So our current situation is a bit unclear. We are stranded in Punta Gorda, Florida while our van is in the shop for an unknown length of time. Not a horrible place to be stranded, although very costly. The weather is gorgeous, the beaches are of the fine, white variety, and the people are friendly. But still, we can’t leave.
Let me backtrack a bit and tell you how we got here. A couple of weeks ago, my aunt passed away at the wonderful age of 98. Her funeral was to take place in North Miami, so we got into the van and drove down. We will post later about some of the places we stopped at, but for now, we’ll tell you where we surprisingly ended up.
When we arrived at our hotel near Miami, we heard some strange, rattling sounds from the front of the van. Due to the funeral activities that included family members arriving from all parts of the States, we were too occupied to deal with it. When it was time to leave, we started driving north and looked for a dealership that will be able to fit us in. That proved to be harder than we thought it would be, but we did find a place that was willing to squeeze us in for an assessment.
This is how we ended in Punta Gorda. The assessment resulted in some bad news. It was either the transmission, or the AC compressor, and either way we couldn’t continue. The next piece of bad news was that they only had one lift for large vehicles, which already had a partially disassembled vehicle on it that is waiting for a part. The third piece of bad news is that they didn’t know when the part will get there due to supply issues, but once it does, they will deal with our van. It can be a few days, or it can be a couple of weeks…
We rented a pickup truck (the only vehicle available). Booked a hotel room for a couple of days. We will try and make the best out of this forced vacation.
We are driving around and finding our back roads and other stories as usual.
More later.
Hopefully the van will be repaired sooner as opposed to later. Nice spot to be stranded but when you don’t know for how long, it can become tedious. Wishing you some good luck.
Thanks! Yes, the unknown part is a bit annoying, but we’ll make the best of it!
I’m so sorry to hear about your aunt. What a long life she had. But not a bad place to be stuck. You do have lots of water to look at and beach to sit on. Good luck with all the rest. 🤞
Thanks, Linda! We found a few places that we are excited to explore, so not too bad after all 😊
My condolences to you and your family for your aunts passing. What a long full life!
And very sorry about the van mishap. I hope it gets fixed soon. On the bright side, at least from the photos you’ve shared, you’ve found a wonderful spot to be stranded in for a few days. I hope you get to pack up and head home soon!
Thanks! Not too bad down here and we had beautiful weather so far. We can’t complain, but we would like to be a little more in control of our travel plans 😊
Sad news all around. 98 is a good life and a great place to be, peaceful.
We’re in for another short cold spell in Ontario, so being stuck on white sandy beaches is a dream. Enjoy your stay.
Thank you! We are not suffering being stuck in 30c near a beach. Glad to miss that cold spell…enough already with this winter stuff!
Yikes. Firstly, sorry for your loss. Nothing worse than car/van trouble when you far away from home and where the $ are worth 33% more. Hope it all works out for you and you are on the road again soon. And as you say, there are worse places to be stranded. Stay well. Allan
Thank, Allan! There are definitely worst places to be stranded at. We’ll make the best of it even if our pockets will be lighter 😊
Oh poor you xx. After spending eight months in beautiful Monte Rosa in Italy during coronavirus lockdown, I know only too well that being stranded somewhere, however beautiful, is still being stranded!
I hope you get sorted and back on the road soon. xx
It must have been much harder for you to be stranded during the pandemic than it is for us to be stranded on the beaches of sunny Florida…
I thought it seemed odd that you were as far south as Florida. Wow—98! Good for your aunt to have lived such a long life. Hopefully, the gene pool is as kind to you.
The story of your van has all the beginnings of a painfully long stay. Thank goodness that you were able to get ahold of a pickup truck to get around instead of having to wait, stranded in Punta Gorda. Hey, sounds like the title of a book or film—Stranded in Punta Gorda. Remember me when you become famous.🤣
I was thinking a lot about that gene pool lately…Stranded in Punta Gorda is a great name for a movie although now we are stranded in Bokeelia 🙂
Just doesn’t have the same catchy sound to it. Enough with getting stranded.
They are selling T shirts here that say “where the hell is Bokeelia”
Although it’s wonderful to have an unexpected adventure, the uncertainty can be unsettling I’m sure. Enjoy the back roads for now and hope the part gets in and your van will be fixed quickly. Did you only have a choice of the one shop? No second opinions possible?
I would however make the most of those white sand beaches in the meantime. Enjoy as best you can.
And condolences on your aunt’s passing. 98 years is wonderful!
Everyone around was booked for three weeks. They were nice enough to squeeze us in just to check a few possibilities, but they can’t do anything until they get that part. It is what it is and we are actually enjoying ourselves, so it’s all good!
Hope the repairs don’t take too long—nothing worse than not knowing how long something will take.
Or how much it will cost 🙂
I am sorry for the loss of your aunt. I hope the shop will be able to get your van looked at and fixed.
Thanks, Julia! Fingers crossed it will all work out at the end.
🤞
Condolences on your aunt’s passing. Supply chain issues have been a problem for many auto repairs. Is a local junk yard an option for finding a good trustworthy part for your van? Hopefully, you’ll have the opportunity to find adventurous things to do, and your van will be ready soon.
Thank you! So the part we are waiting on is not for us, but for the truck that is sitting on the lift that we are coveting 🙂 I wish that I could tell thew to go to a junkyard!
Your title is so appropriate… hope you can enjoy the surprise respite and it’s not too pricey.
It will be pricey, but what the hell, we didn’t have a proper honeymoon, so we might as well have it now 🙂
Go for it! 😄
Sorry about the van, but remember adventures are always unpredictable. Enjoy exploring Florida while you can. Our favorite area is St. Petes to Tarpon Springs including the wonderful Pinellas bike trail that runs between the two.
It the van doesn’t get foxed this week, we will move up the coast to that area. We are all about the unexpected adventure even if it hurts our pockets in an unexpected way 🙂
I hope your van gets fixed soon! I’m glad you’re finding ways to enjoy being stranded though
Thank you! There is lots to do and explore in this part of the world!
One of the blessings of elderly relatives moving on is that one often is part of a gathering of extended family. I hope you had good visits with some of those far-flung family members. Enjoy the serendipity of strandedness – I am glad you have the explorer’s back roads mindset!
You are so right! We were talking about this the other day…the passages of life and death and the meaning of family in all of this. We are finding a few places that we wouldn’t have otherwise, so we are thankful for that!
I admire how you deal with life’s bad news and make the best of it. My best wishes.
Thank you! We don’t have much choice, so being a bit on the stoic side helps.
Honestly, if I didn’t have to worry about work and limited vacation hours, I would be totally on board with this “forced vacation!” Not a bad thing at all! I’d say this is the perfect opportunity to explore more of this part of Florida, especially when it’s so jaw-dropping gorgeous!
We were just talking about this. If we had a job to go back to it would have been such a disaster. So other than the unexpected expense, and a few future plans changes, we are good! The most annoying part is the the van is our home on wheels and that’s hard to replace.
I’m so sorry to hear about your aunt. That’s too bad that your van is having issues and there’s so much uncertainty around when it’ll get fixed (or how much it’ll cost). But hey, there could be worse places to be stranded! It sounds like you’re making the most of it.
We are just rolling with the punches here, but because we are rolling in white, powdery sand against the backdrop of the beautiful ocean, we are not complaining too much 😊
Tough luck, but at least you did manage the funeral. I’ve never been to Florida. Never was tempted. I don’t do heat graciously. I have a feeling you aren’t as picky as I am. Enjoy what you can and good luck. Hope things straighten out for you soon. Muriel
I’m okay with heat, but not a fan of overly commercial and manufactured entertainment, so Florida is not on the top of the list for me. We did find so many natural treasures and a few off-the-beaten-track places that we loved, that I might change my mind.
UGH! I got stranded in Wellington for a week due to van issues and ended up riding horses again! Glad you made something positive out of it!
Haha, glad it didn’t go this way for us as well since we just sold the horse farm!