We had two weeks to make it from New Orleans to our month-long housesit in Colorado. Dave researched mini adventures on the route, segmenting the drive so we'd not have more than five or six hours in the car at a time. As we talked it through, I looked into lodging. Hours later, we had a plan. Here's what we did:
1. I was aching to see the ocean, so we headed east and spent three nights in Gulfport, Mississippi. The road along the coast runs for miles. I felt myself exhale at the sight of white sand and blue water stretching to infinity.
 |
| Gulfport, as seen from our boat tour |
After we dropped off our stuff at the Airbnb, a kind-of-cute converted shed billed as a cottage, we referred to Dave's notes and plugged Good Karma Cafe into the GPS. The route took us to a parking lot filled with vans. We called the restaurant. They said we were close and redirected us. That took us to a church.
By this time, we were exhausted and hungry. That morning we'd done all the obligatory hard work at the end of a housesit: packing (sounds easy but when you've been in a place for three weeks, not so much), cleaning the house, washing the towels and sheets and making the bed, and driving three hours. But we are nothing if not stubborn in our quest for vegan food, so we called again...and voila! Finally.
And boy was it worth it. The place is darling, and the Indian/Malaysian fusion food is flavorful...so good, in fact, we went two nights in a row. We chatted with the young cook (his mom owns the place) and his girlfriend who is the server. He likes to write, and she wants to travel. Of course I encouraged him to tell his stories, and we told her about housesitting.
 |
| Fishbone Alley murals |
The next two days we explored Gulfport. The small downtown is sprinkled with colorful murals. On a stroll, we happened to come across a breast cancer walk, with people (and dogs) adorned in pink.
We took two hikes, one on the gentle Coffee Creek trail, and another in the Sandhill Crane Wildlife Refuge. After so much city living, it was wonderful to walk in nature, even though we didn't see any of those elusive birds.
 |
| An egret (not a sandhill crane) one of Dave's gets on Coffee Creek Trail |
Another day we took a dolphin boat tour and learned from the marine biologist on board that the area is one of the most eco-diverse in the world.
 |
| Dolphins! |
2. Next we drove to Birmingham, Alabama. Our Airbnb apartment was tucked in a neighborhood that reminded us of the Berkeley hills.
We had only one day to spend in Birmingham, and we made it all about the history. The Civil Rights Institute is an immersive experience that makes you feel like you're walking through time, experiencing the human suffering, the resistance, the redemption.
 |
| Birds carrying her away... |
The museum sits catty-corner from the 16th Street Baptist Church, which the Klan bombed in 1963, killing four girls, ages 11-14. A heart-rending sculpture called "Four Spirits" honors the girls at nearby West Park. As we walked through the park, we took in other sculptures and monuments in this place deep with history that resonates to this day.
3. Next we drove to Knoxville, Tennessee for one specific reason: to see our niece, Hailey, who is a nursing student at UT.
 |
| 100-year-old Ayers Hall |
What a joy to spend the day with Hailey. We checked out her townhouse and met one of her roommates. Then we went out to lunch and she took us on a tour of the charming town and gorgeous campus.
 |
| Dave, Hailey & Dolly |
I couldn't be more proud of Hailey. She's a great student in a challenging major, works at the hospital, does kickboxing, engages with her sorority's activities including volunteering--and she knows what she wants in life! I wish I'd had my head on so straight at that age.
 |
| hat capers |
4. Next up was Chattanooga, Tennessee where we had a weekend housesit, caring for super sweet Sasha.
 |
| good girl |
The apartment was in an elegant vintage building in a historic neighborhood of grand old homes. Walking the streets, we encountered historical plaques describing battles that took place there. I found that a bit strange, rather long narratives recounting the details of x platoon and y general and z reconnaissance. I'm much more interested in historical people's stories than the technical details of the war machine.
 |
| comfy bed...but the couch wasn't |
Another battle site is Lookout Mountain. I skimmed over the information of yet more warring and enjoyed the place as a walk in nature.
 |
| Lookout Mountain |
We also spent time walking around downtown Chattanooga. It's a lovely city, with its stunning art museum building, its sculpture garden, and the impressive Walnut Street bridge, built in 1891, that spans the Tennessee River. The bridge used to allow horses and buggies, but now it's pedestrians only.
Our last morning there, I woke up with itchy eyes swollen so badly I could hardly see. I'd inadvertently used apparently toxic shampoo as "soap" to wash my face. We usually share the driving, but Dave would have to take the wheel for our drive to...
5. Paducah, Kentucky. The Airbnb prices in this area were so high that we chose a hotel room instead. I've resisted hotels because I want a homier feel...but the American Inn turned out great. It had two comfy queen beds (we like to have a second bed to put our luggage on) and the usual amenities that were plenty for one night.
We were taken with with the town's well-maintained historical buildings, clean streets, cute shops, museums, and murals along the ten-mile long floodwall where the Ohio and Tennessee rivers meet.
 |
| The paintings display Paducah's historical days. |
One of the images reveals a hidden horror in the town: a Uranium Enrichment Facility that operated from 1952 to 2013 that apparently poisoned many of its workers and contaminated the environment, a problem to this day. (See this article and this film.) What a terrible injustice for the residents and the health of this area.
6. In the morning, my eyes were still itchy but much less swollen, so I was able to give Dave a break from driving duties. We crossed a large swath of Illinois into Warrensburg, Missouri where we planned to meet up with Darlena Ciraulo, a Shakespeare scholar and professor at University of Central Missouri. We were early so first we walked around the sweet, small campus.
It was great to see Dar (who is the daughter of my co-author Janelle; we wrote this book together). And the timing was perfect, because she had a one-hour break in her teaching schedule. We learned that as a Covid precaution, large classes are split up into several smaller meetings...which has more than doubled the time she teaches, giving the same lecture over and over. But she had a smile on her face as we chatted about academia and life. The university is lucky to have her.
 |
| With Dar |
A few more hours of driving, and we stopped for lunch in St. Louis at Seedz in the leafy Forest Park neighborhood. I had the best vegan Cesar salad ever.
A few hours more, and we made it to our Boonville, Missouri Airbnb. The place didn't live up to its cute listing. It was a basement apartment that felt very...basementy. (Cold, dark, damp.) The space heater didn't do enough to combat the chill, and fuses blew a few times. Fortunately, the owner was there and tripped the switch, but for $74 we could have gotten a good hotel room. (Check out this article about why Airbnb prices are going up.)
7. Another five-hour driving day lay ahead to get to Hays, Kansas. Many people had mentioned that driving through Kansas was boring, but I didn't mind the green-and-gold landscape. And we broke up the trip with a stop in Kansas City for lunch at Cafe Gratitude.
 |
| Food was good but a bit too pricey. |
This happened to be a Wednesday, the day I Zoom with three of my girlfriends (and former colleagues) every-other-week. You can see my friend Cathy from the UK on my phone, but I swear I went outside for the conversation!
We had another good hotel experience at the Days Inn in Hays. Great price, comfy bed to lay down our road-weary heads. Oh, and a TV to watch The Voice.
What a joy to wake up the next morning realizing we had only one more five-hour segment to get to our next destination: Denver. We've now been in Colorado a couple of weeks, and I'll tell you all about it in my next installment.
Car tripping isn't for everyone--and as I said in a previous post, we're in the middle of a road adventure that started in California and, in the spring, will end in Baja Sur, Mexico. It's likely our last big long-distance drive. Yet writing has made me appreciate how much of this vast and complex and beautiful country we've seen.
No comments:
Post a Comment