Day One–Wagons Ho!

Today was all about the driving.  I picked Aryn up at 10:00 and we were driving by 10:30.  Plans have already changed a little, because she’s riding with her friend from Texas on his way home.  He drove to Orlando earlier this month, then they flew to New York.  So she’s riding with him until we get to Austin – an unscheduled stop on the trip so she can meet his family.

First for the stats-geeks: MPG was as high as 45 and as low as 41, according to the Prius’ trip computer.  It was 45 until the stretch of I10 from Tallahassee to Alabama – a combination of the hills and my dislike for that road dropped it.

Yes, dislike for a road decreases gas mileage, because my speed went from 55-65 to 70-80.  That road is just hilly and curvy enough to be annoying, but not enough to be interesting.

After dark, my speed dropped back to 55-65 and the last 165 miles averaged 51.8 MPG.

We started looking for a hotel around the time we crossed the Mississippi, but had some confusion.  Aryn and her friend pulled off at exit 151 to look for one, but I didn’t get the call from Aryn until I was just past the exit.

There were a lot of hotels there, but after six miles I’d found no place to turn around, so called them to get back on the road.  Sadly, that exit was the last hotel availability for quite a while, as the road then starts across a bayou.

The next exit had only a Holiday Inn Express at $99, but it was nearing 11:00 Orlando time, so had to take it.

Up at 6:00 for the 6:30 breakfast – which has an automated pancake machine.  Six or seven hours to Austin.