2495 Miles from Arizona to Georgia

Slowly my dream started breaking down.  Someone with a deep southern draw was yelling at the top of their lungs "Heeeeeyyy!!"  I began to wake up and slowly my surroundings and circumstances came back to me.  I remembered that I was on a road trip from Arizona to Georgia.  Then I remembered pulling off the highway to camp next to my car on a random dirt road.  Then came back the memory of the longhorn bull that charged me and the two wild boars fighting that woke me up.  I realized it was late in the morning and the sun was glaring off my sleeping bag.  The sound of a giant diesel pickup truck invaded my senses along with the smell of dust and cow dung.  "HEEEYYYYY!! You aluave?!!"  I sat up quickly and shouted in no particular direction with the cheeriest voice possible "Oh hey!  I hope you don't mind me crashing here for the night!  I was just passing through!"  My eyes couldn't focus on anything yet but I could vaguely make out the outline of an old cowboy standing 10 yards off with his hands at his hips like he was in a wild west shoot-out.  "You ain't sposed to be here!  That's the LAW!"  "Oh yeah, sorry about that, I -"  "You better git goin then!"  I'm not sure why but I yelled "thanks!" as I scrambled out of my sleeping bag and stuffed it into my car.  I stomped on the gas and high-tailed it out of there.  What a crazy night. 

The ill fated campsite

A roadrunner and an infantry of bugs decided to destroy my foglight 

Breakfast!

Two hours later I had a cup of coffee in the cup-holder, the cruise control was set at 82, my teeth were bushed, my eyes were clear, and I had calmed down enough to laugh out loud in my car every time I replayed the scene over again in my mind.  This had been a great trip so far.  The first day I had got to have brunch with my good friend Katie James in Tucson, met a guy named Blake who had driven his scooter all the way from South Carolina to be a part of a church in Tempe AZ but had subsequently been kicked out because he "couldn't possibly have a right relationship with God if he believed the earth was flat", peered into Juarez from a taco food truck, and somehow made it all the way to Big Bend National Park by 1 AM. 

Lunch

Pulling over to watch the sun set

Big Bend had been everything I was expecting and more.  Jack rabbits, deer, wild boar, and even black bears made their presence known.  Empty roads wound for hundreds of miles through forested mountain ranges and parched desert.  A hot sun beat down through deep blue skies on the swift blue waters of the Rio Grande as it cut its way through thousand-foot canyons and sandy marshes.  I hiked three trails, saw a group of immigrants swimming across from Mexico, and powered through 40 mph curves at 85.  Well worth every minute of the 400 mile southern detour. 

Is that a 3 or an 8? 

The Beautiful Rio Grande

Illegal Immigrants?

Yep.

Up in the mountains of Big Bend National Park

An 8000 foot summit in the Chisos Mountains

Camping

Now the scenery was gradually starting to look more like the east coast and less like the Southwest.  Tall
trees lined interstate 20 as it undulated over green rolling hills.  Once I hit Dallas the last of the cactus disappeared.  I was going to miss the jagged peaks and brilliant sunsets of the desert but for now my eyes were feasting on all this green. 

A remnant of the Civil War on the banks of the Mississippi

It was a little surreal being in downtown Dallas with white men in business suits maneuvering hastily around skyscrapers and sidewalk cafes after having spent three days driving through barren wasteland.  I hung my camera unashamedly from my neck and gaped at the crazy sculptures and Ferraris. 

Bizarre sculpture #1

Bizarre sculpture #2

lunch

After an amazing time talking and laughing with my good friend Sarah Wholgemut over margaritas and ceviche tacos in Plano I hit the road again.  Back on the blacktop with familiar songs blaring over my radio, I set the cruise control and propped my knee up on my leather seat.  I had lost track at this point just how many days I had been doing this.  Life drifted past the window and it seemed more appropriate to admire the sun setting in my rearview mirror than try to count how many times it had gone down or had yet to come up before I reached my destination.  Tonight I was going to get a motel room.   

Thanks for treating me to dinner Sarah!  Despite the fact I look homeless!

Admiring the sunset in my mirror again

I've now been in Gainesville for three days.  The rest of the 2495 miles went smoothly and I had the pleasure of staying with my cousin Ashlynn the last night.  I am now settling in to my new home and have already started training and planning for India.  I couldn't have thought up a better start to this adventure than an epic roadtrip across the south.  Thanks God for picturesque sunsets, adventures, and even Texas.  

My new home!

Vehicle: 2002 BMW 330Ci
Miles traveled: 2495
Time taken: 4 days and 6 hours
Average MPG: 29.1
Maximum speed: 130 mph
Total cost of vehicle: $4000
Total cost of gasoline: $235
Total cost of lodging: $39.99
Number of photos: 329
Number of stories I will be telling the rest of my life: 17


PS  Thank you all so much for your participation in my fundraising event!  The painting was awarded to Graciela Nobles!  I am currently at about 20% of my goal for monthly support!  If you pledged or are going to pledge any monthly donation please send me an email so that I know where I am at and can include you in my prayer requests emails.  Thanks again!