Sunday, June 17, 2007
The long way home
Not much to report on today. And few pictures.
Our plan for today was to take SR-50 east towards Titusville, pass the world's largest built alligator, hit the Kennedy Space Center, then head south back home.
We left the hotel around 12:45 pm, taking US-192 to I-4 for the few miles north to SR-50. What we did not know was that SR-50 just east of I-4 is Little Saigon. For what seemed like a mile we passed block after block of Asian and Vietnamese stores.
Little Saigon in Orlando? In El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles de la Porciúncula, yes, I would expect a Little Saigon. But Orlando?
Go figure.
Eventually, after taking a wrong turn onto SR-520 and having to execute a U-turn back to SR-50, we found it.
![[That's 200′ of gator goodness there]](/2007/06/17/p6170164.jpg "That's 200′ of gator goodness there")
The largest gator ever built, all 200′ of it. And for an attraction that's still active, I would have expected to see more advertising for it somewhere along SR-50 (along the Turnpike, you can't drive 200′ without seeing a billboard for Walt Disney World—or at least, discount tickets for Walt Disney World).
By the time we hit Titusville, Bunny and I were famished from lack of food. We turned south along US-1 (also known as Federal Highway, or Dixie Highway, depending upon where you are) and started our hunt for a suitable eating establishment. After about five miles of nothing, Bunny put down an ultimatum: “The next restaurant we see, we eat.”
The next restaurant we found was a small Chinese take-out place. “Well,” said Bunny, “that rule wasn't cast in stone.” We drove on, and eventually found a place to eat.
![[The almost famous Dogs ‘R’ Us]](/2007/06/17/p6170172.jpg "The almost famous Dogs ‘R” Us")
The Dogs ‘R’ Us Grill. A rarity these days—a local fast food restaurant. Couldn't pass this one up.
And again, it was good.
Either that, or the spice of hunger made it taste all the much better.
But so far on this trip, all the local establishments we ate at were very good and a nice break from all the mediocre conformity you normally get at a national chain restaurants.
By the time we finished eating, it was nearly 4:00 pm, and we decided that it was just simply too late to visit the Kennedy Space Center. So we turned south along US-1.
By the time we hit the corner of US-1 and SR-60, we'd both had enough of the backstreet approach to driving, so we turned west along SR-60, and hit I-95 south back home.
All told, it took us maybe six hours from the time we left the hotel to arrive back at Bunny's house. Whereupon I was exhausted and took a two hour nap.
And thus ended our weekend mini-vacation.
