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The air mattress that I had the privilege of calling home for a week.
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With time to myself, I took the Crossfire out for a cruise. My first destination was the Gulf of Mexico.
At a gas station on Gandy Blvd, a homeless man held the door open for me, spoke to me articuately, called me
sir, and asked how my day was. I was impressed by his performance, so when he very politely asked for change I gave him a dollar. He told me to have a great day and I said the same.
While leaving the bank and waiting to pull into traffic, a cute little blonde in a grey Crossfire looked over and gave me a wave. Nice little bonus to a day that was going well.
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Took some pictures by the Gandy bridge.
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I thought this was odd. The train tracks bisected a road. While the train was passing by, a Camry crossed the intersection right next to it.
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The south beach in Clearwater FL.
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I brought with me a soda and a $7.50 burrito from Moe's, which was flavorless and bland.
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Indian Rock Beach. I drove down the little island/peninsula and came back up 275.
On the I-275 bridge late at night, I played highway tag with a black G35 coupe. He soared past at 90mph, so I flew from 60 to 100 in no time (LOVE that supercharger). He responded by hitting 110, then I hit 120, and eventually I decided that despite the highway being empty, I couldn't afford a ticket and didn't want to get mangled in an accident, so I backed off. With the windows open, the music loud, and the bay on both sides of the causeway, it was like a scene out of a movie. I'll definitely remember it.
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A couple days later I saw something on Google Maps called the Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway Bridge. It was a long stretch of I-275 that connected St Petersburg to Bradenton. Alongside were fishing piers. $1 toll and worth every penny for the incredible view.
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I pulled off on to the pier and parked at the Gulf where I watched the sun set.
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In this terrible photo is a Camaro. It was cold outside and a couple kids were parked on the pier with their hood open. They attempted to drive from Clearwater to Miami but didn't get very far, experiencing a total loss of battery power and a dashboard that lit up like it was Christmas.
He described the situation and I told him his alternator was toast, and that despite passing a brief voltage test at Autozone, the warning noises he heard indicated impending failure. I advised him to buy an AC Delco part, offered my phone and a ride (he already had family coming to get him), shook hands, and continued on my way.
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Also as a condition of taking the Crossfire, I made Ian give up his refrigerator and his old Sony TV, both of which fit nicely into the hatch and front seat.
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Trinitron was belted in for its own safety.
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Later on, the fridge turned out to be an excellent desk. At gas stations I took out my laptop and got online with Sprint to check my mail, maps, and forums.
I averaged 24.5 mpg!
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"I drove all night..." to get to Motel 6.
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I got my 40 bucks worth. The room was clean and equipped with a fridge, desk, bed, and bathroom. I checked in at 7am and left at 8pm.
The drive home was pretty comfortable. The ride was firm but well damped, like the drum head of a timpani. Only in Kentucky did it become irritating.
My affection for this car is growing with each mile.
Did I mention how much I love southerners? So darn friendly. Even women I've dated never called me darling, baby doll, or sweetheart.
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I wish I had a garage to protect it from the cruel outside world. Its 10F right now with ice and "wintry mix". The poor little Chrysler must be horrified by the change from its native home in Florida. I feel like going out there with a cup of hot cocoa and putting a blanket over it.