November 6, 2012

The morning started off with a classic breakfast of grits for Chandler and an omelette for me in a cafe in the French Quarter, followed by a farmer’s market near a university. I bought some kale. The rain from the night before was absent, but the skies were overcast and the temperature had dropped into the 40s.

Collard greens, okra and a bunch of other fresh veggies

Next we headed out of town to Mississippi, the first state we would pass through without spending the night. Since the interstate is boring, we took the scenic route which for a while was right along the coast. I was surprised to see beaches and lighthouses and other normal coastal things like surf shops and palm trees.

Down by da beach in Biloxi

Bird and lighthouse

Also on the beach:

After seeing my new favorite building, we crossed into Alabama.  Welcoming us to Mobile Bay was the USS Alabama. It was getting dark at this point, so unfortunately we didn’t stop.

USS Alabama

We tried to camp at a campground on an island, but it was an RV oriented spot with a pathetic tent camping area. We opted to continue driving. We ended up meeting some of Alabama’s smartest citizens when we got our oil changed.

After driving in the dark for a few hours, we stopped to spend the night in yet another Wally World parking lot. We listened to the news coverage of the voting results on a small radio in the back of the truck, but fell asleep before the election was called. It got into the low thirties that night. I thought the south was supposed to bet HOT! Must be a cold front…