Safe, Sound, Clean, Exhausted

So, Cameron and I are back in our prospective homes, relaxing, doing laundry, watching sports, and getting our wits back about us. We reflected on our favorite times of each stop of the trip. We agreed on many things and then had our own most memorable events or places.

Here is a short-list of our favorite things from each city.

Shreveport, LA: Ashley and Cameron-gambling

Vicksburg, MS: Ashley-National Military Park and Rusty's Riverfront Grill

Cameron-Rusty's Riverfront Grill

Tuscaloosa, AL: Ashley-camping experience and seeing the mounds at Moundville

Cameron-starting a fire, seeing the Crimson Tide Stadium at the University

Birmingham, AL: Ashley and Cameron-seeing a new town full of Civil Rights history, eating at Jack n' Nick's

Atlanta, GA: Ashley- Georgia Aquarium, Centenniel Olympic Park, and MLK historical site

Cameron- Aquarium and Coca-Cola Museum, The Highlander dinner

Augusta, GA: Ashley-it was ok, but nothing jumps out

Cameron- seeing the solid fence and high trees surrounding the Master's Golf

Course

Charleston, SC: We both agree that this was our favorite spot of them all. How fitting since it was our final destination anyway. Imagine that.

Ashley-the beauty of a costal and historical town, the City Jail Ghost Tour, Fleet's Landing dinner (mmmm, scallops), the Citadel, the beach, breakfast, and, above all else, seeing the dolphins the morning of our little family run.

Cameron- the Citadel, the Ghost Tour, the whole town itself, the beach

We are so grateful to be home safe and sound. Cinder did wonderfully on our trip and we couldn't be more proud and, honestly, relieved, that she did so well. Cameron and I both have learned some things about road trips, sight seeing, and camping. But, above all else, we've learned that this is something that we love to do and we have a lot of fun doing it. Not to mention how much we have learned about the towns we have visited and about each other.

It's wonderful to be with a person you like to be around, even if it is 24/7 for 8 straight days.

Are we there yet?

Both Cameron and I now know the true meaning of this ever-popular phrase. After 11 hard hours of driving, we are safe in our La Quinta Inn hotel room in the great capital city of Mississippi, USA. That's Jackson, MS, before any of you break your fingers trying to Google it.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night. See you on the flip flop. Ashley and Cameron. Seacrest out.

Driving, Driving, Driving

So, we're about to get in the car and start driving back West. This is our "long" day of ten hours worth of road warrior-ness. We went to a Ghost Tour of a local city jail last night. It was so much fun. Cameron toughed it out for me because he knows I nearly foam at the mouth for ghosty and haunty stuff. So, hats off to Cameron for being somewhat uncomfortable for an hour while we walked through the jail, hearing stories about it's past. It was informative and pretty cool.

We have to start packing up the car now. We will try to make it all the way to Jackson, MS today. We are driving the same route by which we came. I made sure to drop a bunch of bread crumbs on the highway so we can efficiently and effectively make it home again. So, I-20 is covered in bread crumbs because that's really the only highway we're going to be on for the next two days of our lives.

This may be the last post until we get back to Fort Worth. Pray for us as we're on the road, driving so much today.

Just a couple of Knobs on Folly Beach.

Knobs? Folly Beach? What does she speak of? Well you're about to be in the know, my friend.

We spent most of the morning on Folly Beach. This is one of the most non-commercial, original Charleston beaches left. We were tipped off by our waiter last night at Flight's Landing to go there before we leave this area. There were pelicans diving into the water, full-force, for their fish breakfasts when we first walked up and over the high-grassed dunes. We settled on a spot just far enough away from the rolling waves that our feet didn't get wet. Then we sat and stared off at the water. The sun was out behind the clouds and the cool breeze was keeping us from any thought of perspiration.

I began walking down the beach in search of some cool shells while Cameron took it easy in his chair. I found a great assortment of seashells and two fragments of sand dollars. I also took some sand and filled a ziplock bag. When we get back home I'll probably put the sand and shells into a clear glass jar for a decorative conversation piece.

We wrote our names in the sand, took some pictures, then said goodbye to the sweet beach and headed back into town. Our next stop was The Citadel.

This was open to the public with no parking fee. This was our kind of tourist attraction. Many students were walking around campus. Their spring break lets out next week. We got lucky and got to see them and witness all the funny things they make the freshman (Knobs) do.

Cameron and I got to talk to one of the visitor greeters who was also a student. He answered many questions about life at the Citadel. I got my picture taken with an embarrased Knob named Hoffman. The freshmen must run at all times whenever they are inside their barracks. Women have been admitted since 1995. 2/3 of the graduates from the Citadel will go off and find jobs of their own choosing. About 1/3 of the graduates will be enlisting into our US Military.

It was very interesting to see the campus that so many of us only hear about or see on TV.

After that, we went to the hotel room to give Cinder a little walk. Then we went down to Market Street for some street flea market action. Nothing was purchased because it was just too expensive. But it was cool to see what was for sale. We ate lunch at a local bar. Now we are here, resting before our 10pm Jail House Ghost Tour. More on that later. Thanks for keeping up with us. We will head back West tomorrow.

This is as far East as we go. *tear down the cheek*

Before leaving Atlanta I wanted to stop at the Martin L. King, Jr. Historic Site. He was born and raised in Atlanta. The historic site included the house where he and his family resided (pictured above), the church that played a huge roll in his upbringing, an awesome Visitor Center/Museum, and the tomb of both MLK and his wife Loretta. It was a moving experience. I collected plently of leaflets and information for my students. Since I've had them in first grade last year, they have showed a genuine interest in the life and mission of MLK. So I had to visit this place for myself as much as for my students.

We've only been in Charleston since arriving yesterday around 5pm and we are already in love with this city. We drove through Augusta yesterday in hopes of seeing the greatness of the Augusta National Golf Course, Home of the Masters Tournament. We saw some tall trees along the fenceline of where the golf course was. Even the ladies at the Augusta Visitor Center said that there wasn't much hope in seeing the course itself. It was a little dissappointing, but we pushed on to our final Easterly destination.

Another three hours on the road and we were in Charleston. Again, the trees lining the highway systems in South Carolina are amazing. It feels as if you are being swallowed up as you drive onward.

We're staying in the Days Inn. It's relatively older and the doors open to the beautiful, clean air of Charleston, SC. Cinder and I had a hard time finding out where she's going to do her doggie business because we are in a downtown type of setting. I convinced her to go potty in the small square of dirt under a bush on the sidewalk. We finally found a strip of grass for her to do the rest.

The area we are staying in is within walking distance of the College of Charleston, many historic churches, and the water. Last night we ate at Fleet's Landing. A local seafood restaurant that we walked to. Our waiter was quite lively and a very good salesman. He had great suggestions and served us well. We started with the crab meat Brushetta which was fresh and delicious. Cameron ordered the Shrimp n' Grits that came highly recommended from a friend at work who used to live here in the Charleston area. I ordered the pan-seared scallops with a lemon dill butter sauce. The food was excellent. I knew that I wanted to eat seafood since we are so close to the coast here. It did not fail us in our impecable taste and extensively sophisticated pallates. If those are the same things, oh well. That's how good we are.

We were both beat from the driving so we headed back to the hotel and called it a night.

This morning, all three of us went for a nice morning run. I wanted to run down to the same place we were for dinner so I could see the water. So we ran down there around 8am. We ran all the way over to the pier. The sun was shining through the clouds directly over the water with perfectly spaced rays of soft sunlight beaming down like a fan dipping into the water.

We were looking out onto the water when Cameron said, "Ash, look! Dolphins!" So I looked out to see two dorsal fins skimming up and out of the surface of the water. It was amazing! We are both fans of wildlife but I'm the one who starts squealing when I see wild animals. Cameron only squeals a little bit in the beginning. Then he realizes that I'm listening.

So we watched and counted the dolphins. There were four that we saw. The were staying pretty much in the same place. Perhaps they were playing or hunting. Either way, it was an incredible experience. Add it to the list.

We are about to start our day. Our server at dinner suggested to go to Folly Beach, a relatively untouched area of SC that calls to less tourists than Myrtle Beach. Since this is Cameron's city he is responsible for the plans. He tried, let me emphasize tried, to ask me what we should do today. But I told him that he was in charge. I know he wasn't trying to shirk his responsibilities. He was just trying to get me in on the planning so I would be happy with the day's events.

Check back later to read about our last day in the eastern travel of the Deep South Road Trip, 2009. Love, Ashley and Cameron

Please don't tow us, we're not from around here.

Yup, the title pretty much says it all. Let's just say that we're lucky to still have the car, without having to pay a $250 impound and towing fee.

So, the story goes like this (I know you must be on the edge of your seat right now). Cameron and I came back home from our day in downtown Atlanta to a small little doggie who was full of energy. Since it was St. Patty's Day we knew we wanted to go out that night. So we decided to take Cinder to Piedmont Park in Atlanta to expend some of her cabin fever.

Piedmont park is a huge allocation of land dedicated to runners, walkers, bike riders, and even roller bladers. We even saw some guy on four-wheel roller skates. He didn't care that he looked ridiculous, he was having a blast. I was happy for him.

The parking situation was a terrible one. There basically was no parking in the one small lot that we found. We drove out of the parking lot and started down a road that ran inside the park. There was a truck parked along side the road so we pulled in directly behind him. Cameron and I searched carefully for any "No Parking" or "Tow Away" signs and found none. We didn't even find a single inch of painted curb indicating that this was a no parking zone. So, thinking that we were so cool for finding a parking spot, we continued on to the park, leaving the car in our super-awesome hideout.

Cinder was full of energy so we walked her for a while then Cameron decided to run her little butt into the ground. They both ran for about a half-mile while I hung back. The view of the city skyline in front of the setting sun was a sight to see. There were people playing touch football and frizbee. We even saw a couple laying down in the grass, just holding each other. Hope they weren't close to an ant pile... did I say that out loud? No, I was happy for them, really!

By the time Cinder and Cameron got back, she was ready for more. Cameron wanted to hang out on the bench and watch the football game and I took Cinder for some more walking. It was great. We were just enjoying ourselves.

So we decided to meander back to the car, which we assumed would have been as untouched as pure, white snow. Well, you and I know what assumptions do. We got closer to the big parking lot that had zero open spaces when Cameron discovered red flashing lights that were dangerously close to our transportation back to Texas. Cameron and I both said some bad words as he handed me the contents of his pockets and went off in a dead sprint toward the car. I put his stuff in my pockets and continued on shortly after him, Cinder at my side. I figured I could start crying or something, hold Cinder in my arms and make her make the face that she made the day I found her at the shelter so we could get off the hook.

Luckily we were there in time. The tow truck driver hadn't hooked up the car yet. I didn't have to tell him our sob story of being dumb Texans who didn't know no better. I had my Texas A&M Aggies shirt on, maybe he just knew instantaneously.

God was watching over us because we got out without having to pay a single briberous dollar to either of the men. We took Cinder back to the hotel and got ready to go celebrate St. Patty's Day.

We went to a local dive called The Highlander. It was a scruffy punk bar/restaurant/pool hall that had all kinds of people there to celebrate along with us.

This particular place was suggested to me by a neighbor. The menu had typical bar food, Jamaican food, home cookin', salads, NY Strips and nearly everything in between. We started with some Pasta-rella deep fried cheese sticks then continued on to our main courses. Cameron ordered the Bleu Cheese Burger with jalepeno corn fritters which he enjoyed very much. I ordered a small Caprese salad (sliced tomatos, mozzarella cheese, basil and vinegarette) and a small cup of Baked Potato Soup which was extra yummy.

We played some pool and some bar video games and then petered out around 10:30pm. We both had a day packed with adventure and amazement. So, we were ready for bed.

Today we continue on to our second-to-last stop, Augusta, GA. Cameron is the planner for this stop so I will update you once we get to Charleston. We are just going through Augusta so we will continue on to Charleston, SC as well today.

I know it's a lot of reading. But, admit it, you are hooked and you check this blog all the time to see if there's another update. Check back again later. Love, Ashley and Cameron

Georgia Aquarium, Centennial Olympic Park, Coca-Cola Museum

Georgia has surely been wonderful thus far. This is our full day here and we fit in the perfect amount of touristy activities. We began with a lovely "free" breakfast at our La Quinta Inn. The waffle maker is my favorite. Cameron is STILL staying strong with a morning run. Go Cameron. I'll stay in and sleep.

We headed back down to the heart of Atlanta where all the hussle and bussle happens. Not only are the Aquarium and Coca-Cola Museum there, but it holds the Georgia Dome, CNN Headquarters, Centennial Olympic Park, and the Zoo.

We frequented the Georgia Aquarium first. It is home to more than, oh, probably a trilion gallons of water. I'm not even exaggerating. Thats nearly one gallon of water for every dollar bill of stimulus money that the government has spent. (Read it again, I said it.)

The photo above shows three of the four whale sharks that reside in that aquarium. This particular aquarium is as long as a football field and holds nearly 8 billion gallons of water. There was a hammerhead, a saw shark, and a huge manta ray. The highlight of this particular area of the aquarium was when one of the whale sharks, who may have had too much krill, dropped a load right in front of us as we were admiring it's beauty. Hey, it's only natural. Cameron and I agree that we got the full show.

There were so many amazing creatures to see at the aquarium that I can't really talk about them all here. But you can go to my Facebook profile to find more pictures once I get them up.

One thing I truly loved about the Georgia Aquarium was their sense of conservation and education. There were water fountains that were running with reclaimed rainwater. The presenters that were at certain stations talked about how humans are responsible for keeping the oceans healthy because the ocean has such an impact on our earth. So, go out there and plant a tree or pick up a piece of trash. Go Earth!

We walked by the Centennial Olympic Park to find a cool place to eat. Cameron and I just like to meander around in search of a restaurant that really calls out to us. We find that this is the most interesting and rewarding way of finding a great place. So, today for lunch we found excellence in the form of the Golden Buddah.

We had lettuce wraps and soup for starters. I had a very interesting Coconut Chicken Soup with lemongrass, mushrooms and cilantro. Cameron ordered the pepper steak and I rushed into ordering the sweet & sour chicken. Not the best, but not the worst... by far.

After leaving the restaurant we took a stroll through the Olympic park. There is a ground fountain that has the Olympic rings on it. There were many people and children playing in the water that would come up randomly, trap you in a ring and stay on, then go down for an undetermined amount of time. It was funny to watch.

Cameron and I got the courage to jump into the rings as the other took pictures. Cameron got in unscathed. When he tried to get out, he got splashed right in the face with a waterspout. It was hilarious. Then I went in and got out without a drop.

On to the World of Coca-Cola Museum. This was directly next door to the Aquarium, which made for easy touristing. This was a very cool experience because of the memorabilia, the artwork, the culture, and the Coke production process. There was a movie experience that was 4-D. What's the 4th D, you ask? Well, it was a moving chair with air and water-in-your-face experiences. Very fun.

The last phase of the museum is the Taste It area. Each continent of our grand planet had a hub where each original flavor of Coca-Cola product is there to taste. There were over 60 different flavors to choose from. The flavor of the day was the Beverley that tasted of licorice. There were some great berry and kiwi flavored drinks that I enjoyed. Then there was an entire room dedicated to all the major Coke flavors including Coca-Cola Classic, Diet Coke, Cherry Coke, Vanilla Coke, and Coke Zero.

We went to the Coca-Cola store for some souveniers and then we made our way back to the hotel room.

Cameron is asleep and so is Cinder. She has done so well in the hotel rooms. She has made our life easy by being so good indoors. We love her.

Who knows what St. Patty's Day night will bring to us. We're just playing it by ear. If something spectacular happens, I'll be sure to let you know. Love, Ashley and Cameron

Road Hard and Hung Up Wet

Don't be offended by the title, my friends. We are using this play on words to show just how we feel, physically, at this point in the trip. We are in great spirits because we are having so much fun and are seeing so many great things. At the same time, the weather has tried to keep us down, in a way. But we feel like it's only fitting to keep on trucking, pun intended.

So, we were on our way to Birmingham, which is about one hour away from Tuscaloosa, AL. It was a quick ride compared to the average 2.5 hour trip.

Cameron was in charge of planning Birmingham. He wanted to visit Vulcan Park and have lunch in this city. We had to get along to Atlanta today so we had to make the stop in Birmingham relatively swift.

We were driving around in downtown Birmingham and drove through a place called Five Points. This is where, long ago, five major streetcar paths all crossed, forming somewhat of a star shape. This seemed like the epicenter of downtown business, churches, and restaurants. We found a place called Jim n' Nick's BBQ. We stopped in for their famous cheese bisquits and some BBQ. I ordered a BBQ turkey club sandwich with mashed new potatoes. Cameron ordered BBQ pork sandwich with fried green tomatos. It was really good but we had to get on the road to the park.

Vulcan Park has the largest steel statue in the world. It's high on the top of a tower so, to me, it really doesn't look that big. But if they want to say it's the largest in the world, I'll believe it and I'll tell other people about it too. Cinder enjoyed the place because she was out of the car and there were people who would pay attention to her. Outings like this are great for her because she is so intent on pulling her way around that she conks out when we get back into the car.

On to Atlanta. All we wanted to do was get in our hotel room, shower, do some laundry and take it easy for a while.

Check back tomorrow when we explore the worlds of the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coca-Cola Museum. And, if you were wondering, I've already bought some green wigs for Cameron and I to wear tomorrow to show our St. Patty's Day spirit. They were on sale for $3.50 at Wal-Mart. Who WOULDN'T buy them?

Goodbye Vicksburg, Hello Tuscaloosa!

On Sunday morning we decided to attend a church service. Since we were in the great state of Mississippi we had plenty of options to choose from. One of those options was a Jehovah's Witness worship center that we kindly overlooked.

Cameron and I found First Christian Church in Vicksburg. The skies were overcast but it was bright and refreshing mist was in the air, much like Saturday. We attended the 10:45 service.

The church was nestled atop a sweet little hill. It had room for only one stained glass window at the front of the church. It had a quaint, white steeple and glass double-doors at the entrance. We were welcomed with open arms by the pastor and congregation of roughly 15 people. We got a nod when we walked in as one of the elders was speaking of low attendance numbers. He said, "Thank you to the young couple in the back for attending this morning."

The church was bright and happy. It was comfortable to just sit and listen to the service. We enjoyed ourselves.

We had to get back to the hotel to check out, get Cinder and mosey on over to Tuscaloosa, AL. I drove this 3 hour leg of the trip and it was very enjoyable. The trees are thick and higher than Texas highways. The redbuds line the road as if someone, years ago, thought it would be a wonderful idea to plant a redbud every 2 feet along the route.

Around 4:00 we arrived at the Moundville Archeological Park in Tuscaloosa. Moundville is a flat area that is surrounded by forest where Native Amerians used to live. These Native Americans had a tradition of burying their dead under the house they were living in. Since they most likely lived in dirt-floor homes, their homes just rose with the years and layers of bodies being buried in the ground. So there are mounds that measure roughly 25 feet high and 50-75 feet in diameter. In the park, there are about 12-15 mounds. They are all covered in grass and maintained by the park that is owned by the University of Alabama.

We set up camp together by pitching our 8X10 tent. This was the first time we'd ever done this together and it was quite enjoyable. We work well together anyway so I wasn't surprised. It began to get dark and we needed to build our campfire. Cameron was in charge of that and I was in charge of dinner.

I had a hot plate that I used to make some tuna melts with cheese and tortillas. Cameron and I both were pleasantly surprised at the tastiness of this campsite fare. It was so good that we both had seconds. Then, for dessert, we attacked the Mississippi Mud Cake Monster that lived in the car overnight (leftover from Rusty's).

A retired couple from Oklahoma was in the campsite next to us staying in their comfortable, spacious, and dry RV. He came over and offered some burning embers for Cameron's fire. Things were so damp all over the area that it was incredibly difficult to build a fire right away. Never the less, a fire was started and it was a success.

Once things began to settle down all three of us went into the tent for the night. Cinder was being her spoiled self and insisted on being on one of our sleeping bags but we shunned her to use only her bedsheet to make herself comfortable.

Cameron and I played gin for a while and we heard some raindrops on the top of the tent. It rained all night long... It was rough.

We woke up to a soaked campsite. Luckily, nothing was damaged because all the important stuff was either inside the tent or the car. Cameron had a morning run and we ate cold cereal from a mug and a small pot. It was still raining. However, this place was so peaceful. The temperature was perfect. The surroundings were green, lush, and still. It was hard to believe that hundreds of years ago there were Native American people who lived in that same spot.

Another bonding experienced commenced as we began breaking down the tent and campsite. We had to just bear down and do it because the rain only let up a bit to trick us into thinking that "now" was the time to get started. The rain came down harder as we started to take the tent down.

I only got the tent for $25. So if it smells like mold and mildew when we take it out of the bag, I wont freak out if I have to toss it.

Before leaving the great town of Tuscaloosa we went through the University of Alabama campus. We found our way inside Paul Bear Bryant Stadium, Home of the Crimson Tide. Cameron was in his element and was enjoying every moment of being inside this impressive stadium. Cinder enjoyed herself as well, as she pulled me everywhere we went. There was also a cool graveyard that we got to drive through. Some of the headstones marked people who were born in 1803 and perhaps earlier.

We knew we needed to get on the road. So we called it a day for old Tuscaloosa and headed over to Birmingham, AL.

Fried Green Tomatos!

Well folks, if you're EVER in the Vicksburg area you MUST stop at Rusty's Riverfront Grill. I found this restaurant on the internet and it had a five-star rating from someone who said they will always visit this place if they are going through. So Cameron and I tried it out.

We started with fried green tomatos as our appetizer. WOW! It was an experience Cameron and I have never had before and we were both amazed at the fried green goodness of it all. They were topped with Holondaize (sp) sauce and crab meat. Pictures are included for you visual learners.

I ordered a boring chicken salad and Cameron ordered shrimp and crab au gratin. Cameron's entree was piping hot and full of deliciousness.

Since we tend to order regional specialties that are named after the places they were born, we had to surrender all inhibitions of dieting and go with the Mississippi Mud Cake for dessert. The darn thing was so good, we swore it was an actual living creature. There were so many flavors in it that our bodies nearly rejected it. We couldn't finish it, needless to say. And it's sitting out in the car, most likely conspiring to steal our transportation and drive itself back to the Muddy Mississip where it came from. By the morning it will have already grown its arms back and will have fenegled it's way out of the doggie bag.

Unfortunately, the weather prevented us from taking the Mississippi River Sunset Cruise on the Sweet Olive. It was ok. Cameron and I were nearly crippled by the amount of food we ate at Rusty's. So we went up the street to a bar called the Warehouse Sports Bar. I played some bar computer games while Cameron got to watch some basketball. It was dead so we got a chance to relax a bit.

Looking back on the events of the day, I mentioned to Cameron how it seemed, at times, that we were the only ones in town. There were times at the Military Park when we were the only people around. The restaurant was packed but when we drove around downtown after dinner, hardly anyone was on the road. It was very relaxing.

Now we're planning on attending a church service here in Vicksburg tomorrow morning. And, for the rest of the night, we will play Farkle and cards and watch a Netflix instant movie on the laptop.

Thanks for reading. I hope you're enjoying this as much as we are. It's fun to know that people are "taking the trip with us." Love, Ashley, Cameron and Cinder

From Shreveport, LA to Vicksburg, MS

Despite the cold drizzle the entire way to Shreveport we mangaged to check in to our hotel, drop off Cinder and hit the casinos. We went to Sam's Town to start the night around 11:00 then we traveled on to the Horseshoe. All in all, we didn't win any of our hard-earned cash back. But we had a great time at the craps tables, watching and learning.

We got back to the hotel around 2:30am to a crying, whining, spoiled little black pit bull. She could hardly contain herself when she realized that we actually hadn't left her forever.

This morning we woke up, Cameron went for a little run (to keep his status in the weight-loss competition at work) and then we went down for the free breakfast. We truly love the taste of "free" food, even though we wouldn't have had the breakfast had we not paid the $75 for the hotel room.

On to Vicksburg, MS around 10:00 this morning. The drive was quite nice with the overcast and misty skies behind the trees just coming out of their winter dormancy. It truly was an enjoyable 2.5 hour drive through north Louisiana and into Mississippi.

Vicksburg is directly on the Mississippi River which is the border between LA and MS. We stopped at the visitor's center, got some brochures and let Cinder christen the great state of Mississippi. We cleaned up after her, of course.

Then it was on to our tour of Vicksburg National Military Park. This was a self-guided car tour covering all 16 miles if the park. We stopped for photo opportunities. Again, the overcast sky and misty surroundings really lent itself to the somber atmosphere of the battlegrounds. We really enjoyed this, even though Cameron had already visited this city on the way to watch one of his brother's college football games a few years back.

Tonight will include dinner at Riverside Grill in downtown Vicksburg. Then, at 6:00 we will be aboard the Sweet Olive Riverboat Sunset Tour of the Mighty Mississippi.

I keep telling Cameron that I can't believe we're actually doing this. It's just so cool. On top of that, I cannot believe we're actually taking Cinder with us. It's been great so far though!

Please check back again soon as our travels take us into Tuscaloosa, AL for some old fashioned camping!

Let the Games Begin!

In a few short hours Cameron, Cinder and I will be on our way to Shreveport. As I type this, I am beginning my mantra that our lucky break in the luxurious casinos of Shreveport, LA will help pay for some, if not all, of the road trip that lies ahead.

Our trip begins with Shreveport, LA. We will travel to Vicksburg, MS, Tuscaloosa, AL, Birmingham, AL, Atlanta, GA, Augusta, GA, then finally Charleston, SC. Cameron and I agreed to be responsible for an equal amount of stops and plan each stop separately from each other. So neither of us knows what the other has planned!

Cameron is responsible for Shreveport, Birmingham, Augusta and Charleston. I am responsible for Vicksburg, Tuscaloosa, and Atlanta. The excitement is mounting as the time gets closer for us to kick this whole thing off tonight in Louisiana.

We began throwing the idea around about taking a road trip for Spring Break in early February. We initally thought camping at Big Bend National Park would be great. That was until we checked availability of camp sites there in February and found nothing.

Then we started asking ourselves where we would like to drive to. We didn't want to go North by way of Nebraska because we just made that trip last year. We didn't necessarily want to go West because of the lack of "stuff" on I-10. And we didn't even mention going South. So that left us with East. And that's where we're heading.

Now that I've started this blog, I feel obligated to keep it up throughout the trip. It will be a fun thing to give the latest on what we're doing and seeing every day.

I hope you follow along for the next full week of road trip fun as Ashley, Cameron, and Cinder travel the deep south. Check back real soon!