A Southern Route West

The time for our long-awaited family reunion arrived, and it was time to head west, which meant that at one point (each direction) we crossed the Mississippi River. Heading east that happened in Baton Rouge.

 

You may not be able to drive 2,400 miles in only 8 states in the  northeast, but you can in the south. Florida and Texas have miles and miles and miles of freeway!

a sample of the view from I-10

Fortunately, at least on the interstates, there are rest areas so you can stop and take a break. And each one is unique.

beautiful sunrise from a decent hotel in Alabama

We felt the prettiest segment of our trip was on I-49 from Baton Rouge to Shreveport (sorry no pictures), but the northen Texas prairies were pretty beautiful as well (although not quite as beautiful as our wonderful Texas grandchildren).

We passed lots of long trains!

We even traveled Route 66 for a few miles. That was a first for us. Maybe someday we'll join the club and traverse its entire length.

beautiful sunrise in New Mexico

Just a few miles after reaching the milestone of 60,000 miles on the odometer, we crossed the Continental Divide. Gorgeous mountain valleys!

The backroads we took from I-25 to I-15 were nice roads, but didn't really have rest areas. Fortunately, we passed by this town park on our route and were able to stop and stretch our legs briefly.

This wasn't marked as a "full facility" rest area on the map, but it was more than just a trucker's parking area as well. You can find it yourself on Highway 6 in Utah between Price and Green River.

After several days of very enjoyable travel, we made it to our destination, ready for even more wonderful memory-making activities.