Westward Whoa!!!

We left family and friends behind on October 1st, heading first to the Florida Panhandle. On 10/2 we left Pensacola headed westward toward Louisiana. Just as we were leaving Mississippi, the worst thing imaginable to an RVer occurred - the dreaded blowout. The left front tire shredded but we managed to just get into the emergency lane of I-10 W. FYI, never call the Mississippi Highway Patrol - they do not care about RVers and never dispatched the Highway Safety unit as promised.

Good Sam's Emergency Roadside Assistance came to the rescue, sent a tire service and a wonderful angel to help us. It took a couple of hours for our angel to get there and only about 20 minutes to get us back on the road. We are very grateful for his professionalism and speedy service. By the way, our angel's name was Jerry and he was recovering from a stroke two months previous. We are constantly amazed at the 'angels' and helpers sent to us in various forms.

We made it to Livingston, LA for an overnight stay. That was before the dreaded phone call the next morning. Kathy's dad was on a quick trip to Harrah's in Tunica, MS and was hospitalized with pneumonia and a possible heart attack in Baptist Memorial-DeSoto Hospital in Southaven, MS. Life happens, and the best thing about RVing is that when plans change, you can turn your house around and go with the flow.

With the echocardiogram and heart catheterization scheduled for Monday morning to confirm whether dad had a heart attack, we opted to head to New Orleans for a day trip. Gray skies and gray dispositions couldn't dampen the spirit of New Orleans. We accidentally found an Oktoberfest parade and immediately became bead whores in the rain. New Orleans was a welcome stress reliever.

The folks at Lakeside RV Park in Livingston, LA were very kind to us during our stay and worked with our change of plans. We packed up between thunderstorms and left LA in pouring rain headed for Southaven, MS, which is only 4 miles south of Memphis, TN. It rained so much while in LA that the crawfish came into the campsite. Mississippi is a tall state and it took a full, hard day's drive to make the 340+ miles to Southaven.

Dad did in fact have a heart attack and a stent was placed in his left anterior descending during the catheterization procedure. The WhooHoo Wonder Bus became dad's ride back home to Georgia. Of course, it took two days of hard driving to make the trek to Georgia. Unfortunately, being that close to Memphis, Graceland was right there - oh well, maybe the next time... The Elvis Presley Campground sign next to a gas station in Tupelo, MS was as close as we got this trip.

Dad is back home now recuperating. WhooHoo Wonder Bus set out on a two thousand mile westward journey only to complete a 1700 mile circular trip, and we are back at the starting point. Except now we are in search of RV tires, a closer winter campground location, and, of course, jobs. We forfeited the winter jobs with DeAnza Trails in Arizona. Arizona is still high on the bucket list, perhaps next year...

That's life! Live it well. Never assume family and friends know you love them - tell them. Never take anything for granted there may not be a second chance.

K&J