Day 80 of a Year Long Road Trip Along America’s Scenic Byways
I don’t have much to post for today. I dropped Page at the airport at 6:30 this morning and then stopped by the car dealership to get my driver’s side door handle replaced. It broke in Orlando, so I had to enter VANilla via the dog door the last few days! I thought I would just get it fixed when I got home, but yesterday, VANilla’s locks became possessed. Anytime I unlocked VANilla, all the doors immediately relocked so fast that sometimes it took me three tries to get the door open. It was now a real safety issue.
According to Volkswagen, it would take 45 minutes to replace the handle and address the check engine light that illuminated a few weeks ago. To make a long story short, after sitting outside in the sun for five hours, Scout, Petey, and I finally left the dealership for the barn.
Back at the barn, I hacked Bug for 30 minutes which means I worked him on the flat (walk, trot, and canter) in the arena. Afterward, I waited at Page’s condo for my friend Carol to arrive at the Miami airport. While waiting, I hung out with Page’s son, Scott, who I hadn’t seen since he was about 3 months old! Clearly he had no idea who I was. Once Carol arrived, we headed to North Key Largo for the weekend. ETB
Map of My Road Trip Across the USA
For a summary about my road trip across the USA, click HERE. For the interactive map, see the below link.
Other Articles About Florida You May Like
- Day 78 – Northeast Florida
- Day 81 – Ocean Reef Outing
- Day 83 – Road to Flamingo – The Florida Everglades
- Day 84 – Gulf Coast Drive Along the Florida Panhandle
- Day 85 – Gulf Coast Drive Along the Florida Panhandle – Part 2
Shop
Check out the photographic note cards and key chains at my shop. Each card has a travel story associated with it. 20% of proceeds are donated to charity.


This is sounding so much fun! Can’t wait to hear more about Florida!
No SCUBA or snorkeling 🙁 I’ll have to go back!
Been there, done that with VW