GA to TX

Nigel, Marie, and Tab had one room, and John, Johanna, Katriel, and I had another.  We were all up early and headed down for our breakfast. 

 

We were on track for packing up and getting out and it didn’t take long to get moving.

Believe it or not, there was only ONE Buc-ee’s on our route, so we made sure not to miss it.

The overall drive from Greenville to Galveston is about 15 hours.  I broke our days up into nicely sized chunks to let us do some sight seeing mid-day.  Today’s overall driving was for 10 hours, but we were driving west and therefore gained an hour.

We stopped at The Cheese Cottage for lunch in Mobile, AL.

 

 

Because neither of us are big eaters, Katriel and I split a turkey and cheese club.  Everyone else had the same sandwich, but a full one.

 

It was a cute little stop and a beautiful day.

We wanted a little something to do mid-day and I had read about Fort Conde in Mobile. 

 

 

 

Access to the Fort included the Museum of Mobile, which we had not anticipated.

 

 

 

 

 

It was something to do, and it was amazing to read about the centuries of natural disasters that have plagued that region.

We saw the Port of Mobile where the Carnival cruise ships dock.  It was right across the street from the fort (which is a recreation).

 

 

This fort is build right above the expressway!

 

 

No sooner did we get back to our van and start on our way than the sky opened up and it started to pour.  AND – our wiper was dilapidated.  We stopped by the FANCIEST Walmart I’ve ever seen, and John replaced the wiper and on we went.

 

We stopped at a Whataburger to say we did.  No one hated it, but no one begged to return.

 

A few hours later we rolled into TX. 

We stopped for the night in Winnie, TX, and the hotel left a little to be desired.  But it was a great deal.

Here we go. A 2023 road trip and cruise.

We left town after John got home from work and the car was packed.
Stewart was not able to join us as he not only has a new job, but he also needs to save vacation days for his upcoming wedding.

Of course it rained, but that was ok.  We only had about 3.5 hours to our first overnight stop in Newnan, GA.

This was my first time in Atlanta.  I have heard many horror stories about the traffic there, but thankfully we hit it just right at 8PM or so.

We stayed in a Holiday Inn Express in Newnan, GA.

Billy Graham Museum

With my trip behind me and my health returning, Nan, Tabitha, Johanna, Katriel and I went to Charlotte, NC to visit the Billy Graham museum.  It was a wonderful place that exceeded my every expectation.

The entire place was interactive.  It was set up so that you would move between rooms every 6-7 minutes.  Each had its own focus.

This one was set up like a revival tent.

This talked about his media presence.

It highlighted his outreach to our elected officials.

And his opportunities to reach out across the nations.

He and Mrs. Ruth Graham are buried on the site.

It was a slightly stressful drive as Charlotte and I-85 are no joke.  But it was a trip wholly worth making!

Another long day on the road…

And just like that, Tab’s week with Ava came to a close.
We headed back to West Virginia to meet her parents.

Now – the week before, as we’d driven back to SC, we took the route that takes us through the northeast corner of TN.  As we were driving I saw the name of a road that crossed over the expressway, and I was all but certain it was the same road that I mailed Rebecca’s Christmas card.  When I got home, I looked it up.  Lo and behold, our route goes right by my friends’ road!!!

So today, on our way back from WV, we took a 2 mile detour (that’s it… 2 miles!) and we got to stop in and see my dear friend Rebecca, her husband Dana, and two of their boys!  What a thrill!!  We text regularly, but I hadn’t seen her in well over a year. 

It was so good to see her beautiful house and get a real life hug.

Tab and I pushed on.

Through some miserable weather.

And finally made it home.

South Carolina feels more and more like home every single day!