Monday, May 14
Today was nothing more than a travel day, with the primary object being to cover as many miles as possible before sundown…even set the alarm to get up early, something we haven’t done in a long time.
We got the car packed and had a brief breakfast at the motel; Barbara took the car to get it gassed up while I did a final check of the room, and then we were off, leaving Lavonia, Georgia at 7:00 am.
Our travels today took us down I-85 to Atlanta, where we hooked up with I-20 for the long trip west. All we can say about Atlanta is that there isn’t a job that pays well enough for us to live there. The traffic was beyond horrendous; it took us an hour just to get through the downtown area. We had planned to take the bypass highway, but it was bumper-to-bumper moving at 5 miles per hour because of accidents along the way. Besides, we ended up being in the wrong lane and couldn’t get out of it, so we couldn’t make the exit even if we had to.
As we left the city heading west on I-20, we noticed the traffic coming in from that direction. Again, it was about 15 miles of 3 – 4 lanes of traffic moving at a snail’s pace…not a way that I would want to start my work day.
Once out of the city the traffic moved very well and we were soon up to highway speed driving across the western part of the state toward Alabama, where we made our first “necessary” stop of the morning. Barbara took over the driving chores while I took a nap, getting us to Tuscaloosa where we had to refuel.
Lunch was somewhere along the way…just a quick stop to grab some fast food and then get back in the car and drive, drive, drive across Alabama and into Mississippi…finally stopped for the day in Vicksburg where we found a good motel (and yes, I asked all three questions about the internet service before checking in) with a great view of the Mississippi River just yards away.
We’ve been through Vicksburg before…even spent an afternoon looking at a section of the battlegrounds. It is definitely a place I want to return to and spend some quality time…such beauty and rich history!
We drove around a little bit and then called it a day…had to get ready for another long drive tomorrow.
Tuesday, May 15
Up early again and ready to get rolling. Had a good meal in the motel breakfast room, finished loading the car, made a final check of our email, and headed out across the Mississippi River and into Louisiana.
I
Our goal for the day was to make it to Dallas in time to have dinner with Heather, Andy, Alexander, and Abby, so it was another “drive as fast as you can with minimal interruptions” day.
As I was driving, Barbara decided to have some fun with the camera. At this point I turn over the keyboard to her for her “observations” of the morning’s trip.
Barbara: Do you want to become and expert traveler? Do you wonder what you could do as you watch the miles roll by? Try purchasing this handy dandy Little Wanderers Guide to Traveling for only…well…the cost has not been determined yet; but whatever it is, you will be glad you spent it! Don’t know when it will be published or where, there are still a few details to be ironed out…until then…let’s take a sneak preview at part of the photography section…
Photography
Visions of structures and waterways always add a sense of awe, especially
if one comes from the southwest. However, this activity can become rather boring after a while; so to liven things up by blinding the driven with the photo flash just as an 18 wheeler passes!On the other hand, maybe that idea isn’t the greatest since the driver may have a few choice words to offer you that cannot be repeated here. Besides…there is no challenge in such an easy
shot…Go for the out the sun roof scenery look…This one adds a real opportunity to hone your balancing skills, especially if the highway is a little bumpy!
The truly easy shot is a view of the sky from the sun roof. It
doesn’t work so well if you try to lean out the window to capture this view, plus, it’s a tad dangerous.Will close with just a few of the more difficult and yet fun ones…
Put the camera on the dash and try finding yourself…It’s really good for a laugh or two.Last, but certainly not least, is the side view mirror
experience…A must see guide…get yours today! Just call BR-549…
Jim: We discovered along the way that poor roads and worse signage are not limited to the southern route (I-10) through Louisiana. I-20 has more than its share of bad pavement and places to get lost. We found the latter when we finally got to the Shreveport area.
We were in the wrong lane to make the exit to I-220 to get around the city (I-20 through Shreveport and Bossier City has always been a nightmare drive). Not to worry, the simple fix would be to take the next exit, get on the other side of the highway and return to the exit we wanted. The simple fix might work in other places, but not along this highway. We took the next exit, made the left turn onto the eastbound access road, and drove, and drove, and drove, finding no entry to the interstate. In fact, all we found was a dead end where the pavement ended and dirt began…sure was glad we weren’t in Big V and pulling a trailer! (There were others following us, too; so we weren’t the only fools!)
We made a U-turn in the dirt (found lots of other tire tracks there, so we obviously weren’t the first, nor the last, to take this uncharted path) and returned to the highway exit area where we found a sign that directed us on a five mile detour to get us back to the interstate headed toward I-220.
Deciding that we needed a short break for lunch after that fun adventure, we turned onto one of the main streets, found a Sonic, and ordered up a meal for the road.
Back on the street we followed the sign that pointed to the interstate, but found that the road actually took us away from where we wanted to be. After another U-turn we finally got back to the correct spot to enter I-220 and were on our way again. Our “shortcut” around the cities had only taken us an extra hour. I sure hope I can learn to save money better than I can save time!
Once back on I-20 we continued our westward heading into Texas. Our original plan was to stop in Lindale and visit with my aunt who lives a few miles north of there in Mineola, but we had lost the hour we planned to spend with her, so we called and said that we’d just have to try it another time.
After a quick stop at an outlet mall in Terrell to pick up some new clothes and a couple of toys for Alexander and Abby (grandparents’ prerogative), we drove on in to Dallas and located the Spaghetti Warehouse, the restaurant that the kids had decided on for our meeting place. We were a little early (and they were caught up in the 5 o’clock traffic), so we walked around and stretched our legs after the long drive.
Once the kids arrived, we had a wonderful time together getting caught up on each other’s news and generally enjoying the grandkids. Alexander is a great talker…very lively and animated, and Abby is just entering the walking stage. Our time together was way too short, but it was such fun…being able to visit with kids and grandkids has been one of the greatest blessings of retirement!
Barbara: As all little ones do, Alexander got a little restless while the adults were visiting so I took him outside where he could run around and I could hold a photo op session with him.
First, we found the trees where he could expend some energy running around and looking at the
bugs crawling on said trees.
Next it was back to the window area of the restaurant where he and Abby could play peek-a-boo! 
Once everyone was outside, we spent a few more minutes taking those all important family shots and Jim enjoyed a short stroll with Abby and Heather. With one more click of the button for a Dondis family photo, I was willing to put away the camera before everyone was ready to take it away from me!Jim: Too soon it was time to go…the kids had to
get back home to Carrollton and do the million and one things it takes to get everyone ready for school the next day, and we had to head out to Alvarado, our designated stopping point for the night…a little off the regular path, but we were going to get to see Barbara’s sister, Nancy, the next morning, and this little town would be just ten miles away from her.Once again, we found that nothing comes easy in traveling. At Alvarado we found that the motel we wanted was full, so we wandered around until we got back onto I-35 and headed north to find the “motel row” that must be there. Well, it wasn’t, and to add to our problems, there was a lot of highway construction along the way, with exits closed and access to motels and restaurants severely limited.
We finally (after missing the one exit we needed that was open) found our way into Burleson, where we stopped to fill up a very thirsty gas tank. Not finding any motels in the area, Barbara suggested that we just call the Best Western in Cleburne (where we wanted to be the next morning to meet Nancy) and see if they had a room.
If ever there was proof that God takes care of fools, we found it here. The clerk at the motel told me she had one room…a guest had just cancelled her reservation and the room was now available. We jumped all over that and took the room, promising to be there just as quickly as we could make the short drive from Burleson to Cleburne.
Finally, we got in place, unpacked the car, and got set up for the night…travel weary, but oh so happy to have a clean, comfortable place to stay. Barbara washed a couple of loads of clothes and we checked our email, and then called it a night.
Wednesday, May 16
Up and at ‘em again, but this morning we took an hour or so to meet Nancy for breakfast at a local restaurant. She was able to swap her lunch break for some time off during the morning so she could visit with us. Tom had to be at work, so we missed him this trip.
After about an hour of eating and visiting, we followed Nancy on a shortcut out of town where she turned one direction to go back to work and we headed back toward I-20 and the long road toward home.
There isn’t much else to say about the day…just lots of miles to cover, but the highway was great and we were able to drive at maximum speed across the interstate with only a couple of short “comfort” stops before we left the interstate system and headed north at Big Spring.
We made a short stop in Hobbs to drop off the boxes that we had carried back for Karen, had a stretch break, filled the tank with gas, and headed out on the final 90 miles of the journey to Artesia.
5:30 pm – Finally, back home again in old Artesia (is there a song in there somewhere?). We drove to Mother’s house to check in with her and let her know we were back in place, and then came out to Jean’s place and Big V. It took about an hour to get everything unloaded, unpacked, and put away, but we were home and looking forward to spending the night in our own bed.
We’d been on the road for 14 days and had traveled 4,215 miles through 16 states and were more than ready to be in our own home, even if for only a couple of days.
Jean called and invited us over to supper at her house, so we went over for a bit and got caught up on each other’s adventures since we had all left Durham, and then it was time to call it a night.
Thursday, May 17
Today was just preparation for more travel…got caught up on mail that had arrived while we were gone, got the Vibe serviced and the tires balanced…bought some groceries and aired up tires on Big V and the big trailer.
Tonight…work on the journal and the blog page and make preparations to leave tomorrow to go to Liberal for graduation.
Home again, but not for long,
Jim & Barbara
“Home is wherever we are”…Our motto
There isn’t much else to say about the day…just lots of miles to cover, but the highway was great and we were able to drive at maximum speed across the interstate with only a couple of short “comfort” stops before we left the interstate system and headed north at Big Spring.
We made a short stop in Hobbs to drop off the boxes that we had carried back for Karen, had a stretch break, filled the tank with gas, and headed out on the final 90 miles of the journey to Artesia.
5:30 pm – Finally, back home again in old Artesia (is there a song in there somewhere?). We drove to Mother’s house to check in with her and let her know we were back in place, and then came out to Jean’s place and Big V. It took about an hour to get everything unloaded, unpacked, and put away, but we were home and looking forward to spending the night in our own bed.
We’d been on the road for 14 days and had traveled 4,215 miles through 16 states and were more than ready to be in our own home, even if for only a couple of days.
Jean called and invited us over to supper at her house, so we went over for a bit and got caught up on each other’s adventures since we had all left Durham, and then it was time to call it a night.
Thursday, May 17
Today was just preparation for more travel…got caught up on mail that had arrived while we were gone, got the Vibe serviced and the tires balanced…bought some groceries and aired up tires on Big V and the big trailer.
Tonight…work on the journal and the blog page and make preparations to leave tomorrow to go to Liberal for graduation.
Home again, but not for long,
Jim & Barbara
“Home is wherever we are”…Our motto
