on different schedules. As a result, we did not have two consecutive days off together for months, making it impossible to continue our monthly adventures. When a new manager took over at my job, I discussed my schedule needs with her. She happily adjusted my schedule, giving me the same days off as Chris. Finally, we would be able to explore Florida.

When Kevin called to let us know he would be in Cocoa Beach for the weekend, we decided to combine a visit with him and Theresa with some exploring. I texted my friend, Jenn, to see if we could also visit with her and Phil. We were disappointed to learn they would be out of town for the weekend.

We planned to get up early to go to breakfast before the three-hour drive across the state to Cocoa Beach, where we would meet Kevin and Theresa for lunch. As a bartender, Chris gets home around three in the morning on the weekends. When he winds down and can sleep, it is usually almost daybreak. We set the alarm, but we quickly decided to sleep for another hour and grab a fast-food breakfast instead when it went off.

Bizarre Breakfast Stop

We had a bizarre experience at Burger King. We pulled into the drive-thru at 10:39. When we saw that the menu board was on lunch, we were disappointed to miss breakfast but were content to order lunch. However, they told us they were still on the breakfast menu when we placed our order.

We told them that there was no breakfast menu on the board, and they responded that they had breakfast sandwiches and burritos. After Chris looked the menu up on his phone, he found and ordered a croissant sandwich meal deal for two. They asked for our coupon code. After explaining we did not have one and a frustrating conversation, we decided to go somewhere else.

As we pulled around the building, Chris decided to go inside where he would be able to show them the deal on his phone. He waited in line behind a customer who had a large order. When he got to the counter to place our order, they had switched to the lunch menu. So we ended up getting the same meal we had initially ordered before the 20-minute ordeal.

Finally, we were on the road. It was a smooth trip until we hit heavy traffic in Orlando, creating a significant slow-down. The GPS rerouted us off the backed-up highway, and we updated Kevin with our estimated arrival time. He and Theresa went to the restaurant early and got on the waiting list. It worked out nicely, as our table was ready five minutes after we got to 4th Street Fillin Station.

Jenn and I fell in love with their poutine when we had lunch there in April. Later, when Jenn had brunch there, she texted me a photo of the poutine she ordered. So, I sent her a picture of our poutine on a whim. She responded that they were on the way home and would love a visit in the evening.

Exploration Tower

After lunch, we went to Cape Canaveral to the Exploration Tower. It is a seven-story tower with an observation deck at the top near Port Canaveral. Due to Covid, only the gift shop and observation deck are currently open, which was fine with us. Kevin had a plane to catch, so we were limited on time and would not have taken advantage of the rest of the tower anyway. With the exhibits closed, they waived the standard admission fee.

We had a beautiful view of the ocean, cruise ships, and the surrounding area from the top of the tower. There were sculptures of an alligator, a dolphin, and a sea turtle. Kevin got silly, posing for a picture as if wrestling the alligator. We found a plush jellyfish in the gift shop that would be perfect for the festival next year.

A Quiet Evening

After saying our goodbyes, we checked in at Jetty Park Campground. We stopped at the store for a few supplies and then searched for a spot to watch the sunset. Unfortunately, the place reviewed as an excellent place to watch the sunset had a bridge obstructing the view. We drove around the area looking for a better view, with no success.

I enjoyed the changing colors of the sky as we drove to Jenn and Phil’s house, where we spent the rest of the evening relaxing and enjoying the company. By the time we returned to the campground, it was late, so I set the alarm, and we went to sleep.

We must have needed the rest because we both slept right through the alarm. When we finally woke up, it was 11:15, only 45 minutes before check-out. I looked at my phone to see why the alarm had not gone off, to see three missed calls from a co-worker between 7:30 and 8 am. Then, as I wondered why she would call so early in the morning, I saw a message from someone in our community.

I had to read the message three times before I was able to comprehend what it said. There had been a house fire in our community, and someone we knew had not made it out. While we did our best to enjoy the rest of the trip, the shocking news brought a surreal feeling that overshadowed the rest of the day.

Cocoa Beach

We had plans to meet Jenn and Phil for lunch at one, so we thought we would go to the pier until then. When we arrived, we realized that there was a charge to park. None of the $3 spots on the street were open, and there was a $10 charge to park in the lot. We had no desire to pay that much to park for the limited time we would be on the pier, so instead, we found a free lot and took a walk on the beach.

The water was lovely, with the sun glinting off the waves. The beach was nearly empty as we walked around looking for shells. Finally, we found a beautiful shell, but we realized it still had a resident when we turned it over. I would have loved to keep the shell, but we didn’t want to harm the creature inside, so Chris tossed it back into the ocean.

We had a great lunch at Grills Seafood Deck & Tiki Bar before heading home. The traffic in Orlando was crazy again. We took smaller country roads instead of the more direct interstate to avoid it. The countryside was beautiful, and we enjoyed the change of scenery. It was a peaceful end to an emotionally exhausting day.

Cost of trip – gas $56, camping $31.88.