Four 10-12 hour days of driving, with a major attitude adjustment, weren't too bad.
I shifted my dread of driving through Texas and found it charming, I adjusted my expectations for sleep and found myself getting almost enough. I got out and stretched every two hours and was thrilled to find that I could stream "This American Life" (a fantastic NPR show with great stories) almost the entire way on my phone. Holy cow, who knew? That's a revelation.
Kerville TX and Breaux Bridge LA were two very hospitable and lovely Walmart overnight experiences. I'm sold. I don't love Walmart for many reasons, but I do love them for this. This is how it looks, And yes I do have privacy curtains. I kind of sidle up to the big rigs and try to look like I belong there somehow. I've learned to call ahead and ask if it's ok. Most Walmarts outside of big city areas seem pretty open to this. You can get an app that is called "Allstays" Walmart parking which will show you the ones that are overnight friendly.
What I missed on the way out this time was the Louisiana bayou and the Cyprus trees, which I loved 25 years ago on my first trip there. Here it is at sunrise.
And the magnolias are blooming in Mississippi on Valentine's Day.
I've never seen an autographed car before. This was pretty heartwarming, sad and inspirational. I hope she beats it.
Almost in an instant, I was back in the land of palm trees. The whole vibe changed. It felt like summer. I was in Florida.
But then I noticed this horrible brown smokey haze on the horizon and saw something kind of belching out this stuff and thought it must be a fire or something. But unfortunately, it persisted all the way to the coast and I concluded that it must be from power plants or other industry. This was extremely depressing. Have I become so immune to this kind of pollution that I stop seeing it when I live in the East? Look at how this happens and changes the color of the sky. I kept hoping it would end but it just kept getting worse. After two months in big sky country with little pollution, this was such a shock.
We're back on Amelia Island for an R & R before we do the big drive back to CT sometime before the end of the month. I even get to stay inside in my own room at my new buddy Mike's place here whose family has been on the island for seven generations, so he's a great source of local info.
We made it out and back, and I'm happy to be winding it up in one of our favorite places. Thirteen miles of Choochi friendly beach to run on.
Choochi looks as happy and cute as ever-- love that hairdo!
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