On the highway

Today we pickup our rental car to start the drive to LA.

Before 0920 this morning I had only ever driven in the UK, on the left, in a small hatchback and the most high tech car gizmo I had ever seen was an electric window.

Key in hand I step out on to the Hertz parking lot and find myself face to face with a Transformer (literally as the car is featured in the latest movie).

Me pretending to be a man with the man car

The Chevrollete Cruze is huge, compared to our car back home it is like an ocean liner. I sat down in the drivers seat and felt like I was about to fly the Millennium Falcon. I found the steering wheel and the hole for the key but didn't recognise and of the other buttons. After a few minutes of rifling through the instruction manual it turns out you don't need any of them (although the air con is useful).

Next up safely navigating this right hand driving situation. After a couple of laps of the parking lot, not deliberate I kept missing the exit, it was out on to International drive. This was admittedly a seat of the pants moment as it was now 0945 and there was plenty of traffic to keep me on my toes, a kindly bus driver took pity on us and helped us pull out in the end.

We are safe in Weeki Wachee about 2 hours from Orlando, we navigated highways, turn pikes and road works and arrive without too many new wrinkles on my brow. It was actually great fun and I can't wait for the roads ahead, another one of those travel experiences that shows that getting thrown in at the deep end can sometimes be the best way of learning to swim. We have a long drive tomorrow but we will be keeping our eyes peeled and we will see if I am still enjoying it or if the novelty has worn off after a few hundred miles.