I think I can wrap my head around this red neck stuff...

is what Jared says to me after a couple of days in southern Alabama and the panhandle of Florida.  And if the first few days of our trip are any indication of how the entirety of this adventure is going to play out, we may well be able to wrap both of our heads around a nomadic lifestyle.

We had hoped to leave quite early on last Friday so that we could enjoy a leisurely, country-road drive to our first destination, but an evening of drinks, MarioKart and good-byes at Katie and Mike's resulted in our departing in the late morning (COMPLETELY worth it!).  Normally, we try to avoid the highways that allow both the travelers and the land being traversed to remain anonymous.  However, it was rainy, so interstate driving made sense and allowed us to stop by my alma mater in Gainesville, FL.  The weather had improved by the time we pulled onto the UF campus, and I gave Jared a driving tour before stopping to check out Ben Hill Griffith Stadium.

After stopping for lunch, we continued straight to DeFuniak Springs to visit a dear friend whom I had not seen in years.  Amy moved with her husband Rick Wilson to this small, country town over three years ago.  They tell me that were it not for the spring break traffic cutting through to get to the beaches just south of them you generally drive for miles without seeing another soul.  This lifestyle certainly agrees with them, and it suited us just fine for a couple of days!  During our stay, the Wilsons treated us like royalty!  We went fishing, four-wheeling, cow-boying.  I helped Amy plant some onions and potatoes in her huge garden that was recently plowed.  We enjoyed some delicious meals; Saturday, Rick spent the entire afternoon smoking ribs and pork shoulder.  Of course, we enjoyed spending time with Amy and Rick's son, Cohen.  I truly have never seen a baby smile so much; everything he looked at brought a grin to his face.  How blessed they are to have such a happy and handsome child!

We spent Sunday driving along the gulf coast from Santa Rosa Beach, FL to Biloxi, MS.  Per Amy and Rick's suggestion, we stopped at Fort Pickens, a historic military fort near Pensacola Beach.  It is largely in ruins, which were interesting to tour.  This is my favorite photo of the bunch:

We continued along the coast until we were just east of Biloxi, MS.  We had hoped to find a campground, but the only one we came across in the area was manned by a security guard who was clearly a few stakes short of a well-secured tent.  The conversation was as follows:

J&M: Hi, we were hoping to find a place to camp for the night?

SG: Well y'all just can't come up in here and camp!  You have to stop by the main office first.

J&M: Okay, thanks.  Can you tell us where the office is located?

SG: Well, it's right there.  (SG points to a building twenty feet to his right.)  But it closed at 5. 

J&M: Oh, okay.  Well, thank you anyway.

SG: And I just can't let you camp unless you talk to the office.

J&M: Alright, well thanks again.

SG: Well, wait now.  Just in case you folks come back to camp some other time, you know that if you break two or more rules your are kicked out of the campground.  The rules are...

And yes, this Lennie sort of character proceeded to read each of the rules to us.

So we ended up at a rest stop parked with all our belongings on the roof of our car while we slept on the air mattress in the car.  We nearly took each other's heads off trying to organize everything, but we didn't expect the first go at it to go perfectly, and it worked out in the end.

We have tons of photos, but I'll figure an easier way to share them.  We are in New Orleans today and driving up the Blues Highway tomorrow.  Can't wait to share it with you all!  Having a blast, but missing everyone very much.