Orlando and south Florida

By Sailor Keddy -
My six days in Orlando were needed and very well spent. Seeing my brother after the emotional spin cycle Beaufort put me through was very necessary. On Tuesday, my brother and I spent all day (and his day off, mind you) looking for a cheap car to get me down and around Fort Lauderdale. We went down to the Orange Blossom Trail area of Orlando where they have a cornucopia of used car lots, mainly owned and run by Hispanics. Honestly, I wouldn't trust my car to anyone else. Boy, can they fix cars. Hours were spent wandering the dusty back streets of the light industrial area in the shadow of the 528 highway, test driving half a dozen or so. It finally came down to two choices, a 1995 Pathfinder or a 1994 Ford Escort wagon. The Escort was in better shape, I'll admit, but there was just something emasculating about driving a wagon I'd picture my grandmother driving to church in. I chose the Pathfinder, which was also $300 cheaper, and for a little over a grand I was back on the Florida highways and byways after a 4 year hiatus.

It felt a little funny, trading waterways and open ocean for a tangled web of asphalt canals, but I soon found the skill again. Although I still don't drive much over the speed limit, much to the chagrin of south Florida motorists. I just figure, whats the point? Everything seems closer and easier to get to when you're not trying to sail there, so I'll just take my time and enjoy the ride. I also had to be mindful of things I wouldn't have encountered in the ocean, coming towards (or from behind) me at a much higher rate of speed, i.e. trash cans, curbs and the occasional pedestrian. I felt a tinge of sadness and disappointment when I passed by West Palm on I-95 heading to Fort Lauderdale. It marked the unrealized destination of a failed attempt of sailing down the east coast, and that I was now in a far different reality than I had originally pictured. Not necessarily a bad one though, just different.

I arrived at the crew hostel yesterday afternoon. After checking in, I went to my bed (which is in a room with 3 other guys), checked for bed bugs and made it up. I've already started the job hunt, and it looks like I'll be able to find some kind of day work with ease.

Comments

George Boase said…
OUCH! Do yourself a favor. Dump the Pathfinder ASAP. They have a serious design defect that Nissan will not admit to. The frames just behind the wheels turns to butter right about at the 1994 - 1996 mark.

We just had to junk a perfect condition, low miles one that my wife owned from new. We got $300 in scrap value for it. If you do an internet search, you'll soon see how common the problem is, and how Nissan (unlike Toyota which had the same problem) will not help you in any way. They won't even admit there is a design problem.

Better luck!
George
November 17, 2010 at 1:39 AM
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