Unlike every other cruise we have taken, this one started with an all-day drive to the port. It was 805 miles via FL 884, I-75, I-10 and US 90. It included a short detour to drop off Becky in Ft Myers where she will be cared for by a friend (and will socialize with another small dog). The trip, door-to-door, took just about 13 hours, thanks to two bio/food breaks (breakfast and lunch) and a 20-minute delay for a nasty accident near Pensacola. But it was a smooth trip, thanks to the new tires and front-end alignment on Marlene’s Toyota Camry. The weather was good and the traffic was not bad, except for the accident backup.
Marlene had packed a lot of hard-boiled eggs, chicken salad and crackers. We had those for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And we each brought a big mug of coffee. No tolls and no meal costs, so the total cost for Day 1 was gasoline. And even that wasn’t bad. The Camry averaged over 34 miles per gallon and the price of gas at our fillup was $2.62. Not bad at all.
Our destination in Gretna was the Econolodge. This is a hotel which shows its age. It isn’t luxurious (e.g., the toilet seat was cracked). But it is well-maintained, the bed was comfortable and the TV had a lot of channels. And they agreed to keep our car until we returned for the low, low price of $10 per day. Not bad considering this was Mardi Gras season – the busiest time of year for tourism in New Orleans. I didn’t realize it but the festivities start a couple of weeks before Fat Tuesday. There was a big parade in New Orleans before we arrived.