Monday, December 30, 2013

On the Road: Texas, New Mexico, Arizona

12/27 - Left Lafayette, Louisiana around 15:30.  Taking the I-10 West.

12/28 - Pulled into Kerr County rest stop mile post 514 2:30AM slept in the front seat til 8:30AM when we were woken up by an RV driver.  We were blocking the poop pump.  Hopped right back onto I-10 West and rode til 18:00 to Van Horn, Texas.  Glad to get some serious miles behind us. Exhausted. Grabbed a room at the Taylor Motel

12/29 - Left Van Horn, Texas at 12:00 noon got to Tucson, Arizona around 21:30

Email excerpt to my parents and sister.
"La sancha made it back to her home town!! Took your advice dad and skipped on the $22 motel for a $40. Got the trailer parked/unhitched by the office. Unloaded car. Couple came by and advised I bring in surfboards. Get everything up to room including surfboards and its the worst. Ever. Meth lab. Piss stained sheets. Cig burned blankets. No towels. Drunk guy comes out of room right by La sancha as I'm locking her up and asks if its 6am? I said no its 9:30pm. We got out of there. Refund. Shoved boards in car. Trailer back on. Up the road to clarion for $50 a night. Got 2 nights here. High class all inclusive with security. Worth it. Sliding door with car/trailer 5 feet away. Wooo... What a night..."

12/30 - Took advantage of our last day in America. Banking, purchased spare parts for La Sancha, shopping for things we can't get easily in Mexico. Laundry. 

475 miles - Lafayette, LA to Kerr County, TX

375 miles - Kerr County, TX to Van Horn, TX

435 miles - Van Horn, TX to Tucson, Arizona

West Texas has a lot of long steep highway hills.  
Good thing we keep 2.5 gallons of emergency gas in the trunk at all times!



Piña's sleeping spot

When you are driving Westward the sunsets last FOREVER!



Windmill Farms on the horizon


They're SO sleepy after all that nap time in the car while I drove...


Claire always gets what she asks for.

if you've never had in-n-out you should probably do that.

'nough said

Bath time for Piña.  
All that road tripping has made her a filthy little creature.

The plan is to head Southward from Tucson, Arizona tomorrow morning.  Cross the border at Nogales.  We should be pulling into the Guaymas boat yard in under 7 hours!  We've left our home, Splendid Isolation, behind for almost 8 solid months.  Before May, 2013 the longest we had ever left our sail boat of a home was 10 days (for my sister's wedding), and that was probably the only time!  We are super excited to get home, with our new trailer.  We will wait patiently for our good friends Marc & Colleen.  Keep on traveling with us to see how we pass our time in good old Mexico!

On The Road: Louisiana for Christmas

12/24 - Left Destin, Florida at 13:30 and got to Breaux Bridge, Louisiana around 21:30.  We rented a Bayou Cabin for our Christmas! Crazy to think that this time last year we were anchored off Cabo San Lucas.

12/25 - Christmas morning in cabin on Bayou Teche. Family meal with Claire's Father's cousins.  The Copeland side that lives in Lafayette.  Chinese food for late night Christmas dinner.

12/26 - Checked out of our Bayou Cabin 12:00 noon.  Went to Hub City Diner.  Tight city driving with the trailer.  Almost took out a street pole on a skinny turn, held up traffic for a minute.  Stayed another day/night with Joe and Camille Copeland.  Claire learned a lot about her Father's side of the family. 

12/27 - Lights on the trailer were acting up.  Joe's neighbor Leo came over and helped me trouble shoot the issue.  After checking all possibilities, the trailer is fine.  We got it all to work, we just need to leave the headlights on while we drive.  Left the Copeland's beautiful home around 15:30 and hopped on the I-10 West towards Texas.

355 miles


our Bayou Cabin! [link]



right on the Bayou Teche [link]







Piña loved the porch

Piña's new Christmas toy







facetiming the fam

We trucked our Christmas presents all the way from North Carolina, and even acquired more along the way!  Thank you all friends and family for making sure we had a wonderful Christmas morning on the road!


Claire jumped right into the Chinese Christmas game with her distant relatives whom she had never met before.

Claire's Granmother Jane (dads mom)
on the left is her sister Elizabeth and in the middle the youngest Alice

Robert Copeland 

Robert Copeland's late wife Lillian Mae Insley
Where Claire gets her middle name.

Lillian's parents


Lillian and Robert - Jane's parents 

Joe and Camille Copeland
Joe is Bob Copeland's son and Claire's Dad's cousin

Piña taking advantage of her windowsills 

Backed that big girl up onto the Copeland's lawn


Louisiana is a very comforting state, one of our favorites

Joe and Camille's cozy living room

Camille's gumbo!




crawdad

Claire got a generous Panera gift certificate for Christmas from her Father Rob!
Well thought out. Healthy meals. Free/fast wifi. Many locations along our I-10 route.

Christmas eve. See our tree?



Can't go through Louisiana without getting it.

The Copeland's
Designed by Joe Copeland - Architect

Joe helping cut a small groove in the trunk lining so that we don't keep crushing the trailer wires