How Far Is Panama City From Tampa – Am I competing in an Ironman? No no! But my dad did and that’s a big reason we planned this trip to Florida. For those of you who don’t know what an Ironman is, it’s a triathlon that consists of a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride and a 26.2 mile run. With a total of 140.6 miles.
It started four years ago, when my father competed in his first Ironman. It was in Panama City Beach and I really wanted to surprise him at the finish line. Look, I have another trip planned (surprise). I’m going to Michigan with the Way Too Beautiful crew for our annual college football road trip and I’m wondering.
How Far Is Panama City From Tampa
The largest stadium in America. Over 109,000 people in the game. Rutgers lost 49-16 and it was cold, but it was a great weekend! They buy us more drinks than we buy ourselves. What a great tradition we have started. Bring on Ohio State next year! #TheBigHouse #Traditions #Friends #WereComingHome #RoadTrip #Rutgers #WereNotFromTheMidwest #CoverTheSpread #FantasyFootballTheWholeWayHome A post shared by Adam Milsted (@its.milzy) on Nov 8, 2015 at 10:39am PST
Weekend Guide To Panama City Beach
(He was able to video my dad crossing the finish line at the live Ironman while we were at the hotel in Michigan)
Happy Birthday to my dad (@pir8au), Ironman! “Dave Milsted. From Haddon Heights, New Jersey. You. Are. An Ironman!” #Ironman #HappyBirthday #Family #GettingOld #BringOnKona A post shared by Adam Milsted (@its.milzy) on Apr 1, 2016 at 3:39am PDT
Now fast forward to 2019 and I have the same plans, except this time I don’t have a college football trip planned…at least not for that weekend. It also works because it falls on a week where Leen only has to take off for a few days and enjoy the whole week. So Leen and her colleagues also planned a vacation to Miami. PERFECT! I convinced Leen that we could fly to Panama City Beach (PCB) on the Saturday of the Ironman, surprise my dad upon arrival, stay on Sunday and watch football, then drive four hours to find – we with his colleagues in Miami and spend some day there. It was a perfect plan…except for the part where I got the travel time from PCB to Miami wrong.
Wow! It is very far. Turns out it’s more like a 9+ hour drive…who knows? If we want a flight from PCB to Miami, it’s about $300 or more AND it’s not a direct flight. We have to go to Atlanta first. When all is said and done, it will only be three hours shorter than the drive. We chose to save a TON of money and drive. I mean, the rental car was only $51 a day.
Things To Do On Tampa’s Riverwalk
Saturday (November 2nd) came and we left. We are still not sure how we will solve the “surprise”. When we got to PCB we took the car and went to the hotel. My mom said there was a part of the race that went around the intersection and she thought it would be a great place to show up. Guess what, it’s the PERFECT place.
I ran into my dad as I turned. It was dark and he wasn’t wearing glasses so he thought a drunken man was running towards him. After a few seconds he realized that it was me. The look on his face was priceless. I must say it was a very nice surprise!
We now have about three hours or so until I reach the finish line. Go to a bar to pass the time. My mom signed up for the VIP experience, which meant that when my dad crossed the finish line, I could give him the metal. So, with almost half an hour to go, we went to the finish line.
We were able to sneak into the VIP area with my mom and the angle was perfect. If you’ve never been to the end of an Ironman, this night has a different feel. At the beginning of the day, seeing a runner finish (while still a perfect achievement) is not the same. Nighttime fun has more energy. I shivered all the time, especially when my father crossed. These are people who may have to walk and may experience some serious struggles during the race and the excitement radiates as they cross the finish line. It is truly an amazing thing to witness.
How To Get From Tampa Airport To Downtown Tampa
The next morning we woke up early (or at least tried to) and started our adventure to Miami. We’ll lose an hour somewhere along the way with the time change and have to turn in the rental at 8pm. It was a fairly easy ride. Leen slept maybe seven out of ten hours and luckily it was a Sunday because for me I could listen to football all day (literally because there was also a London game that morning).
We stopped at a stop about two hours from our final destination. When we got back on the road, a car passed us on the left. I caught a glimpse out of the corner of my eye and thought to myself, “Damn… that guy really looks like Chris. No, he can’t be.” I noticed the car moving back into the right lane and decided I would move, just to be safe. I woke Leen up and said, “When the car comes, look at the driver. I think it might be Chris!”
Side note…Chris is one of my best friends. We have known each other since we were six or seven years old. He’s basically my Dominican twin. It’s strange how similar we are. Chris currently lives outside of Miami in Fort Lauderdale. I talked to him a week before this trip and we made plans to meet one night for dinner in Miami.
As we passed the car, Leen and the driver looked at each other. yelled Leen. The driver got scared. THIS IS CHRIS!!!!! Damn… what are the chances!?
Flights To Panama City, Panama (pty)
They were visiting family in Orlando and we crossed paths on the highway about two hours from our destination. crazy The possibility of that happening is almost impossible. I mean just think how perfect every rest stop is for both carpools to meet each other at the right time. Mind blowing
Ahhh…now it’s time to relax for a few days in Miami. Our AirBnB is crazy! We met Joel and Sarah there. Joel is Leen’s colleague and Sarah is his girlfriend. Joel did an amazing job finding this AirBnB. It is an absolute steal. Just a week after going there, the price would jump to three times what we paid! The location could not have been better. In the heart of South Beach and two blocks from the beach. There is also a small market across the street that has Inca Kola (Inca Kola is my favorite soda that is from Peru and I can’t find it in South Jersey)!!! It honestly couldn’t have been better.
Our first day was spent entirely on the beach… it was perfect. Even in November, it feels like summer in Miami. The water was very blue. It’s like being on an island. Typical beach day. I slept for a while. we walked I’m sure we were all burned.
Welcome to Miami! . . #MIA #Miami #SouthBeach #Beach #SouthPointe #SouthPointePier #Beach #Shore #Florida #FL #Vacation #Travel #Adventure #Wanderlust #Pier # A post shared by Adam Milsted (@its.milzy) on Nov 5, 2019 at 3 :15 p.m. mst
Florida Road Trip: 9 Of The Best Beach Towns
That night we went out to eat in Havana 1957. Ah. me. Ten. It is very good! It was the best meal I had on the trip, and the pitcher of mojitos was even better. This would be my top recommendation for anyone going to South Beach. After dinner we went out for another drink. We walked down the street to a bar called Lost Weekend. It’s literally a South Philly dive bar. He made us feel at home. Next to Lost Weekend is a bar called Kill Your Idol. That night they did a drag show. Why not? It turned out to be a great night. Worth the hangover.
Day two in Miami was another great day. We woke up and decided we would rent a bike and ride around South Beach. It is a good exercise. We ride everywhere. I wish two things… one, I wish I had brought my GoPro and two, I wish one of us was tracking the mileage.
During the tour, we crossed the road through the golf course. I froze inside me
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