March Madness

I have a lot to learn about planning our travels for the middle of March. This being our third mid-March on the road and all, you would think I would be with the program by now. But, I seem to forget about a couple of things that happen like clockwork this time of year: Spring Break and the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.

It's enough for me to remember when the "real" holidays fall and make sure we have campground reservations well in advance. But, these two rites of Spring seem to throw me a curveball every time.

We had tentatively planned to take the coastal route out of Lower Alabama and take in the sights of the beautiful beaches across the Florida panhandle. But, last Saturday, as we wandered the aisles at the Gulf Shores Walmart we were met with cart after cart pushed by college kids loading up nothing but frozen pizza, white bread, barrels of cheese puffs, cases of Coke and margarita mix. We quickly realized we had entered the Spring Break zone. For the next few weeks, every beach and coastal highway around these parts will be packed with partyers. So, we decided to take the less "beachy" route out of town and hit the super slab that is I-10. And, I vowed to make a mental note for next year to avoid Spring Break destinations this time of year.

There was one definite plus to our poor planning. Our redirected route would take us within a quarter-mile of the park where virtual friends and fellow travelers Terry and Randy were hanging out. With that we decided to make our first travel day in a couple of months a short one (We really like that!) and stop in and get to know these good folks.

When I exchanged messages with Terry, I had to make a true confession: We are basketball addicts. Truth be told, it's more me than Paul. And, my real obsession is March Madness. Back in the days when I was a workaholic, I would actually schedule two days off to watch all of the first round games. I made it my own personal holiday.

So, with all that practice, you'd think the last thing I'd do is schedule a travel day for Day 2 of first round play! But, I did do the unthinkable. So, for the first time in our traveling career, television became a deciding factor in choosing a park. We really were looking forward to the chance to meet Terry and Randy, but I had to confess that I needed television. Terry was oh so gracious and assured me we'd be in a satellite-friendly spot, plus this park has great cable. With that good news, we made our way east and arrived at this lovely park before the bulk of Friday's games were underway. We received a warm welcome from our new friends who then left us to settle in and feed our basketball obsession.

We consumed much more than the minimum daily allowance of college basketball this weekend without completely ignoring our new friends. They were busy with work and other things. But, we did manage to exchange pleasantries throughout our stay. And, this afternoon the four of us sat outside for a lovely lunch and plenty of conversation and laughter. We really enjoyed our time with them, until Terry headed to choir practice, Randy helped a camper back in to a site and we headed back to our daily dose of basketball. Our beloved Jayhawks tested our patience in the last game tonight, but alas they managed a victory in the end, which sends them on to the Sweet Sixteen.

We're heading east tomorrow to make our way to coastal Georgia. We'll bid our new friends adieu and thank them for their warm hospitality. We'll enjoy a few quiet days on the coast until we head a bit further north to Hilton Head Island on Thursday, when the next round of tournament play, and a bunch of family fun, begins.

Good news. We should have plenty of TV in that spot, too!

Many thanks to Terry and Randy for sharing their beautiful park with us, and making time between the demands of work and NCAA basketball to visit with us. We look forward to the next time we see you down the road. Meanwhile, safe travels and Rock Chalk!