Through Our Eyes: (Illustrated) 3000 miles and a parrot

The moving vans pulled out of the driveway around 2 pm on Saturday. We finished cleaning the house, ran a few errands, loaded the car, and hit the road.

(Holly took the trip well)

We spent our first night in Yuma in a spruced-up, '60's-style roadside motel call Best Western. The room was way too small for two adults and a parrot, but it was comfy and clean.

(The famous saguaro cactus ~somewhere in Arizona)

We spent Sunday on the road in a giant dust storm. The winds made our '07 Mazda whistle like an old VW bus. We made it to El Paso feeling a little gritty and exhausted from dodging flying cardboard boxes and suicidal tumbleweeds.

(I'm still finding dust in the crevasses of my car!)

(suicidal tumbleweed, but not the 4' one that attacked the car)

We drove across desolate west Texas in more strong winds and blowing snow on Monday. Fortunately, there was no sand...just snow and hail. The scenery was more exciting that I expected. There are spectacular mountains that extend hours east of El Paso, and there was snow over much of the higher elevations of west Texas.

(snow & sleet in west Texas)

(probably the Sierra Juarez range, striped with snow)

We arrived in San Antonio in time for a hearty spaghetti dinner with family. We'll spend a few days here, before continuing eastward again...

(my brother and sister)

. . .

...We spent two warm, sunny days in San Antonio with family, and then began our travels again by driving northeast through Texas on back roads. The small towns passed the time quickly, and I never knew there were so many different shapes of cows! After a BBQ stop in Nacogdoches, Texas (all those cows must have slipped into our subconscious), we picked up the interstate in Louisiana and headed toward our day's destination (Jackson, Mississippi).

We spent another wonderful evening with family in Jackson and hit the road Friday morning under the threat of snow. Good sense told us to beat a path to Memphis -or beyond. But we had been looking forward to spending this day in the Mississippi delta and so, after giving the winter storm warning careful consideration, we made a back-up plan and headed for the delta anyway.

Our first stop was Satartia ~pronounced "Satasha" (yes, this is where I get my name). Satartia is a very small town along the Yazoo River; downtown has a cotton gin and a small general store. There are a couple small churches and some scattered houses on the wooded approach to town. After passing the cotton gin, the road curves, crosses the Yazoo River, and flattens out into the agricultural fields of the delta.

(The general store in Satartia)

(This sign used to hang in the question mark-shaped holder in the picture above)

For lunch, we happened upon a great meal of cornbread, fried okra and catfish. While we were eating, it began to sleet, so we hurried the rest of our day…as much as one can hurry in the delta. We followed the main delta routes in the snow, directly to Memphis. The rarity of snow in Mississippi kept most people indoors this day, and the snow added a hazy layer of gray over the barren winter fields, making them appear desolate and cold.

(The Mississippi Delta in winter)

We reached Memphis without any trouble, but it soon became clear we wouldn't leave until Mother Nature cleared the roads. We found a restaurant within walking-in-the-wind-and-snow distance from our hotel.

(Snow outside of our hotel room)

(The snow is license plate deep!)

By mid-morning, the main roads were clear enough to meet an old friend for breakfast, wash off the 5" of snow from the car, and hit the road. We spent the next two nights enjoying great food and conversation with San Diego friends who have just moved to the mountains of Virginia.

(Fun with friends!)

(Man, it's cold out here!)

We arrived in Virginia Beach around 3:30 Monday afternoon, unloaded the car, and headed for our favorite crab cake dinner (crab cakes and broccoli, with an appetizer of broccoli and crab soup).