End of Beginnings

I’ve now been to Mississippi and Alabama, but it was in the dark, so I’m not really sure what they look like.  The interstate did have some cool bridges and go along the Gulf of Mexico for quite a stretch there.   

When we checked into the motel in Florida, the front desk clerk saw our credit card and asked if we were from the west.  His girlfriend (or former girlfriend) was from the area and hated that bank.  Oh well.   

We got to the Tampa area around the end of rush hour.  Lots of fun in a big truck.  But we made it and the new ward was here to help us unload, so we actually got to sleep on our own bed that evening.

Moving to NC and Beginnings Continued

So, we just found out that we will be moving to NC sometime in April.  In preparation for the Florida to NC drive, here is the next section of the first journey out to Florida.

New Mexico was voted the worst roads in the nation on this trip.  Not that we’ve driven the entire nation, but their roads were really bad.  They had a lot of potholes they hadn’t filled in.  However, the potholes they had filled in were even worse.  They just dumped a pile of lumpy asphalt in the hole and left it.  It looked like a mound of black grits or something.  The interstate was much better once we reached it.

Oklahoma was a nice state.  The people and roads were good.  Texas was also lovely.  It took a bit getting used to their freeway entrances, but it’s a good place.

Louisiana is a different state.  It is very different from what we are used to in many ways.  For one thing, the speed limit there is 70 mph.  Don’t get confused by the signs.  Sometimes they say 70.  Other times they say 65, 60 or even 55.  This does not change the fact that everyone goes 70.  In 70 mph zones they don’t speed.  But, they don’t slow down any for the other zones, either.

This was also the first time I can remember seeing a bayou.  No wonder Kermit was able to survive the big city.  Those bayous are definitely on the creepy side.  It was also interesting to be on a bridge driving over land.  Based on watermarks on the pillars holding the road up, I assume that it is not always land that is visible.  When the land is visible, it is probably not usually dry enough to drive over anyway.

Baton Rouge was the first major city we hit at rush hour.  Somebody else hit it that rush hour, too.  Traffic was at a crawl.  There had been an accident.  And quite the interesting accident.  The front car had it’s hood munched up a bit.  The rear car had its front left corner munched down into the ground and the rest of it was sticking into the air at about a 45 degree angle.  I’m not sure how they got like that.  Maybe other cars were involved and they had already been hauled off.

Another interesting thing about Texas/Louisiana is the gambling.  Louisiana has casinos.  The casinos like to advertise in Texas near the border.  However, at the bottom of all the billboards is information on who to contact to get help with your gambling problem.