May 4 – “Day One: And so it begins …”

8:40 a.m.  We are gone.  Well, from the house, anyway.  We had to wait thirty minutes for the ferry that just left as we pulled up.  But we were the second car in line for the next one.  And it’s not like we were in a hurry.  And of course once we got on the ferry, they made an announcement that you couldn’t leave your car.  So … nap time.  At least for me. 

 

Once we got on the other side I started practicing my old fashioned paper map skills just for fun.  I may do this the entire trip.  Well, except inside cities. 

 

We had lunch somewhere in Texas.  I don’t remember which town, but we ate at a Whataburger, so … Texas.  Chris is supposed to get out and walk every two hours, so we made a few laps around the tiny little outdoor veranda they had.  The folks inside probably thought we were a bit daft.  They are correct.  Later on, once we crossed the border into Louisiana, I needed to stop driving.  Yes, I was actually taking a turn driving.  The boringness of the Louisiana countryside was putting me to sleep.  Of course I never admitted that.  Instead I played the, “You need to get out and walk” card.  She didn’t mind, though.  We found a WalMart and made a lap around the inside and found the bathrooms. 

 

We saw a sign that looked interesting, so we decided to check it out.  Atchafalaya National something or other.  Chris said they would have a stamp for her book, so we pulled off and nabbed it.  That didn’t mean we were done, though.  Just the first of many.  The visitors’ center indicated that we were in the midst of the biggest river swamp in the world.  Now that’s a claim to fame.  From the displays we saw, they have huge snapping turtles, racoons, alligators, pelicans, snakes, and monstrous flying beetle-bugs.  They ha done of those bugs tacked to the wall.  Wing span of three or four feet at least.  Frightening.  What they didn’t have was a gift shop, so no new friends as of yet. 

 

We stopped for gas just outside of Baton Rouge, then entered Mississippi soon thereafter.  That’s when we first saw the indications that something was amiss with interstate 10 up ahead.  It was pretty far ahead, so it hadn’t affected the traffic we were in yet, but it was looming.  Best I could tell, there was a two hour virtual standstill just outside Biloxi, about 20 minutes from where we had reservations to spend the night.  I kept checking in, though, and fortunately, Apple Siri found us a detour that knocked off a full 59 minutes from our anticipated drive time.  Josh and Christi … do your homework on whatever that holdup was.  If it was construction … find another route. 

 

The detour took us through Orange Grove, Mississippi.  Well, we also went through numerous neighborhoods and byways.  Even passed a Little League baseball game about to start.  Chris wouldn’t stop, though.  The twists and turns proved worth it.  I knew we were done with day one when we stopped at the corner of Old Hwy 67 and Lickskillet Road.  Yup.  Mississippi.

 

Last night I got to say something I haven’t said in many, many years.  It took me back in my mind to my days as basketball coach of the Wolverines.  What did I say?  “Moons over My Hammy.”  The guys on my teams will recognize that one right away.

 

1 Timothy 2:8 says, “Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing.”

 

Father, thank you for a successful first leg of this journey.  We could certainly feel your presence with us.  Amen.