After the World of Coke, we took a flight from Atlanta to Tucson.

We sat in the Atlanta airport for a few hours. We ate at our favorite restaurant in Concourse B, Café Intermezzo. We split the  Crap Cakes. Roy had the Jambalaya and I had one of the many Cheesecakes.  We recommend the Jambalaya and the Cheesecake (which is HUGE) . The Crab Cakes were not the best or worth the cost. We will continue to eat here as it is our favorite hideout in the Atlanta airport.  Took the tram to another concourse to wait for our flight out.

As we were lining up to get on the plane there was this woman who cut in front of Roy to get on the plane ahead of us. I stopped and waited for Roy, then she had to wait for her husband. They got on after us and ended up sitting next to us.  this couple was in shorts and it was 20 degrees in Atlanta that day. I don’t think they left the Airport.  Once we got to Tucson they were on the same shuttle to the hotel and they had no luggage and they got in their car, which they parked at the hotel, and left. They did not check into the hotel. Really an odd couple/situation.

Ok now that I have told you about the odd couple, I want to vent about the customer service at the Avis rent a car that night. We had reserved a car for the next morning at 7 am but I had to be at the dentist at 9. We tried to get the car when we landed and they told us if we picked it up early it would cost us a whole days worth. No one was willing to work with us. They were going to charge us $68.00 for the night, which we know it would have just sat in the parking lot at the hotel. We decided not to get the car till the morning. The hotel, Hampton Inn,  had free shuttle to the airport and the drivers were really nice and helpful. I really liked this hotel. I would stay there again.

We had a nice visit with family and friends in Tucson. I got my teeth worked on and we got the Suburban and trailer back and we were back on the road again to home.

Early Sunday morning we were off and it was so nice to be out of Arizona in just a few hours. We hit Lordsburg before lunchtime, so no Chili Stew. We made it all the way through New Mexico by the afternoon. Past the cow farms which were really smelly, especially since it was warm out.  On to Texas, we went from I-10 to I-20 and headed towards Pecos. We talked about stopping in Pecos but decided to keep going as we were both feeling really good and awake. We drove past many many oil rigs. There is lots of oil being drilled in Texas. It is great to see America making it’s own oil. There is no shortage and the cost should not be going up. Just my opinion. Gas was most expensive in Texas. We kept driving till Roy couldn’t anymore. We pulled off at the rest area at exit 193 but didn’t find a spot to park the trailer, so we ended up driving through. the next exit was 192 and when we pulled off there was a nice area next tot he road and we pulled off there and climbed in the trailer and tried to sleep.  It took me awhile to relax to be able to sleep. I told myself something my mom used to say to me “Do something you are afraid of everyday”. I was afraid sleeping right there off the highway at an exit.  http://roadnow.com/i20/Texas-Exit-192-Eastbound-Services.html  You will get the full view of this in satellite  view and go to the left of the house and right there is a patch of dirt, right off the exit and that is where we stopped and slept.  I need to let you all know it was cold, very cold.

We got up the next morning and headed towards Fort Worth. It was still cold but I curled up under all my blankets in the passenger seat and wrapped my coat firmly around me. Who would have known this day would turn out as it did. It started out well, we got to Fort Worth early and met with Roy’s friend and his wife. We went to lunch at Chili’s and it was good. I had the potato soup. The guys did most the talking. Catching up on all the people they both knew and where they all were. If you knew Roy at some point in his life he knows where you are now. So after lunch we went to Academy Sports looking for some warm boots for me to wear so my toes didn’t get too cold. We found two pair of boots for me. Yes, I am spoiled. I put my new boots on the minute we got back to the Suburban, which besides not having any heat was running well.

We hit a rough patch of rough road and the Suburban started shimming. And it shimmied for quite awhile as we were going Roy even commented that Texas had the worst roads in all of America. I started watching all the other cars, they were not having this issue. I kept my mouth shut till we got near a town I thought we could find a mechanic in. Tyler, Texas. I see the sign, so I ask Roy “could it be us?” He said it could be then the Suburban let out this sigh and sounded like the tire went flat. We get out and all tires are ok, so we get back on the road and ask Garmin for the closest Discount Tire, because we (Roy) had the tires rotated and checked before we left Tucson. So we are heading down this back road of Tyler, TX. I’m looking for Miranda Lamberts house. Figuring it would be some where remote like this. Who knows if we saw it. We get ont he main road and we are cruising at a high rate of speed of 35 and BOOM the left rear tire blows. We manage to pull over  at the Good Year tire store (which is closed) Roy starts changing the tire and I call the discount tire and tell them we are on our way, so they wouldn’t close till we got there. They weren’t closing till 6 so we had an hour to spare. We get there and 4 new tires later..(We bought the latest and greatest tires going) We are back on the road. We couldn’t decide what we wanted for dinner so we had candy. He had a coffee with his and I had a diet coke. I will say there was not much eating happening on this trip.

Filled up with gas at some really scary gas station and headed towards Louisiana. Maybe we would stay at Barksdale for the night. We finally find I-20 out of Tyler, TX. We drive to Shreveport and see the sights there by the river.  All the casino hotels  lit up at night. We stop for gas and a pee break and more soda & coffee. Now we are heading to Baton Rouge for the night, who knows how long that will take. Google says it is about 4 hours. I-49 South in the dark of the night. Not much to see. We hit the outskirts of Baton Rouge looking for a rest stop to park at for the night. Louisiana is not big on rest stops, so we go to a Pilot for gas and plan on sleeping there with the truckers. We end up sleeping in the Bass Pro Shop parking lot.  Once again off the highway, so semis were going by all night. I slept better here. Or maybe I should say I fell asleep faster here. Not so worried about a truck rear ending us and the trailer bursting into flames. (Wild imagination)

We woke before the alarm went off at 5 and got dressed. It was really cold again. We didn’t run the heat because the battery was low and we needed it for the refrigerator.  I am sure it was probably cold enough so the food wouldn’t spoil. Hell I was frozen. Back in the Suburban for the last leg of the journey.  Today we were going to pick up our puppy. The plus in the whole trip. It was going to be a short trip compared to what we had been through the last couple of days.

We got to Mississippi at 8 am on January 20, and Alabama by 10. Actually both were right on the hour. Kind of strange if I do say so. We stopped once for gas in Alabama and our usual Coffee and Diet Coke. Living on caffeine and the desire to be home.

Alabama has a really cool tunnel starting in Mobile. It’s called the George Wallace tunnel. As you are coming up on the tunnel downtown Mobile is right in front of you and it has these two awesome looking skyscrapers that are almost identical. Then you drive into the tunnel and come out on Blakeley Island and you can see the battleships on the right. You drive for quite awhile over the water and the seabirds are all around. This is really a lovely part of the drive. I am such a water girl that being near water always makes me happy. At one point you couldn’t tell where the water ended and the sky began.

I was pretty tired at this point and I kept nodding off. The caffeine wasn’t working anymore, plus when I did drink I would then have to pee and finding a rest stop was becoming harder. We drove through the panhandle of Florida, close to Tallahassee and got on US-90 to Bainbridge, GA. We went by the  Chattahoochee River. I can just see Alan Jackson water skiing. LOL This part of Florida/Georgia is really pretty and lush green. Once we crossed into Georgia we both felt a sense of calm. We knew this journey was almost over. We went through Bainbridge and on to Cairo to pick up our new baby.

we met at the Hardee’s which seems fitting since we love Hardee’s and we had to wait. I was so anxious because I had not even seen a picture of what she was going to look like. I knew what her brother looked like but we didn’t know anything about her. She looked more pit bully then I expected. I held her in my arms all the way home which took us another two and half three hours.

We finally got home around 6 PM and then we crashed and thankfully so did the puppy, whose name is Scarlett.

We have been so many places I want to share with you like Jekyl Island, Myrtle Beach and all the places in between but those will be down the road…

Happy Travels until next time

Be Safe!

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