Thursday, January 6, 2022

All in motion

It is happening. Road trip to Florida, 2022!  I keep trying to decide the best route/stops and how long I should stay in each place.  Shari and I are meeting in St. Petersburg for five to seven days.  Neither of us wanted to fly.  I really have no desire right now.  It is a little shocking to me but it seems unappealing.  A road trip feels like adventure.

I can teach remotely, too.  I figure drive to Dallas which makes for a long first day.  Stay the night, teach in the a.m. and then drive to New Orleans.  I found a few airbnb's that look perfect.  One near the Marigny and the other near Tulane.  I am conflicted.  The one near the Marigny looks grittier and eclectic.  The one near Tulane has beautiful lighting and ample restaurants, coffee shops, bars.  I have stayed in the Bywater and most recently, in the Garden District.  I am open to anything really.

From NOLA, it will be a straight shot to St. Petersburg.  I thought about where to stop between those two cities and really there is nothing.  Mobile is two hours away.  Pensacola is another hour and a halfish.  I have bad associations with Panama City Beach from my childhood.  I stopped there on a cross country trip in 2007 with former friends in Phoenix.  I truly did not want to stop in Panama City. They did. We walked along the beach and had a bite to eat before heading west.  

I don't want to stop in Tallahassee.  I think I might extend my stay in NOLA and just drive to St. Petersburg on Saturday.  I don't know.  I am conflicted.  I know that I want to arrive in St. Petersburg mid-afternoon, at least.   So, it might be preferable to find a spot to shorten my drive.  Or, I suppose, I could consider a spot on Friday in St. Petersburg.  That might be the best option.

The way back, I am also trying to determine the best way.  Would it be better to drive past New Orleans to break up my return to Dallas?  Should I even stop in Dallas or keep going to Amarillo?  There are many options.  And I do not need to rush this. I don't want to.

Adventure will be here sooner than I am ready for...I still need to figure out a rental car.  That is a whole other story of frustration.  The prices for when I am looking are triple what they are in two weeks.  Does not make any sense.  I am chilling in the meantime with the knowledge that everything will work out.  I do not doubt that, at all.  

Enjoy your night!  Hopefully, I will have more concrete plans in the next week. Shari found us an airbnb with a pool and a hot tub.  It is a little north of St. Pete.  I liked all of the amenities and liked that it wasn't located on the beachfront. I kept thinking about the parking, the people, etc.  This will be more chill and more my speed.  

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