Winter in the Florida Panhandle

Tuesday, January 28 and 29 (Pensacola, FL)
     After leaving the campground in Gulfport, MS and driving through a bit of Alabama, we dipped south off of I-10 to the Blue Angels Campground in western Pensacola, right across the Perdido Bay from Alabama.  Little did we know at the time that we would not be able to drive on I-10 again for three more days.  It would be shut near Pensacola after an accident claimed the life of at least two motorists.
 

Our plans were to visit two museums in Pensacola:  the famed Naval Aviation Museum and the Cryptologic Museum at Correy Station.  Both were closed on Tuesday, due to inclement weather... and again on Wednesday and on Thursday, as we headed out of town. 

Tuesday night we hunkered down in our little Casita as it was buffeted by winds and showered by freezing rain.  Imagine our surprise when we looked out our blinds on Wednesday morning to see the sand covered with white stuff!
 
Our two nights in Pensacola might have been considered a "bust" if it were not for the wonderfully enjoyable evening spent with former Navy friends, Larry and Carol.  Dave had worked for Larry at the Pentagon many years ago and the two of them reminisced over shared memories.  What fun to catch up on all the years in between!





Thursday, January 30 (Destin, FL)
     Our plans to drive the 55 miles to Destin to visit Jane's cousin, Luke, were altered when we discovered that Pensacola has lots of long bridges leading out of town.  These were consistently blocked by patrol cars causing us to U-turn several times.  Finally, Jane picked a route that only took us 25 miles out of the way but headed north far enough to miss the bridges and then turned south to Destin.  We sleep tonight inside with a beautiful view of wide white sand beaches and the Gulf of Mexico.  We are so grateful to Luke and Deborah for a fantastic dinner, warm bed, laundered clean clothes, beautiful sunset and a shower.  Hope we can return soon to Destin!

Traveling on I-10: TX to MS

Saturday, January 25 (San Antonio, TX)
    The weather continues to threaten with below freezing temperatures at night and cross-winds on Interstate 10.  Trailers were blown off the road on Friday (we saw one!). Pipes have frozen and burst on campers in campgrounds. But we are lucky. We feel blessed to just be missing the worst of the abnormally severe winter weather that is hitting these southern states! 

     In Kerrville, Texas we lunched with Dave's Aunt Arlene and two of her children and their families.  Anna and Billy are shown here with their six adorable kids!  Rebecca and AC joined us with Lydia and Ruth at Billy Gene's restaurant for a fun lunch.  It brought back memories of a similar meal we had with these two special families in 2011.  So good to reconnect again!  We drove on to San Antonio and camped in the RV Park on Fort Sam Houston Army Base. 

 


 Sunday, January 26 (Beaumont, TX) 
     In Beaumont, we had a repeat visit with Dave's cousin, Bob, and wife, Pam.  We even got to go to St. Anne's again for Sunday evening mass, another experience from 2011 that we enjoyed so much!




Monday, January 27 (Gulfport, MS)
     We left Bob and Pam this morning to drive  the rest of the way through Texas ( we drove over  900 miles in this state!).  We drove through Louisiana; in Lafayette we found the Blue Dog Cafe (recommended by Scott and Fran) - absolutely excellent Cajun food!  Then we departed from I-10 to take scenic hwy 90 along the white sand beaches of the Gulf, passing several wood sculptures that were carved from trees killed by Hurricane Katrina.  We are camping tonight at the Navy SeaBee Base in Gulfport.  Blessed again, we arrived without a reservation and got the very last campsite!

 

Travelling on I-10: CA to NM

Monday, January 20th, Martin Luther King Day (LA)
    We left home shortly after 8:00 and traveled to the LA area where we spent a delightful few hours with Grace, Laura and Rocky.  It was a wise decision to drive on through LA after dinner to avoid rush-hour traffic the next morning.  Thanks, Sam's Club, for providing a safe spot to overnight.




Tuesday and Wednesday, January 21-22 (Phoenix)
     Tuesday morning we picked up I-10 that we will take all the way from California to Florida!

     Our drive to Mike and Stacey's new house in Chandler, AZ was easy and uneventful.  It was so nice to move inside and stay with them a couple of days.  Dave successfully managed an eye exam at the VA Clinic.  Then Mike, Dave and I spent an amazing couple of hours walking around the Desert Botanical Gardens, currently host to breathtaking Chihuly glass creations.  Delicious dinners out with Mike and Stacey.  It's easier to leave know that we will be back in Phoenix in March.

          





 Thursday, January 23 (Las Cruces)
     We spent a delightful evening with Navy friends, Scott and Fran.  Intending to stay the night in the Casita, we gratefully accepted their suggestion that we sleep inside as the temps were to reach the low 20s!  How delightful to catch up with each other from our last visit over two years ago.  Dave and Scott had a little Scotch Whiskey tasting - a bonus.

Getting ready to hit the road - again!

Tomorrow we embark on our second extended camping trip.  We will travel across the southern states, hoping to avoid "winter weather" and end up in Key West, Florida.  Our trip should be about two months long and we hope to come back tanned and healthy.  We pulled our Casita travel trailer with our trusty Jeep Cherokee in 2011.  You can view our blog from that great adventure at crosscountrycasita.blogspot.com.  Now we have a new Ford F150 to do the honors.  As we begin every long trip, Dave and Ava washed and waxed the Casita today.