Planes, Trains and Automobiles: Or, 12 X 400m With 60 Seconds Rest

Been asked frequently lately, "Why would anyone Drive to Disney World in this day and age?" The answer is because the options are sometimes worse.

Last time I flew was 2001 at the beginning of the SARS epidemic.  Of course, my destination was China, the incubation point of the whole unknown disease.  The 24 hours of continual flight wasn't enough to turn me off, but the gastroenteritis I obtained on day 2, kinda made me wonder.  By the time we made it to the US Consulate in Canton, we were surrounded by people wearing masks everywhere and handlers who warned us to "not let anyone touch the baby"!  The 20 hours of flight to get home were with 3 or 4 adopted children coughing every 4 seconds.  Not yet knowing about SARS, (only the Chinese authorities knew about it yet), we figured it was only tuberculosis.  So much for flying unless absolutely necessary...

The last time I took the train was actually to Orlando for the same vacation weekend.  Everything went swimmingly until the train ride home.  That's when the Florida /state Hospital decided to allow 3 of their patients with schizophrenia to accompany my family on the same train car.  18 hours of hearing accusations that "someone stole something from me" (they didnt), "someone stole my seat" (they didn't) or "someone wants to kill me" (many did).  They rushed to the exits at every brief stop to have a cigarette or 4!  Somuch for the train...

That leaves the car, of course.  And the need to actually drive the 16 hours it takes to get there.  To cope, I make it into the classic distance runner's workout of 12 X 400m with a 200 jog, or more like 4 X 1 mile with a 60 second rest to "refuel". 

I now have the same sore throat I always got after the workouts at the old ice palace.  The more things change, the more they stay the same!