We did have a little trouble leaving when we wanted to, but after a few obstacles we were on our way. While we had been planning what to pack, how to pack it in the car, etc, we never really picked a specific route. It is about a ten hour drive, give or take, from Fort Worth to Gulf Shores, Alabama. We knew we would stop halfway, somewhere, at a hotel to break up the long drive (and for our sanity). But despite being planners, as most accountants are, we decided to wing it and see where the roads led us. We didn't even have a specific route in mind as we left town. We took our iPhones with our maps and travel apps in hand, and decided to have a family adventure from beginning to end :-) It was a fun road trip - below is the route we ended up driving for the most part...
With home in the rear view mirror, Daddy had a request for us to stop at Fuel City Tacos - one of Texas Monthly's top tacos. So less than an hour on our way, we had a pit stop. Can I just say yummy? Best tacos I have ever had! Daddy agreed, he was loving it too.
Yes - it is a taco stand inside a gas station in a not so popular part of Dallas... that said, amazing food and very friendly people getting their taco on! I mean the picture doesn't do us justice - but wow! We are totally stopping by on our way home.
While the kids aren't as adventurous about their tacos, they did get some corn in a cup with butter. Need I say more? It was tasty too. Who knew, best food ever.
So after our pit stop, the road led us on to Louisiana. As we approached the split between going to Jackson, MS for the night or on down through the bayou, we took a chance and decided to go on through the bayou. And yes, we did watch Princess and the Frog in the car to get a feel for the place. The green, vibrant landscape was such a change from the Texas drought we left behind. So neat to drive through. Our only sad moment: missing much of the view from Alexandria to Baton Rouge due to darkness. We drove over an 18 mile bridge called Atchafalaya Basin Bridge, which goes over a huge basin. 14th longest bridge in the world (you have time when driving at night to google what is going on around you in the dark). Next time!
We landed in Baton Rouge for the night, finding an awesome hotel for not much money thanks to our iPhone apps. We love our iPhones, and yes, we might have had a lot of fun with Foursquare and checking into every place we passed by as we cruised on... The hubby and I are cool like that :-)
So the next morning we left Baton Rouge, but not before checking out the LSU campus and of course, the football stadium. As we hit town the night before, we glimpsed the stadium at the end of their big football game. Looked like fun, and hey, they are purple like our frogs, so we can "like" them a little bit, right? There was one more mentionable pit stop between us and the beach... Daddy again had a request: to stop at The Shed. The best BBQ place nearby per Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and any other travel channel show.
It was a Mississippi BBQ version of Joe T's... plenty of fun places to sit outside, amazing BBQ food! Daddy had a great idea when stopping here! And yes, that is me wearing my TCU colors. Between that, Daddy's Rangers shirt and AJ's Mav's jersey... people were kind of clued into where we were from (you gotta love Texas).
Can I just say the ribs were awesome... here is Daddy enjoying it, and a pic of the yummy food.
So about 12 hours of solid driving in total (we did have a fair share of fun stops), we made it to the BEACH! The kids were so excited, they were running the minute our feet hit the parking lot. It was a long long long long long long long long drive (did I mention it was long?)... but so worth it to see their smiles and giggles as they touched the ocean with their little toes for the first time EVER. It didn't disappoint, everything here is beautiful!
When we arrived at the beach (after checking every space within our three story beach house and claiming beds, etc), the sun was setting. Words can't describe it, so I will let the pictures try to show you what we get to experience every day for a week!
Mommy made sure we have the right tools to play!
So happy to be here together!
KK loves it - AJ too! When we arrived, KK was just dancing and prancing around, singing a song she just made up on the spot and twirling for all to see. AJ was a little more subdued... he looked around and then made sure he was still holding tight onto his matchbox car he picked to bring to this big event. He warmed up to it all very quickly though!
Our beach: near a wildlife preserve on one side so its very secluded and private. White soft sand beaches, clear blue waters that are still warm... its perfect!
The sand dunes we cross from our beach house over to the actual beach... we got this as the moon was coming out and the sun was setting for the night.
Of course as a good Mommy, I taped the kids in their first moments at the beach and the first time they ever touched an ocean. I think the squeals tell it all.
That is it from us for tonight... my sweet hubby gave me a cold glass of wine, the kids are sleeping soundly upstairs... its time to put our feet up and spend some quiet time together before our next morning on the beach :-)
Stay tuned for more of our vacay later... when I feel like it... cause I am on vacation here :-)
Sweet dreams...
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