Happy, happy, happy

Okay, we'll admit it.  The weather was good enough when we launched that we COULD have taken a more northerly route for our cross-country adventure and shaved almost a thousand miles off the trip.  But that would have meant giving up on the "quest" . . . the epic journey to peek behind the duck blind and immerse ourselves in the setting of what has become one of our favorite TV shows.  

We rolled into West Monroe, Louisiana at about 11:00 on Saturday (yesterday).  To say we were tingling with excitement was an understatement.  It was nothing short of a miracle that 2700+ miles later, with the Rusty Scupper in tow, we made it pretty much on time as planned.

Our first observation:  West Monroe is MUCH bigger than the sleepy Louisiana burg A&E depicts in the Duck Dynasty TV show, as least as compared to our own Yamhill County.  West Monroe itself has about 13,000 people and Monroe right across the river has about 49,000 people.  It was big and urban and there was lots of traffic and people!

Our first stop for a mid-morning snack at Haskell's donuts (the scene of the famous donut-eating contest, for those of you who are fans of the show) did not disappoint.  Owen was thrilled to sit on Jace's autographed stool.  In addition to the sweet donuts, we got our first taste of what it feels like to be lavished with true southern hospitality and terms of respect and endearment (ma'am and sir, honey, baby, sweetie, baby doll).

Just a few hundred yards down the road, we saw a sign with the familiar flying duck logo.  Our pilgrimage to the land of beards and camo was over . . . we made it!

We followed the signs into the building, hoping to be greeted by Uncle Si or Godwin even Willie Robertson himself.  We had read online that visitors will sometimes get glimpses of Duck Dynasty royalty as they are entering or leaving the building.  

Apparently they no longer do tours (too many visitors), but we spent quite a bit of time in the Duck Commander store, testing out duck calls, admiring the 40th anniversary largest duck call ever made, picking out souvenirs and watching expectantly each time the overhead door to the warehouse side was lifted up for staff to bring merchandise through, just in case we caught a glimpse of a familiar face.  Owen thought he saw a glimpse of Jace walking to the office, but the rest of us are unsure.

Our hearts were happy and our shopping bags were full as we left the Duck Commander/Buck Commander HQ!

We had some fine Cajun-inspired cuisine at Willie's Duck Diner (gumbo, jambalaya and red beans, sausage and rice).  Then we spent the rest of the day taking in other sites from the show (White's Ferry Road Church of Christ, Debbie's Snoballs, Danken Trail BBQ, Excalibur Family Fun Center (what a zoo!) and even Landry Vineyards!  

As if all that wasn't enough for one day, we were treated to an amazing sunset as we retired to our hotel for the night.  We are truly blessed, and that's a fact, Jack!

Halfway there

We finally found that Route 66 diner we were seeking in Winslow, AZ.  There we were, standing on a corner . . . when a girl in a flatbed Ford told us where we could get a great breakfast right across the street, and boy was she right!

As we reach the halfway point on this cross-country adventure, we thought we'd post some random observations and some photos from yesterday's drive (big driving day--Flagstaff, AZ to Amarillo, TX!):

Owen:  "Fun fact--New Mexico has these fireworks stores that are open year-round, and it has lava from volcanoes that used to be active, which means I will never live here."

Samuel:  "The farther east we go, the smaller the urinals are."

Ava:  "The margaritas in Texas are A-MAAAAAZ-ING!!"

Eric:  "It's very difficult to find a Starbuck's when dragging a trailer."

Spike:  "My family seemed really upset in Flagstaff when they came out to the car and found that the rear hatch had opened and I wasn't inside the car.  I may be a dog, but I'm not crazy . . . I wasn't about to go wandering off and get left behind! Some nice man came up and decided to tie me to the tongue of our U-Haul trainer anyway, just in case.  I don't know what all the fuss was about, but boy, was my family happy to see me!"

We'll close this entry with some photos of the beautiful scenery on the drive:

Romantic notions

We planned a lighter driving day yesterday so that we would have time to explore portions of Route 66 between Barstow, CA and Winslow, AZ.  

I'm not sure what the boys were expecting, but Eric and I were hoping to find a quaint diner from yesteryear where we could sit in a booth with vinyl seats, play the jukebox at our table, be waited on by a gum chewing waitress named Flo and order a nice slice of pie or a soda.  

Eager to slip back in time, we took the first segment we could find out of Bsrstow, at a town called "Newberry Springs."  Lesson #1:  Radiator Springs, from the movie "Cars" was NOT modeled after Newberry Springs.  Amazingly, the Rusty Scupper stayed with us on a 10-mile stretch of rutted and unimproved road that felt more like a Shiatsu massage than a drive.  We were so glad to finally have an opportunity to get back on the interstate!

We eventually found some more idyllic stretches of Historic Route 66 with beautiful scenery and smooth road surfaces.  The stretch between Kingman, AZ and Seligman, AZ was well worth the detour, and the natural terrain in and around "Peach Springs" kept the eyes out the window and off the iPads and other electronic devices.  

We never found that quaint diner, but it was a trip back in time and a history lesson for the boys.  

Owen's observations of the day:  

"I think the American Desert Southwest is amazing, though a little more population would be nice."  

"We made our way through the Mojave Desert.  We never found Radiator Springs on Historic Route 66, but we did manage to catch a glimpse of the Grand Canyon." 

Here are some photo highights from yesterday:

Is Phil Robertson trying to send us a message?

Haze grey and underway

After much grunting and grumbling by Eric, the Rusty Scupper was finally loaded and we hit the road.  

To make up for a late launch on Day 1, we drove into the night, navigated the Siskiyou pass without any weather concerns and pulled into Redding, CA just before midnight.

We hope to make it to historic Route 66 (I-40) before Day 2 is done.  Barstow, here we come!  

Fair winds and following seas to all . . . 

The Rusty Scupper

We told the U-Haul guy "we want your newest trailer with the best tires because we're traveling across the country." 

Our first trailer was a thing of beauty . . . shiny and  new.  Word was it had just been put in service, and we were thrilled.    Too bad we couldn't get the functionality of its state-of-the art LED/low voltage trailer lighting system to work with our truck's electrical system.

We reluctantly left her behind at a U-Haul lot in Newberg and pulled out with this:

We affectionately call her "The Rusty Scupper," and this is definitely NOT her maiden voyage.  

There goes our stuff!

There's no turning back now.  The "Mission Support Module" has been launched.  Now we'll turn our attentions to gathering up the small amount (ha!) of personal items we'll be taking with us on the cross-country drive.