Day 1

True to the title of our blog, today was a bona fide adventure after we landed. But, I’m ahead of the story.

As the chronicle of our 2010 race begins, we thought it appropriate to have our picture taken at Austin Bergstrom Airport. Julia decided to fly to Austin to pick me up rather than meeting in Waco so we could get started sooner to Mobile, AL. Afternoon thunderstorms along the Gulf threatened to build as the day went on. With the plane loaded and our water bottles filled, we were ready for take-off.

You can see, we didn’t make it out of Texas before the thunderstorms began to be a problem. The cumulus cloud tops kept getting higher and higher with what would soon be cumulonimbus clouds, pouring rain out the bottom. Crossing the Neches River, we diverted to the south to miss this one. We stayed high – 9500’-- where it is cool as long as we could but before we got to Baton Rouge, we had to descend to 3000’.

Flying over the Mighty Mississippi. 3000’ is great for picture taking.

The trouble begins. At the top of the screen is Mobile. Diverting to another airport was the only option. The best choice appeared to be Bogalusa, LA. We thought we would land, refuel, and go on to Mobile. Not so. The thunderstorm we had just gone around followed us to the airport. The best choice was to get the airplane tied down and seek shelter in the FBO. Good decision; the bottom fell out and it rained long and hard accompanied by lots of thunder and lightning. After checking every weather source we knew, we decided to spend the night. There were several airplanes tied down, but the airport was deserted – so, no one to ask about lodging and transportation. Julia found a motel on her iPhone, called, and they said they would come pick us up. Driving up to the Budget Inn, we look at each other – eyes getting larger all the time. The Indian couple had been so nice about picking us up, we were obligated to pay. Then, on our way to our room a car drove by, confirming that we really were at the Bates Motel and definitely not where we should be. The room was $40. Julia said she had never stayed anywhere that was only $40. I said I’d never stayed anywhere that didn’t charge any tax! We zipped across the street to grab something to eat at Popeye’s and called a taxi. Jerry, the taxi driver, was horrified, murmuring something about drugs and prostitutes. He was happy to take us to the best place to stay in Bogalusa. Nothing to write home about, but we will be able to sleep tonight. Jerry will be back at 6:00 AM to take us back to the airport.

BTW, you might not want to put Bogalusa, LA on your vacation list.