January 13, 2010
Phoenix, AZ
We completed our latest cross-country trek without too much trouble (other than the temperatures), and have quickly settled into our "home" routine.
When we left Florida, it was still below freezing. Even though the park left most water spigots dripping all night, several were frozen up each morning. I had to run a longer hose to another site to get water for the pre-departure tank flush.
At least the temperatures gradually increased each day, and the weather stayed nice. We didn't even need the furnace in the morning as we got closer to AZ.
Day One of the run was supposed to be the short day, leaving Panama City Beach mid-morning, following US-98 to Pensacola, and then jumping to I-10 into Alabama and Mississippi. We planned to overnight at the last rest area in Mississippi but decided to press on since it was still early. We ended up at a rest area in the middle of Louisiana that was large, quiet, and secure. Not bad for being smack dab in the middle of the Atchafalaya Swamp. Their signage is a bit lacking, and we ended up in the truck parking area. The security guy was quick to show up; we thought that he might be ready to chase us out, but he only wanted us to move over to the RV lot. Fine by me. After a fine dinner of Mexican Sheppard's Pie that Geri had pre-made, we had a good night's sleep.
We had some clouds and sprinkles on Day Two, but nothing to slow us down (we already drive slowly at 58-59 MPH!). We finished up with Louisiana, and I really have to comment on the roads. We, like many others, have routinely been critical of the Interstates in the state, considering I-10 to be the worst in the country. Well, we didn't take I-10 all the way (using the I-12 bypass of New Orleans), but there was very little to complain about other than a couple of short stretches around Lafayette and Baton Rouge. No more complaints from me!
Our target for Day Two was just short of San Antonio. Texas is such a long state (880 miles on I-10) that it's not feasible to cross it in one day. We weren't too happy with the Flying J we stopped at, with tight parking and some shady characters hanging out in the parking area, but we survived. We were impressed at the number of birds nesting in the trees and "hanging out" on the wires - thousands of them all evening long. Oh, well, the car and coach will both need a bath anyway. We had an "experimental dinner": a frozen Lo Mein that was actually pretty good (not as good as we make from scratch, but definitely good enough for a "travel day". Now, if only we could remember the brand...
We finished crossing Texas on Day Three, ending up at the Flying J at Exit Zero in Anthony, just past El Paso. We were pretty much right on schedule, running into a bit of close-quarter evening rush hour traffic through El Paso but nothing too bad. Since there were no RVs parked in the designated spots when we pulled in, we decided to park for the evening and get fuel in the morning (opposite from our normal routine). This worked out well, since the lot filled up quickly and we were soon surrounded. We had another good night after finishing up the Mexican Sheppard's Pie.
After fueling up in the morning, we started our last leg under bright, sunny skies. Crossing New Mexico, we were soon back in Arizona. As the day went by, we could feel things heating up and a quick check of the outside temperature showed a surprising mid-70s - woo-hoo! We continued to make good time, stopping for lunch at one of the two remaining rest areas in Arizona (budget cuts - AZ is "broker" than CA) and getting through Phoenix rush hour traffic with no problem. We parked at the house and unloaded key things (bathroom and refrigerator), leaving the main work for tomorrow. A quick trip to Grimaldi's for some real coal-fired New York-style pizza, and we're "home". Another good trip under our belts.
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