The Drive

At the rental car counter in the Tampa airport, I asked if there were any hybrids and/or flex fuel vehicles available. I really expected a blank stare, but the lady behind the counter actually did a search on the computer before letting my hopes down. Apparently there are a few Prius vehicles in the fleet, but none were in at the moment.

Before we headed south to Naples, the family (my mom and my sisters) decided they wanted a nice place for dinner. We ended up at J. Alexander's. The waiter was new and we were hungry, so instead of my typical Guantanamo-inspired interrogation as to the origins of the fish on the menu, I simply ordered four sides as part of the vegetable plate: Mac 'n cheese, baked beans, mashed potatoes and cole slaw. All yummy, and way too much food. So of course we ordered dessert - warm cheese cream on the carrot cake was the best (although Key Lime was a hit with my sisters).

The drive down was good until about thirty minutes outside of Naples - we ran into the construction/traffic accident bottleneck that seems so common anytime any serious road repair happens on Florida byways. We ended up idling our way through a five mile stretch. Fourty minutes later, we were back again at highway speed, only to run into yet another stretch where traffic slowed to a crawl, merged, and then sped back up.

Is there really an effective approach to the kind of fuel waste (let alone environmental impact) that occurs during chronic traffic delays? I also can't ignore the impact I have - as a tourist - on traffic patterns, road expansion (more asphalt, less trees), and specific fuel consumption. As I get ready to sleep in my nicely air conditioned hotel room, I'm left with one nagging question: what if I had paid the extra money to fly right into Naples?