Things took a dire turn after one of the best family beach vacations.

Of course, traveling is never easy, but things went to the extreme as we tried to get home from Florida.

Packing with Two, Roundabouts, and Multiple Rental Places

One of the best things about our trip was how much we felt at home. Our stuff had been strewn out all over the condo. And we had to check out and get the rented golf cart back by 10 A.M.

After finally getting breakfast cooked, things still needed packing, and the golf cart needed fueling and to be taken back.

We debated the best way to get the golf cart back—should I take it back and get a ride share back to the condo, or should we get a ride share to follow me as I took the golf cart back? After looking at the map and not seeing any gas stations between the condo and the rental place, I felt it might be better to take the cart back and return to the condo to help finish packing.

I set out to handle the golf cart.

As I got to the golf cart, it started raining. Most Floridians I talked to thought the weather was terrible, but I have seen worse. Still, it didn’t bode well for our travels today, especially with all the weather alerts on my phone.

I drove the cart back in the rain, looking for a gas station. I found one just off a roundabout and attempted to get there. I took the exit just before and found construction blocking the entrance. So I had to drive further and turn around.

As I approached the roundabout again, I couldn’t see a way to get in without going past the roundabout and turning around to exit before the roundabout started. It felt like it took forever to get there.

Once I pulled up, I looked at the gas tank and saw it was still mostly full; however, I didn’t want anyone to have a reason to charge me, so I put my $1.72 amount of gas and raced for the rental place.

As I followed my GPS to the rental place, I soon realized they had multiple locations on the same street less than a few miles apart. I ended up at the wrong one and had to turn around again.

As I pulled up, the rain picked up the pace. I dropped off the golf cart, called a car to take me back, and waited.

When I returned, everything was ready, but I found out my oldest had a meltdown my wife had to deal with, so that was cool. Then we loaded everything up and got a car to the Airport.

The Airport Wait

We got to the airport without any incident. We had nowhere else to go because we had all the luggage, including two car seats. However, our flight wasn’t scheduled to take off until the afternoon. We figured we could find something to entertain us.

The Airport in Panama City Beach is pretty small. It had one place to eat and not much to do for the kids. My wife got the baby to sleep for a little nap, but it didn’t last long.

Meanwhile, my oldest and I rode up and down the escalator beside our gate about a thousand times. It kept him occupied, but my mind needed a little mental break after a few trips.

As we played, the weather got worse. Lightning struck close, and the airport grounded all the planes, but things were supposed to blow out by the time of our flight.

Delayed Cancelation

As we got closer to boarding, they started letting planes fly. We had been at the airport for two or three hours.

Then lightning struck again. We had to wait thirty minutes without lightning, just like at the swimming pool. We ended up waiting over an hour. Meanwhile, the weather in Houston turned.

Once cleared to board, Houston grounded all their planes. If we took off, there would be no promise of landing at our intended destination, so we were further delayed.

The escalator and tablet could only entertain us for so long, yet we continued to wait. Many kids were in the gate area, but none wanted to play with anyone else. So, I walked mine up and down the terminal once again.

After another hour of waiting, they finally canceled the flight. We wouldn’t be able to get a flight home today. There wasn’t another flight to Houston for a couple of days. We had no place to stay. We had appointments for the next day. We needed to get home.

So my wife rented a car.

Driving Home

The drive from Panama City Beach to Houston takes about nine-and-a-half hours. If we left now, we’d make it home at about midnight. We did not factor in all the stops we’d need to take.

Regardless, we quickly rushed to the rental car desks. My wife and baby took care of getting the car while the oldest and I got our bags. Then we headed out in the rain to our rented Suburban.

I worked as fast as possible to install the car seats and the bags, but I still got soaked. Then we jumped in and took off.

Nothing is Going Right

This trip might have been successful under normal conditions with plenty of time and daylight. However, this drive felt rough with the rain, pending darkness, late arrival time, and two small children who had been cooped up in the airport for hours. Plus, although very minor, my iPhone struggled when plugged into the lightning cable. I had to keep everything in the correct position to maintain a charge or provide CarPlay.

Still, we headed out. I felt nervous since we had never taken a road trip with our oldest out of diapers, but he did great. We had to stop at one point for everyone to go to the bathroom, and then we figured we should get dinner.

We found the nearest Chick-fil-A, which was still about fifteen minutes away. The kids were getting whiney and hungry, and waiting in the drive-thru pushed everyone to the limits. Luckily, we got our food and returned to the road—only to discover that they hadn’t given us our kid’s meal. We turned around and drove the ten minutes to return and get it. In the meantime, my wife started to get car sick, so we switched drivers.

Road Diapers

As we left Florida, the kids had been fed, but they were still growing tired of being still most of the day. We did our best to get them entertainment, but it wasn’t easy.

Also, as we got into Alabama, the rain started to pound on the windshield. We had to drop our speed to near crawl.

My youngest started to cry. He wouldn’t go to sleep no matter what we did. Finally, I decided to check his diaper and found out he had pooped. We were in the middle of nowhere, so I grabbed him from his seat and changed his diaper on my lap in the dark.

I couldn’t see any other option. We were already so far behind. He hated it. I felt stressed. There was so much crying and screaming, but we got it done.

Not long after, both kids finally fell asleep. By the time they had, my wife had already driven us two hours, and we needed to use the bathroom, but we didn’t want to wake the boys. Regardless, we had to risk it.

So we stopped, switched drivers, used the facilities, and got back on the road. The oldest woke up for a few moments but returned to sleep quickly.

Night Driving

I took over driving around ten o’clock. I felt fine but worried I’d fall asleep at the wheel.

Then without much warning, I heard my name getting called. Luckily, it made me realize that I had fallen asleep. Cruise control had kept us going at highway speeds, but as I came to, the road had been replaced with grass. The car had drift off the road into the median. This moment has haunted me every day since. I hadn’t felt tired. I hadn’t felt like fighting sleep, I had simply drifted off.

I feel so fortunate that we didn’t get hurt. Somehow, I kept my senses about me and didn’t panic. I simply eased on the brake and nudged the car back onto the road. I took cruise control off in case something like that happened again, and I thanked every fiber of my being that I hadn’t killed us all. Even though nothing got damaged or hurt, the guilt that resides in me now competes with the gratitude of being alive.

I got my wife to talk to me while we drove on. It felt risky since we didn’t want the kids to wake up, but sitting in silence felt more dangerous.

The entire drive from this point on felt nerve-racking, especially as we drove through parts of Alabama and Louisiana ravaged by the storm. Trees had fallen by the shoulder of the road and stuck out into traffic. Thankfully, not many other cars had been on the road.

I continued, fueled by the little caffeine I had consumed at the start of the trip, our Chick-fil-A stop, and discussions with my wife. Somewhere along the way, the baby woke up crying. Mama had to ease him back to sleep, but mostly, the kids continued to do great on this excruciating trip.

Closed Exits

Around midnight, my wife needed to pee, and we figured we would switch drivers again. Unfortunately, there weren’t many exits or places to stop.

We both kept an eye out for any exit that might work, but there wasn’t anything. We truly were in the middle of nowhere. Finally, I decided to take the next exit and find someplace.

Once I exited, I found a little gas station just off the exit. Unfortunately, it was closed. I maneuvered the car back to the road and continued down the street until we found another station. Its lights were off as well.

Frustrated, we decided to return to the highway and continue until we could find an exit with something open. I turned the suburban around and headed back to the highway, only to find that the entrance ramp onto the interstate was closed and barricaded. Since we were in the middle of nowhere, I also didn’t have any cell signal for my maps to help me find the best way to continue, so I followed the construction signs for the detour.

The detour took me in the opposite direction for eleven miles, then made me exit and turn around. That one little stop cost us more than twenty minutes. It soured the already crappy mood in the car as well, and it didn’t solve the bathroom issue.

My wife couldn’t hold it anymore, so she had to find a way to pee into a cup. We couldn’t risk any more stops or delays. It was already midnight, and we were still hours away from home. She found an empty large Whataburger cup and nearly filled it up. Then she had to find something to do with it.

Opening the window woke everyone up. The oldest returned to sleep quickly, but the youngest took a while to settle back.

We continued the never-ending trip home, talking as quietly as we could.

Finally, around three in the morning, we got home. My wife took the youngest to his bed and tried to get him back to sleep for what felt like the sixth time.

I took the oldest to his bed. He woke up as I carried him, and I explained that we were home. I needed to get things out of the car, and I would be up to help him get back to sleep if needed. By the time I got the important stuff out of the car, he had fallen asleep. Meanwhile, the youngest struggled.

Finally, the baby settled and slept. Mama and I unpacked what we needed, took quick showers, set the alarm so my wife wouldn’t miss her appointment, and got to sleep—if only for about three hours.

Return Trip to the Airport

The morning came too quickly. I made a giant pot of coffee to help us get through the day. The kids woke up a little later than usual but not late enough that I could rest.

As my wife left for work, I made breakfast and prepared to tackle the day the best I could. Luckily, she had her mother come over to help me with the kids. When she showed up, I cleaned out the rental car.

Then, once again, I set out. My car was still at the airport, and we had to return the rental car by that afternoon. With my body sore from all the driving the day before, I made the hour trek to the airport.

Before I arrived, I stopped to fill the gas tank. Unlike with the golf cart, I had no problem getting gas for the suburban. As I filled up the tank, though, I realized my terrible mistake: I had left the keys to my car at home.

I tried to think of anything I could do not to have to turn around and drive the hour back home to get keys and then return to the airport and then back home, but there was nothing. To make matters worse, when I cleaned out the rental car, I took my car keys out of my backpack so I wouldn’t forget them, and then I proceeded to do just that.

So, a two-hour round trip was extended to four hours. I didn’t get to rest that day.

Memories

As I’ve said, you don’t remember vacations because everything went right. The ones that have moments like these stick with you for the rest of your life. While everything got complicated on the return home, I’ll never forget it.

Of course, like Thanksgiving in 2023, once we got home, we had to prepare for my son’s first birthday and the party we threw, which was mostly for my older son. Things turned around once I got some actual sleep in the days following the trip. Family came in for the party and everyone had a good time.

Maybe one day, I’ll turn this into a Vacation-style movie, along with some of the other vacation stories I’ve accumulated over the years. Until then, make sure you’re following me on Facebook, Threads, and Instagram. Also, if you aren’t subscribed to the mailing list, put your email below.