A family, cross country, socially distanced, masked, road trip across America
Day One: Orlando to New Orleans
After twelve hours on the road through Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana we arrived at our hotel. The lobby was decorated with Mardi Gras eye masks. We were decorated with Covid face masks. The universe leans towards balance.
Day Two: New Orleans to San Antonio
We woke up and did a 9am drive around the French Quarter. I imagine it’s probably a little more crowded during non Covid, non first thing in the morning, party times. We drove around Jackson Square which is the inspiration for a song from one of our favorite musicians, Mason Jennings. “Any body that says life is clear / has never seen a mirror / or been to Jackson Square”
On the ride through Texas, I suggested not stopping for food until after Houston. We listened to the Netflix comedy specials of Taylor Tomlinson and Fortune Feimster to pass the time. We were distracted by the comedy and drove past all the good food options. I found a place called the Courtyard Wine Bar in Columbus, TX with 8 five star reviews. But the last review said, “What used to be a nice place for music and great wine has dissolved into petty small town politics and frozen pizza. Don’t bother. One star” Intrigue at the Courtyard Wine Bar! I you’ve got a story to tell and I want to hear it. You know it was juicy if someone took the time to leave a one star review. Alas, we decided to snack instead of stop.
We arrived in San Antonio with a view over the river walk and went to sleep.
Day Three: San Antonio to El Paso
On the drive out of town we ordered a bag full of treats at La Panaderia and drove by the Alamo. No one was around to ask, “Where is the basement of the Alamo?” so we kept driving. #PeeWeesBigAdventure
Mason had a Texas sized tantrum and needed three lollipops in his hand before taking his nap.
There was nothing for hours until we stopped at a rest stop. We knew there was something weird about the rest stop when one of the buildings had the words PARTY BARN written across the entrance.
When I went into a bathroom stall a tiny pencil sized hole had been drilled through the wall. Maybe the world’s smallest glory hole? Right above the hole someone had graffitied ‘Trump 2020’. I don’t know which came first, the hole or the graffiti but together they are a great work of art.
The temperature on our van’s dashboard read 101 as we pulled into El Paso, TX. I didn’t imagine it would get hotter. I would be wrong. We ordered delivery to our hotel from a seafood restaurant called, Mackey’s. It was a $50.00 minimum for delivery, so we feasted on blackened salmon, fried shrimp and southwestern seafood soup. It felt like our first real meal since Alabama.
Day Four: El Paso to Los Angeles
We wanted to keep the momentum going from our great meal the night before, so we found ‘Fit N Sweet’, a superfoods cafe that opened at 8am. I arrived at 8:05am but the door was locked. I called the number and the owner said nobody was there but she would come meet me and make the food. It was a risk, but I decided to wait. An hour later we feasted on an acai smoothie bowl, overnight oats, nut butter and fruit toast, Greek cream cheese and prosciutto toast, nut butter oatmeal fruit frappe and something called a waffle chaffle. THE WAIT WAS WORTH IT.
As we left El Paso, the mountains of Mexico loomed in the near distance. The border wall lined the highway.
We passed a Robert E Lee Road. (Maybe the farthest west street in the USA named after the Confederate General?) A random check point from Border Patrol stopped our car and asked if we were US citizens. We said Yes, then got the hell away from Big Brother Texas into New Mexico.
Southwest New Mexico was beautiful but things really got exciting in Arizona. We stopped for lunch in Tucson and saw this family of cacti.
We passed by an exit for Tombstone, where the famous shoot out at the O.K Corral took place. But more importantly the location of the HIGHLY quotable 1993 movie Tombstone. I was the only one in the car that was excited. “You’re a daisy if you do.” “I’m your huckleberry.” “What do you think, Darling? Should I hate him?” And those three quotes are just Doc Holliday! We did not stop.
We did stop at a rest area just outside of Tombstone. It had amazing rock formations, gorgeous cacti and… poisonous snakes and insects.
As we zoomed through Phoenix, I watched the outside temperature gauge climb and climb and climb until it topped out at 115 degrees. 115 degrees!
We had seen a beautiful sunset in Arizona over the top of a mountain. While driving through Palm Springs, we saw a second red hue over a mountain but this time it was a wildfire in the distance. A beautiful and terrifying welcome to the Golden State.
Even at 11pm, there was still traffic in Los Angeles cutting across the city to our AirBnB in Santa Monica. We arrived just after midnight. We fell asleep under a bed of California stars. #Wilco
