{"id":4769,"date":"2012-02-28T22:00:22","date_gmt":"2012-02-29T03:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/?p=4769"},"modified":"2024-12-03T16:23:36","modified_gmt":"2024-12-03T21:23:36","slug":"on-the-road-at-last","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/?p=4769","title":{"rendered":"On The Road At Last"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Linda Burton posting from Lafayette, Louisiana traveling from home\u00a0to Austin, Texas<\/em>\u00a0\u2013 Sometimes you have to stop planning and start driving. Today was that day. I\u2019d hoped to begin the Journey Across America<\/em> on January 1; it seemed an auspicious date, an easy target to aim for. I\u2019d do Montgomery first, then Tallahassee, Baton Rouge, and Jackson, arriving in Austin on the first of March. But there was too much to do; buying the Scion and getting it decked out, packing and moving stuff to brother\u2019s house, or giving much of it away. I had to buy a new laptop and phone that will let me work on the road. I had to visit the family in Florida; have that last lunch with cousin Emily; have that last visit to Mom\u2019s and Dad\u2019s graves and say goodbye to step-mom Opal; check in with the doctor and the dentist. Today I\u2019m tired; I could sleep for a week, but \"\"<\/a>no more delays. This is it. It took hours to load the car, brother helped me haul it out; I had no idea how everything would fit. But somehow it did; the cats were tucked against the back of the seat so they could see me, and I could almost see them. Brother got my picture by the car; I got his by the front door; arms extended, whew! We\u2019re done! Now go! I stopped for gas, diet Coke, and a bear claw, my standard convenience-store shopping. It was 9:04 AM, and I was on the road at last. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>It\u2019s not far from Northport, Alabama to the Mississippi state line; \u201cMississippi, Birthplace of America\u2019s Music\u201d said the sign. I stopped at the Welcome Center; charming old brick and southern d\u00e9cor, hyacinths in bloom out front. It was a \"\"<\/a>quick pit-stop; rain clouds were moving in. I-59 splits off from I-20 at Meridian; I kept going south; did I need the radio? A country station came in loud and clear; \u201che can\u2019t even bait a hook,<\/em>\u201d a message there; \u201che can\u2019t even skin a buck. He don\u2019t know who Jack Daniels is, he ain\u2019t never drove a truck<\/em>.\u201d I\u2019m interested in the lyrics now, how will this one end? \u201cCan he melt your heart with a country song every good old boy should know? darlin’ I ain’t even worried, cause you’ll come runnin’ back\u2026he can’t even bait a hook<\/em>.\u201d That\u2019s Justin Moore, the DJ says, a really good old boy.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>On through Laurel, in Jones County, folks there resisted the Civil War secession; past Hattiesburg. I needed lunch; saw a sign for McNeill\u2019s Truck Stop at Carriere. I fed the cats and went inside; the sign promised We Serve Real Food Here<\/em> in the Truckers Kitchen; well I\u2019m a long-haul driver now; I qualify. Grilled cheese and a side of slaw; hearty eaters here; big plates. Picayune, Mississippi was the last exit before the Louisiana state line, and then my peaceful wooded drive\u00a0came to a slamming halt; merge with \"\"<\/a>I-10; head west. \u201cWelcome to Louisiana, Bienvenue en Louisiane, America\u2019s Wetland\u201d advised of big changes in the landscape, and the way of life; I\u2019m in the land of bayous, crayfish, alligators, oil. On to Baton Rouge, a capital city I have to bypass now; \u201cI\u2019ll be back in December!\u201d I called out, not even slowing down. The bridge ahead rose high above the delta lands; I crossed the Mississippi River; Port Allen straight ahead.<\/p>\n

Water everywhere, Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge to my right; Iberville Parish, no counties here, but parishes; the names are French; Breaux Bridge, and\u00a0then Lafayette; a room was waiting in my name. The cats resisted; scoot in that carrier and we\u2019ll get some food! I promised. Day One was on the record books; I\u2019m tired, but pleased that I am on the road. At last.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Linda Burton posting from Lafayette, Louisiana traveling from home\u00a0to Austin, Texas\u00a0\u2013 Sometimes you have to stop planning and start driving. Today was that day. I\u2019d hoped to begin the Journey Across America on January 1; it seemed an auspicious date, an easy target to aim for. I\u2019d do Montgomery first, then Tallahassee, Baton Rouge, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4586],"tags":[1358,3058,1361,1363,1362,1360,1356,988,1359,1357,1364,187],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4769"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4769"}],"version-history":[{"count":31,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4769\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4772,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4769\/revisions\/4772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4769"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4769"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4769"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}