COVID-19: The Journey. Chapter 1, Florida

Teens jump off a rented pontoon boat in Florida

It was November 2019, when the members of the extended Baker family arranged to have a family vacation in the spring of 2020. Plans were made and vacation bills were paid well ahead of the trip.

Some $12,000 from about 15 people was involved in reserving space on a cruise ship to celebrate the high school graduation of Steve's grand-daughter, Hailey.

Fast-forward to February 2020. News came about a troubling virus, but it was contained in Asia. Steve and I decided to take a slow trip south, stopping every six hours or so in various communities. We would leave March 2. This would end in New Orleans, where we could board the ship.

The rest of the family would meet us. We'd unite at dockside, we thought.

It was Friday, March 13, when the mass confusion started. The younger families had taken off from Davenport, Iowa, on March 12 and drove straight south. This group was arriving in the New Orleans region when the news started to report the possible virus complications. It appeared cruise ships would not travel.

Privately, we were all relieved not to be on a ship but there was a lot of anxiety about the money spent. To lose $12,000 is not a small thing, and we wanted some assurance the costs we'd paid up-front would be reimbursed. Later that night, like about 10 p.m., we learned we would be repaid.

In the meantime, Steve's kids had five teen-agers who thought they would enjoy Spring Break in the south. Son-in-law Kevin Hansen was in touch with a home rental firm in Fort Myers Beach, Fla. Amazingly, a four-bedroom home rental had become available. It was snapped up by the families and new plans were made to spend the night in New Orleans and travel to southern Florida the next day. The home would be available March 14-21.

Steve and I had initially planned about six weeks in the south. As we contemplated our next move, Steve got a message from Hailey: "Grandpa, won't you please come with us to Florida?"

Of course we agreed. We started the 10-hour drive to the beach and finally found the large beach-side home for the next several days. It was an idyllic situation to be sure. We could walk the beach, and there was easy access to restaurants, bars and the like.

For a while, anyway.

As the week went along it became harder and harder to function as a tourist. We easily rented a pontoon boat on Wednesday, March 18, and had a great experience out on the Gulf of Mexico. The 12 of us then found a place to eat. A group of six of the young people sat at one table; we adults were at another, six feet apart. Our family was asked to order, eat and leave so our places would be open to others.

By Friday, March 20, the beach was shut down. Fort Myers police were out in force, telling everyone to get off the beach. Many places immediately closed. But not the pontoon rental; we luckily nabbed that for one more day. The kids especially appreciated the freedom a boat affords. We ordered take-out pizza for dinner that night.

The family members all left early Saturday morning and drove straight back to Iowa.

We travelled more slowly, stopping In Biloxi, MS, for two days, walking almost by ourselves along the Gulf Coast and eating take-out. It was a beautiful part of the country but almost no people were around. The restaurant employees bemoaned the lack of customers. I can only guess what they are thinking today.

As we went back north, with overnight stops in Memphis, and Glen Carbon, Ill., the services got less and less. The Hilton properties ended breakfasts, but offered food in paper bags. We were heartily tired of take-out food when we finally arrived home in rural Scott County, Iowa.