LURE OF THE HORIZON

Florida in Twenty Hours or Less

LOCATION:  Ft Lauderdale, FL

WEATHER: Upper 70’s / overcast/ sporadic rain

A quick run through security, a brief St Louis layover, and a relaxing three hour southbound flight and, as I touched down in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, I could see the palm trees from my window seat.  As I’ve said many times before, I know I’m where I want to be when I see palm trees.  I saw palm trees and I was happy. 

Almost seamlessly I breezed through the airport and into my rental Ford Escape.  Proving that I learned from my last trip, before driving into the unknown I hooked up the iPod, dialed up some Bruce Springsteen, plugged in my phone and locked in my position on its GPS.  Immediately the windows were down and the warm tropical air was blowing all around me as I headed out of the airport and made my way to Las Olas Boulevard.  Las Olas is a famous Ft Lauderdale thoroughfare that is home to high end retail, big houses, big boats lining the inter-coastal waterway, and a variety of other shops, restaurants, and bars. 

I drove east on Las Olas until I hit A1A, parked the car, and walked out knee deep into the ocean.  The overcast sky was not very welcoming, but it didn’t matter.  I felt at home.  The wind blew strong as waves were breaking about thirty feet offshore in a constant barrage against the shore.  I only had about a half an hour of daylight so I soaked it all in until darkness settled in and my view of the ocean faded to black.

In surrender I climbed back into the Escape and headed North on A1A.  There wasn’t much activity on the beach or the shops and restaurants along the coast.  I drove up into the city of Fort Lauderdale Beach and found Aruba Beach Cafe that offered live music, tropical drinks, and a table on the beach. 

I ordered (and recommend) a 1/2 loaf of Bimini Bread with honey butter, a burger and fries, and a Budweiser.  I sat alone at a small table in the corner of the outdoor patio.  The funny thing is that most people were inside listening to the guy playing guitar and singing.  There was probably five or more empty tables between my little table and the nearest other patron.  I could just barely make out the waves rolling onto the sand in the darkness in front of me.  I made small talk with the waitress and a drunk guy who stumbled into my view facing the ocean, held his arms out to the side and yelled, “How f#cking great is this?!?”  …I assumed the question was rhetorical but he then turned and looked at me for an answer.  We chatted for a while and he turned out to be a pretty nice guy. 

I considered walking the beach before retiring to the hotel, but the thought of the undeniable lonliness was more than I cared to entertain.  I drove inland about 10 miles, checked in, and called it a night.

My alarm sounded before sunup and I thoughtlessly dressed and drove right back to Aruba Beach Cafe.  With inter-coastal drawbridge traffic, the ten mile drive took about a half an hour.  Without much conscious thought I headed out for a sunrise jog.  Again, consistently proving that God doesn’t want me to be too happy, the morning was completely overcast with occasional raindrops pelting me in the face.  I was forced to dodge the washed up jellyfish landmines, but managed to get a couple of miles in.  The clean ocean air breeds fitness.  It is so easy to walk, run, bike, climb, or swim when tropical air is filling your lungs; even in the rain.

As quickly as I came to Florida, I was forced to leave.  After my jog I cleaned up at the hotel, went to work for a few hours and in a torential downpour returned to the airport and my static existence in Kansas.

Less than one full day in Florida, but it was enough to keep my batteries charged until I return to the ocean.

Next stop:  Memphis