PHOTO PROMPT © Ron Pruitt
UPS AND DOWNS
This was Bernie’s first day of driving tourists to Disney World. They were slow boarding, and wanted him to hurry so they’d have a whole day there, but Bernie kept to the speed limit.
What’s that guy in the aisle seat doing?…..
What Epcot turnoff?
Damn!
How far to the next interchange?
There’s a turnaround spot.
Police and emergency vehicles only.
This is an emergency.
Nobody coming?….
Slow down.
Turn into the depression.
Front wheels down – now rear wheels dipping.
Front wheels rising…..
Crunch! All wheels off the ground??! Stuck! 😯
They’re going to miss the Mouse. Is Wal-Mart hiring?
***
The above ‘Fiction’ is based on a real-life situation I observed some years ago, while driving toward Orlando. I cannot begin to guess how a trained bus driver could miss something as large and well marked as Disney World, or what would lead him to attempt a U-turn through an unpaved median on a divided highway. Aside from the stranded bus, and 50 angry, disappointed tourists, I could see a career change.
***
Go to Rochelle’s Addicted to Purple site and use her Wednesday photo as a prompt to write a complete 100 word story.
Archon's Den 
Nothing like a high-centered passenger bus.
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If it absolutely, positively has to get there by 9 AM, put it in an Abrams. 😉
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A group pf people totally oblivious to the ride of life, distracted by the shiny things entertainment offers. Nice commentary.
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Was all that
shitstuff in my little post?? Wow! I’m a better writer than I thought. 😉 Thanx.LikeLiked by 1 person
“Honey, I got your text message this morning. Unfortunately, it came at a busy time.” 😉
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Oh, the perfect punch line! 😆
Sadly, all too common – along with, “Honey, I walked into a power pole.” or, “Honey, I fell in the mall fountain.” 😳
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Hahaha! Good story, tightly narrated! Glad to know it was what you observed, and not what you experienced first-hand!
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I’ve experienced a few that I was happy to be able to walk away from, just not a suspension-bridge bus. 😕
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Well it could have been worse. Like off a cliff. Not a good day for that bus driver though. 🙂
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He might wish it had been a cliff by the time it’s all over. Angry tourists, suing for a ruined vacation, mobile crane/heavy-duty tow truck, damage to the bus, roads crew to shut down at least one lane of I-4, police safety presence….D’you want fries with that? 😳
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Well I think I was thinking of the passengers. It is worse when people go off a cliff. I think I read about that happening in Mexico on a narrow mountain road. Sued for ruined vacation, ha, what a bunch of spoiled sports. 🙂
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I feel sorry for him, but I have seen bus drivers doing some crazy things trying to correct things.
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I rode a bus on a driver’s first day on the route. Instead of turning onto a main feeder road, he turned into a subdivision. Instead of backing up a 100 meters, he elected to proceed around a narrow crescent – tight corners, on-street parking. I thought I was going to have to walk the last kilometer home. 😯
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What a horrible experience for the passengers–but I had to chuckle about the clueless bus driver. Good thing you weren’t one of the passengers.
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No, but I got lost 20 minutes later. Fortunately I knew exactly where I’d gone wrong, and it only cost me 40 cents to go too far on a toll road, and another 40 cents to get back to the right exit. 😀
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Tight narration. Sometimes facts are stranger than fiction. Good one.
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I often notice things that others don’t, but there was no missing that one. Thanx. 🙂
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Good job with your narrative. Those buses should know the route like the back of their hand. Poor passengers. 🙂
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There was a lot of ‘happening’ to fit into a 100-word story. It’s not so much that he missed Disney, it’s how he risked turning back. I might try it with an empty bus, but folks in Florida carry guns. 😯
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What a dumbass! Sorry… but seriously, people going to Disney are NOT going to be pleased by a side-tracked driver! (I know I wouldn’t…)
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Definitely not his best day. His last on that job, I’m sure. Back before cell phones, but buses had radios. Still, the Goofy crowd would lose at least 2 hours.. I went to EPCOT 2 days later, but not by bus. 😛
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Having done the Disney thing, with kids, I would never by bus!
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Yep!!! Some days are better than others! Well done!
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I don’t think this day is going to rank high on anyone’s list – except possibly the tow-truck owner’s. 😉
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What a mess. That sounds like the kind of bus I might be on if I went to Disney World. That was a tragedy for everyone, driver and passengers. It made a good story though. Well done. 🙂 — Suzanne
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It says Jefferson on the front of that bus. Maybe it was only driven by Murphy. 😉 😯
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Wait. Wasn’t that one of the new rides at Disney.
The Distracted Driver?
🙂
Randy
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So that’s where those rides come from! 😳 “Honey, I Krashed the Kids.” 😯
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