We started this trip with a bit of a worry over the past week. I had taken my car in for an oil change, and it turned out I needed a new water pump. It was due … like 80,000 miles ago, so I told them to install it and gave them my warranty information to charge it to and got a loaner. Thank you, add-on warranty! It has now paid for itself about 5 times over.
The scare came on Saturday afternoon when we hadn’t got the call that it was done yet. I texted and then called the dealership to check on it when I was told it would be done Monday morning. “Well,” I said with an evil cackle, “does this mean that since we are leaving Sunday that we can use the loaner for our trip to Florida?” The next thing I knew, I was driving the car with the new water pump installed.
Monday morning, we set out on our commute to Amy’s favorite beach for some fun, sun, and vitamin sea. Our plan was to make an overnight stop at my cousin Tammie’s to visit and see the new setup. We had made this leg of the trip last year, but Tammie was called away to Omaha to watch the Mississippi State baseball team win the College World Series. Tammie lives in Starkville Mississippi where Mississippi State is located.
So, we started our trek south through Springfield, MO to Popular Bluff, MO. Along the way, I got pulled over. I was trying to get past a line of cars and trucks and got stuck in the left lane behind someone who was refusing to overtake the cars in the right. On my passenger side was a Pepsi delivery truck with a car in front of and behind him. I look back up at the 4Runner in front of me. Man! This guy was not budging. I know a lot of Missourites don’t know that the left lane is for passing and tend to drive in it at all times, but this guy looked like he was more of a passer.
I looked to my rear-view mirror out of boredom and was surprised to see what my driver’s ed teacher would have called a ‘red and blue flashing bubble gum machine’ back in the day. I looked down at the speedometer … it was someplace between 75 and 80. Not really worth pulling me over for … but when I looked back to the rear-view mirror, he was waving me over. I had NOWHERE to go, Cop on my tail, Pepsi truck to my right and 4Runner up front.
I looked back at the cop again. More waving to pull over. Then I saw an opportunity to pull in front of the Pepsi truck, so I took it and let the cop pass wondering if he was really pulling me over. He passed, and forcibly signaled for me to get over … then chased down the 4Runner. I continued moving on the shoulder up to where he could talk to me, and he directed me to a position where he would be safer to throw the book at me along with a number of other books.
Once safe, the officer asked me why I hadn’t pulled over when I first saw him. I explained that when I first saw him, there was a Pepsi truck in my way and with the 4Runner up front and the cop right behind me I didn’t think I could safely get anywhere. He asked when I had seen him first and I said, “I’m not real sure – 300 feet maybe.” 300 feet and he was going way faster than I was. If I had slowed down, I felt that I would have been rear ended by him.
He took my license and all that jive – then moved up to the 4Runner to throw some books at him too. I honestly have no idea what the 4Runner did. I could see a crack in his windshield, but I didn’t know what he was doing on the road before I started passing that line of cars. The officer soon went to his vehicle and undoubtedly looked for anything he could do to ruin my day – but in the end only came back with a warning that I need to make every effort to pull out of the way when I see the flashing bubble-gum machines. He didn’t even write up the warning, but he did apologize saying he didn’t mean to come off as a jerk, he just didn’t want an accident to occur, then told me to proceed when I felt it was safe. I don’t think 4Runner guy got off so easy though. I didn’t care enough to find out and went on my way.
PSA – if you are a veteran, get the veteran license plate and the stamp on your Driver’s License. I have been pulled over several times with that plate since I got the Highlander in 2019 but have only received warnings. Usually, the cops are extremely nice and just ask me to slow it down a bit. I have had one even tell me “I know it’s a long drive, just be safe and thank you for your service.”
We finished the drive to Tammie’s at about 7pm and the girls immediately changed to swimsuits to have a swim in her new pool. Last year when we were there, the backyard was pretty torn up to get ready to dig the hole for the pool. Now we got to see her backyard completely changed with a new fence, new pool, a bit of new furniture and a fire pit, and one hell of a nice pole that held up string lights over the pool.
She had a story she shared for the pole, which is why I pointed it out. She has a handyman that does quite a bit of work on the house for her for $125 an hour. When she had him put the pole in, he charged her $800. She felt that price was a bit high, so she pushed back on it a bit and he told her it was $400 in materials and $400 in labor. So, she paid him on Venmo for it. Venmo of course, asks what the payment is for, so she entered “A really nice pole.”
This caused the handyman to refund her $400 on Venmo with a few words for her. Later, when she took a picture of the backyard, someone else commented “That is a really nice pole holding up the lights,” and the handyman responded “Yes it is, isn’t it?”
The kids went to bed sometime Monday night. The adults went to bed sometime Tuesday morning…
Tuesday morning, Tammie had to leave us in a hurry to get the boys to their camps for the day and she had a hair appointment. We said our good-byes as she left and then we got ready for the rest of the drive to the beach. After a short shower (pun intended, the shower head was below my chin) we went to get some road snacks and Shipley’s Donuts and got on the road out of Starksville.
Sometime later, we made it to our destination. The Buck-ee’s outside of Gulf Shores, AL. The girls went in while I topped off the gas in the car and then pulled into a lucky-find front row parking spot. I walked into the circus and actually got out a lot quicker than we thought without spending near what we thought we would. There’s always the trip back I suppose.
We finished driving to the beach and checked into the VBRO condo for the week. Amy hit a jackpot on this one. The owner is nice and responsive once we were ready to check in, the condo is near immaculate and has 3 floors and a carport. It is clean, well maintained, and well decorated, even cute. Two levels have balconies, and the complex has a pool and a private beach on the gulf side of the island.
After unpacking the car, we put on the swimsuits and drove to the public access beach. We spent some time setting up and let the girls go wild. The amount of time we spent on the beach wasn’t quite enough as a tropical storm was trying to roll in. Once it started blowing things around the girls decided it was time to go. We got sprinkled on, but only a little bit before being in the car and looking for food.
Our plan was to eat at Crab’s – a gulf side bar and grill, but we ended up on the bay side at Flounder’s. We did a little shopping, ate, then headed back to the condo for showers and bed.
Hopefully, tomorrow will be sunny. The weather forecasts are not good.
