14-January-2024. WILD

I'm starting this post while stuck in traffic. I'm on I-10 heading west at a complete standstill and dictating into my cell phone. As a solo traveler the only thing I can do in the car is drive and listen - I can't check email or read or get things done. What I realized today is that drive time gives me lots of time to reflect which I don't usually have in my daily life.

Today I had a big "a-ha" moment thinking about my stop in Mobile, Alabama yesterday. Had I gone to Mobile alone I would have thought that there was not much to it – there were many store fronts that were closed, not a lot of people and it was definitely a working waterfront with lots of industry and not a lot of "pretty tourist sites". Had I judged the Mobile book by its cover I would not have been impressed. But instead I saw Mobile through the eyes of my friend Allison and as a result have found it to be a much more interesting and lovable place - with so much great local food and culture.

Idetermined that time in the car and on the road of my adventure is WILD: What I Learn Driving.

And going forward i'm going to challenge myself to come up with a "learned" or theme or "WILD Idea" of the day. Let's see what this Adventure teaches me!

Continued later that day:

So the good news is the traffic finally started flowing again and I headed to Biloxi Mississippi to walk my daily mile. This was the only time I will be traveling through Mississippi so I had to make sure to get a mile done there!

I chose the Biloxi Bay Bridge as my walking destination. It was a gorgeous day and I walked up to the highest point of the bridge to get a view of Biloxi. It's a nice small city right along the Gulf of Mexico.

Then I headed to one of their points of: the Biloxi lighthouse. This lighthouse is unique because it is situated in the middle of a four-lane highway. No joke!

I continued on Baton Rouge Louisiana. Stopped downtown at the Mississippi River to look around a bit. Although tempted, I decided not to lose my money at any local casinos this evening.

Todays WILD idea: don't judge a book by its cover .... whether it's a person or a place or an idea .... or a book! Dig deeper!