LauderBlog
Mar 2: A Perfect Drive, Part Two
Posted On: March 2, 2007 9:15 AM
Posted By: LauderBLOGGER
Related Subjects: Greater Fort Lauderdale
The perfect drive in my convertible last Saturday night up A1A had started at Fort Lauderdale in the early twilight. I had lingered so long on my way that it was night now and I only had made Pompano Beach. By the time I reached the Hillsboro Inlet, the drawbridge was up. I waited patiently like everyone else, watching people on bicycles scoot by. Here, just as all the way north to this point, joggers were out too, savoring the weather. Once the bridge was down, I rolled past the lighthouse that’s just to the east and motored slowly – as slowly as I could drive without holding up traffic. In the Hillsboro Beach area, the road becomes a narrow, winding two-lane strip of pavement. I especially enjoy this section, with its stands of natural vegetation and huge homes tucked near the road.
Mansions, really, not simply homes. They sit perched atop little driveways, looking out at the Intracoastal Waterway. On the other side of the water, other mansions just as large look back at them. I found a small parking lot along this strip of road, a place where yacht owners leave their big automobiles. I parked there too for quite a while, my car’s top still down, and that was when I noticed it. The night sky was as crystalline as I can recall here in some time, so clear that I could see constellations of stars despite the city lights. A half moon seemed to hover directly over my car as thick clouds passed over before wafting away into the evening. The air temperature still was 72 degrees but it felt a bit cooler than that. It felt ideal, actually.
Finally, and reluctantly, I pulled back onto A1A to head toward the beach. I was supposed to be somewhere at 8 p.m., but I had some time left to continue my northward drive. The highway becomes four lanes once more in Deerfield Beach and I passed Hillsboro Boulevard, making the bend to the east and then going straight toward the pier. All along the way, people were filling the restaurants or wandering past the row of beach shops. I drove by the pier and now, for the first time since leaving 17th Street, I was going south, looking for a parking space along the beach. I found one and pulled in and looked out at the moonlit sea, waves rolling ashore. Here too it was a busy night, friends and lovers sharing the fresh ocean air. I sat watching everyone and looking up again at the moon and the stars. It had been a memorable drive up A1A. I was sorry it had to end.
Mansions, really, not simply homes. They sit perched atop little driveways, looking out at the Intracoastal Waterway. On the other side of the water, other mansions just as large look back at them. I found a small parking lot along this strip of road, a place where yacht owners leave their big automobiles. I parked there too for quite a while, my car’s top still down, and that was when I noticed it. The night sky was as crystalline as I can recall here in some time, so clear that I could see constellations of stars despite the city lights. A half moon seemed to hover directly over my car as thick clouds passed over before wafting away into the evening. The air temperature still was 72 degrees but it felt a bit cooler than that. It felt ideal, actually.
Finally, and reluctantly, I pulled back onto A1A to head toward the beach. I was supposed to be somewhere at 8 p.m., but I had some time left to continue my northward drive. The highway becomes four lanes once more in Deerfield Beach and I passed Hillsboro Boulevard, making the bend to the east and then going straight toward the pier. All along the way, people were filling the restaurants or wandering past the row of beach shops. I drove by the pier and now, for the first time since leaving 17th Street, I was going south, looking for a parking space along the beach. I found one and pulled in and looked out at the moonlit sea, waves rolling ashore. Here too it was a busy night, friends and lovers sharing the fresh ocean air. I sat watching everyone and looking up again at the moon and the stars. It had been a memorable drive up A1A. I was sorry it had to end.
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