Just drove through Pecos, Texas for what might be the last gas station for a while. We passed a parking where dozens upon dozens of people shot off fireworks, like a legit fireworks show.

Well, we finally made it to Guadalupe Mountain National Park around midnight, MST. I have a constant worry of someone being in our reserved site and having to wake them up to ask them to move but of the 30 or 40 “RV” sites here in what is pretty much a parking lot, there might only be 4 other people here: a camper van and a few small RVs. Also here, however, are WESTERN DIAMONDBACK RATTLESNAKES. Josie and I saw one when we walked to the bathroom. We were already fairly noisy and it just slithered off. I texted my group here and told them to shuffle around as they walked. The big 4 didn’t even want to get out of the car, but I confidently convinced Erin we could walk to the bathroom. Well, again a rattlesnake was on the sidewalk and we shuffled really loudly but this one didn’t move. It kind of just raised its head and tail and we retreated. Believe it or not I didn’t stick around to take pictures.

It was definitely cooler than the night in Louisiana. I was actually able to make scrambled eggs and bacon for the first time this trip, for the first time using our JetBoil Genesis Basecamp stove, and the first time using our Full Windsor Magware silverware. While the girls and I tried to pack up as much as we could, Ed and Sam were working on getting the air compressor working.

Padre Island National Seashore (PINS). It was after 8pm when we got here and pretty dark already in most of the pics but my iPhone did the night long exposure so it’s deceiving. I guess tonight was also the full moon. We probably don’t have anyone else camping within a mile from our spot. Hot dogs for dinner after some technical difficulty. SO MUCH SAND all over us and everything we own. So so much.

5 am we had to wake up and break down the half camp we set up. On the road to the alligator swamp boat tour.

The airboat swamp tour was a pleasant and exciting surprise. Our tour guide Nick was educational and had entertaining delivery. We saw quite a few alligators and saw some interesting landscapes, trees and birds. It was a bit of a $plurge but worth it.

Toured the Tabasco plant in New Iberia.

Interesting tidbit for today: last gas stop, some odd little bird was hanging out with us and then hopped up on our front bumper and snagged a squashed dragonfly and took off.

Another odd observation, we have passed at least three pickup trucks venting hauled, while also filled with furniture, like someone said, “well since I’m towing that truck anyway might as well load it up with furniture and I’ll stop it by your grandma’s house.

Made it to Galveston Island State Park around 7pm. We saw another car accident, a truck quickly turned into a car that was going straight, two cars ahead of us. (And Ed and Sam saw another accident later when picking up pizzas. Sam said at one point they saw the kid doing wheelies and after getting the pizza they saw an ambulance and the motorcycle being flatbedded away. Anyway, the campsite is pretty quiet and we can hear the gentle ocean.

After a late night of working in the truck, doing laundry and packing (2am) we (Ed and I) we’re up by 6:30am to work on the truck and start packing up. First stop is to get Ava to the Pensacola Airport where she flies to Orlando and then home to CLE, arriving just after midnight. We continue on from Pensacola to Louisiana, where we will spend the night at Fontainebleau State Park and leave early tomorrow morning for a swamp boat alligator tour.

Breaking news: Josie has not had McDonald’s in 9 days. While we hoped she would have detoxed she has made it clear she needs McDonald’s.

It was a long, hot drive to Louisiana. There was a fatal motorhome accident on I10 in Mississippi that requires closing the highway for 90 minutes for a helicopter. We got to Fontainebleau before 8pm and quickly set up the tent and Bivy so we wouldn’t have to do it in the dark. We drove around the state park and it really looks pretty cool and a little spooky with the Spanish moss hanging from the oak trees. As I type we are at Chili’s because it’s way too hot to cook anything at camp.

The night didn’t go as planned. The dark and heat and bugs, and the prospect of taking it all down at 5 am, made setting up the truck tent seem like a bad idea. So all of us girls were trying to sleep in the cars, which you can imagine also went very badly. We all ended up sleeping on the ground in the tent with Ed, literally on the ground. Rocco was up in the Lexus tent. As miserable as 5 am hits, we all moved quickly with the goal of getting to the alligator thing and out of Louisiana asap.

Bright and early, around 11am, we took the paddle board across to the beach. I’m still sunburned and whiney and still too scared to try. But Sam and Aunt Lauren got out there.

And back to the Sugar Kingdom

Finishing up the solar panels, as far as we can go until we get the connectors to change the panels from series to parallel. Air compressor mounted to panel and soon to Battery, which from this point on will be called “Battery” proper, with a capital B.

Did a second day of senior photo shooting for Ava and Erin. And finished out the day with ice cream at Aunt Ebby’s; it was crazy crowded but I’ve never seen a more efficient operation.

Uncle Robbie rented a pontoon boat for the day. Grandma wants to fish. We’ve got the Insta360 camera, our regular camera, and binoculars. Hope to see dolphins. Presumably we won’t have phone or internet for several hours so I’ll update this later. I have our Garmin InReach satellite beacon so don’t worry about the Gilligan’s Island scenario.

Update: we saw LOTS aid dolphins! We were about about two hours. We briefly anchored at Little St George and looked for shells. Eating lunch at Up the Creek Raw Bar which I have to admit was really good. I had the grilled mahi tacos. Sam had the grilled shrimp basket and pretty much everyone else got the chicken tenders, all with good reviews.

We just scooped a crab out of the pool. The kids first thought they saw a spider in the bottom of the pool, a big spider. But it’s a crab.

Josie (and I) made a lasagna for dinner. Ed is trouble shooting his solar panels. Erin and Ava jumped in the ocean and I collected little purple seashells.

Started the day with a little panic. The pool guy came, just minutes after Ed unloaded all of the truck, and kind of flooded that area under the porch where all of our stuff was. So, I dragged everything out into the sun to dry out. Despite Lucy’s warning that it was supposed to rain. Then my watch sent a rain alert. And I joked, hah hah, that after dragging it from the pool puddle, I’d have to drag it again out of the rain. And then it started raining.

And the sun came back out, of course. And Ed is still working on his battery, of course. And Josie and Lucy are back in the pool, of course

Spent most of the day trying to get the wires run through the truck to get Ed’s battery and solar panels all doing their thing. Around 8pm I shot some senior photos for Erin and Ava. It’s 10:30 now and Erin, Ava and Lucy are in the pool.

Lucy and Josie are swimming again. Erin and Ava are still in bed (hello, it’s 1 pm). Sam and Ed went to get some parts for this battery build.

Sugar Kingdom?!?

Ed is already on a conference call, as he has to do every Monday morning while we’re on this trip. This morning I stood at the third level deck and saw some dolphins in the Gulf. The girls have been swimming all day. I can only hope that swimming and sunburns will make them sleep tonight!?!

Kids swam all day and we have varying levels of burns to prove it despite SPF. We rode in the big golf cart to pick up pizza. Then we walked across the street to the beach and Josie and I picked up seashells. Lucy and Josie are back in the pool AGAIN.

Making the long haul to Florida

Back in 2017, while driving through Georgia on the way to Florida, Ed accidentally got off at Fort Benning. As we pulled up to the main checkpoint, we found ourselves surrounded by MPs with machine guns, surveying us while we tried to explain we just wanted to turn around. Well, less than 15 minutes after I asked the kids if they remembered that, Ed did it AGAIN, but this time there was a little turnaround before we had to approach the gate. Needless to say the kids were not amused and actually thought Ed did it on purpose. FYI Fort Benning has been renamed Fort Moore.

Last night around 2am Rocco was convinced he heard “something” outside the tent, crunching twigs and brushing the tent. Ed didn’t appreciate Rocco’s flashlight in his eyes as he searched for the perpetrator. Then Rocco and Erin feverishly texted each other back and forth trying to locate whatever was outside. I guess these two his history worrying about “what’s outside the tent.” They didn’t see anything out there. No bear, no coyote, no raccoon, no squirrel, no Sasquatch. Sam and I compared notes in the morning and were both annoyed at the people who drove to the bathroom all night long (right across from us), parking right outside our car and talking in loud groups all night. And the tents next to us started packing up at 5am without any attempt at stealth.

We made it to the house in St. George Island around midnight. Didn’t really get to see much of what was outside. The 4 girls are in the one room in bunk beds, Ed and I are in one room, Rocco is in the other room and Sam is on a sofa sleeper in the little family room here, all of us on the first floor. Rob and Lauren will be in the bedroom on the second floor, with the kitchen and main living room, and Grandma and Grandpa are in the room on the third floor.