On the Road Again... Again

It's been a while. I'm back for a season, because we're back on the road, enjoying yet another adventure.

If you're new to The Road Less Traveled at www.jonandannette.blogspot.com, let me catch you up: Our road trekking adventures began in 2012 when I called a friend and said, "How would you feel about riding all 48 states in three summers?" He immediately jumped on board. We accomplished all of that - and we just kept riding. Every summer since 2012 - this is summer number 9 - we've set out on a grand adventure of some sort. All of those epic adventures were on motorcycles.

If you've read the last several posts, you know we sold the bike and purchased an RV, desiring to travel not just with the best of friends but with our growing family of 10. That's been done. We're waiting to travel crazy long distances until the littles get older - but we travel a lot to Nashville, New Orleans, the beach, Savannah, and Disney's Fort Wilderness. The RV acquisition has proven to be a great thing. Just this week, our kids did their first solo (without Papa and Jamma) trip, and their adventure was a success. Oh, how we long for the spirit of adventure that is so much a part of us to continue in our kids and grands!

Some time after beginning the RVing adventures, I said to my bride, "The RV purchase was right, but it just doesn't go fast enough." In truth, part of my thought process was that the RV is all about family. The motorcycle afforded us an opportunity to adventure with our closest friends - and I desired a vehicle for continuing the adventures with those guys. A "vehicle" can be defined as a thing used for transporting people or goods, such as a motorcycle or recreational vehicle - or it can be defined as a thing used to express, embody, or fulfill something. For 11 years, the motorcycle was often our "vehicle" for deepening meaningful relationships with friends. I longed for another friend vehicle. And so another new season began.

On January 20, 2020 we purchased an old sports car. I haven't made a big deal about it because, well, I know some will think it extravagant and some will think a pastor shouldn't drive such a car... and that's okay. For me, the car was an investment in adventuring and friendship. Some have never understood my passion for Jesus and our commitment to serve Him and His Kingdom. That's okay. Some have never understood the priority we have placed on our children. That's okay. Some will never understand our desire for adventure and this crazy desire to go far and fast. That's okay, too. We inquire of the Lord. We embark on journeys with family and friends. And our lives are richer because of it. So we're on the road again.

On Monday, September 7 - Labor Day - I departed Orlando with four dear friends. Annette joins us tonight in Albuquerque. (I have to look up how to spell that word every time I type it. Sigh...) Here are some things of interest about this trip:

• These friends were supposed to embark on this trip in May. We weren't going to be able to adventure with them because of prior travel plans for my birthday. COVID-19 caused them to postpone, and this opened the door for us to join the fun.
• My New Orleans band of brothers were supposed to enjoy a great northwest adventure and, for various reasons, had to cancel that adventure entirely. We invited them to join us on this "ride", but they just weren't able to make it happen. I miss them a lot.

Our friend Tami put the "bones" of this trip together. She found dates that worked, determined the trip duration that worked for them, routed the trip, and booked hotels. When we determined that Annette and I would be able to be a part of the 2020 experience, I went to work putting "meat" on those bones... routing the trip in Garmin's BaseCamp, finding adventures within the adventure along the way, planning meals... those things I've done for the last bunch of adventures. After all of the planning, we're on the road. Again.

DAY 1: Orlando, FL to New Orleans, LA

DISTANCE: 633 miles

Our first day's adventure felt good. Driving a sports car on one of these epic adventures was an all-new thing. While it was blazing hot outside, we drove in air-conditioned comfort. We're still using the Cardo PackTalk communicators we've used for these "rides", so the banter is fun and keeps us alert as we drive. The communicators are designed for motorcycle riding. Being inside cars with windshields between us limits range - but as long as we don't get too far apart - we're good to chat.

Lunch in Crestview, Florida was great! Our meals are researched ahead of time. We don't eat fast food and we only frequent local non-franchised establishments. Hub City Smokehouse and Grill was everything TripAdvisor and Yelp said it would be. The first 395 miles of the journey couldn't have been better. The same could not be said for the after-lunch experience.

Waze warned us of Labor Day holiday traffic as we approached Mobile, Alabama, and we found ourselves pretty much in bumper-to-bumper traffic until we approached Slidell, Louisiana. No kidding. We lost two hours in traffic. We missed our dinner reservation and had to scramble to find a restaurant open in the French Quarter. But we laughed through it all, enjoyed a pretty okay New Orleans cuisine experience and then walked through the Quarter and along the mighty Mississippi River.

I want to be careful about the next observations. I know little about the political environment in New Orleans these days. Annette and I moved away from the Crescent City in 1993. While we visit as often as we can, we don't keep up with much local news. I will only say that our arrival at our downtown hotel just outside the French Quarter was unsettling and embarrassing for this adventurer who calls The Big Easy home. I paid $44 to park our car in a place I hoped would be safe. I texted my buddies and there and asked, "What has happened to our city?" It's so sad. The normally bustling Vieux Carre was practically abandoned. The smattering of people present walked past boarded-up places of business.

Our planned visit to Cafe Du Monde for beignets was postponed to the next morning because this New Orleans establishment closed at 8 PM. Wow... an 8 PM closure in a city that used to never sleep. I apologized to my friends for the unexpected New Orleans experience and determined Tuesday would better. I've committed to pray for our home town. She has so much character... so much history... and her people love life. She rose from the ashes after the storm of Katrina. With proper leadership, she can survive COVID-19 and all else that troubles her. Rise from the ashes, Crescent City. In Jesus name, amen.

DAY 2: New Orleans, LA to Duluth, TX

DISTANCE: 593 miles

We have our destinations in mind. Those destinations are all a long way from home. We want to minimize our days away and maximize our days at those places of choice, so we drive long, hard days to get there. Tuesday was no exception. While we drove just under 600 miles, we made our way through the Dallas - Fort Worth metroplex in rush-hour traffic. That's not the kind of adventure we enjoy. First, though...

We started our day with breakfast at Cafe Du Monde, introducing our friends to beignets. The beignets were wonderful, of course. Perhaps even better was the trio comprised of a trombonist, and tuba player, and a drummer. Their rendition of Amazing Grace was offered in a style that can only be found in New Orleans.

Breakfast was followed by a leisurely drive through uptown New Orleans before returning to the interstate for a while. I completed my undergraduate degree at Loyola University, located in this part of the city, so I have many fond memories of my time spent here.

I routed us through central Louisiana, where we enjoyed a very good country-cooking lunch at Pamela's Bayou in a Bowl in Alexandria. Then it was back to I-49 to I-20 to Dallas. We survived the Dallas rush-hour adventure and set our sights on Decatur, Texas. After a quick stop at our hotel, we grabbed a late dinner at Sweetie Pie's Ribeyes. While at dinner, I sent a message to a friend. He replied, "There is a place in Decatur called Sweetie Pie's Ribeyes. Good stuff." Good stuff, indeed. And then it was off to do a little bit of work before bed.

It's Day 3. I'm up early, writing in the Guest Laundry "suite", because this is what we do when on the road. The sports car just might have less room for packing than we had on our Harley-Davidson. So you pack light and wash often. We're headed to New Mexico today. More importantly, I'm headed to meet my girl... my best friend... my partner in life, ministry, and adventure. I'll see you tonight, baby - and then we'll be on the road again... again... together.

Hub City Smokehouse and Grill 

New Orleans' Saint Louis Cathedral

The mighty Mississippi River

The menu at Pamela's Bayou in a Bowl

This was fine home cooking.

Hello, Texas.

My first visit to a Buc-ees.

Sweetie Pie's Ribeyes was a win.

A city devoid of life made us sad...

... but we found joy in being reminded of God's Amazing Grace.