Monday, December 4, 2017

Monday 12/4/2017 - Vero Beach Layover

I woke just before 5 to a breeze.  I checked the weather and rain was in the forecast -  to start around 6:30 and only last an hour or so.  So I took  my time getting going.  But 6:30 came and went and the skies didn't look too threatening.  So I decided to go into town as planned and took my light rain jacket and umbrella - I love the water but not when it comes from above.  I caught the 8:10am bus into town.  They have a great bus system here.  They have downloadable maps online and great coverage.  They have 10 or 15 routes and a main hub where you can transfer.  Best of all, it's all FREE.  I think this is one of the reasons some call this "Velcro" Beach.  The downtown part of Vero is nice but is a little dated with lots of very small businesses.  It is very spread out - no buildings above 2 or 3 stories and most a single story.  At the West end of town is a huge mall.  Also at the west end is a huge Home Depot, a huge Lowes, a Target, a Sam's Club and a the biggest Walmart I've ever seen.  This part of town is a little newer and seems nicely laid out to minimize traffic congestion.  On the way back to the marina, the bus made a loop around the beach area.  It looked very nice with a lot of high end stores.  I like the fact that the area has lots of parks and open areas.  It is very spread out.

I rode the bus to the west end of town with a fellow cruiser Tom.  He and his wife have been here for about a week.  They are on their 1985 53' Pearson "Dalmation".  They were at Osprey for a week when I was there waiting for Joan to arrive.  It's funny how you will meet someone and just make a quick introduction and have a brief conversation.  But then you see them a month later, several hundred miles away, and it's like reuniting with long time friends. 

Tomorrow, I plan to rent a car and drive across the state to pick up my step Uncle Fred.  He has always been a wana-be sailor and I know he would love to see True Blue.  It's a 3 1/2 hour drive over, the same back and then I'll do it over again on Wednesday.  Considering that I haven't driven a car in 2 months, I hope I can remember how to do it.

No comments:

Post a Comment