AK to FL - Day 10

We took advantage of another easy drive we had ahead of us today and slept in this morning. Once we got on the road we headed east on I-35 to I-30 to US-80 to I-20 into Monroe Louisiana, which is where Darius grew up. We're staying here a couple of nights with Margaret and Alfred before we make our final stretch to Florida.

Leaving Texas was more interesting than entering. The flat landscape from yesterday continued, but there were a few hills and the addition of trees. Everything looked very dry, probably a lingering sign of a very hot and dry summer.

Our last stop in Texas just off I-20. Great BBQ sandwiches, huge gift shop, and awesome rocking chairs. I so wanted to strap one to the top of the car.

One thing we definitely noticed about Texas is the abundance of Highway Patrol! If you're going to speed along their roadways, I suggest you think twice. Out of any state or territory we've drove through, Texas by far had more people pulled over than all the others combined. Don't mess with Texas....so true!

As we crossed into Louisiana, Darius definitely got as excited as I've seen him on this trip. It's probably as comforting to him to be in his home state as it was for me to be in mine. It's also a great feeling to know how far we've come and that we don't have too much further to go.

The boys were talking all day (and yesterday) about how they were going to Nini and Papaw's house. It's tricky to explain distance and time to 3-year-olds, so we try to use broad terms and keep the info to a minimum. We also find that it helps to just agree with them because that's a whole lot easier than listening to them shout at us because we tell them something different than what they think, or they don't like our answers.

Sassy even in his sleep.

It's good to have another stop along the way to visit with family and break up the drive. We'll head out again on Tuesday.

 

AK to FL - Day 9

Our drive took us from Amarillo on I-40 E to US-287 S to US-81 S to TX-114 E to I-35 E into Dallas. No crossing of state lines today. We opted to give ourselves an easy drive today instead of spending another long day on the road and pushing on into Louisiana, which we'll do tomorrow. Our drive today was probably the easiest of our trip so far. There wasn't a cloud in site today, the roads were good, and the landscape was mostly flat which was good for the car (not to mention our shortest drive).

It was about 5-1/2 years ago that Darius and I were making the reverse route that we made today. Darius' memory is by far better than mine, so he remembers a lot more from that drive than I do, but we both distinctly remember an antique/collectible/junk store we stopped at. We weren't quite sure where it was, but we lucked up and spotted it in time to turn around and double check. It was definitely the one place we wanted to stop at today.

Most of the store is exactly the same as we remember, and I don't know how better to describe it other than a brain overload. This place is like an organized hoarders palace. You could spend days, maybe even weeks there, and still never sort through everything inside and out. Your brain simply can't keep up with your eyes, it's that kind of place. Needless to say, an outside photo doesn't even scratch the surface of what this place is. If you're ever passing through Quanah, look for it just south of town on US-287.

Spider man......

....and Spider Zach. The boys picks from Hoarder-Mart.

Darius scored us a great deal on a Holiday Inn Express room using up our Priority Points. We really enjoy staying at the HIE, and this is our 3rd stay on this trip....although I think we may have entertained another KOA in the area if we had found another teepee!

We arrived in Dallas early enough to go out for a great dinner at Pappadeux Seafood Kitchen on Northwest Highway & I-35. Really awesome food! It's one of Darius' favorite places to eat, and we thoroughly enjoyed our Mississippi Catfish Opelousas entrees. I have a really happy belly right now. I love catfish! I'm going to kick back and relax in a big comfy bed while I digest....maybe watch a little playoff baseball with the hubby.

We cracked up over Grandpa in his buggy equipped with car seat....no child included.

AK to FL - Day 8

Okay, so the teepee in Cortez was awesome but a bit on the really cold side! We slept okay but woke up a lot to move toddler bodies and rearrange sleeping bags and blankets. Zach told us before bedtime, "This is so cool." We agree, but maybe more so when the temps are warmer.

We had a long day on the road but saw some really awesome stuff today! Just down the highway from Cortez is Mesa Verde National Park. I remember visiting this park once when I was pretty young, and I was very excited for the chance to see it again today.



View from highest point in Mesa Verde, elevation 8572 feet!

We decided to drive around the park and stop at overlook areas to view the cliff dwellings instead of taking the guided tours. Mesa Verde is an unbelievable place, and I'm in awe that these ancient dwellings are still here for us to see.

Spruce Tree House

Square Tower House

Cliff Palace

Once we finished up our drive through Mesa, we got our driving day officially started. We clipped the southwest corner of Colorado heading east on US-160 to CO-140/NM-170, crossing into New Mexico, and continued on to NM-574 to US-550 S to I-25 S to I-40 E. It was a nearly cloudless day, and our driving conditions couldn't have been better.

An almost full moon greeted us on the horizon as we made our way to the New Mexico/Texas border, and here we are in Amarillo for the night before we tackle the very large state of Texas tomorrow!