This time last year, I was behind the wheel of a 16-year-old truck pulling a U-Haul trailer through the remnants of Hurricane Isaac on the way to start a new adventure.

At times it seems like yesterday that I made the move. Other times it seems like decades.

I left a job of 20 years on a Wednesday afternoon, loaded a bed, a table, some chairs and a few odds and ends that night and left northeast Mississippi the next morning heading to Elsanor. I later found out the trip took five hours. But an old truck hauling a load up and down hills into strong winds made it last a lot longer.

The Friday before Labor Day I spent setting up bank accounts and getting utilities. At least I tried to get utilities. Internet and television turned out to be an adventure of their own. I drove back to Tupelo that Saturday to get my car. I knew I wanted to be in a Honda getting 35 mpg (instead of the 20 mpg or so of the truck) when driving around a territory as large as Baldwin County.

For the first few months, my Garmin navigator was my crutch. Even going from one paper office to another, I relied on the GPS unit suction-cupped to the windshield to get me where I needed to go and then back again. Since most of the roads in Baldwin County are either north-south or east-west, getting a hang of where I was and how to get around was not a big hassle. The biggest obstacle was figuring out which roads went from one side of the county to another.

Just out of habit, I left it going all the time. It was helpful to be able to look up and see what the next road was going to be. I didn’t realize how much I relied on it until one day I was driving my parents around in their car. I missed my turn leaving Fairhope. It was only then I realized how much I was depending on the navigator. That afternoon I unhooked it from the Honda.

Ever since, I have flown solo. Now if I have to go somewhere for the first time, I will whip it out and program in the address.

Just like I have gotten used to the roads, I am starting to get familiar with the movers and shakers in Baldwin County. That goes for the employees of Gulf Coast Newspapers as well. At my previous job, I could count the employees on one hand. The first day in Robertsdale I was introduced to most of the three-dozen-plus employees here. Talk about a brain overload.

The first year has really been an adventure – so much to see and experience for the first time. There was the Jubilee Festival in Daphne, the Shrimp Festival in Gulf Shores and Christmas Fest in Bay Minette. I still remember shooting pictures of the Spanish Fort Christmas parade. While White Christmases are few and far between in northeast Mississippi, the sight of Santa Claus with a palm tree behind him was something new. So was getting pelted with Moon Pies at a parade. Of course, for me, that was a tasty surprise.

Then came my first Mardi Gras ever. There was the three-hour boat tour on the Delta and the port of Mobile docks where the captain threatened to throw off anybody who sang the theme song to Gilligan’s Island.

In June, I got to ride in a hot air balloon for the first time in Foley. Ironically, the pilot of the craft was someone I had known for years, more as a high school basketball referee than a balloonist.

One recent story on the Red Hill Spring forced me to carry three gallon jugs in my car for a week until I had to go to Tensaw last week to do a preview story on Fort Mims. Since then, we have used the spring water for coffee and to cook with. When I go back to the 200th anniversary events this weekend, I will refill the jugs.

With a year under my belt, I am starting to get comfortable. When writing stories or I see an upcoming event, I now have a memory that I can fall back on. Like this year I WILL get a fried Snickers at the Jubilee Festival. As a matter of fact, I can just about taste it right now. Hot crispy crust, warm melty chocolate with caramel and peanuts. Mmmmmm …

William Moore is the Senior Editor at Gulf Coast Newspapers. He can be reached at wmoore@gulfcoastnewspapers.com