Day Fifteen - Homeward Bound: the incredible journey

We woke up this morning and had a wonderful breakfast with the Ways. J.D. was glad to have the chance to meet their new puppy Lil' Buddy. The two of them had a good time romping about, although we did have to institute the occasional time out.



Thanks again Carol and John for the wonderful hospitality!

Back on the road once more, we're making tracks back to Virginia. Sorry folks, but this is the last haul. Nothing too interesting.

But of course, you can't run up I-95 without a stop at South of the Border!

J.D. and Pedro = B.F.F.

Day Fourteen - "You're in Florida? You know, you have to come home sometime..."

We woke this morning to finally a bit of sunshine. We were glad for the chance to finally get out on the beach and feel the sand in our toes.

We even go J.D. into the water for a few brief moments. He's still not completely sold on the wet salty dog look, but is warming up to it.

J.D. did get a souvenir for the beach. When we got back to the sidewalk he spit out a sea shell. We still have no idea when he picked it up or how long he had been carrying it around, but he made a very nice selection!

Back at the Old Pier Motel we said goodbye to our comfy little cottage. It was a great place to stay.




We knew today would be dedicated primarily to driving. But before leaving Flordia, Carl had to have at least one more donut. The Donut Hole did not disappoint, it was a delicious breakfast.


Today we wandered our way up through Georgia, rolling through one sleepy town after the other. This would have been enjoyable had it not been for the monsoon weather that rolled along with us. All we could really do was pear out the foggy truck windows and watch while ponds and lakes formed in the front yards and parking lots, and even the roadways we drove by.

Not much to see, but oh! look what we did find...


Our final destination was Sumter, SC. Our friends Carol and John Way live there and were more than happy to welcome us. They graciously cleared some space for us even though they are preparing for a major move in the upcoming weeks. It made for a late evening, but it was a wonderful visit.

Day Thirteen - Rain Rain Go Away

The rain had finally slacked this morning, but the storms of last night did not make things as pleasant as they could be; however, this morning we were greeted by some of the local wildlife which made J.D. curious.


Still moving along the Gulf we made our way into the big town of Mobile. We found a parking spot and walked along the city streets for a while. Mobile is a surprising place. We did not expect to find as much industry as there is here and the town is in an odd state between revival and decline.



We encountered more wildlife in Mobile, and I am not referring to the local bums. In Bienville Square we counted over 30 squirrels while standing in one spot. J.D. was beside himself with excitement.


Mobile also claims to be the home of the first Mardi Gras. This fact is boasted at the local Carnival Museum. Carl and I were surprised at how much the museum housed. It primarily exhibits the various costumes used by the mystic societies (there are over 55 in Mobile) and the robes and garments of past kings and queens of Mardi-Gras.





The Mobile Carnival Committee selects the king and queen of Mardi Gras each year but the family is expected to pay for all that this title entails. Basically, the wealthier families in Mobile take pride is exhibiting their prowess by purchasing lavish gowns and robes, throwing extravagant parties prior to the event, and then donating it all to the Carnival Museum. The one rule the Mardi Gras Committee strongly enforces is that everything must be made in Mobile, which helps to fuel the city's economy.





The museum was far more interesting than we had imagined. It was a fun stop and we were glad to see something different. Even the gift shop was fun and festive, and our tour guide greeted us with beads! Beads are just one thing thrown at the parades, another staple is moon pies. The gift shop had several varieties... did you know they even make a mint moon pie?

Back on the road we began to debate our route. Should we head up through Alabama or continue over into Florida. The rain storms of yesterday were still following us, but we hung to the coast through Pensacola. Around the beach town of Destin, the luckiest little fishing village in the world, we were going a bit stir crazy. We found a Pet-Smart and took J.D. for a bit of time out of the car. It was then we debated our options. Since it was already growing late, we sought out a local hotel and begged to let our poor pup stay with us.

The Old Pier Motel was a pleasant surprise! They rented us a full beach cottage for the night. It was very nice to have a full house to use and a king sized bed to collapse in for the evening. It also gave J.D. a chance to stretch out and relax while we went out to dinner. Carl insisted that we eat at a Hooters since we were in Florida. Dinner was great! Tonight was just what we needed to recharge after the depressing weather which has dampened most of our time along the coast. Hopefully the weather changes for us tomorrow.

Souvenirs

One thing Carl and I agree on is trying to stay away from the kitschy souvenirs... in fact, on this trip we have bought more for others than for ourselves.

Really, the only thing we tend to come back with from trips is our pictures, and sometimes local art. We met Ricco Rideaux, a local artist in New Orleans and really liked his stuff. Ricco told us that we could find him on facebook and he will ship to anywhere in the U.S.

All we could was his personal facebook page, but here it is: http://www.facebook.com/people/Ricco-Rideaux/1167019186

Day Twelve - Going Coastal

Despite the forecast of rain, we made our way into New Orleans today. Even for a Sunday morning the streets in the French Quarter were bustling with a mix of tourists, street artists and party-ers. We found some parking and hit the streets trying to get a feel for the area. Right away we ran into this silver robot:
And umm... this guy:

The area is beautiful, but also crowded and somewhat filthy. Still, we had a great time looking into shops, watching the life on the streets, and taking the occasional picture.













Of course, we could not leave the French Quarter without taking a stroll down Bourbon Street. Even at 11am the bars and restaurants were full of patrons having a good time.


We then made our way over to the Garden District. The area is much quieter and more residential. It is very reminiscent of other cities we have traveled through, such as Charleston. SC and even Huntsville, AL. with it's old beautiful homes, iron work and gardens.



Lafayette Cemetery is in the heart of the Garden district. It is the oldest public cemetery in the city. New Orleans is known for their cemeteries because of the large crypts. It was unusual and stunning.





Before leaving the city behind, we took some time to ride through the neighborhoods closes to Lake Pontchartrain. It is hard to believe that Katrina hit almost 5 years ago but there are still so many homes left abandoned or in various stages of repair. It made our journey into the city beautifully sad, to encounter so much life and yet so much pain within just a few short minutes of each other;To see the human spirit in all its stages in one brief morning.





We were amazed to see the number of apartment complexes and full neighborhood blocks now reduced to rubble. Entire shopping complexes, office buildings, and even this movie theater were left abandoned.




Leaving New Orleans, we decided to follow the coast. We drove down a small access road to the Irish Bayou. It appears this area was a small fishing village which was decimated by Katrina's blow. There are several people still trying to work out of the area, many of them living in campers and RV's while there homes are being reconstructed. There are several markers to what use to be at Irish Bayou. Several pilings still mark where piers once stood and bits of boats, boat houses and foundations can still be seen through the overgrowth.

Irish Bayou also has a castle... we're not sure what is up with that.


Moving along the gulf, we passed out of Louisiana and back into Mississippi. The rain we had been watching on the radar finally caught up with us, but not before we had the chance to run out on the beach and introduce JD to sand for the first time.




It was here again that we began to notice the number of open lots and pilings. A reminder that the entire gulf has felt the impact of hurricane season.

The rest of the evening was spend trying to stay ahead of the storm. We chose to camp at Davis Bayou which is part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. The clouds broke just long enough to throw dinner on the camp stove. Tonight? Chipotle glazed Spam (that's right, we eat it at least one time each trip) with a side of mac n' cheese and green beans. It was surprising good.

Chased into the truck due to the passing thunderstorms we had to call it an early night. Hopefully we find a break in the weather soon.