Out West Trip: Day 1 (Atlanta to Georgetown, TX)

900 miles and 16 hours later we have finished the first full day of our “epic road trip out west”! We’re going to take a couple of days here at my parents’ house to stock up on anything that we felt we were missing (so far all that list includes is a hat for me) and get ahead on any work related items. Then we’ll do another long haul across the rest of Texas to New Mexico.

In Evie

The four of us rarely take long trips together in the car. It is nice to have two drivers for a change, but we all have to adjust to different traveling styles and music choices and food/drink/rest requirements. Additionally, this is our first big trip in Evie. Overall, our packing plan has so far worked very well.

We kept the food gab in the “room” with us, so Chloe and I made sandwiches at the table. Cutting a tomato with a sharp knife while on Mississippi highways is not a simple task.

Today we only made one detour to see some “Roadside Attractions”: in Anniston, ALwe saw the World’s Largest Chair and the Yellow Elephant (which was blue and green). The stop to geocache at the “Oil Derrick Picnic Area” was the third “Roadside Attraction” we managed to see. The geocache was the tiniest one I’ve ever seen — the size of two watch batteries.

World's Largest Chair

Yellow Elephant

Oil Derrick Picnic Area

We stopped twice other than for gas and the three “roadside attractions”. The first “pit stop” was at the Mississippi Welcome Center along I-20 at the Mississippi River. The river is very high from flooding, and the wake created by the passing barge was impressive. After we crossed the river, the land by the highway was so flooded we saw a power pole that was in water up past the bottom of the transformer.

Flooded Mississippi

Our second “pit stop” was at the girls’ favorite place along the route. The Texas Smokehouse place near I-20 and the exit for Tyler. As vegetarians, it is a little strange that this is their favorite place to stop, but they love the store there.

Along the route, we spotted a large motorcycle cavalcade with a police escort outside Shreveport. No idea, but coming up to it, we had seen small crowds hanging out on the overpasses. I wonder who they were waiting to see? We also passed a Rice Krispies pickup truck towing a Krispies boat.

Quote of the day:
“Feet off the computer!”

Roadside Attractions: World’s Largest Chair, Yellow Elephant, Oil Derrick Picnic Area (Total: 3)
States: Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas (Total: 5)
State Plates Spotted: 15 (Total: 15)
Miles: 942 (Total: 942)
Gallons of gas bought: 52 (Total: 52)