I drove almost clear across the state before I had to pull over and sleep. Our second favorite place to sleep in the car is in hotel parking lots. We think it is ironic and clever. Maybe? Anyways we stay in a Hampton Inn, in who-knows-where Louisianna, for most of the night. I wake up at sunrise and drive to Lake Charles. It seems to have become tradition to greet each morning after sleeping in the car with staring out across a lake. (if you remember, i did the same in Tupelo) Austin is next. This is good news for us, familiar faces and a little R&R.

We stayed at my friend Kathleens for two nights, it was nice to see her. It had been a long time. Annie was very excited about being able to eat fresh vegetables again.

Then there was... Jaqi Alie. Jaqi is my friend from Chicago, though I have never actually seen her in Chicago, she comes to New York a lot. She had just moved to Austin and turned out she had moved right around the corner from Kathleens. Jaqi Alie is always up for a good time. This should be her patented phrase. This is why I love her. Now I will explain to you all... that if you have never been in a car driven by Jaqi Alie you should keep it that way. Unless you are a person who enjoys feeling like at any moment your precious life could end. Austin will probably soon have signs on the roads warning drivers against her. She had a really cool neighbor named Clay, artist photographer... red head... nice guy. And then of course there was Kyle Walker, future skateboard legend. He was there as well... I really don't want to spend too much time on Austin because as far as the road trip goes, it was a rest from the road. Though not for our livers... sorry family, it's a honest blog. These pictures sum it up pretty well.
 

Though we did "float the river." Which simply means sitting in an intertube, with a beer if you're in the mood, and floating down a river. This sounds relaxing and easy right? It should be.. unless your me and you leap out of your intertube, discover the water is only a couple inches deep and watch your tube float far away... along with your friends who are laughing too hard to help you. Then... if this is the case, as it was mine, "floating the river" can be a whole 'nother animal. Luckily Clay was not as useless and Jaqi and Annie and he retrieved my tube and returned it to me. Thanks dude.