Day 42. Lillian, Alabama

We rode along the top of the Gulf of Mexico, through Mississippi to Alabama, to the town of Lillian which is just west of Pensacola, Florida.  Some highlights along the way were Navy ships and a "barn" quilt.  Even a tiny house can sport a quilt block.

 

















At first I wasn't so sure about this KOA, that is until we walked down to the dock.  Not bad, huh?






We drove over to Perdido Bay in Florida.  What a beautiful beach!  The sand is really white and very fine.  But the annoying part of our visit was finding out that the beach is owned by the condos and hotels along the waterfront.  I hate that!  There are public access points at designated spots and obnoxious signs telling the "others" to stay out.

And the sign said,

You have to have a membership card

to get inside.

(Five Man Electrical Band, 1971)

 


While we were there, we enjoyed some gumbo and Charlie had an oyster poboy.  Yum!

Day 41. Oak Alley

 The day started beautifully.  I had been encouraged by several friends to make a stop at Cafe du Monde for coffee and beignets, and we did as advised.  All I can say is that powder-sugar dusted beignets are the bomb!  To me, beignets are the perfect French version of Spanish sopaipillas and country fair funnel cake.




After that delightful breakfast, we went to tour Oak Alley Plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana, on the banks of the Mississippi River.  Originally built by a French Creole family, the Romans, the plantation became a sugar cane plantation.  Josephine Stewart, whose husband bought the property in 1925 and brought it back from decay, in the early 1970's left 25 acres, including the big house and the location of the slave houses, to the Oak Alley Foundation with the stipulation that the doors be open to the public.  With this background, I was so impressed by the walking tour and grounds.  The walking tour starts at the slave quarters.  The foundation has rebuilt the slave quarters and developed a powerful, unfiltered depiction of the lives of slaves at the plantation.  The placards described the injuries and disease and long, arduous work hours and insufficient shoes and hard life of the slaves.  The final building moved me to tears with the names of the former slaves written on its wall.  The accompanying plaque read as follows:

Between 1836 and the Civil War, 198 men,

women and children were enslaved at Oak Alley.

Dehumanized and quantified like any other

commodity, they appear in sale records and

inventories, yet as people they have been all but

forgotten to history.

This is a respectful recognition of the people on whose

backs this plantation was built.  For most of them, a

name is all that remains of their story.

From there we entered the plantation owner's home.  It is a 12 room home with large wrap-around porches on the first and second floors, both of which have very high ceilings to accommodate the hot Louisiana weather.  Since there are no basements in this high-water-level area, the home has a third floor attic for storage.  Of course, the house has been modified from the time it was the home of plantation owners, but you still can imagine the life of the owners.  The juxtaposition with the lives of the slaves who toiled on the plantation is stark. 

Day 40. NOLA

Bourbon Street and the French Quarter.  You can't go to New Orleans without going, right?  I'd been there before when I'd traveled to the area for work.  It was all new to Charlie.  He said the area reminded him of the "Block" in Baltimore.  Yes, there are wonderful restaurants and really nice hotels.  But there are also many "girly" bars and clubs.  I told Charlie that many years later, I found out that after my work team went out to dinner and returned to our hotel, the guys would turn right around and go back downtown to those bars! 

Charlie and I both love the architecture of the area.  We walked up and down the streets taking pictures.  It was a pleasant afternoon.

We stopped for a late lunch, where Charlie had oysters on the half shell and I had boudin.  I'd never heard of boudin, but my brother-in-law had encouraged me to have some.  Glad I did.  It's a sausage with a filling of meat and rice, similar in my mind to stuffed grape leaves, but with a mild cajun flavor.  Nice!  But we won't leave New Orleans until we both have some gumbo.

Day 39. Crawfish Etouffee -- check

We checked into a KOA outside Lafayette LA.  The young woman at the desk had such a pleasant Cajun accent.  We got talking (surprise, right?) and she said her grandmother and a few older family members speak Cajun French.  Although she can understand the language pretty well, she said she cannot speak Cajun French.  She mentioned that the language is dying out quickly, which I had also read, and that she wished she had learned it.  I suggested that it wasn't too late!  As it is an oral language passed down through generations, it would be a shame for this language vanish.

She recommended that we try Fezzo"s, a seafood and steakhouse restaurant close by.  Score!  While Charlie ordered a seafood platter, I enjoyed a dish of Crawfish Etouffee.  It was delicious!  I hadn't had any since a trip to New Orleans some 25 years ago!  And it was just as wonderful as I remember.  Life is good!

Day 38. Remember the Alamo!

We rode the bus downtown to the Alamo.  Of course, I had heard of the Alamo but, to be honest, I would have been hard pressed to tell you much about it.  We watched a 15 minute film produced by the History Channel that filled in the blanks.  The movie together with the audio tour and a walk through the museum was really informative.  I was left with a deep respect for the men who gave their lives fighting for freedom from a repressive regime.

After the Alamo, we took the steps down to the River Walk.  I just love it there!  The plantings and trees give the area an almost tropical feel.  The walkway winds along the river past outdoor cafes, upscale hotels, and shops.  The occasional waterfalls and the river itself drown out the bustle of the downtown.  We stopped at Hard Rock Cafe where we shared a barbeque dish and drank a gallon of ice tea and water.  It was 95 degrees today!

As we waited for the bus back, a bus pulled up with a rider whose wheelchair apparently developed some problem with the brake.  It took about 15 minutes before he and his wheelchair were off.  But there he sat with his motorized wheelchair disabled.  One fellow came over and spent a few minutes looking over the chair, but he left when his bus came.  But there was this beautiful 30ish African American woman in patterned leggings and a brightly colored head scarf.  She talked to the man and  tried her hand at trying to see what might be wrong with his chair.  She was on the phone several times over the course of the next 15 minutes.  I heard her telling the man you can't just be stranded here, the same thing she told the other end of the phone.  And she was successful in getting a commitment from someone in charge to come help this disabled man.  I was so proud of her.  A very fine and humble woman who left me with a lovely impression of the city of San Antonio.

Day 37. Arrived in San Antonio

Our trip today along I-10 was really boring.  No way to sugar coat it.  I kept falling asleep -- sorry Charlie!  The highlight was stopping at DQ for lunch/dinner.  I did like the welcome sign in Ozona, though.

The KOA in San Antonio is really nice.  Big trees to provide much needed shade -- it's hot here!  An inviting pool which we plan to enjoy tomorrow afternoon.  Easy access to a bus to downtown.  Interestingly, there were 4 big motor homes on display.  They are so amazing; I hesitate to guess their price.  But truthfully, the park is filled with big rigs.  Our camper is looking really ...cute. 

So just picture this:  When we try to unlock the camper, it becomes evident that somehow the deadbolt is locked.  (We have no idea how since it locks from the inside.)  My wonderful husband crawled through the storage space (that is accessible from the outside and is also accessible to the inside under the sofa) so he could unlock the bolt lock.  Strong and flexible!

We (that is, me) enjoyed a long afternoon nap until we left to do some needed shopping.  We're both looking forward to exploring the river walk area and visiting the Alamo tomorrow.

____________

Special message:
Mrs. P, I'm thinking of you and looking forward to visiting another time.  Take care.

Day 36. Stockton, Texas

To be clear, I'm the designated navigator for this trip.  So there is no one else to blame for taking the l-o-n-g way around to get to our stop in Stockton.  Imagine a triangle; rather than go from point A to point B, we went to point C first.  Added about an hour or so to our drive -- sorry, Charlie! 

But the positive side of our side trip was that we skirted along the edge of the Guadalupe Mountains National Park.  Never heard of it, but the mountains were a pleasant surprise.  Apparently, it's an excellent hiking and camping destination too.  So anyway, I tried to point out the fun and beautiful scenery we saw by taking the wrong road.  (To be honest, I didn't make a mistake.  I merely overlooked a turn while I was catching up with a friend via text!)

When we got on I-10 East, we were met with ominous skies ahead.  Sure enough, we drove into a huge rain storm that forced us to pull off at a random exit where I tracked the storm's progress on Weather Channel radar.  An 18 wheeler pulled up behind us, so we were more confident in the wisdom of our decision.  And yes, the rain delay caused an already longer-than-need-be trip to be even longer!  Plus, we lost an hour entering the Central Time Zone.  Perfect.  A good steak and salad prepared shortly upon arriving at the campground made everything better.  Ahhh.

Day 35. Aliens in New Mexico

Last night in Albuquerque was so windy I wondered whether our camper would blow away!  It reminded me of how much I used to hate flying into the Albuquerque airport; it was always turbulent!

We took I-40E to 285 South and drove from an arid landscape into grazing land for cattle. 

The absolute highlight of today’s drive was visiting the International UFO Museum and Research Center in Roswell, New Mexico.  Reading the newspaper articles and listening to recordings from that time in 1947 you can’t help but question whether aliens do exist.  I’m just saying.  I bought a sticker for the camper to commemorate our visit.  It made me happy. 

 We’re at a KOA outside Carlsbad hoping for calm breezes for good sleep tonight.  Zzzzzz

Day 34. Albuquerque, New Mexico

Today Charlie drove a l-o-n-g way so we were happy to finally arrive in Albuquerque.  Still, we decided to drive into Old Town for a delicious dinner.  It was an unexpected treat to arrive just in time to enjoy a concert in the plaza park. 

I have been to Albuquerque many times over the years while working with engineers and psychologists at Sandia National Laboratory.  This is the only time I've been here for leisure fun.  Driving down Central Avenue this evening gave me a different view of the city.  For example, there are lovely architectural design elements incorporated in highway noise barriers, overpasses, bridge finials, and median strips that are either new or, just as likely, I never noticed before.  I have a heighten appreciation for the city's beauty, and for that I'm pleased.

Day 33. More Grand Canyon

We spent about 5 hours visiting Grand Canyon National Park on our second day there.  We made use of the free shuttle buses that transport visitors to view points and trail heads around the south rim of the canyon.  It seemed like each new view was as awesome as the one before.  We took a ton of pictures; it will be hard to delete any!  And while we took care to stay on the safe side of the handrails, by the end of the day it was a relief to be on solid ground!  And Charlie has added rafting the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon to his bucket list!  That would be awesome.

  Charlie and I are always on the look out for wildlife in the parks and we hit the jackpot here -- elk! 

Day 32. Grand Canyon

One of our top destinations on this trip was the Grand Canyon.  We arrived at the entry to the south rim mid-afternoon and were informed that, of course, the campgrounds in the park are full.  In fact, the RV campground is already booked for next March!  No problem.  We found a place just outside the park, dropped the trailer, and headed to the visitor center and the closest canyon viewing point.  WOW.  Pictures don’t capture the feeling of standing on the edge and looking out on one of the wonders of the world.  But I hope our pictures have captured some of the beauty.

Day 31. Grand Canyon Sky Walk

Charlie has had several cases of white knuckles on our route.  So I was surprised when he suggested we stay another day in Kingman and make the 70 mile drive to the Grand Canyon Sky Walk.  Essentially, this is a glass bottom semi-circle platform that extends over part of the canyon.  Even I was a little excited/anxious.  Things to know.  It is not run by the National Park Service so no Senior Pass discount.  They do not allow you to take a camera with you on the walkway.  And it cost $150+ per couple for admission to the sky walk, an overlook spot and village, and a kids-type entertainment stop.  Food and souvenirs can be purchased at each stop.  Buses transport you between the stops.  All-in-all, we liked it.  Charlie and I both enjoyed the sky walk and agreed that pictures shot through the glass walkway had little chance of turning out well anyway.  The visitors who sat on what seemed to be the very edge of the canyon for pictures were nuts.  The Native American dancers and singers at the village were pleasant to watch and the life-size models of Native American homes was interesting. 

My favorite part of it all was meeting an adorable couple from Texas.  I met the Air Force veteran on the first bus when Charlie offered him a seat.  He shared that he had met his wife in Japan where he lived for 10 years.  He said this is their last hurray because he is 87 years old and she is 82.  He said he did want to visit Japan once more, and that he could since his son is a commercial airline pilot with tickets available.  We went on to a discussion of politicians, specifically Hilary, Donald, and Bernie.  It was a really nice conversation with a sharp intelligent gentleman.  Then on the second bus trip, I sat beside his lovely wife when Charlie again offered up his seat.  She was a bit reluctant saying, “I’m not that old!” at which point her husband piped in, “Don’t believe a word she says!”  Talking with her, I learned they’ve been married for more than 60 years.  She said her husband told her this was their last hurray, but that he always says that!  I love this couple!  And then she paid us the best possible compliment.  She said her husband and she had discussed us and decided we were really nice people and they don’t meet nice people very often.  Awww.  I told her I think there are many nice people.  It occurred to me later that maybe folks don’t approach older people and strike up random conversation.  Oh, I don’t look forward to be ignored!  Hey, guys!  Make eye contact, smile, and talk!  There’s some really nice old people out there!