A Day on the Road

One post I have been meaning to do is a post about a typical day on the road.  I’m going to use last Thursday, when Choppy and I drove from Palm Coast, Florida to Miami, both because it is a pretty typical day, and because I actually remembered that morning that I had been meaning to do such a post and then remembered to take pictures along the way (mostly the latter). And by “remember,” I mean I remembered for part of the day at least. I sort of forgot to continue taking pictures after lunch, so it’s really more like half a day.

This? This is how all of our mornings start. I get up and get ready, and Choppy lies around in bed for an hour. Here, she is probably wondering when I am going to finish taking her picture and turn of the light so she can go back to sleep already.

Sometimes Choppy stares at me while we are driving. It is a little creepy.

And, sometimes, she acts like a classic dog with her head out the window. Far less creepy than the staring.

The road for the day: A1A. Much more relaxing than the alternative, which is I-95. Plus, I know a bunch of songs that use the word “A1A” in the title (“bunch” in this case meaning “two”). I’m sure Choppy enjoyed hearing these songs over and over all day while I replayed them. And sang along. Did I mention I can’t carry a tune?

While driving, I saw a sign for the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Unlike the unfriendly-to-pets National Parks, the National Wildlife Refuges typically allow dogs. And so, Choppy and I made a turn off of the road to explore the Refuge. Which, being part of NASA (somehow – I wasn’t entirely clear on this), means that the refuge randomly has an EPCOT-like dome in it. Not exactly what one expects to see while driving through a wildlife refuge.

 Manatees? You bet I turned down that road.

See that fin thing? That’s a manatee. If you told me this was a fish, I would be highly unimpressed (much like Choppy is in this picture). But as I know it’s a manatee, this is definitely the highlight of the day.

A wildlife drive? Oh, you bet I turned down this road. Because I most definitely enjoy seeing wildlife. Particularly when I do not even have to get out of the car to do so.

There was a portion of the drive where you could get out and enjoy a nice walk. Which would have been nicer had I not worried about alligators the entire time (because, as I have previously noted, I am pretty sure every bit of water in Florida harbors alligators).

This? This is Choppy after our brief trek outside the car in the previous picture. She was as exhausted as she looks in this picture. Choppy: making me feel better about my own physical fitness after every walk.

And, the lunch of champions: McDonalds. I probably should not admit how much I eat here when I am on the road. It’s somewhere between “every day” and “twice every day.” In related news, did I ever mention that I am in less-than-peak physical form?

This is about where I stopped taking pictures. So, maybe I didn’t do so well with the “typical day” part of this. I suppose that just means I will have to try it again someday, and get pictures of the whole day.