Keep on Truckin': Ft. Lauderdale

After driving a good part of the day yesterday we landed in Ft. Lauderdale. We did a little bit of driving around and found where the beaches were and then settled in for the night. We ended up finding a truck stop in Davie, (Florida 595 Truck Stop) right outside of Ft. Lauderdale. We told them what kind of vehicle we had and they only charged us $5.00 for the night, (they actually thought it was kind of cute and funny that we wanted to stay there, they were super nice) they also had showers (for additional fee, I think it was like $2-3), a lounge and a game room. Super clean!! It was great. I think we either picked a good time or something else because, when we came in, we were the only ones there and when we came out only 2 or 3 trucks had come in. We had a very peaceful night. (We passed it later on around 4 pm and it was swarmed with trucks, not a vacant spot in the lot!!)

[caption id="attachment_1054" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Just a beautiful truck...man am I turning into a red neck!? haha[/caption]

Today it's Ft. Lauderdale Beaches all the way baby! We did some research last night to find out where we can get cheap(er) beach parking because the lots here are ridiculous. For a full day you can end up paying up to $20 to park! WE ended up finding a lot for $7 (almost right on the beach) for a full day, woo hoo Go Us!! J' was excited too because he could "free shower", haha. I'm sorry but that water was way too damn cold for me to get under it...and I have way more hair than he does, so it's easier & quicker for him.

[caption id="attachment_1056" align="aligncenter" width="300"] 'Cuz he's freeee.... free showerin'![/caption]

We did a little tanning today. Yep! We actually got down in the sand and laid out. It was fun. We soaked up some rays, walked the shoppes, got some good pictures and watched a lifeguard get all crazy for a guest on his beach. It was pretty cool. A lady (about 35 or so) was wheelchair bound and there were two men talking by her, one dressed plainly the other, a lifeguard in his speedo! All of a sudden you see them part ways and the lifeguard takes off, all of a sudden he's got a Wheel-buggy. He was determined to get her on the sand, I thought that was so very cool.

[caption id="attachment_1060" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Mr. Speedo-guard getting a Wheel-buggy for a beach guest!
Very cool[/caption]

I’m sure you’re wondering, ‘Now where is the Bug in all of this tanning?’ Well, J’ came up with a very smart and handy way to keep her cool when we can’t be with her and while it’s a little warm in the vehicle (without her being harmed) AND we always do check-ups…I’m a little neurotic about them, actually! You will see a pic below; the cooler has tons of fresh ice in it with a lid, the venting system (the silver thing) goes into a hole in the top of the cooler lid down into her crate. The silver thing attaches at the front of her crate. There is also another hole in the lid…yes two holes! A fan goes into the top of that and blows the cool air into the silver thing into her crate. On most days but especially warmer days we put a pair of pants over the crate door to trap in most of the cooler air. It’s the poor man’s AC and boy does it work good!!!!!

[caption id="attachment_1059" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Nana in her Penthouse Suite with AC![/caption]

And of course, Savannah needs exercise just like us so we find dog parks along the way. This dog park in Ft. Lauderdale, Bark Park, was pretty cool. It had all kinds of obstacles and tons of other dogs there to play with. They do provide fresh water out of a hose for the pooches to refresh themselves while playing. Nana' did pretty good, she's still a little sketchy around other dogs and people, but she broke out of it and played for a bit...and then came running back to our legs for safety! We got her to do the obstacles too, she could definitely be a Circus dog! She had sooo much fun and it makes me happy to see that big smile on her face!

[caption id="attachment_1062" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Pooped at the Park[/caption]

Ft. Lauderdale is a beautiful place, but we found here, that to have the kind of fun we (could be looking for) you've got to have some money.... at least a lot more than what was in our budget for this trip! So with that we are going to do some talking about the football (Steelers vs. Broncos) game tonight and where we may be able to catch it and we'll see where that takes us!

[caption id="attachment_1063" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Beautiful Ft. Lauderdale Beach[/caption]

PEACE

31- A very trusting store by Ayevangabond