OT: Cross country driving

E.C.

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So this April I'm due to FINALLY leave Virginia. I'm transferring to Hawaii, going on deployment within months of getting there, and the moving back to Washington state with my soon-to-be new squadron.

My goal is to be home for Pascha, May 1, and I'm anticipating about three weeks of road tripping to get my car to Washington. I'm planning on visiting Georgia, Mississippi, Pensacola and possibly southern Illinois to visit friends and family. For the journey west I'm trying to avoid California because I've seen most of that state and have had bad luck there. If circumstances change than I can deal with it then.

So, this all said, is there anyone who can recommend good places to visit? Good audiobooks? Places to avoid in the middle states? Opinions, thoughts and musings will all be welcomed.
 
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So this April I'm due to FINALLY leave Virginia. I'm transferring to Hawaii, going on deployment within months of getting there, and the moving back to Washington state with my soon-to-be new squadron.

My goal is to be home for Pascha, May 1, and I'm anticipating about three weeks of road tripping to get my car to Washington. I'm planning on visiting Georgia, Mississippi, Pensacola and possibly southern Illinois to visit friends and family. For the journey west I'm trying to avoid California because I've seen most of that state and have had bad luck there. If circumstances change than I can deal with it then.

So, this all said, is there anyone who can recommend good places to visit? Good audiobooks? Places to avoid in the middle states? Opinions, thoughts and musings will all be welcomed.
Hawaii? You don't surf do you?
 
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~Anastasia~

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So this April I'm due to FINALLY leave Virginia. I'm transferring to Hawaii, going on deployment within months of getting there, and the moving back to Washington state with my soon-to-be new squadron.

My goal is to be home for Pascha, May 1, and I'm anticipating about three weeks of road tripping to get my car to Washington. I'm planning on visiting Georgia, Mississippi, Pensacola and possibly southern Illinois to visit friends and family. For the journey west I'm trying to avoid California because I've seen most of that state and have had bad luck there. If circumstances change than I can deal with it then.

So, this all said, is there anyone who can recommend good places to visit? Good audiobooks? Places to avoid in the middle states? Opinions, thoughts and musings will all be welcomed.
Pensacola? That's a stone's throw from me! Well, a little more, but my Church is there, so I am there often. :)

If you visit Church, you better let me know, LOL. Would love to say hello in person and can introduce you around. Ah, just thinking of your other post ... she would kill me for saying so, but there is a young girl in my Nouna's family everyone has been trying to marry off, but I don't think she's in any hurry. She really IS drop-dead gorgeous, and a good Orthodox girl. :) She works all the time though, and isn't in Church all that often, between everyone trying to marry her off and the fact that she's in the restaurant business - what is it with all these Greeks and their restaurants and working ALL the time!?

But at any rate, let me know what you like, what you're looking for, or whatever, and maybe I can make suggestions around here. If not, I can ask my daughter - she gets out a lot more than I do and would probably have her finger more on the pulse of what's going on with young folks. ;)

Speaking of audiobooks, I just got Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment - I don't know how good it is, but that was the only audiobook of his the library had available. I'm only on the first cd so far. Normally I listen to podcasts, but I'm getting around to listening to all my favorites for the third time or so ...

One thing I can tell you - DO NOT SPEED IN GULF BREEZE - especially if you have out of state plates. It's what they do. Speed limit is 35, so just stick with that. Don't speed on the interstate in town (Pensacola) either - they tend to have police piled up waiting to pull over everyone. Just leave on time. :)

Otherwise, let me know what you like? And I do hope you'll visit the parish. If you're here on a Tuesday and free, and if there is nothing else going on, we have an awesome Bible study. And if you catch us on a good choir day on Sunday, the Divine Liturgy is amazing. No promises there though. ;) Sometimes I don't know until we get started. :D

I'd be happy to help with more specific suggestions though, just let me know, here or in pm. And have a safe trip!
 
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E.C.

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What interests do you have? And thank you for your service.....
Thank you for your support.

I'm a sucker for history and unique local things. I can be a sucker for touristy things like having a steak in Texas or jambalaya in New Orleans and always drinking sweet tea in the South. And sight seeing. Always gotta see the sights.

In my opinion, driving across Nebraska is even more boring than driving across Kansas, if you're thinking about where you're going to make that part of your westward trek.
Good to know. Trying to avoid those two because neither seems like the kind to drive through without another human being in the car!

Hawaii? You don't surf do you?
Not yet ;)

Pensacola? That's a stone's throw from me! Well, a little more, but my Church is there, so I am there often. :)

If you visit Church, you better let me know, LOL. Would love to say hello in person and can introduce you around. Ah, just thinking of your other post ... she would kill me for saying so, but there is a young girl in my Nouna's family everyone has been trying to marry off, but I don't think she's in any hurry. She really IS drop-dead gorgeous, and a good Orthodox girl. :) She works all the time though, and isn't in Church all that often, between everyone trying to marry her off and the fact that she's in the restaurant business - what is it with all these Greeks and their restaurants and working ALL the time!?
You're terrible :D Greek girls... if they don't work in restaurants than they're usually organizing festivals.

My stepmom's dad lives in that area. He's a retired Navy officer and WWII vet in fairly good health for his age, so definitely someone I'd like to meet in person. Lord only knows the stories he could tell.

One thing I can tell you - DO NOT SPEED IN GULF BREEZE - especially if you have out of state plates. It's what they do. Speed limit is 35, so just stick with that. Don't speed on the interstate in town (Pensacola) either - they tend to have police piled up waiting to pull over everyone. Just leave on time. :)
Okay THIS is important! I inherited a certain lead foot from my mother :oops:
 
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~Anastasia~

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Thank you for your support.

I'm a sucker for history and unique local things. I can be a sucker for touristy things like having a steak in Texas or jambalaya in New Orleans and always drinking sweet tea in the South. And sight seeing. Always gotta see the sights.

We have tons of that kind of stuff around here. It's definitely touristy, some places. I tend to avoid those, LOL. Many people seem to be impressed with the Naval Aviation Museum on NAS Pensacola? Maybe you'd like that, if you enjoy history? Might be old stuff to you if you're in the Navy ... Been a while since I've been out there, but I doubt it's changed much. They have a number of planes you can see close up, and rooms set up showing things like kitchens in America at that time, and what it was like in camps in the war, or on a sub, etc. As far as touristy, on the beach, there's lots of stuff. It will be too early in the year I think for the concerts, but just heading out that way, there are restaurants and things where you can sit outside. The fishing pier is nice to walk out on, and the beach is all built up now. If you like more natural surroundings, Fort Pickens is better. For that matter, the Fort is still open, again, history if you're interested. I don't know if you're into clubs, but I think Rosie O'Grady's downtown is probably still open - it's a collection of clubs that are all themed - you can walk from one into another. Rosie's is sort of an old-style saloon, there's an outdoor one with a fountain, a disco, and maybe several others, all a little different flavor. At least that's how it used to be - it's been a while. Those are some of the most popular things that I can think of offhand.

If you like a certain food - I'm guessing maybe seafood if you want local flavor? I'll have to think about that - most of the places I knew best are not open anymore. Landry's is on the bay and has a good reputation - it was wonderful each time I've been there, but it's pricey. The Fish House is a newer one that is very popular, downtown Pensacola by the waterfront. You can sit outside and see the bay if you like - it's pretty much all seafood. The visitor to our Church took me there for lunch a couple of weeks ago and it was pretty good - a little pricey also, but not as high as Landry's. Reasonable for seafood I guess. Not fancy. New World Landing (or maybe they are calling it Skopelos) just opened, owned by some folks at our Church. The old Skopelos was amazing, and they cook for us all the time and it is always good. I don't know much more about it than that though. They are probably a little expensive too - the old Skopelos was.

You're terrible :D Greek girls... if they don't work in restaurants than they're usually organizing festivals.

LOL, they do. We don't have many "girls" in our parish. Mostly older ladies, and they are always organizing stuff for bake sales and festivals and parish dinners. And some are still involved in the restaurants. I don't think the one I was talking about would make a good Navy wife though - I don't think she would leave her family. :)

My stepmom's dad lives in that area. He's a retired Navy officer and WWII vet in fairly good health for his age, so definitely someone I'd like to meet in person. Lord only knows the stories he could tell.

Ah, that's cool! He will probably know a lot of good stuff about the area too! :) I love hearing the stories older folks tell. :) I hope you get to have a sit-down with him.

Okay THIS is important! I inherited a certain lead foot from my mother :oops:

Please do remember it then. I'm serious. You might catch a day when they are not there, but I wouldn't want to bet on it. Gulf Breeze is legendary for being a speed trap - we all have joked about that for years. But the police on the interstate in Pensacola is a new thing - usually on 110 heading toward or from the beach. I see them there ALL the time though now, and sometimes you see them with folks pulled over all in a row. BTW, if you make it as far out as Milton (I don't know why you would though) they do the same thing on Avalon Blvd.
 
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And apparently if you could have arrived by this weekend, you could have taken a dip at the beach with Darth Vader. Didn't even know we had this - Pensacon.

Lt. Worf will be here.

I wonder if my SIL will be involved. She's a costumer.
 
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E.C.

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Good luck, on the drive to Hawaii!! ;)


I can't imagine audio books when driving....They make me sleepy.
As long as there's multiple voices and a good story it helps keep me awake and preserve a bit of sanity on the all day drives. "World War Z" and "Gone Girl" helped because they had multiple voice actors.


OP: the part about California gave me a chuckle! LOL
It's true. All of it! :D
 
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As long as there's multiple voices and a good story it helps keep me awake and preserve a bit of sanity on the all day drives. "World War Z" and "Gone Girl" helped because they had multiple voice actors.

I'm finding Dostoevsky to be not very easy to listen to while driving. Single narrator (maybe voices would help) ... or maybe it's that I'm having trouble keeping characters and discussions about non-present characters difficult to follow because the names are all in Russian. I noticed in reading Everyday Saints, I had to pay special attention to names to keep them straight.

Not sure if I'll finish it as audio or not. I can follow Orthodox podcasts very well, and remember everything they said. Complex fiction - not so much - at all.

I don't know if things I've enjoyed in the past would be stuff you would like. I tended to historical novels, classical literature, classics for older children, a few mysteries by women authors.
 
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Or maybe you're too busy yielding, waiting for pedestrians, keeping your eyes on the lights and road, shifting, and using your turn indicator that you don't recall one word he said just THINKING you enjoy him!? ^_^^_^^_^:sorry::sorry::sorry:

I'm finding Dostoevsky to be not very easy to listen to while driving. Single narrator (maybe voices would help) ... or maybe it's that I'm having trouble keeping characters and discussions about non-present characters difficult to follow because the names are all in Russian. I noticed in reading Everyday Saints, I had to pay special attention to names to keep them straight.

Not sure if I'll finish it as audio or not. I can follow Orthodox podcasts very well, and remember everything they said. Complex fiction - not so much - at all.

I don't know if things I've enjoyed in the past would be stuff you would like. I tended to historical novels, classical literature, classics for older children, a few mysteries by women authors.
 
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~Anastasia~

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Or maybe you're too busy yielding, waiting for pedestrians, keeping your eyes on the lights and road, shifting, and using your turn indicator that you don't recall one word he said just THINKING you enjoy him!? ^_^^_^^_^:sorry::sorry::sorry:
Errrr ... you might have misunderstood. Or maybe I misunderstand you. If you mean Dostoevsky? I'm not really "enjoying" it ... I'm getting it as a series of vignettes that I don't even recognize the connection between them. I stopped listening yesterday. I'm afraid I'm going to spoil the story without really knowing what was written if I keep listening.

Somehow the podcasts seem to go in on a different level. Unless it's something like comparative theology, where I tend to miss bits, it all just flows right in. But then I think it's all said on a pretty basic level (at least the stuff I listen to), and I might go back and listen 3 or more times.

But no, I'm not enjoying Dostoevsky. I USED TO ENJOY other things, but children's classics of course are much easier, and I used to listen to classics more on long drives that often involved almost no other traffic (I've driven across the US several, several times - Texas goes on for days!).
 
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Yes I meant "not" enjoying. Typing too blasted fast for my own good.
Ah, in that case, you may be right! I've done more in-town driving than anything else. I'm 3 cd's in - 1/7th of the novel - and like I said, I have a series of vignettes in my mind, but no real understanding of who these people are or how they connect. I thought it best to stop listening. It may be the Russian names too - I just seem to have a mental block about those, and I'm a better reader than I am a listener for details like that.
 
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