So I guess the best place to pick up is right where we left off…waking up on a heated sleep number bed in an upscale hotel in downtown Dallas provided to us by our good friend, Alex.
To start with, walking outside into the furnace that bakes the South was a huge shocker. Now it was only the mid 80s, but remember, it SNOWED 4 days before up in the Fort. Quite the change. Ricco took us to a Mexican restaurant that rivaled some of those from SoCal I was accustomed to. After a delicious meal Alex, myself, and a very happy Logan parted ways with Catherine and proceeded to Owen’s “Man Cave.”
The plan had been to play tennis, but that did not happen. Rather, after a Super Smash Brawl, Alex, Logan, and I went to his grandparents’ penthouse on the 22nd floor and had a view of the entire city of Dallas. As we sat on the balcony discussing who knows what, Logan put forth the proposition of going out to a legit Texas steakhouse in celebration of an ending school year among other things. After talking to his awesome grandparents about anything and everything, we continued on to Texas Land and Cattle Steakhouse. Porterhouse steak done right.
Texans sure do know their steaks.
We then made the journey back to the U haul, said our goodbyes, and prepared for the daunting night long journey that was in front of us. But Alex had one more trick up his sleeve. As we were getting ready, he showed up, and we walked to the Track within the walled community of Highland Park (there are castles at this place!!). There are few things better than an empty track at 9PM in the South, and we all just chilled on the pole vault mats for an hour. Of course, I went running…a mile barefoot just because haha.
Going back to the U haul and saying our goodbyes (again) we were preparing (again) for the trip…only we were both exhausted. Ricco showed up again20 mins later, and he offered to put us up at the Radisson Hotel again. Those Sleep Number beds were calling, but we decided it was best to hit the road. After getting slightly lost in the ghetto of Dallas, we were on highway 20 heading to Shreveport, LA.
U Haul trucks are loud, and this makes sleeping difficult
Exiting Dallas at 11PM, we were in it for the long haul. And Mother Nature decided to spice things up a bit by putting on a spectacular light show in the distance…and then it was on top of us. I slept while Logan powered through the impressive storm and woke up just in time to see the biggest, brightest lightning bolt of my life. It hit right in front of us a few miles up, and we could see the sparks coming off of whatever it hit. I was awake then….
…But then I slept again, woke up at daybreak in Louisiana (bearded guy sitting outside gas station talking to everyone, haze making it almost difficult to breathe) and I took over the wheel. Logan tried to sleep, but before we knew it we were in Baton Rouge passing over the Mississippi River. We had the bright idea to park in a random neighborhood, walk to the river and go in…only it was the most disgusting part of the river right past “Cancer Alley.” After stepping in, we left on the road again and soon were in New Orleans.
The plan had been to sleep for a few hours when we got there and then check out the town. After driving through downtown in a 20+ foot truck, we were definitely ready to sleep, but the lady at the tourist center preferred that we suffer. After almost taking out her tree and her car, (she had it coming) we parked near the Mississippi Levies right outside the French District. I claimed the cab and Logan hopped in the back and we tried to sleep… but New Orleans apparently gets hot in summer (who knew, right?) so our luxurious nap transformed into a sweaty rest outside an apartment building. People saw me and I heard them saying something along the lines of “truck, tourist, sleep” but I didn’t care and eventually slept a couple hrs.
We walked to the French corridor, had lunch at Magnolia’s Grill, and toured the deserted Bourbon Street. It was hot, empty, and frankly, kinda boring so we decided to ship off to Tallahassee, FL.
Shrimp Po Boy from Magnolia's in the French Quarter:
A trip through Mississippi and Alabama was in store, and nothing happened in either of those states except another display by Mother Nature in the form of a blinding rainstorm.
After finally reaching Tallahassee, FL we were met with couches and friends and Pita Pit and were settled in for the evening. After a solid night’s sleep, we are now getting ready to make the final stretch of the trip to Wellington, FL.
3 posts in and it is already almost over?
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