Nightmares

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Skyfrog

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Brandon, FL
I needed to make a stop at Tampa International Airport for a TSA pre-check to make holiday traveling a little easier. I was told it would only take a short time and was instructed to park in the Short-Term Parking Lot. The parking is free for stays under an hour.

The automated gate ahead was adorned a worn, beaten, ominous sign…6’ 8”. Off to the right was the escape, “Large Truck Exit”. I was feeling lucky albeit unsure of my exact height, so I crawled at a snail’s pace, venturing closer and closer to the sign. There was not a sound, no bang, no scrape, not a whisper of contact. If I passed that, all else must be easy…right?

With a sigh of relief, I continued to the parking area, which was packed, thus making my journey longer. The ceiling became lower and lower, rows upon rows of cement beams with more than a few chips indicating past failures of passage. They went by me like someone swinging a Samurai sword above my head. Briefly I entertained the idea of sliding the moonroof cover to see just how close I was. I thought better of this idea and left it closed. I may have been paralyzed by fear if I looked. I slowly crept forward, looking for any available spot.

Then it came before me like a demonic omen, a domed camera hung from the cement, lower than any previous obstacle. There was no way around it, I had to go under it. The horror was intense, but I challenged it despite my fear. My Raptor crept ever so slowly under it until…Success, I passed it!

I finally found a parking spot and with great relief, completed my TSA pre-screen. Once again, I began passing the unmovable cement beams overhead. This time they seemed even lower, like some massive hydraulic mechanism minimized my exit to spurn my previous passage. I guided my tires past every object on the ground, even a tissue. The path to freedom was blocked at one turn forcing me to go around the lot again. I swear it became closer and closer to my paint every inch I traveled.

Then there it was, the exit with its ever-expanding volume, like the opening to a mighty cavern. I was free!!!

Afterward, I sat down to calculate my exact height. By the specs, a 2014 Super Crew is 78.5 or 6’ 6.5”. At first, I thought “no problem”, but then I remembered I have Geiser springs and +2 Deavers…6’ 8.5”.

I will have nightmares tonight!
 

Swamp Fox

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May 9, 2018
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I sympathize. I was in a similar situation in a mall parking garage in Denver several years ago. While my truck was stock height I went through the same concerns. The other problem was the truck was so wide other cars could not go down the opposite direction when I was coming. I currently have a Power Wagon (while waiting for my 2019 Raptor - that should have been here by now) it has 35" tires and clears the garage by 1/2".
 
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