Smart aleck...
Turns out, I LIKE being at the helm of the RMS Gigantic.
Today we pulled out of Palmer Electric and headed south with the Bob T behind us. Since it was the maiden voyage Kevin drove. All went quite well and we were enjoying the scenic backroads of north central Florida. Then Kevin gave way to something that usually only happens to me: an impulse maneuver prompted by a Dunkin' Donuts sighting (attached to a Hess station). The problem was that it turned out there was no way we were going to get into the little parking lot, so we drove further down the road to turn around. Only there was no place to turn around. But turn around we did. It was something like an 18-point turn, but my man is the boss in any driving situation and he saved the day. As we passed the Hess station we had almost visited he said, "Well, it's a good thing we don't need gas." To which I believe Joel replied, "Are you sure? How much did we burn turning around?" Smart aleck... Once we got to the Gainesville rest area I took a turn at the wheel. I was nervous. I was scared. But this had to be done. I have to do the bulk of the driving this year while Kevin works so we don't lose precious hiking time. So no time like the present to dive in. Turns out, I LIKE being at the helm of the RMS Gigantic. I made it out of the rest area without flattening anything that wasn't already two-dimensional. I got bold and took her up to 70. I changed lanes not once, not twice, but several times. I even passed a few other vehicles, including one wide load.
I drove her all the way to Orlando and right on into our campground. Then it was time to park. Oy vey. Remember that aforementioned 18-point turn? In the course of maneuvering this beast into our site I am pretty certain we did at least 118 turns. Kevin guided me as I scooted back and forth between the pine tree, RV and utility post on the opposite side of the road and the same collection of obstacles on our site, all the while holding up traffic. I was about to bail out and hand it over to Kevin but he told me he didn't think he'd be doing any better. Besides, a captain should always go down with her ship. We finally got her on the pad and out of the way. We were encouraged by the neighbor who assured us we had the most difficult parking spot in the entire loop. I felt pretty boss. I hopped out of the truck and did a little victory dance. A little "ride the pony," a little Gangnam style, a Usain Bolt pose. I might have even done the Running Man, but no one took video so this cannot be proven. Ah, but driving school is not over. I haven't driven in rain. I haven't had to deal with crazy wind. There is plenty more to learn. Next lesson: fueling up at a real, live, nasty truck stop.
Mom
1/7/2013 10:21:10 pm
I am sooo impressed with my little girl! I have trouble just backing out of the driveway in my little CRV.
Uncle Bobby & Aunt Julie
1/8/2013 03:06:17 am
We enjoyed keeping up with your first leg of road travels. Looking forward to many more. Joel has his Grandmother's ( Jackie) sense of humor.
Tracey M.
1/8/2013 08:05:54 am
You go girl! Pretty soon you'll be whipping that thing around like it's a Prius ;-) I'm enjoying keeping up with you guys. Don't know how often I'll post a comment, but know that I will be reading every post. Comments are closed.
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