Carson's Big Adventure

Carson is spending an extra week in Mississippi. One just wasn't enough.

I don't remember how it began, but the notion was raised that it might be good for our young man to spend some time with his Aunt Jenny (Val's younger sister) and Uncle Dickie Joe on their cattle ranch in southern Mississippi. Everyone was in favor of this, Carson and Amalie most of all. So, arrangements made, Carson and I set out last Monday, just after Easter, and spent a long, long day on the road. Out of Austin (as always, the very worst part of any road trip is just getting out of this town), across east Texas, through Houston (and not at one of the awful crush hours). We stopped at a Cracker Barrel in Beaumont for a late lunch (he devoured a huge pancake), and pressed on. Orange is the last town in Texas along I-10 heading east, and is just about the halfway point on the journey. We were getting excellent mileage, but had to stop for gas eventually. More than once I offered Carson the chance to run around in a local park, but he refused, saying he wanted to get to Jenny's place -- for which, I could not blame him.

The straightest drive leaves I-10 (which dips southward for New Orleans) for I-12 in Louisiana for about 75 miles, and here we encountered our first real trouble -- a terrible traffic jam. To our good fortune, however, I had been given a Tomtom GPS navigator by my folks for last Christmas, and this was our maiden voyage using it. It did not automatically give directions around the jam (whatever was causing it), but did allow me to search local maps for a likely escape route. We got off the highway (we had stopped -- the jam was that bad -- right at the top of an exit ramp), drove north to the town of Abita Springs, then turned easterly, and eventually picked up I-12 again. Long stretches of rural Louisiana are no doubt lovely, but dang, there is nothing for many miles in that area. (Absolutely dismal service in a franchise of a well-known, national fast food chain did nothing to improve my mood or opinions of this state.)

Carson was holding up well as we finally passed into Mississippi, our journey almost finished, but it had been a long day. Even fortified by a late-morning nap, he was feeling drowsy. I handed him a pillow to prop his head. Finally we left the interstate and headed into the bayous. It was past 10:00 pm, and fogs drifted everywhere. I had a general notion of where to go, but quickly got into unfamiliar terrain. The Tomtom to our rescue again -- I entered in the exact address, followed the directions, and we were there in five minutes. I thought I would have to carry Carson inside, but he perked right up -- partly happy we had arrived, partly because he had new cars that he hadn't been allowed to open until we got there.

Jenny and Dickie Joe had stayed up, well past their usual bedtime, to greet us. Jenny stayed up with Carson for another hour or so, until he opened his new cars and began to settle down. He was bivouaced on a mattress on the floor in the office next to their bedroom, and quickly set up camp. Clothes, cars, other toys were set in handy locations. I headed upstairs, took a familiar bedroom, dressed down and brushed my teeth. I was exhausted from the drive, but in that annoying post-tired, pre-sleep phase where I just cannot drop off right away. I worked on a crossword while Jenny settled in Carson, then popped a movie into the laptop, and that did it -- when I roused a few hours later, the battery had drained, and I couldn't recall seeing more than five minutes of the film. I set it to recharge, checked on Carson (sleeping peacefully), then went back to sleep.

The next day I unloaded Carson's supplies from the car -- a bicycle (I remounted the training wheels), scooter, kid-sized garden tools, and sundry other items. I complied a list to work against when picking him up. He awoke, and I set him up with a bowl of cereal. Jenny was off in the fields, and Dickie Joe in parts unknown. The two of us wandered out to the barn (Carson riding his tricycle, and deliberately passing through puddles). Eventually Dickie Joe returned, hopped on a quad, and rode out to collect Jenny. After we had all assembled, Carson and I said some quick good-byes and a hug -- he had to head off with his aunt and uncle to a real estate closing. I had already packed my few items and was ready to depart for the long drive back home, but I made certain to put Carson into Jenny's arms and care. At her suggestion, I wrote out a note granting her medical authority if needed, tucked it into his passport, and headed out.

Finding I-10 again was easy, with or without the GPS navigator. Many billboards advertised casinos, but I wasn't tempted, I just wanted to get home. I stopped for gas and a late breakfast, then again in Jennings to take a good stretch at the park. Good timing, the alligator exhibit was open -- it is quite small, but the curator knows her stuff about the gators. There are two 14-foot males, one 7-foot female, and a 120-year-old alligator snapping turtle. The gators were basking in some gorgeous springtime sunshine, but the snapper stubbornly stayed at the bottom of a pool; apparently he can stay submerged for up to six hours.

I reached Houston with simply awful timing -- right in the middle of evening crush hour. West of the city, as everyone is escaping, I-10 slows to a crawl, sometimes a complete stop, except for the HOV lanes. This mire lasts for about ten miles, and there are so many lanes of traffic that the navigator couldn't distinguish them (it kept advising me to stay left and get on the motorway; I was moving so slowly, I suppose, that it assumed I was on the frontage). I had hoped to stop for dinner and let the traffic clear out, but didn't see any good options before getting entangled, so I pressed on until it cleared. And, when it finally did, I decided to keep moving. The sun was setting as I pulled off I-10, one exit short of my turnoff, to eat at a favorite, Mikeska's BBQ (link warning: cheesy polka music), in Columbus, Texas, immediately off the highway. Fortunately, I still had 20 minutes before closing time. Brisket and sausage soon soothed my road-roughened nerves. My bottom simply was numb from two solid days driving, but sitting in a different chair helped, along with the food.

A very short hop along the interstate, and I was onto my final road to Austin, Rte. 71, 90 miles to go. The sun was well down. The navigator estimated my arrival time as 11:00 pm; I wanted to make it by 10:00. The Civic made good time, and I kept an eye on the ETA -- it kept getting earlier. Finally into Austin, and onto local roads, and I knew at once I was home because every damn light went red on me, and once the last light was behind me, I was stuck behind a pickup moving at a crawl. Feh. Home at last, just missing my target -- 10:01 pm. Nearly 1200 miles in two days. Driving that much left me feeling drained and awful, but for Carson's adventure, it was worth it.

We'd planned on him spending one week. Jenny wanted to keep him and he wanted to stay, so we agreed. Next weekend Val will be heading out to pick him up (though probably will not have to drive all the way to get him; Jenny and Carson will meet her somewhere in between for the handoff).