We arrive in Gulfport, Mississippi!

Well, in mapping out our route from the Keys to our overnight in Tallahassee, Bud found a reference to taking Rte. 27 up through the center of the Florida instead of the Florida's Turnpike.  The advice was that we would see interesting scenery and the "real" Florida. Hmmm...it was a  loooong ride with many traffic lights and lots of flat, dry landscape, punctuated by malls and vast orange groves, and a huge nest of fire ants that I stepped into at Lake Okeechobee. Ouch!

It's not a decision we would make again, though we did find a lovely Camille's Sidewalk Cafe in a mall near Orlando where we could have Maggie join us under a outdoor table with a nice umbrella.

We overnighted at a La Quinta an independent national chain, a bit more upscale than the Choice Hotels brand and all offering accommodations for pets with no fees and no deposits. The Tallahassee one was set in a very nice wooded area, with even a few hills (something we hadn't seen in a month!)

This morning they had fog alerts on Route 10, the main highway through the Florida Panhandle, Alabama, Mississippi an on to New Orleans.  They weren't kidding!

We made a special stop at the Mississippi Welcome Center, right over the border from Alabama to pick up info on events, sight-seeing and so on.  We plan to explore the state as much as we can.  The moment I walked in the door I was offered free coffee and information and looked around to find an elegant ante-bellum decor.  Wow!

It's now late afternoon (an hour earlier than back home in New Hampshire). We are all unpacked in our very lovely rental just across from the beach, have made connections with Bud's brother Rich and his wife Dot and soon will be off for an hour or two at the casinos in Biloxi!

For those who don't read the Concord Monitor, my column this week is on how to get (and stay) organized on a long road trip.Click here if you'd like to check it out.