One Last Hurrah on our Florida Vacation

Florida Trip Travelog #12
Drying off at the hotel - Sun, 25 Sep 2022, 12pm

Today's the last day of our Florida vacation. What was already a short, 5 day trip got even more shortened to 4 days when a thunderstorm snafu with the airlines cost us a full day. And a 4 day trip often means just 3 days, as the last day can be lost to travel— especially when coming back from the opposite side of the country. Fortunately this time we didn't have to play the final day as "Wake up, pack, and leave"... We had a few hours to get in one last hurrah!

Hawk's flight isn't 'til 4:40pm, and all I have to do is drive to Orlando (3-4 hours away) after I drop her at the airport around 3. I was able to get us a late checkout today, 1pm. Which meant that with the pool complex opening at 9am we had 4 hours to splash around, come back and change, finish packing, and leave.



Hawk and I started with several laps around the lazy river pool on ring floats. When we tired of being lazy we got out for more active alternatives. I rode the big water slide a few times. A splashdown at the end is what you see in the picture above.

In addition to me riding the slide we also waded a bit in a wading pool. Hawk held onto my back as I waded through the deeper parts, where the water was over 5' deep. Then I sat out on a deck chair for a bit while she waded in a shallower pool, doing PT-ish exercises.



Soon enough I decided it was time for the slides again. I rode the "fast" slide shown in the first picture several times. There's also a raft slide, shown above. The raft slide had a longer line so I used the other slide. But when the rafting line shortened I rode the raft slide a few times as the cherry atop this Sunday sundae.

Now we're back in the room. We've showered and dressed. Now it's time to finish packing our bags, check out, and head to the places we need to be for work starting tomorrow morning at 8am.

Keep reading: Hawk flew home the next day while I stayed for a trade show and watched the hurricane approach.

Driving to Orlando, Staring Down a Hurricane

Florida Trip Travelog #13
Marriott World Center Orlando - Mon, 26 Sep 2022, 9pm

We wrapped up our anniversary vacation in Florida this afternoon. Our our "one last hurrah" at the Hyatt Coconut Point this morning we finished packing our bags, checked out from the hotel at 12:45pm, and bought a casual lunch locally en route to RSW airport. I dropped Hawk off at the airport around 2pm for her 4:40 flight home then drove to Orlando. It was a trip of about 150 miles and 2h45.

I'm in Orlando for the next 5 days for a conference. But it's also looking like I'm in for trouble. Hurricane trouble!



Tropical Storm Ian is currently in the Caribbean, blasting some of the smaller islands. It's headed over the western side of Cuba in the next 24-48 hours. Along the way it's gaining strength and is expected to reach hurricane status, likely Category 3-4, before it hits Florida later in the week.

It's unclear where in Florida the hurricane will make U.S. landfall. The chart above, updated as of 1 hour ago by the National Weather Service, shows likely spots from the western panhandle of Florida around the Gulf of Mexico to south of Tampa. The hurricane's path could shift depending on winds and other factors in the next 3-4 days.

Florida governor Ron DeSantis has already declared a state-wide state of emergency. In Tampa, residents are being advised to stock up on bottled water and necessities.

I'm in Orlando, which is 85 miles north-northeast of Tampa. It's unclear what our state of preparedness should be. Generally speaking we're inland enough that destructive winds won't be the problem, nor will coastal flooding. But there could be localized flooding due to heavy rains, estimated at up to 8" in a day. And the presence of a hurricane anywhere within a few hundred miles means that all commercial flights are likely to be grounded. My planned flight home on Friday may be Sunday, or worse.

Keep reading: A pleasant evening, an enjoyable morning, until....