Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas ~ July 5-7, 2008

We left Missouri on Saturday morning and headed to Oklahoma. Our first stop was in Stillwater, OK ~ I have to say, it is beautiful country in northeast Oklahoma. I searched for a special restaurant to eat that evening and since our next stop would be in Choctaw, I found a German restaurant that looked promising ~ Old German Restaurant ~ and was really looking forward to a nice sit down dinner.

As luck would have it, the stop in Stillwater took longer than we thought. Okay, and I hadn't really eaten all day, so I was getting cranky and ugly. When I got a little short tempered with our pick up guy in Stillwater, because we had to wait on him, Chris just reached over and started up the truck and went around the corner to Sonic. Now, Sonic was not what I had in mind and I was disappointed, but so, ya know, I needed to eat. Even though it was just Sonic, I do have to say the food was good, service was great, and I got something substantial in my belly. (Chris was very thankful!)

We still had to go to Choctaw, and as luck would have it, we had to drive past the Old German Restaurant I had picked out. Their parking lot was packed! Out of curiosity, I did some research and found this blog post. Dang! We would have really enjoyed that!

We made it to Chris's mom's in Oklahoma City that evening and enjoyed a nice visit and catch up session. When we go to mom's we sleep on an air mattress in the living room. It's pretty comforatable for most of the night, but toward morning I decide I'm getting too old for things like air mattresses. LOL We got Sunday morning and had a good breakfast and visited a little more. We headed for Texas around noon and traffic was heavy even through southern Oklahoma. I guess all the holiday travelers from the 4th of July weekend were heading home.

We had several stops in Texas, the first was to drop off furniture in Frisco, TX. She was the nicest person! She helped us unload and then insisted we sit down and have a soda and some vegetable chips ~ I thought I had found something really healthy until I remembered that potato chips are 'vegetables', too. We then headed for Irving, TX to pick up a motorcycle. It's so nice when the people are there and waiting. After Irving, we headed to Cleburne, TX to drop off a motorcycle that we had picked up in Buffalo, NY. This was a young man who works in an oil field and has an F250 truck ~ he's going to ride the motorcycle back and forth to work to save fuel (that's getting to be a common thing these days, isn't it???). Then we headed to Alvarado, TX to pick up a truck cab, and then to Dallas to pick up a Vespa scooter. It was a pretty uneventful day in all.......which is kind of nice sometimes. haha

For some reason when you mapquest this, it doesn't seem like it should take long.....but it did. Traffic in and around Dallas is always heavy, but the Sunday night of a holiday weekend? Ugh.

We were starving by the time we stopped to eat that night. We found a great little place called El Paso Tex-Mex Cafe along Hwy. 75. Click here to read my blog post about that.

We kept driving late into the night. I ended up falling asleep for the last hour or so of the night's travels. I never sleep when Chris is driving, but my allergies were giving me fits and I had to take a Benadryl. I'm such a wuss when it comes to medicine! I really struggled to stay awake, but I had one of those times where, no matter how hard I tried, I just could NOT will my eyes to stay open.

We made it to Anadarko, OK and slept in the truck (did I say I was too old to sleep on an air mattress???) at a truck stop. Honestly, I can't tell you which one....whatever one is in Anadarko along Hwy. 69. LOL I must have been really, really exhausted; I'm usually very anal about this kind of thing.

When we woke up, we got started right away and drove to Rogers, Arkansas to deliver the motorcycle we picked up in Irving, TX. Turns out, it was a gift for a couple's teenage son (it was his birthday....they must love him!). He was upstairs playing Guitar Hero and never knew we were outside with his parents delivering his birthday gift.

Going to Arkansas we took I-40 into Ft. Smith, AR and then took Hwy. 540 up through the Ozark and Boston Mountains into Rogers. It is beautiful there! It's Missouri, only taller. LOL Arkansas and Missouri are really odd with their mountain areas. If you draw a line diagonally from the southwest corner to the northeast corner of both states, the top half of Missouri is flat and the bottom half is moutains and the top half of Arkansas is mountains and the bottom half is flat.

We left Arkansas along Hwy. 71 and went into Missouri. We had one stop in Battlefield, MO to drop off the truck cab and then on to home! We love to travel, but home is HOME (and where our bed is....the one with a pillow top mattress and box springs...), and we were so glad to be here.

Missouri to Rochester, New York June 2008

We left Missouri on June 23, 2008 headed to the Rochester, NY area. We left early enough and made good enough time to somewhat avoid traffic snarls in most major cities. We always take the 270 South (to Memphis) loop around St. Louis ~ this turns into the 255 Loop in Illinois and then allows you to get back on I-55, I-70 or I-64, depending on where you're heading. Traffic is usually a little tight when you first get on the loop, but after a few miles it thins out greatly, making travel a little less hectic. Just FYI, you can take the 270 North (to Chicago) loop, too, but traffic is always heavy that way for several miles as you're heading toward the airport, etc.

There was a little bit of flooding on the Mississippi along the loop, but not near as bad as it could have been. The levees breaking north of St. Louis has alleviated some of the flooding that would have otherwise left St. Louis in quite a mess. Not at all good for towns like Winfield, MO, but since that's the way it happened, it was actually a help for the St. Louis area.

We did notice a LOT of people pulled over by state troopers in Illinois as we went across. Caution to travelers, speed limits are lower, even on the interstates in Illinois ~ and if you're pulling a trailer, RV, 5th wheel, etc., they're even lower. Heed the signs as it looks like, at least on that day, that they are cracking down.

We also almost always take the 465 loop around Indianapolis ~ and once again, going south seems to be less traffic than going north. We got there around 3:30 or so with the time change at the Illinois/Indiana border. Traffic wasn't too bad, but this is another city where traffic seems to be heavy no matter when you go through.

Are they ever going to get done with construction on I-70 through Dayton, OH???? GEEZ! We've been going through there for years, and there is always ALWAYS 20 miles of road construction. Now that I mention it, Ohio seems to have road construction everywhere. If Dayton doesn't slow you down, the construction on the 271 loop around Cleveland surely will. Lord help you if you're heading south. Patience. Patience. Patience. (but, boy don't we love those express lanes on 271!!!)

We did stop to eat at Texas Roadhouse on Hilliard Road in Columbus, OH. We hadn't ever been to this Texas Roadhouse and the food and service were both good. Click here for more info.

We made it all the way to Erie, PA and slept in the truck at a TA truck stop. Okay, we usually like to stay at Flying J's, but there wasn't one in the area when we got ready to stop. I don't know, they just seem safer and cleaner for the most part.

We made it into the Rochester area on Tuesday and made our stops. Rochester traffic wasn't bad at all, even in the middle of the day and even heading right into downtown. One thing that probably wasn't as clear as it should of been for us 'out of towners' is how to get on and stay on the Inner Loop. We got on the Inner Loop and should have stayed left to get on it again ~ kinda sorta. Instead we took the exit for the Inner Loop and then stayed right and ended up on a side street and had to figure out how to get back on the loop. No big deal, just when you're not from places, sometimes the directions aren't as clear as they should be. C'mon Mapquest!

We truly do like upstate New York! If they could cut out their winters, it would be a great place to live. LOL It is beautiful country up there and it's pretty rural, but always with a bigger city nearby.

We made it back to the Buffalo area that afternoon and decided to get a room. Me, being ME, tried for a Motel 6 or a Super 8 ~ Chris, being CHRIS, decided to treat us to a special night. I know, isn't he sweet? We ended up staying at The Garden Palace Hotel in Williamsville, NY and got a king bed with a jacuzzi ~ ahhhh, that's what I'm talkin' 'bout! The cost was right at $145.00, which is way more than we normally spend for a room, but it was early enough that we could enjoy it. We ordered room service, which comes from Salvatore's Italian Garden ~ click here for more info.

We left the Buffalo area on Wednesday morning and headed home to Missouri. We did stop and eat at Macaroni Grill in Dublin, OH (right outside of Columbus). Next door was a Chipolte's Mexican Grill and people were lined up out the door and around the building ~ what was that all about??? Turns out all the Chipolte Mexican Grills ~ at least in that area ~ were giving away a free burrito. Not sure what the marketing goal was on that, but people were lined up to get them, so it must have been working. Click here for our review of Macaroni Grill.

We made it to Brazil, Indiana that night and again, slept in the truck. (good thing we have the truck set up to sleep in, huh? lol). I don't remember the truck stop, but I definitely prefer a Flying J.

We made it home Thursday afternoon and needless to say, we were exhausted! That's roughly 1885 miles, with stops, in three and a half days.

Missouri to Bloomsburg, PA ~ February 2008

I haven't even had a chance to get caught up on blogs from our last trip! I've got that on my 'to do' list ~ so, maybe one day. I've had to spend our time at home getting all caught up on paperwork. (is it actually paperwork if it's through a software program???) I got the new laptop and wanted to put our LoadLedger software on it and then do my accouting and paperwork on the road as we go, instead of having to come home and use a whole day on catching up on receipts and toll stops. Apparently, it takes some tweaking to get LoadLedger to work on Windows Vista. But, I got it figured out and working ~ so, I got to spend the whole weekend doing our paperwork from the beginning of the year to present. The good side of that is, when we got fuel earlier, I opened up LoadLedger and wah-lah, my paperwork is caught up! I also spent some time getting our bank reconciliations done, as I also had that on hold pending the new laptop. The moral to all of that is: I didn't have time to catch up on blogs; however, I will have more time to blog when I get home, since the paperwork will always be caught up. ;)

So, we left home this morning and drove to Osage Beach, MO to pick up a couple of dirt bikes going to Massachusetts. As we went through Camdenton and Lake Ozark, I couldn't help but think of how much nicer it is driving through there when it's 'off season'. Not that we don't love our tourists, but try driving a truck and trailer through Hwy. 54 between Memorial Day and Labor Day! Speaking of Lake O, my very good friend, J, emailed me from Iraq ~ he should be home about the time Party Cove is in full swing. Everybody should visit Party Cove at least once in their lifetime.

We made it across St. Louis today without any problems. Traffic was actully pretty light, for St. Louis ~ we were on the 270 loop north of the city, and I think traffic is generally a little lighter there than on the south side of the city, where all the interstates run through. We made it to Effingham, IL around 3:30 or 4:00 and stopped to get gas at Flying J, then to eat at Ponderosa ~ for my blog on Ponderosa, click here. If you would like to know what is healthier to eat while dining out, click for Part 1 of that blog here; and Part 2 of that blog here. I'm planning on getting fast food restaurants done in the next week or so ~ that's the plan anyway.

We had a little incident going across Indiana. If you read my blog, you know the truck has been acting up. (Oh, and speaking of that ~ we got fuel in a farming community with 50/50 fuel and the truck ran GREAT ~ so, I called and asked what 50/50 meant??? For there anyway, they mix No 1 and No 2 diesel because the farmers use it in there vehicles and farm equipment, and can't take the chance of getting gelled up on a cold morning. Once that tank of fuel was gone, the truck went back to running rough. So.....off road diesel makes the truck run better???? Okay, Powerstoke 6.0 gurus, what's up with that???) So, anyway, the truck cuts out and carries on and acts like it's going to die if the RPMs go down ~ and once the truck gets it 'coughed out' (cause that's what it feels like it's doing), it throws black/gray smoke everywhere, and once it gets through all that, it runs fine again. WELL, there was this vehicle tailgating us, and Chris is notorious for slowing down ridiculously slow, and turning the flashers on, until the vehicle figures it out and goes around us. So, he tapped the breaks ~ that didn't work; so he slowed down ~ that didn't work; so, he turned the flashers on ~ THAT didn't work ~~ turns out the guy didn't pass us because he was going to take the next exit. Chris figured this out, so went s-l-o-w-l-y down the exit, in front of this vehicle, till the last minute, and then he pulled us back out on the interstate..........just to mess with the guy for tailgating. Well, as luck would have it, there was a cop sitting there........and we got pulled over. This always aggravates me.....Chris thinks he's teaching the tailgator a lesson; I think it's US that got pulled over, therefore, it's US that ended up wasting 20 minutes with the cops. Tailgator guy was probably already at home with his shoes off sitting in his recliner. The cops asked us what we were doing; and why we were going 30 mph on the interstate.....and did we know that was illegal. We blamed it on the truck (since slowing down DID make it blow smoke and act up) and told them it kicked in at the last minute and we jumped back on the interstate. After checking our plates, license, tags, insurance, and registration, they told us there was a rest area a couple miles up and we should pull off there and check the truck ~ and have a nice night. Sometimes I hate testosterone! In Chris's defense of his tailgator rules, the cops were EVERYWHERE in Indiana that night, and had somebody pulled over every couple of miles ~ so, I think they were saturating the area and looking for any reason to pull vehicles over to do checks.

We decided to drive as much as possible tonight and get to the first stop, get a hotel, and get some rest. We like doing that sometimes ~ cuts down on lodging expenses and days out on the road. Tonight we drove until about 3:00 am when we stopped at a rest area, somewhere in Ohio. We were about half way between Columbus and Akron, and it was starting to snow ~ not much, but a little ~ at 3;00 am, when you've been on the road for 17 hours straight, any excuse to stop is a good excuse. We plannned on just sleeping for an hour or so, then hitting the road again, but we slept (off and on ~ after all, we were sleeping in the front seats of the truck), until about 6:00 am, and then took about an hour to check weather, get our bearings, etc. At around 7:00, we continued on and got to Bloomsburg, PA around 1:30 in the afternoon. We had a reservation at the Econo Lodge, and they let us go ahead and check in early. If you ever have reason to need a hotel in Bloomsburg, PA, stay at the Econo Lodge by Columbia Mall. This is the second time we've stayed here this month, and both experiences have been great.

This Econo Lodge is pretty classy for an Econo Lodge. The rooms are nice and comfortable....and clean. The hotel staff is great! Both times we've stayed here, we've ordered food delivery, and both times, the hotel staff has called our room to make sure it was alright for the delivery person to come to our room. I hadn't ever really thought about it before, but that is an excellent source of security. A couple weeks ago when we stayed here, we ordered from La Fontana and the food was great. This time, we ordered from Chinatown Restaurant. I couldn't find a menu in the phone book or online, so we just ordered our old standbys. Chris had combination fried rice and sweet and sour shrimp; I had orange chicken (by far, my favorite chinese meal). The food was hot and the delivery was fast, and the staff was very pleasant. One thing about Bloomsburg is that there seems to be an over abundance of restaurants offering delivery ~ a huge plus to a traveler! The only thing I would suggest is that the restaurants put a menu online ~ there were several restaurants we were interested in ordering from, but we couldn't find a menu anywhere.

With bellies full and being completely exhausted, we went to sleep around 8:00 pm. Nice trade off when you drive most of the night and only get a couple hours of sleep, then to get to the hotel in time to actually enjoy the leisure, order food brought to you, and get a good long night's sleep ~ can't beat that!

February 4, 2008 ~ New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts

We left Portsmouth, New Hamshire and drove to Portland, Maine. We had to meet a guy at the Maine Mall in Portland to pick up a parachute kinda thing ~ it looks like a go-cart with a propeller and a parachute. I'm not sure who would even WANT to fly something like this!

We met our guy around noon and loaded the 'thing' onto our trailer. Then, we had to rearrange it to strap it down right and everything. It wasn't too heavy, but it was heavier in the rearend (with the motor) than what I can help much with. A man pulled in beside us and asked Chris if he needed help, and with the two of them it took about 5 minutes to get it set on there right. After that, a mall security guy came over and asked if we needed help. On the way back to New Hampshire, the truck acted up again and was blowing black smoke out of the exhaust pipe ~ some man pulled up beside us on I-95 and told us we were smoking. Wow. I've decided that Maine people are very friendly and helpful.

We had to go to New Durham, NH to pick up a PT Cruiser. Then to Sutton, MA to pick up some auto seats and a transmission. By that time, it was evening and we had quite a load on the truck. When leaving Sutton, MA, this technically starts our trip back home ~ whew! We love to travel, but it's always nice to go back home, even if it is just for a few days.

As we were traveling across Massachusetts, it started snowing and just a little bit of freezing rain. We stopped in Westfield, MA to buy some more tarps and strap/secure the load a little more ~ we had to make several stops to keep re-checking to make sure the load wasn't exposed to the elements.

The further west we went, the more it was snowing and freezing rain. Me, being me, wanted to stop and get a room. I don't like to push the envelope with a load on the trailer. Chris, being Chris, wanted to keep driving ~ in looking at the forecast, we needed to get as far west as we could or risk getting shut down for a day due to weather. Since he was in control of the steering wheel, we kept driving. It was iffy a few times, but the temperatures stayed right around freezing and the roads didn't ice over, so we kept truckin'. We did stop a couple of times on the New York Thruway Service Plazas for coffee and little catnaps.

We really didn't eat all day. Chris ate the leftovers from Ruby Tuesdays and I snacked around on crackers and trail mix bars. I did get us each a low fat blueberry muffin from Dunkin' Donuts when I got us some coffee. I also grabbed a hamburger from one of the fast food places in one of the service areas ~ I don't guess two bites constitutes eating does it? Not much I can say in favor of a hamburger that I get out of a warming bin in the middle of the night. What was I thinking??

This morning we are heading through Buffalo and on our way to the Cleveland area. We should have a hotel room by mid/late afternoon ~ I think I'll take a nap!

February 3, 2008 ~ Bloomsburg, PA to Portsmouth, NH

We got up in Bloomsburg, PA and headed northeast. The truck is still running funny, but the weather is holding out. Guess you can't win them all.

Chris has figured out that if he keeps the RPMs up on the truck, it runs fine....it's just that's a little hard to do going down a grade in the mountains of northern Pennsylvania. We made it though.

Before we left the Econo Lodge in Bloomsburg, Chris went down and got some stuff from the continental breakfast ~ a couple of yogurts, a bagel, and an english muffin. We ate after we got in the truck and got started ~ but, we had a pretty good breakfast....lots of carbs to start the day.

We went up I-81 into Wilkes-Barre, PA (pronounced 'Berry' by the locals). There's a couple places in through there, that if you were west/south bound, you would be on the edge (I don't like edges), but from the east/north bound side, it's just really pretty countryside in through there.

Then we got on I-84 all the way into Middlebury, CT. We delivered a Kubota tractor in Middlebury, and then headed on to Portsmouth, NH. Traffic from Middlebury on up into Massachusetts was really heavy, especially for a Sunday afternoon. I guess everybody was out getting stocked up for the Superbowl.

We found the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, NH on our way (we have a book "Temporary Military Lodging Around the World" that we picked up at a PX/BX somewhere that has lodging for active duty, reserve, DoD civilian, retired military, etc. listed). We decided to make reservations for the night and settle in to watch the Superbowl ourselves. (click here to read my post on the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard).

We also decided to get something to eat, to take to our room with us. A quick internet search found a Ruby Tuesday's not too far out of the way. It's nice to call and order dinner and then just stop by and pick it up on your way. (click here to read my post on Ruby Tuesday's).

Once in the room, we ate and watched the Superbowl ~ who would have guessed the Giants would pull this upset?! Wow, I bet bloggers everywhere are going crazy! Oh, and I didn't really have a favorite commercial; although, I had a couple that I didn't like at all. Let's see, my opinion on the Superbowl commercials is probably a whole other blog......

February 2, 2008 ~ Columbus, Ohio to Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania

We got up and watched the news to see if Punxsutawney Phil would see his shadow ~ yep, he did; so 6 more weeks of winter. Ugh!

We left our Econo Lodge in Columbus, Ohio and headed for New England. Traffic wasn't too bad on any of the roads, so traveling was easy. I do have to say that traffic always seems a little heavy just north of Columbus on I-71. After a few miles, it thins out ~ I don't know if they need to add some lanes there or what the deal is, but I've been through there on a week day and it's crazy.

We headed up toward Akron and then hit I-76 over to I-80. We stopped at the little 'trucker mall' in Hubbard, Ohio. It's right across the street from the Flyin J and they've got a couple little restaurants, some gift shops, some game rooms, and an ATT/Cingular store. We walked around one of the gift shops and found a back and thigh massager for the truck seat on clearance for $15.00 (about half of what the regular price is). It plugs into the cigarette lighter in the truck and has a heat setting and massage settings for upper back, lower back, and thighs. Of course, I had to try it out immediately ~ yep, works and feels great!

We grabbed a light lunch at one of the little restaurants ~ I'm not sure what the name of it was. We both had soup and salad bar and it was actually pretty good. I stuck with a basalmic vinigrette salad dressing, just a sprinkle of cheese, and peaches, applesauce, and orange jello on the side. I also had about a half a cup of chicken and rice soup. Chris had the italian wedding soup with his salad and said it was really good. We enjoyed being able to walk around and do some shopping, take the time to sit and enjoy a nice, light lunch that didn't leave us wanting a nap.

Now, I have to say that we had good service and the food was good. However, I couldn't help overhear the conversation among a group of younger people and one young lady telling about her weekend partying and throwing up in a toilet. Not exactly what I want to hear while I'm eating. Imagine how I felt when this same young lady ended up being our cashier?! Very poor taste!

Sometime after that, the truck started cutting out a little bit. After stopping a few times and then adding some injector cleaner, it does fine as long as we keep the tow haul on and the gas pedal pushed just a little. When it does cut out, it acts like it's not getting fuel and blows black/gray smoke out the tailpipe ~ almost like it's coughing, then it'll kick in and run fine. Gonna have to get that seen about! Of course, I wanted to stop right then and there and find somewhere that would look at it. Not easy to find on a Saturday evening. But, I kept thinking we were going to get down the road a couple miles and it completely quit running out in the middle of nowhere, in 'the wilds' of Pennsylvania.

We kept moving though and it runs fine as long as we run it like it wants to be run ~ Chris says it must be a girl! HA

Sometime in the evening, Chris wanted me to find a hotel that had Pay Per View in the room so he could watch UFC 81. After several calls and a lot of searching the web, I found that I couldn't find one in that area that offered this amenity. A lot of hotels had in room movies, but it's more like a Blockbuster thing, with certain movies available that you could buy and watch. So, I'm putting that on my to-do list ~ what hotel chains offer in room Pay Per View?

We ended up staying at an Econo Lodge (yes, we have the Choice Hotels Rewards Program), in Bloomsburg, PA. With our military discount, we got the room for $69.?? (that's with tax). We thought that's kind of steep for an Econo Lodge, but in reality our room had a king size bed, full bathroom, refrigerator, coffee pot, blow dryer, TV with free HBO, couch, desk with leather chair ~ in other words, it was nice and we got what we paid for. I also have to say that the staff was very friendly and helpful.

We ordered supper from La Fontana (click here to see my post on La Fontana) and when the delivery guy arrived at the hotel, the front desk called to ask if it was okay to send him to our room. You don't expect that kind of courteous service and security at an Econo Lodge, so we were very impressed.

We got a good night's sleep and are headed out for further northeast ~ guess we'll listen to the Superbowl from the radio!

Febraury 1, 2008 ~ Missouri to Columbus, Ohio

This is a continuation of our original blog that can be found at http://chrischristi.wordpress.com/ If you haven't already read our posts there, feel free to take some time and check it out. We started a couple new blogs in conjunction with our website, hence the move. Same great content!

Well, we left Missouri yesterday and traveled about 600 miles to Columbus, Ohio. We wanted to leave on Thursday, but a big winter storm was expected and we wanted to get in behind it instead of getting caught IN it. They had predicted about 8" to 10" for most of Missouri, but we ended up with only about 3" to 4" ~ which is fine by us! As we get older, the snow just doesn't have the same appeal. When I was a teacher, snow was great! See, kids, teachers like snow days, too! Now, though, with the ability to set our own schedule and work from home, all snow does is cause a mess in the foyer when people come in and out.

The day was pretty uneventful while traveling. We did keep up with the weather and was pretty interested in the Snoqualmie Pass getting closed in Washington state. We had been through there earlier this summer and I asked WHAT people did when it snow in that area (seemed REALLY steep to me ~ course, I'm not a big fan of mountain passes anyway). People out there said they just fly up and down that pass and that everybody knows somebody with an airport type snow remover, so it makes quick work. The Washington Department of Transportation had to keep closing Snoqualmie Pass on I-90 due to heavy snow and avalanches. Click here for the news story.

Thank goodness we weren't anywhere near there! We are heading northeast, so you never know what you're going to encounter this time of year. Wasn't it just a few weeks ago that we were in Key West??

We stopped at Applebee's in Indianapolis, Indiana to eat supper. Click here for our review on that....and what to eat at Applebee's to stay healthy. For more healthy tips and reviews, see our I Love A Healthy Me blog.

Even though it took quite a while to get our meal, we drove on to Columbus, Ohio. We got to our hotel, an Econo Lodge on the north 270 loop, around 11:30. We did really well with our lodging ~ I went online to book the room at the Choice Hotels website, got the miltary discount rate, and ended up with a king bed, non smoking room for 34.00 (with tax it was 39.??). The room was clean and nice sized. Heater worked and shower worked ~ sometimes you can't ask for any more than that! It did have a refrigerator and TV, but no coffee pot. However, the office had coffee for the guests this morning.

We will continue heading east today. Even though Punxsutawney Phil predicted 6 more weeks of winter by seeing his shadow this morning, we've got a few more trips to New England this month. Could be interesting traveling....stay tuned!

Janaury 18, 2008 ~ Gretna, New Orleans, Louisiana

We left Eglin Air Force Base and headed for Gretna, Louisiana for a delivery. We had some stackable cabinets/shelves that went to a law office in Gretna.

We had to stop and get two trailer tires fixed and they got us right in to get it done. So, no real delay there. Traffic was okay for the most part......it can get pretty heavy on Fridays, but it wasn't too bad today.

When we went through Mobile, Alabama, we took the Battleship Parkway to see the USS Alabama. We really didn't have time to stop as the law office closed at 5:00 and we weren't sure what to expect for afternoon traffic in New Orleans. But, we put Mobile on our 'to do' list as we would really love to stop there and spend a day or two just touring the city.

It was a good thing that we didn't stop at the Battleship. Traffic was fine in New Orleans, right up until we took the 234C exit to Business Route 90. Wow.....lots of traffic all of a sudden! It was around 4:00 pm, so we weren't sure if it was just rush hour traffic, normal traffic for that area, or if this is an alternate route due to Hurricane Katrina's damage.

There is still so much damage in New Orleans from Hurricane Katrina. We saw hundreds of homes that were still storm damaged and/or abandoned. It made us wonder what kind of effect that Katrina was still having on the economy in New Orleans? How many residents left and just never returned? How many of those homes have owners that are still trying to get relief to help repair or rebuild; and how many have been abandoned completely? How long does the city of New Orleans have to wait before demolition crews tear down abandoned houses? Viewing this area firsthand, even 2 1/2 years after Katrina, is overwhelming to put it mildly. We would love to have spent a day or so just looking around and taking it all in.

We did get our cabinets delivered and then headed to find something to eat. We seen a Shoney's and decided to pull in there. They had room to park the truck and trailer.....and it gave us time to allow the 5:00 traffic to die down. Click here to read my post on Shoney's in Gretna, Louisiana.

One thing that I would like to note was that everybody we encountered in Gretna/New Orleans was very friendly. True southern hospitality at it's finest. This was one of the friendliest areas we've encountered. It's a brand new year, if you give to any cause this year, please consider giving to Hurricane Katrina victims ~ 2 1/2 years later, and we still have victims of this tragedy.

We headed out of New Orleans and on toward Dallas. We drove in heavy rain from New Orleans to Alexandria where we decided to get a room. I feel really spoiled on this trip ~ we've had a room nearly every night since we've been gone! Normally, we have a night or two in the truck, then a night in a room, then back to the truck. There's no way to make money out here if you spend it all on hotel rooms. This trip has been a little different though...we've had the two nights on the boat in Key West, and two nights at our friend's in Naples, and several military bases in the area we've been in. This has been a sort of mini vacation for us!

I've been working on our website from the laptop while Chris drives. Check it out and see what all we have to offer ~ just remember, it's in it's infancy!

Safe travels!

January 17, 2008 ~ Tallahassee, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida

We left Bushnell, Florida this morning and headed to Tallahassee. We had a stop on the eastern side of Tallahassee and I have to say that I didn't expect the hills and curves since Florida had proven to be so flat.

We picked up some bike frames and parts from a very nice gentleman. His driveway was a little difficult to get into with a trailer, but Chris loves a good challenge. Actually, he thought about just sitting out on the road, but wah-lah, a UPS driver needed through. The road itself was very narrow, so Chris had to go ahead and pull into the driveway as there wasn't room on the road for two vehicles to pass.

After getting loaded we headed west on I-10 and checked on a room at Eglin Air Force Base. It's about 20 miles from I-10, but for $37.50 for a Visiting Officer's Quarters, the 20 miles was worth it! Also, we like staying on military bases for the safety of us and our load. Everybody who is there is supposed to be there, so there's not a lot of worry about anybody messing with the truck and trailer.

We stopped to eat at JB's Chinese Buffet in Crestview, FL. It was pretty good. Click here to read my post on JB's.

On down south highway 85 to Eglin Air Force Base. We were a little confused as to which gate to use. We ended up going through the North Gate which was a good choice, as the Eglin Inn was just a mile or two from the gate. We had reservations, so we got checked in right away. We stayed in the Sand Dollar Suite at Tidewater Inn. It was very nice and comfortable. It's old barracks, that used to be two individual rooms connected with a common bathroom. Now, one room is the living room and kitched area; the other room is the bedroom and closet - still with the connecting bathroom. The room was nice sized and clean....coffee, coffee pot, microwave, humidifier.....and, my favorite, terry cloth robes. How thoughtful!

We watched some TV and got caught up on some computer work, including working on our website and paperwork, then headed to bed. We were tired, and since we had just crossed into the central time zone, our bodies were still on eastern time.

A good day all in all. Nothing spectacular, but life on the road sometimes needs some quiet and ordinary days.

Safe travels!

January 16, 2008 ~ Naples, Tampa, Florida

After having a nice breakfast with our friends in Naples, we headed out for the Tampa area. We had several stops in and around Tampa, including Bradenton, Sarasota, and Riverview.

To accommodate one pick up, we had to go into Bradenton and then backtrack to Sarasota. That was actually fine, because it gave us a chance to check our load and make sure it was all still riding secure. We stop and check this often to ensure that everything arrives safely.

It took us a lot longer on all of our stops around  Tampa than what we anticipated. Everybody here were nice, friendly people ~ lots of offers for something to drink, something to eat, use of bathroom.

Our last stop was in downtown Tampa, and then we headed north. We stopped at the Flying J at exit 285 on I-75 for fuel and something to eat. I have to say, this was one of the best looking buffets I've seen at a Flying J. We went ahead and ordered from the menu......buffets tend to make you eat more than you need. Chris had a chicken fried steak meal and I had a grilled chicken breast sandwich. Then, we shared a slice of apple pie with our coffee. Sweets are our nemesis! For some reason, we have such a hard time saying NO. Our food was hot and appealing......and tasted really good. We were impressed.

When we headed back out, it was raining pretty heavily. It was about 10:00 pm and we had a full day. We went up the road a little further and spotted a Rodeway Inn in Bushnell, FL. We decided to stop for the night, but Chris said no more than $60.00 for a room and that includes tax. I went in and checked and the room was $69.99 plus tax......so, I went back out and told Chris and he said 'nope' (there was a WalMart right across the street, and we have the bed set up in the back.....we just didn't have access to our blankets as they were protecting an item in the trailer). I went back in and told front desk lady and she asked if we had AAA or anything...I told her we had a military ID......long story short, we got the room for $68.00 (including tax). Not bad for Florida.

We got soaked taking our stuff from the truck to the room, but once in, we got comfortable and got some sleep.......and ready to head further north tomorrow.

I've been working on our website. I first had a domain with Microsoft Office Live, but discovered that I just didn't have much flexibility with it. I couldn't post my blog there or change page layouts the way I wanted to. So, after looking at several other web solutions, I settled on good ole Yahoo Small Business. Great price, great flexibility, and my blog can go there automatically. I just got it active today (January 17th), so feel free to check it out, but don't expect much until I have a chance to poke around a little and do some editing. Click here to check our website ~ and more on what all we offer later!

January 15, 2008 ~ Naples, Florida

We just kind of hung out today. We stayed at our friend's house in Naples and just had a peaceful, kind of catch up day. I had paperwork and internet work to catch up on; Chris had bids and shipments to catch up on. So, we got comfortable and got caught up on work. I have to say that it's an awesome way of life to be able to do all of your work from a laptop and an air card ~ even if it is from a friend's house in Naples, FL.

One thing that I did work on was our website and getting it up and running. Check it out here, but check back often (very often) as I'm just starting the design process and I'm sure I'll have several trials and misses before I'm satisfied with it. One thing that we are implementing on the website is how to be successful ~ at whatever you do. We've started and ran many businesses and been very successful. If you read this blog often, have you ever wondered how we make a living (and a pretty good one at that) from out here on the road? We're together all the time, we get to travel and enjoy life.....we hung out for two days in Key West and another two days in Naples, FL!! Would you like to know what it is we do and how we do it?? Check our website often as I'll be adding blogs about success and business on a regular basis. (bookmark it and check back often!)

Okay, so the highlight of our comfy day was going to our friend's restaurant for supper. Oh. My. God. The food was exceptional and the service even better! Click here to read my post about Bianca's Ristorante Italiano in Fort Myers, FL. Ask for Bill or Stacy and tell them Chris and Christi sent you via their blog.....they'll love that!

After that, with bellies so full we couldn't hardly move, we went back to their house to watch American Idol with Stacy and the kids. Opening night of Idol did not disappoint! LOL

This was a great, relaxing/comfy day......tomorrow it's back to driving.......but, we are hating having to leave Florida!

January 14, 2008 ~ Key West to Naples Florida

We got up this morning and said goodbye to the boat and to Key West. We hopped on the motorcycle and took off back to Big Pine Key and reality. It was a cloudy and somewhat cooler morning with high winds. This made the ride back a little rough.........but, hey, any day on the back of a Harley in Key West is a good day!

We got our truck and trailer and headed back to the mainland. Pick Up Guy wasn't home when we dropped his bike off, but he left a voicemail telling us goodbye and hoped we enjoyed the sunshine and Key West. Is there any way to ever thank somebody who does something so kind and generous for you? Especially a stranger that doesn't owe you a thing.

We went up the Florida Turnpike onto I-75 - Alligator Alley toward Naples. You can actually see alligators sunning along side the highway. There's a fence between you and the alligators to help prevent them getting on the road. This is the closest I've ever gotten to an alligator in the wild.

We made it to Naples around 5:00 pm. We have some friends in Naples and we went to their house to stay for a day or two. They are absolutely great people. They took us around Naples to look at some of the big, fancy homes there. They also took us to a place called Doc's Beach House to eat supper. Click here to view my post.

After eating, we drove around just a little more and then headed back to the house. Some other friends dropped by and we had coffee and pumpkin cheesecake and just sat and visited a little.

I'm excited about tomorrow night as we will be eating at our friend's restaurant, Bianca's Ristorante in Fort Myers. I'll be sure and post a blog on this one!

Key West, Florida ~ weekend of January 12 - 13, 2008

Key West, baby! Wow, how cool is that?! It's even more awesome when you happen across a deal like we did. I love stories like this....it just goes to show that there are still some really geunine, caring, giving, spirited people left out there in the world.

We had to pick up a bike at Big Pine Key, Florida. This is the large key just before Key West. We left Homestead, FL and headed south on US Hwy 1, the Overseas Highway. I had called pick up guy and let him know we were heading his way. He said just to come on down, and watch for mile marker 30....they measure everything by mile marker along the Keys.

I was in awe as we went through Key Largo, Islamorada, Marathon, etc. and all the channels. We went over Seven Mile Bridge, and was able to see the old railroad tracks that run along beside the bridge.

When we got to Big Pine Key, we went to our pick up guy's house. We mentioned we were hungry and he sent us a place called No Name Pub that's just around the corner from his house. Click here to read my post on No Name Pub. With our bellies full, we went back to his house and loaded up the bike and sidecar. He had several friends there, so there was lots of help. One friend asked if we were going on to Key West. We told him we were thinking real seriously about it. He said we probably didn't want to take the trailer down to Key West....parking is a premium. He offered to see if pick up guy would let us leave the trailer there and just take the truck down. Pick up guy was just a genuinely good person. Not only did he not care if we left the trailer at his house....he offered for us to leave the whole rig there and take his 2001 Road King.....AND, he just happened to have a boat docked that we could stay at. Is this for real?!

Nedless to say, we took him up on his offer. Who would pass up an offer like that?! A Harley to take to Key West, and a boat to stay on while there. Wow! When we got ready to leave, pick up guy and one of his friends got on their bikes, too, and escorted us to the boat where we unloaded our stuff. He showed us around, showed us how to work the lights, toilets, etc. Then we all jumped on the bikes and took off for the real action! Pick up guy took us around on highway A1A which runs right along the shore. We went by the bouy that is the southernmost point in the United States and around to Duval Street. He rode with us down Duval Street, pointed out where we could park the bike.......told us to have a good time, see ya tomorrow, but if not, I'll know you stayed another night; hell, stay as long as we wanted, and see ya later! That was it, we were on our own.

First thing we did was go to Mallory Square since it was almost sunset. We had perfect timing to see the sunset. That's the most awesome thing......you watch the sun sinking down, then all of a sudden, it's just gone. It's like it falls the last few feet and it's a faint orange glow way out there. When the sun goes down, the celebration begins. There were dog acts, cat acts, magic acts, one man bands.....you name it, it was there. Just people set up around the square, performing their acts, with a hat turned upside down to collect money. You have to wonder how much these people make in a given night of performing?

We walked along the pier down past Mallory Square. We walked about half way up Duval Street and then back down. We were just kind of wandering around; sightseeing and taking it all in. This was Saturday night, so there was lots of drinking and music and singing. It was also playoffs weekend, so most bars had the game on. We stopped in at one little bar and had virgin strawberry dacquaris and watched the game for a little bit.

We had supper at Red Fish Blue Fish. Click here to read my post. After that, we were pretty worn out and ready to go back to the boat. When we got back to the boat, it kind of sank in that we were staying on a boat in Key West, Florida!

Here's where I say that I've never slept on a boat before. The only boats I've been on are pretty much tourist type boats and bass boats. When we tried to operate the toilet, the incinerator kept burining and the bathroom started looking a little smoky. I got worried and called pick up guy, but got his voicemail. So, we unplugged the toilet and the smoke cleared out. Now, with that done, it did cross my mind that there was an incinerator (hence fire) that wasn't working right, on the boat. That might make you just a little uneasy. Combine that with the rocking and swaying of the boat, and I had a hard time getting to sleep. I did eventually get to sleep and slept good after that.....right up until the rooster crowed at 6:00 am. What is up with those chickens?

We got up and got rolling around. They pipe water from the mainland down to the Keys, which is about 120 miles the water has to travel. The natural water around the Keys smells like sulphur or rotting eggs. This is due to the release of sulphuric gases, which is a natural process in Florida Bay. I say this to say that I didn't feel or smell just showered fresh after my shower, and that I decided to wait till we got out and about for a cup of coffee.

Pick Up Guy returned my call from the night before and I told him that we were thinking of staying another night. Once again, he said to stay all week, he didn't care!

We went back along A1A to the bouy at the souternmost point in the United States - we needed pictures. To do this, take A1A south off of US Hwy 1 (Overseas Highway)....there's a stoplight there, so it's not hard to find. A1A runs right along the coast and has some breathtaking views. This is where you see people out riding bicycles, walking their dogs, power walking, picnicing, etc. After rounding a sharp corner to the right, go up and take a left on Atlantic Blvd. After a few blocks, take a left on South Street......the bouy is just down the road....you can't miss it.

We went on down to Duval Street and parked the bike. We had brunch at a place called Two Friends Patio Restaurant. Click here to read my post. We really enjoyed this place and felt like their prices were reasonable for Key West.

We spent most of the day walking around Duval Street. We went in and out of all the shops, just to see what they had to offer. We went down on the pier beyond Mallory Square and saw an enormous cruise ship, the Disney Magic, docked. This ship was just massive. There was a smaller cruise ship, the Costa Mediterranean, docked behind the Disney Magic....it looked small up next to the Disney ship. We sat on the pier and just watched the people and the boats. It was very relaxing. What a great way to relax on a Sunday afternoon.

We stopped in Willie T's for a virgin raspberry dacquari while we watched the end of the first game. We had been walking for several hours and needed to get off our feet for a little bit. They were excellent and hit the spot perfectly.

We walked on down Front Street to the Historic Seaport District and watched all of the boats coming and going in the marina. There were boats just coming back from fishing and they would clean the fish right there next to the dock. The restaurants along there will cook your fish for you, "you hook 'em, we cook 'em" is their slogan. We stopped and got a soda and a Red Bull at a little waterfront restaurant/bar. Chris also ordered oysters and shrimp......he said it was the best shrimp he had ever eaten. It's also notable that there is a little market down at the end of the historic seaport district. Dining out can get rather expensive, so if you're staying a day or two and have a way to prepare meals, it might be worth it to grab some supplies from the market.

We walked back over toward Duval Street and back to the pier......just kind of seeing what else we could see. We happened on a little store on the west end of Front Street, just kind of catty corner to Duval Street, where they had people standing at the doors yelling 'everything must go - everything is $5.00'. Well, can't miss out on a $5.00 sale! I got a Key West shirt, Key West sweats, and some flip flops.....Chris got a Key West shirt and a 2008 calendar.....we spent $26.00.

We went back to Two Friends Patio and Restaurant (click here for post), for supper and to watch the game. We sat in there and enjoyed coffee (and to rest our feet) for quite a while before heading back out for one last minute glimpse of Key West. We stopped in a couple more little shops, then back to the bike and back to the boat.

We went around A1A and stopped to walk along one of the piers........it was a nice quiet walk. It was there that we discovered the Key West Aids Memorial. We walked around that for a few minutes, but didn't find a plaque or anything that gave us any information about it.

Back at the boat, we relaxed for a couple hours, then tried to get some sleep. I thought I could fall right to sleep, after all that walking, despite the swaying of the boat.....but it didn't happen. I had a hard time falling asleep and so did Chris. We both tossed and turned most of the night.....and just when I would doze off, a confused rooster would crow that it was morning.....nope. You know how it is, you finally get to sleeping good about the time your alarm goes off.

We bought bottled water for coffee, so that was much better and a good way to start the day and head back to the mainland.

If you ever get the opportunity, go to Key West......which is actually part of the Caribbean and has tropical temperatures, beautiful turquoise waters, snorkeling, snuba diving, scuba diving, boat tours........what a way to spend a couple days in paradise!

January 11, 2008 ~ Florida

We left Orlando around noon and headed south to West Palm Beach. We got to West Palm Beach around 4:30 and dropped off the golden. She has been a sweetheart on this whole trip. What a good dog! She was no trouble at all - she just didn't like getting out of the truck.

We ate at an Applebee's there at Royal Palm Beach, FL and I have a blog about the restaurant under We're Hungry! We had a really good experience at this restaurant.

We left Royal Palm Beach heading for Homestead. Our directions said to take the Florida Turnpike, but Chris thought Florida Turnpike = money; I-95 = free! So, we took I-95 down through Port St. Lucie, Ft. Lauderdale, and Miami. Traffic was awful - and that was even late evening. I would rather have spent the 20.00 and not had the traffic to deal with.

I-95 ends in South Miami and turns into US Hwy 1 - the Overseas Highway.....and that takes you all the way to the Florida Keys. We stopped in Homestead and got a room at the Homestead Inn on Homestead Air Reserve Base. Chris is retired military and we've found that most military bases have nice rooms at reasonable rates. We got there late, so all that was left was the small rooms on the third floor; but, hey, can't beat $32.00 for a room in south Florida!

We got settled in the room and took care of mapquest directions, got caught up on emails, and got some rest.

Tomorrow is the Florida Keys! Can't wait to blog about that!

January 10, 2008 ~ Florida

We drove across I-10 and down I-75 in Florida today. We had to take some time to do some shopping ~ good ole Walmart. Temps are nice and weather is beautiful! I think I like Florida!

We had a bike to deliver in Sorrento, FL and we made it in there around 9:00 pm. The people were very happy to see us. That's the great thing about what we do, the people are always very happy to see us. This couple was genuinely nice and have a love for old Harleys. The had three in their garage and we added one when we got there. They intend to fix them up to resale, but I think they end up adopting them into the stable.

We drove on down to Orlando - traffic and weather were beautiful! I have to say that I got online and got a room at Rodeway Inn International on International Drive in Orlando for $50.00! Wow! We had to pay an extra $10.00 for the golden, but that was very visible on their website and also repeated to me when I called. So, no hidden costs there. This is $10.00 more than we paid for our unpleasant room and unpleasant experience in Crestview the night before.  Read more about that here.

We had a great room with all the amenities and can you believe right on International Boulevard? We were right across the street from Wet n Wild and the Lighthouse Lobster Feast. We took a stroll down the sidewalk and ate at a little place called Great Western Steaks and Buffet. It was a buffet and the food was good, especially considering it was 10:45 pm by the time we got there. The service was great and the people very friendly. I would recommend this for a reasonable, fast meal with friendly and adequate service.

We went back to the room and watched a little TV. Not a whole lot going on today. Some days are like that though. Just driving and navigating and catching a decent meal.

On the road again!
Christi

January 9, 2008 ~ Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida

We got up and left Louisiana this morning. We had a stop in Lafayette to drop off some antique cane beds. What a nice couple! And a beautiful old historic house. I've always wanted a house like that ~ beautiful 9' tall doors and windows, 16' ceilings, fireplaces in every room, grand staircases. We really enjoy meeting people and hearing their 'story'....everybody has a story!

We went on through Louisiana - took the I-12 across to get on I-10 again instead of taking the I-10 on down into New Orleans. Since Hurricane Katrina, you never know what the roads are like down there. When you're pulling a trailer, that's a good thing to know. We went across Mississippi, Alabama and into Florida. It had just gotten dark when we got to Mobile, AL and was very foggy. We made a note to drive along Battleship Boulevard and the visit the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park when we come back through Mobile. We could barely make out the battleship off in the distance, so when we come back through, we're shooting for daytime.

We also went past the turnoff to Dauphin Island in Alabama. This is where the father threw his four kids off the Dauphin Bridge the day before and the search and recovery effort is going on. Click here for that news story. Can you believe that? I can't even fathom what would cause somebody to do such a horrible act. It's like my brain is too small to wrap around that concept.

We made it across to Crestview, Florida, which is where we decided to get a room. I had done an internet search for lodging in Crestview. There was a listing for a Crestview Inn that was very reasonably priced, pet friendly, and had one very good review. Can't go wrong with that, right?

We stopped at the Hunan Restaurant right off of I-10 in Crestview and grabbed some chinese to take back to the room. I love orange chicken and I have to say they had some very good orange chicken. Good service, too. Meal was prepared to order, service was quick and friendly, food was hot and prepared quick. Not quite worthy of a 'STOP HERE', after all, this is what we expect from a restaurant.

Back to the Crestview Inn. We had a bad expericence here and now have my first post to 'STEER CLEAR'. (*see Steer Clear Post). Room was small, desk clerk cranky and rude, windows wouldn't open, A/C didn't work......just not a good experience. I won't blog it twice; you'll have to go to the Crestview Inn Post to read. I will say that since I read the good review on Yahoo, which was apparently somebody's experience with the Crestview Inn, I decided to do the public a service and post our experience on Yahoo.

I've also done some work on getting our business and blog website set up. I'll be posting this blog on there when it's all set up. So, stay tuned!

Later!
Christi

January 8, 2008 ~ Texas & Louisiana

We were up and going by about 9:00 am this morning. Our first stop was in Addison and they didn't open until 9:30, so we got to have some coffee in leisure. Even though sometimes I get tired of the road, I'm always thankful that I don't have to get up at 5:00 am every single work day anymore.

We picked up in Addison and then headed through Dallas. Our directions took us right through downtown Dallas, so we were a little bit worried about that. Dallas is not known for it's easy driving. But, at 10:00 am, traffic wasn't bad at all. So, there ya go; if you have to go through Dallas, do it mid morning.

On to Houston where we had two stops. One was a pick up just south of Houston, the other was a drop off in League City, TX. We encountered bad traffic at The Woodlands. For some reason, the lanes narrow to two or three in through there, and there's quite a bit of traffic. Once we got through the north end of Houston, traffic wasn't bad....especially for Houston at 5:00 pm. I guess, all in all, we either had impeccable timing or just got really lucky with traffic today.

We stopped at a Cheddar's to eat in League City, TX. The food was good, the service was good. Nothing outstanding though. We both ordered steak and grilled shrimp.....Chris gets his steak medium and I get mine medium-well. Mine came out more medium than his! For the medium-well to well done people out there....don't you hate that?? If you order well done, it comes out dry and with no flavor; if you order medium well it sometimes comes out way too rare. Do you send it back?? Well, I was just going to eat around the edges.....I knew there was no way I could eat the center. However, Chris had it sent back.....oh joy! Please Mr. Steak Cooker Man, don't spit on my steak! When they brought it back out, they had me cut into it to check it.......and it was good the second time around. The waitress was really good and kept drinks coming right on time. She brought us our check though without asking if we wanted dessert....which we thought we might (but decided against.......who needs dessert and have to go sit in the truck???). They were busy and she was very hurried, but very friendly and observant. All in all, a good place to eat, if you're ever in the League City, TX area.

We left League City and headed for Louisiana. Traffic was good at this point and we had a nice night of driving. The golden is still with us and she's a sweetheart. She doens't like to get out of the truck though...we have to find her a quiet spot to do her business, and then she wants right back in the truck.  We stopped for fuel in Beaumont, TX. I remember when we drove through there one night in a hurricane that blew up all of a sudden. Still lots of construction on I-10 through there.

Speaking of I-10, there is some REALLY rough places on the eastbound side in Louisiana. Especially between Lake Charles and Lafayette. They are doing construction, but, man it's bad right now.

We kept seeing signs for 'boudin'. What's boudin?? I had to look it up....it's a cajun sausage that we are going to have to try. Oh, and turducken. I wondered where that come from. LOL Louisiana, of course! Turducken is a turkey stuffed with a stuffed duck stuffed with a stuffed chicken and all cooked at once. May have to try that to. Anybody out there that's had this?

Seen lots of signs for Mardi Gras, so I had to look it up. Mardi Gras 2008 starts February 5, 2008. Of course, the bid celebration is in New Orleans, but apparently Lafayette, LA does some celebrating, too. Might be worth checking out!

We stayed at a Travel Center of America in Lafayette, LA. We pretty much stick with Flying J's, but there wasn't one close, so we went TA. Chris wanted to get a room, but it's me that's the one who hates to pay for a room and only be in it 7 hours or so. I would just as soon save the money and sleep in the truck. Ah, yes, the glamour of the road.....gotta be a road warrior sometimes; otherwise, you don't make any money and you're just wasting your time. Sometimes we do a night or two in the truck, then get a hotel room........sometimes it's a night in the truck then a night in a hotel then a night back in the truck. Nothing like having to potty at 3:00 am and waking up to remember you're in the parking lot of a truck stop.

From the road!
Christi

January 7, 2008 ~ Oklahoma & Texas

We woke up way too late this morning. We had planned on sleeping in a little and didn't set the alarm...we must have been really, really tired! Chris's mom bought us a full size (aka: real) coffee pot....yippee! She had a little one that made two cups at a time, but by cups, it meant teacups...a full pot didn't make two full cups of coffee for me and Chris. For a while, she had those little Folger's singles that you microwave........not bad in a pinch, but we have been there a lot lately so we wanted COFFEE. I made the comment that I was going to bring a coffee pot to leave at her house, but she insisted on getting one herself. The moral of that story is that we got some sleep AND we got some coffee. The day is looking pretty good.

We decided to visit a little before getting on the road, midafternoonish. Chris's aunt wanted to stop by and say hi before we left. She showed up with a huge bag of Carl's Jr. burgers, which we weren't expecting. We all dug in and had a bite to eat and got to visit with her for a little bit.

After that, it was hit the road. We headed out of the city, south to Texas. Oklahoma has some very pretty country along I-35. This is the area around the Arbuckle Mountains, so there are lots of things to do and see. One place that we keep wanting to stop at is Turner Falls, there around Davis, OK. Has anybody been there? We would love to know more about it. One day we will stop and see what it's all about.

We got to Flower Mound, TX around 7:30, which is great time to be anywhere around Dallas/Ft. Worth because the traffic is really something else! We had the stop in Flower Mound to pick up a beautiful golden retriever that's going to Florida. She is quite a character! She's very friendly and hardly makes a sound. She's all about attention, too! We stayed at a Motel 6 in Addison, TX (had a pick up there in the morning). FYI: Motel 6 is pet friendly. When I would get off the bed to do something, she would curl up next to Chris ~in my spot~ and try to get in between us. LOL She would eventually 'allow' me to lay back down beside Chris. We ate at Denny's again. We're really not huge fans of Denny's or anything, and that would have been our last choice for food since we just ate there the night before. But, the Denny's was in the parking lot of the Motel 6....talk about convenience! The golden has a very good 'pouty' face, so she scored from fries from me....I'm such a sucker!

We watched the BCS championship game. The people we picked the golden up from all had on Ohio State jerseys...sorry guys, LSU pulled it off.

Apparently, our home state of Missouri was really getting hammered during the evening with thunderstorms and tornados! We were in Phoenix, AZ about a month ago when the ice storm hit home, so we missed that, too. One of our local television stations KY3 has some really good coverage of the storm damage. Winter thunderstorms and tornados are rare, but they do happen. We have had a couple days of extremely nice temps....and we are part of Tornado Alley.

Not much excitement for the day. Sometimes that's a good thing. No excitement = no drama :) Maybe we'll actually stop and see something or eat somewhere today and have something to talk about.

Until next time,
Christi