Arriving in cold-snapped Florida

If I were a suspicious person, I might begin to believe I am the victim of a nationwide conspiracy having to do with the weather.

 

I am currently on a trip to Florida, my first in about 30 years. As I write this, I am at a hotel with my sister-in-law Joan anticipating a day at Disney World which will begin after breakfast tomorrow.

 

The trip began with a drive from Minnesota to the northern suburbs of Chicago, where Joan lives. I have no complaints about the beginning. When I drove away from home, the temperature was -5 degrees: 15 degrees warmer than the overnight low had been the morning before. As the drive continued, the temperature reached the low 20s, but most importantly my car heated up nicely and all went smoothly during the six-hour drive.

 

I listened to a “books on tape” version of some of C.S. Lewis’ essays. Lewis wrote the Narnia series of books, and wrote books and essays on various topics having to do with Christian faith. One of his books which has provided continued meaning and insights for me is “Mere Christianity.” A rephrasing of the intent of the title might be “Christianity at its simplest.”

 

The essays were richly engaging, and helped the drive fly by.

 

The next day, our flight was scheduled to leave from O’Hare International Airport just prior to 3 p.m. Joan is a very detail-oriented individual, and so we got ourselves to the airport about noon.  On the drive, we encountered some nerve-racking moments on the eight-lane road that took us down.  It had been snowing lightly at Joan’s house, but it did not seem threatening. Once we left on the one-hour drive, the snow became thicker and thicker. For about 20 minutes of the drive, the snow was so heavy we could barely see other cars on the freeway. Drivers were slowing sharply and putting on their flashers.

 

Fortunately, it was for only part of the drive. When we got to the airport, it wasn’t snowing at all.

 

But then it was, and eventually visibility became a problem.

 

Without going into tedious detail, it was past 5 p.m. when our pilot was in place and we were able to get on board. Then our plane had to wait its turn to be de-iced.

 

It was practically 6 p.m. when we got in the air, changing our arrival time from 6:40 (which included “losing” one hour as we changed to the Eastern time zone) to essentially 9 p.m. It was a relief to finally be in the air, but frustrating to know our planned schedule had been shoved harshly askew.

 

One fortunate thing–thanks to modern interconnection, Eli–who was scheduled to pick us up at the Orlando airport–was able to access on-going current information about our status. He knew exactly when to be at the airport to meet us, despite the repeatedly delayed times.

 

Back when we were planning the trip, the 6:40 arrival time was “okay” for our other plans. We were going to travel together in Eli’s vehicle to a hotel in the Everglades. The 11 p.m. arrival time we had originally figured on became 1 a.m.

 

At least the traffic was light at that time of the night. We got to our hotel and bedded down quickly, since we were all quite tired.

 

The next morning we took the scenic route to “Captain Jack’s Airboat Tours,” located at the fringes of Everglades National Park. There we had three different types of rides arranged for. The first was an airboat through the “Mangrove Tunnels,” waterways that run between thickly wooded islands covered in mangrove trees. The second was through the “grasslands.” 

 

Both rides were filled with variety. We saw alligators, passed through a no-wake zone where manatees are known to swim, and moved at paces fast and slow among the trees which did, in some cases, create roofed-over “tunnels.”

 

Our drivers were obviously used to thrilling and fascinating their riders, both by stopping to look at special views of wildlife or forest and by racing at top speed–an estimated 50 m.p.h.--through some of the tunnels.

 

They added narrations about the setting, the wildlife, and their personal experiences.

Everything about it was enjoyable–except the weather.

 

Joan and I had arrived in Florida during the worst cold snap in about 15 years. Though it almost never does, the state experienced overnight lows in the upper 20s. The high was around 50 degrees. Worst of all, it rained during our airboat rides.

 

When it was raining and the boat was moving fast, the raindrops felt like icy pellets hitting our faces. It wasn’t a heavy rainfall, so it took a while for our clothes to get soaked through. But the wetter we became, the colder the wind would feel.

 

It rained the most during our second airboat tour. I was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and a short-sleeved shirt underneath. My jeans were dripping wet. Eli and Joan had fared slightly better because Eli had a somewhat waterproof jacket and Joan had purchased a rain poncho. The poncho helped a lot, until the speedy, windy pace of our ride started to whip the plastic around and start tearing it.

 

So, that’s the “victims of a weather conspiracy” part of the narrative.

 

More importantly, the day was still magnificent. The airboat drivers knew how to swing the boat around in exciting ways, we saw fascinating and beautiful wildlife, and we were in good company together.

 

After two and a half months of planning and anticipation, we were in the Everglades, passing through a fascinating, even surreal environment. We didn’t let the weather spoil our delight in the day and the nature of the experience.

 

When we left the Everglades on Sunday, we returned to Orlando to begin the adventure Joan and I have planned at the amusement parks. We had to walk through a large shopping area called “Disney Springs” to get to the customer service area and “activate” a pass that had been purchased online. As we walked, we passed numerous flowerbeds that had been covered over to protect the plants from freezing.

 

Perhaps most strikingly, a large fountain had icicles hanging from it–something Florida “never” sees. The same record-setting overnight lows are due to flavor the days we will be spending at the park. We have acquired some additional items of warm clothing in preparation. Joan had packed only one pair of long pants–all her other items were summer wear, short-sleeved shirts, shorts, and sandals.

 

We don’t “like” it, but we’re not going to let it spoil our time, either. We’re looking forward to the fun and thrills we anticipate over the next few days.