After a morning of tying up loose ends – checking on things, dropping off the birds, last minute cleaning and packing, we hit the road a bit after lunch for our first destination, Lethbridge, arriving just in time for the meatloaf dinner we had special ordered at Jon’s parents’ house. While not as long as we had originally planned for, we managed to squeeze a mini-Christmas with Jon’s parents and a visit with Jon’s brother Jae and his wife Erica into the evening.
Now the trip truly begins! We booked a cruise a couple days ago and we had three days to get to the Galveston area to make sure we didn’t miss our boat…so we were on the road each morning at first light and didn’t stop for anything but fuel fill-ups twice per day. The roads in Alberta, Montana, and Wyoming were not the best – one of the interstates was closed that morning but thankfully opened up by the time we got that far south! We were especially thankful for 80mph speed limits :) Our first night was spent in Casper, Wyoming with and Airbnb host Brian who prepared dinner for us, a nice touch.
The following day was leaving Wyoming, passing through Colorado and New Mexico, and getting a few hours into Texas. The highlight of the day was our mid-day fuel stop in Colorado Springs where we had our first ever Chick-fil-A experience – Donna especially enjoyed finding “her people” who are not stingy with the sauces! After sunset and a time change, we spent the night at another Airbnb in Amarillo, Texas.
Our final driving day was spent 100% in Texas, which is just slightly larger than Alberta, and certainly reminded us of back home. Fields, cattle, oil, and wind farms, although we’ve never seen a cotton field back home! We spent the night with Airbnb host Carolyn, a senior lady, just outside Houston, an hour north of our cruise port, Galveston. Spent the evening shuffling our bags from winter to summer clothing so we’d be ready to go the next day.
Jon & his brother Jae
After a short drive from Houston to Galveston, it was time to board the Ruby Princess, our home for Christmas time this year. We met our room steward, Daniela, and toured around to get acquainted with the ship. The first two days at sea were sea days with lots of relax and pool time, and by day three we were ready to disembark.
First stop: Montego Bay, Jamaica. We weren’t sure where to go but were hoping to find a taxi to go explore a bit. However, rates for shuttles and taxis were ridiculously expensive, so we decided on a shuttle into town to a shopping area. Once there, we started getting hassled by a fellow named Devon who said that he could arrange a taxi for us. After an hour with no results, we managed to shake him and find our way to an empty beach area. Afterwards, we walked the 3 miles back to the ship. Jamaica was not our favourite :)
Second stop: Grand Cayman. Having been here before, we had planned a beach day at 7 Mile Beach. Finding transportation was much easier and the pricing regulated, so no hassle! Our driver, Theresa, was very friendly and gave us lots of tips about the beach area. We had a lovely day sunbathing and swimming and chatting with two of our ship mates. Lunch from a food truck followed by renting a jet ski! Donna was up first to drive, but was soon happy to hand it over to Jon and just be a passenger…until he dumped them both in the ocean. Luckily it was a slow motion tip over and no one was any the worse for wear.
Third stop: Roatan, Honduras. After another sea day, we disembarked in Roatan, planning for another beach + snorkeling day. The beach near the boat wasn’t the greatest, so we grabbed a shuttle that drove around the island a bit before depositing us at another beach for a few hours. While Jon was out snorkeling, Donna played landlord as we had a furnace out of order back home on Christmas Eve (while also enjoying the sunshine!). Jon enjoyed getting someone to take him out a bit further into the water with their boat where the snorkeling was better. Lots of fish! We managed to walk the beach area before we had to head back to the boat – just in time as it started pouring down rain on the ride back!
Fourth stop: Belize City, Belize. Except not, as the weather was too poor and the waves too high for us to dock the ship and tender in. A sea day it is!
Fifth stop: Costa Maya, Mexico. Another day with not the greatest weather. Our ship managed to dock, but it was the only ship that managed to do so. We walked around in the rain for a while, but then went back to the safety of the ship as there wasn’t much to see or do near the ship.
Sixth stop: Cozumel, Mexico. We woke up to sunshine finally! We got off the ship as the fourth cruise ship pulled into port that morning, knowing it was likely to be busy out in the town. Jon had recently been there and didn’t want to go out snorkeling again, so we just walked around the town, checking out the area and the shops. On our way, we met Jorge, who really wanted us to take a tour of a resort – he offered a lot of things for free to try to bribe us to go, including telling us that he would make $20 if we would just go. Donna said she’d rather give him the $20 then go on the tour :) After some ice cream and finding our Mexico magnet, we were done for the day as the ship was scheduled for an early departure. However, a LOT of people were late getting back to the ship. Finally it was down to just one family that they kept paging and paging. We could see the officials down on the dock holding passports in hand of the family that was going to be left behind. Donna said, “They probably took that time share tour with Jorge!!” However, we found out later that they actually had a medical emergency while there, so the ship packed up some items for them and then left them behind.
We had one last sea day which had surprisingly lovely weather, so we soaked in some more sun, ate some more buffet and pizza, played some roulette in the casino, and had one last dinner in the dining room. Did some laundry, packed our bags, and made a plan for once we got back onto shore. What a lovely way to spend the Christmas holiday!
Our home for the holidays - the Ruby Princess
We picked the earliest departure time to get off the boat, and soon we were back to our car and heading north to Houston. Destination: Houston Space Center. We got there soon after opening which was great as it wasn’t too busy. We took a tour to the training facility and when we got back, the center was PACKED. SO MANY PEOPLE. However, we managed to look around all the areas and go inside a replica of the Endeavor space shuttle and the transporter 747 that it was on top of – very cool!
As more and more people came, we decided it was time to make tracks to our next stop, San Antonio. Lots of traffic and traffic jams on the way, so we were glad to arrive at our hotel for the night. However, it was not exactly as advertised – perhaps the sign at the front entrance saying “no refunds after 15 minutes” should have been a clue to what lay behind the door. We got to our room and “filthy” is the simplest word to describe it. The first thing we did was check for bed bugs, and then cleaned the toilet seat to use the toilet. As we discussed how to make the situation workable (bring in our own blanket and pillows that were traveling with, etc), we made the decision that the room was too far gone. In twenty years of traveling together, including a trip with the express goal of finding the cheapest hotel rooms possible, we have never not stayed at a hotel we had booked. We’re not that fussy, but it was disgusting. We went back to the front desk, and he offered to let us see a different room. We looked at it, but it was in much the same state except add in what looked like blood stains on the floor. Hard pass!
When we got back to the front desk, he said we would have to come back the next day if we wanted a refund because it had been more than 15 minutes. Looking at the second room had pushed us to 20 minutes past our check in. When pushed, he called his manager and said, “We have another one that wants a refund” !!!
We left with a refund on our card and used their hotel wi-fi to find a much better Super 8 for the next few nights. As a plus, there was a Cracker Barrel nearby for dinner.
Crazy situations make the best stories!!!
Jon in front of the space shuttle carrier aircraft at the space center
We had two days to explore San Antonio. Jon found a company we could rent e-bikes from that had lots of locations along the Riverwalk, a major San Antonio attraction that follows along the river for 15 miles. It allowed us to get off and on bikes all day for only $15. Seemed like a good idea so we just needed to find out where we could park and find ourselves some bikes.
On the south end of the Riverwalk are four Spanish missions from the 1700’s in various conditions. These missions were communities built by Spanish Catholic missionaries, each with a church. We visited two the first day, San Juan and San Jose, and checked out the riverside as we enjoyed the fresh air and sunshine on our bicycles. We got to see lots of birds and turtles down on the river, although trying to get pictures of them proved difficult. We enjoyed some time in the King William District looking at the historic homes there and then had a late lunch at the Blue Star Brewery. It was a beautiful day biking and sightseeing.
Before heading back to the hotel, we went to a Texas grocery store, H-E-B. It was huge and had so many great pre-made food and checking out all the different groceries was fun for us. The cereal aisle alone was insane, with 14 types of Cheerios. 14!!
The next day we headed out again without bikes. We checked out the other two missions, Espada and Concepcion. Afterwards we went to Market Square where we had a restaurant recommendation from a friend, a great Mexican place called Mi Tierra Café y Panaderia. While we waited for our table, we checked out the surrounding marketplace. The food at Mi Tierra was AMAZING (thanks Des!) and then we headed off to the Alamo – can’t forget the Alamo when you’re in San Antonio! After seeing all the missions, it was a little underwhelming, but it was cool to see such an iconic place and we learned a lot about Texas history after visiting all the missions and the Alamo.
Next up we explored the shopping area of the Riverwalk and wandered through the mall. We passed a massage booth and soon found ourselves face down getting full hour massages – much needed after many days in a car and feeling pretty stiff!
With it being New Year’s Eve, we had thought of going out to see some good American fireworks but were tired after a long day so by midnight Jon was passed out while Donna watched dozens of fireworks displays in the distance out of our third storey hotel room window.
Another year draws to a close!
Mission San Juan in San Antonio
We got up early enough to catch the early Sunday service at a church where Max Lucado is a pastor – didn’t see him but it was a nice service.
After that it was on the road heading east. We were tired of the big city and traffic so we decided to skip spending time in any of Texas’ really big cities – Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, and get out into the countryside for some camping. We found a state park with camping just north of Beaumont, Texas in the village of Lumberton and spent most of the day driving across the state. The campground was actually fairly full, so we were lucky to get a spot at the last minute.
We got our tent set up and then headed out to find some groceries at the Lumberton H-E-B and get our cooler going for our adventures. We got back to the campground just as it was really getting dark, so Jon cooked our Kraft dinner and sausages in the dark and we ate it with our little lantern shedding just enough light on our food to eat it.
As we got settled in for the night, did some research on Louisiana state campgrounds and found a couple potential spots to camp by New Orleans, as that is our destination for tomorrow!
Mural at the church
Today was mostly driving. It took a bit longer than anticipated to tidy up our camp and get moving. I guess we’re out of practice! Today’s destination: New Orleans. We crossed from Texas into Louisiana and soon we were crossing over miles of bridges over water where there surely were alligators! When we stopped at the visitor center to get some maps and camping info, there was even a sign about not feeding the alligators. !!!
When we arrived in New Orleans, we drove around for a little while to orient ourselves and soon found ourselves in the French Quarter so we know where to head tomorrow when we’re ready to explore!
We had hoped to continue camping, but while the first night here would be fine, there is a lot of rain in the forecast (as in 25-30mm, a bit too much to camp in!) for tomorrow so we found an Airbnb for the two nights instead and got ourselves checked in. Ready to explore this place tomorrow!
Welcome to Louisiana!
With a deluge of rain expected to hit at some point in the day, we decided to get out fairly early (well, in vacation terms!) and we arrived in downtown NOLA in the French Quarter just after 9am. We could soon see that nothing was open and wouldn’t be until at least 10am, but we decided to park anyhow and just start walking around. You can still admire the architecture without shops and restaurants being open plus it makes taking pictures a lot easier!
We spent a few hours wandering from street to street, zig zagging all over. It’s hard to capture the essence of the area in pictures or in words, but it was so neat to see the iconic balconies and buildings older than Canada! We did a walkthrough of the St. Louis Cathedral and when our feet got tired found some southern bbq for lunch.
So far the rain had held out, so once we felt we had seen all there was for us in the French Quarter, we decided to go see a cemetery. New Orleans is well know for its unique above ground cemeteries, which are all over the place. We shuffled over to a residential area and wandered through the first cemetery we found. Very cool!
Our Airbnb host had told us the City Park was an interesting place and we had discovered there was a statue park within the City Park, so that was our next stop. There was a great variety of sculptures to see in the Besthoff Sculpture Garden and we each found something to intrigue us!
Before returning to our Airbnb for the night, we returned to the French Quarter to get one last glimpse of the lights now that it was dark out and to find a New Orleans magnet.
We decided to make tracks towards Florida so that we can catch up with friends there, so there won’t be too many stops between here and there. It’s a bit much for a single travel day, so hoping we can find a beach to camp on in western Florida!
The rain finally came late into the evening – and boy did it come!!
French Quarters in New Orleans
On the road early with only two destinations in mind for the day: Mobile, Alabama to see a battleship, and getting to Florida afterwards. Today’s journey came with some interesting geography for the nerds in us – driving in four states in only a few hours, while maintaining a single direction (east). We started the day in Louisiana, soon arrived in Mississippi which is only 70-80 miles wide at the Gulf Coast, arrived in Alabama an hour later and also only 70-80 miles wide at the Gulf Coast. So in just over two hours, you can drive from Louisiana to Florida, while passing through two other states. It’s OK, we know we’re weird for thinking this is interesting.
We each found something interesting worth stopping for in Mobile. Jon wanted to see the USS Alabama, a battleship used in WWII and then it turned out to have a lot more equipment than we had expected including a WWII submarine and a lot of aircraft. We toured the battleship in full which took a couple of hours and then Jon checked out the submarine. After that it was Donna’s point of interest, Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, which did not take two hours to tour!
With some Chick-fil-a in our stomachs, we got back on the road to get to Florida. We were hoping to get to a campsite on the beach in Destin, Florida, but we were just too late for the sunset check-in time, so we booked ourselves an Airbnb with host Jimmy.
Because we hadn’t been able to see the beach upon our arrival in Destin, we headed there the next morning with some Krispy Kreme breakfast and took a few moments to enjoy the beautiful white sand beach and play in the clear ocean water. Then it was back on the road as we spent the day driving to the Orlando area and checking into our KOA campground just before dark.
With our two days in Orlando, we got together with friends - Jon to a collector and classic car auction to look at an eclectic mix of vehicles with the guys while Donna spent the day lounging at the pool with the girls as we read and soaked in the sun, and spent some time relaxing at our campground playing all sorts of games they had there including mini-golf. We also thought through where to go next – wishing we could stay in Florida even further south where it was nice and hot – but knowing we had to continue on if we wanted to hit some of our other desired destinations. We’ll be back Florida, but for now it’s time to head north.
USS Alabama in Mobile, Alabama
Our day started earlier than desired as our camping neighbours got up around 5:30 and start making plenty of noise – talking, running equipment, starting a fire, chopping firewood, and then music at 7:00. Made for a bit of a grumpy morning!
We packed up camp, checked out, and got out on the I4 east to Daytona Beach. We were glad to leave the traffic of the Orlando area! Jon has been wanting to check out a flea market on our trip, so we went to a large flea market / farmers market in Daytona. Lots of things that we didn’t want to buy 😊
After that, we drove down into the Daytona Beach area. Lots of great views of the Atlantic Ocean! We stopped for dinner at a crab shack overlooking the ocean and then walked around the area for a few minutes before heading to our campground to check in before too late. Quickly set up our tent and then took a walk to explore the park. Saw lots of birds, including a couple of cardinals, and then an armadillo walking around!! Sorry, no pictures of him. Hoping to get back to the beach for a little bit tomorrow before we head north.
Daytona Beach, Florida
After packing up our camping gear, we found a Krispy Kreme and headed to the beach with breakfast in hand. This might be our new thing – early mornings on the beach before the crowds get there. So peaceful and beautiful. Watched the birds as we ate and then waded in the water for a few minutes before getting back on the road.
Today’s destination: Savannah, Georgia. Saying goodbye to Florida, although we could have easily stayed there for much longer with its beautiful weather, sunshine, and beaches! Made one last stop at the Buc-ee’s in Daytona Beach and then it was a straight shot to Georgia and our campground at Fort McAllister State Park in Richmond Hill just outside of Savannah. We got to our campsite and had to laugh because there were SO MANY squirrels! Every direction you look, you could easily see a dozen squirrels – on the ground, in the trees, on the picnic tables. After setting up camp and heating up dinner, it was an early night for us so that we could beat the cold. The forecast was for it to be close to zero overnight, and the forecast was right! But with the right clothes, extra blankets, and toques for good measure, we stayed warm enough.
The next morning, we set out for downtown Savannah, its historic district. We spent the entire day walking, so much to see! It is set right on the Savannah river that flows out to the Atlantic Ocean, and we were told it’s the second busiest shipping port on the east coast. We walked along the riverside and then worked our way back through streets full of historic homes, businesses, and churches. The John the Baptist Cathedral was a highlight, along with lunch at Paula Deen’s restaurant. Our southern feast gave us some new catering ideas to try out. We could easily spend more than a day here as there is so much to see, but maybe we’ll come back again on another trip. Time to start making tracks back west! Our day ended up with Paula’s peach cobbler in our chilly tent.
Early morning at Daytona Beach
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