Road Trip To Alabama

The day is getting closer for us to leave on our road trip to Alabama. We leave home on Saturday May 16th and Lord Willing, will arrive in Enterprise, AL on Monday May 25th. We will make stops along the way in La Puente, CA,; Phoenix, AZ; El Paso, TX; Big Spring, TX (half-way between El Paso and Ft. Worth); Ft. Worth, TX; Pearl, MS (outside of Jackson, MS) and Enterprise, AL.

We'll spend 1 night in La Puente, staying with Joyce and her family. She is one of Gerry's twin girls and the mother of our two youngest grandchildren. Wendi, his youngest daughter, also lives there. Then 1 night in Phoenix with Gerry's sister and niece; 1 night in El Paso and Big Spring, TX. In Ft. Worth we'll be there 3 nights. Keith, Gerry's second son lives there. He cycles too so I am sure he and Gerry will go out on the bikes. (We are taking a bike with us). :)) Our stay in Ft. Worth will be a little plush. Keith has made reservations for us at a Marriott's Residence Inn.

There's 1 night in Mississippi and then a week in Enterprise with my daughter and family and attending Nathan's graduation. Stephen's family will be there too so we'll have a bit of a family reunion too. Denise's father and his wife may be there too. I haven't seen him since the kids got married in 1989. It will be fine, he is just another person now.

We'd like to drive down to the Florida panhandle area and see the Gulf. Don't know if we'll do that with Denise or drive that way on our way back west.

On the way back we stop in Port Allen, LA (just west of Baton Rouge); Houston, TX (close to NASA and half way to Galveston); Austin, TX; Sonora, TX; El Paso, Phoenix, La Puente and home.

In the Baton Rouge area, we'll visit a few of the plantations along the River Road (next to the Mississippi River). A lot of them are bed and breakfast places, some have tours and some are still private residences. I'd like to take a swamp tour too; I don't think Gerry is real keen on that so will have to see. Then between Baton Rouge and Houston in Lafayette, LA there is a Cajun Village that can be self-toured. We'll be 2 nights in Port Allen.

In Houston, we will visit the Space Center and drive down to Galveston. Parts of that area have not recovered since the devastating hurricanes of last summer. We'll be there for 2 nights also.

We'll then drive north to Austin where we'll spend 1 night. Gerry wants to visit Mellow Johnny's, Lance Armstrong's bike shop. Also 45 miles north in Salado, TX is Stamp Salado, a stamp store. Yippee!!! Salado is an historic town; I believe I read on the website that the Chisholm Trail went right up what is now Main Street. I believe this trail was the main route used to drive cattle from Central Texas to market.

When we get back to Phoenix, we'll stay for 3 nights and then 2 nights in La Puente before heading home. It will be lots of miles and I am sure we will be glad to get home. We'll be gone for 4 weeks.

We have all our reservations made for our hotel/motel stays so now I need to make up a Travel Log so we can keep track of where we are staying. I actually made up a draft, need to finalize it now. I intend to blog our trip and include pictures taken along the way. We will be staying in mostly Choice Hotels properties, Comfort Inn, Quality Inn, Econolodge and a Suburban Extended Stay Hotel. In Enterprise and Sonora, TX we are staying at America's Best Value Inn properties.

So for those that follow my blog, I hope you will come along with us on our great adventure and enjoy the trip via my blogging.