December 13 - 15th---> Photos to post when we have Internet!

December 15th:

Another cold night and a furnace on the blink. Doug is ready to drive straight through to Citrus Springs so we can sleep in a house with a heater. He is done with getting up every 15 minutes to wiggle the switch. And when he is up, I am up, so we are both tired.  Bandit seems to sleep no matter what, lucky girl.

I (Sharon) am hoping for a stop at Pensacola Beach, just to see it, I have heard so much about it. Then hot and heavy towards our new home. We have plenty to do there for cleaning the house and getting it ready for our container of household items to arrive.

We did see Pensacola and it was totally awesome.  Definitely will go back to do some camping.  We decided to camp at Walmart about 3 hours away from Citrus Springs.  Had some popcorn, settling in with a movie for the night.  But......the furnace did it's last dance and died at about 8pm.  Couldn't get it fixed.  It was about 30 degrees out.  So we pulled up anchor and drove the last 3 hours to our new home.  Got in around 11pm, unpacked the trailer.  Laid out the cushions for our bed and turned on the house furnace.

It really stinks in the house, very musty and mildewy.  Sharon wore a protective mask all night, it was really getting to her.  Needless to say, we have some cleaning to do.   Home depot is our first stop and then we get to work.

Photos to come........once we get hooked up to internet.

December 14th:

As many stalwart travelers know, change in food and water and sitting all day driving, often create interesting reactions within one's body.  Doug encountered such a morning, and come to think of it, it stretched backwards a couple of days.  Feeling a great desire to enjoy the wicked walmart wobble, Doug returned crying in pain, nearly in tears with anguish.  "Sharon, help me", he cried.  The ensuing hour and equipment from the local pharmacy, created an additional "in-to-me-see"   between these two travelers. An extra gallon of water later, Doug had a smile on his face and ready for another day.  What?  More than you needed to know? (you can unsubscribe at any time)

We drove through New Orleans and could see some remnants of Katrina, we were at about 13 ft. below sea level, as we drove over a bridge crossing the gulf, kinda freaky seeing the water as it appeared a little higher than us.  

As we crossed into Mississippi, the first thing we saw as we drove across the state line was a park that had a place for campers to dump waste and fill up with water.  What a nice offering and welcoming for travelers coming into or leaving their state. 

We decided to take a slower route today all along the Mississippi coast line, since we only had a short piece of Mississippi to drive across.  Absolutely gorgeous beaches. Miles and miles of white sandy beaches. Bandit had fun chasing birds into the water and all over the beach. She was in her element.  Then she rolled in the sand. Aaaaarrrrggghghghgh. 

First beach stop was Waveland. We talked with a woman that works at the recreational pier. She said it has just been rebuilt from Katrina. Sharon asked what kind of damage did they have and why didn't we hear about Waveland in the news? She said that Waveland was "ground zero" for Katrina, and they were the "forgotten ones". A 35 ft. storm serge hit the land and travelled 15 miles inland.  New Orleans' tragedy was the levee breaking.  All along the beaches in Mississippi, like Waveland, Long Beach, Biloxi, etc. we saw 2/3rds of beach front homes and mansions were missing, others had been rebuilt.  We could see the meager 8 ft. tall piers they had been built on were witness to the loss.  Then, on top of that, we saw lots of workers  on the beaches doing what we are guessing to be oil clean up from the oil spill.  

Quite fittingly, after the morning escapade, we did pass a sign for the G.I. Museum. (teeheeheehee)

We have a 45 minute drive to reach Mobile, Alabama and find a Walmart for the night.   

We made it to Pensacola, FL.  Doug was so determined to get his foot into Florida, so here we are, but we are still 2 days drive away from Citrus Springs….or so the GPS says.  

December 13th:

Drive from Sisterdale, TX through Baton Rouge, Louisiana where there were lots of bridges over swamps and canals.  The swamps were absolutely beautiful, if you can imagine that.  

We did see several signs that said that Judgement Day will be May 21, 2011……so Be aware!!!!

We camped at the local Super Center Walmart, in La Place, which is just outside of New Orleans.  At this Walmart they had at least 4 cop cars driving through the parking lot all night for the holiday shopping, so we felt very secure.  It was freakin' cold and the heater was acting up.  My first thought was to not camp and drive all night instead of freezing, but alls Doug had to do was look at the heating unit and it shaped up right quick.  Looks like the cold snap happening here and all through the south is over, so each day and night will be warmer.