Leaving Florida
As we mentioned in the last video, we didn’t think we would EVER make it out of Florida. We didn’t give up and now found ourselves at the Florida border. Is this real?
Each of us were getting over colds, Nutmeg recovering from surgery, and our first few camping spots were incredibly underwhelming. On day three we coincidentally found ourselves nearby the Big Easy during Mardi Gras’. With baby-in-tow, we opted out of the drunken streets of New Orleans and went to a family friendly parade in Gulfport, Mississippi. Having a baby has definitely changed the choices we make, we snagged plenty of beads without ever having to lift our shirts. We ended the night with some crappy Chinese takeout from a restaurant in the same WalMart parking lot where we spent the night. We’d made it out of Florida but it still didn’t feel like we were on vacation. Something was missing.
The next night in Louisiana we found a beautiful riverside area on Google Maps that looked more than big enough for our RV. There was room for Nutmeg to play and we planned to grill something nice for Valentine’s Day while boondocking beside the river. Arriving just before dark, we found a brand new park where our vacant river frontage had once been. The security guard confirmed there would be no overnight stay and we frantically searched for an alternative as darkness approached.
Keeping true to our travel style we made lemonade out of the lemons we’d received and parked in a casino parking lot for the night, on a barren piece of asphalt, beside a bunch o f debris, underneath the noisy interstate 10 bridge, a short distance from the noisy train crossing. On the upside, we didn’t have to cook dinner. The casino had several restaurants so we each enjoyed a nice dinner out.
The next day we began counting down the miles to Texas. Our hopes were that the closer we got to Baja, and the more travel preparations we completed, the more like vacation things would feel. Come on Texas!
Well… we were reminded once more that just because we plan something doesn’t make it happen. A hundred or so miles into Texas our refrigerator quit working and an alarm came on. Since we have insulin that must be kept cold, our refrigerator is not optional. We’re never going to make it to Baja. How long will it take to fix our fridge? How much will it cost?
