2013 Lap around the USA

Hi,
I think its time I start getting this field trip report together before I start planning another trip.

Well the trip is done and dusted and I have been back at work for three weeks. Im still day dreaming about the places we visited and the people we met. I still get my daily dose of the USA while editing and culling photos of a night.

We achieved nearly all we had planned although we left a few places out but picked up others. The weather changed our plans a bit and diversions were made for the wildfires in Colorado and the flooding in Canada.

We covered a lot of ground and ticked off 30 states we entered plus two visits into Canada. Spent a lot of long days on the road and a lot of miles and shared the accomodation with truck stops, campgrounds, RV Parks,carparks and service centres and motels plus a few nights with friends as well. You can see the planning thread here.

A few statistics for the trip before I start adding out itinerary details.

Arrive Los Angeles - Friday 10th May 2013
Pick up camper on Saturday 11th May 2013
Drop camper off Tuesday 2nd July 2013
Fly out of Los Angeles Thursday 4th July 2013
55 nights in the USA
18 nights in motels
6 nights in RV parks
13 nights in Campgrounds / National Parks
18 free nights . Friends / Truck Stops / Car parks and Service Centres.
Into 30 States and Canada.
Full length of Route 66 covered. LA to Albuquerque and Chicago to Albuquerque.
Distance covered. 13946 miles.
Total fuel Cost - $2104.00
Fuel. Appx 24.24 mpg over whole trip.

Days actually driving - 45
Average mile per day on driving days - 310 miles

Longest distance covered in one day - 642 mile. Getting out of Canada during the floods and driving to Seattle.
Shortest distance covered in one day - 2 mile. Dropping the Camper off.

I drove 13940 miles
My wife drove 6 miles on Route 66.

Photo count - Me 10,500
My wife - 3500

Well thats a bit of an over view of the trip so now I will try and post a photo of the route we took on a map.

The only thing that concerns me with this report is makes me feel like planning another trip now .But my work leave and bank account says wait two years.

John

Wow John, what a trip. Can't wait to read more, and see the photos.

In a little more than seven weeks you covered more than half the miles I did last year in six months. It must have kept you on the go. What fantastic memories you'll have with 10500 photos. Enjoy reliving the trip as you sort through them.

What did you think of staying at truck stops? I'd like to read your take on them.

Lifey

Wow, those are some impressive stats!

Like Lifey, I can't wait to read the details!

Mark

Would love to hear more about your travels...we will be starting a 6 month trip around the US in mid September. I am interested in your comments on truck stops/service centres for short overnight stops. I have been thinking that might occasionally be an option between places we want to visit. How do you find stops that allow RV to stay overnight and is there a charge? Thanks
Dave

Sorry about the clarity of the after map as I just scanned it out of the atlas I used. By looking at them there is very litlle difference between the two. The main difference was Canada. We were chased out by bad weather.
On the other hand by leaving Canada we got to explore Olympic National Park and some of Columbia River Gorge and a few days in Yosemite. Not disappointed in not seeing Canada. Another reason to go back.

As you can see we done the trip in a figure eight fashion so that we we split route 66 up and got to enjoy it travelling in both directions and didnt get too much for us in one dose. We travelled 66 from Los Angeles to Albuquerque and from Chicago to Albuquerque.
Im glad we did as we would have been in Oklahoma around the time of the Tornado's.

The green line on the maps west is the trip we done in 2011. That was five and a half weeks.

John

I spent quite a few months planning, reading and researching what we wanted to do before I finally had a plan.
People looked and said it was too ambitous but it all came together in the end.
I started by listing out what we wanted to do and what we wanted to see and planned from there. I marked all the places on a map and joined the dots.

Most of my planning ideas and suggested routes came from members of RTA . I kept adding and adding but soon realised it would have been impossible to see all on the list.
Without this forum I think I would be still planning. Thanks everyone.

There is so much in between the highlight we chose but to do the trip we focused on those destinations.
The scenery was beautiful and with the summer long days it was easy to start of early in the morning and cruise along stopping when we wanted to have a break and explore the area.

The idea of having the little van was that we wouldnt be tied down to a destination or a motel each day and we got better value out of a day being able to travel to sunset and find a Truck Stop or rest area for the night or an earlier stop if we wanted to stay at a motel or campground.

Our budget was spot on and we came home with some cash left over even after we had to buy two extra suitecases to get our goodies home.


John

I am looking forward to your trip report, should you decide to write a more detailed one! I enjoyed reading the statistics.


Donna

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Originally Posted by DonnaR57

I am looking forward to your trip report, should you decide to write a more detailed one! I enjoyed reading the statistics.


Donna

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I thought I would put the statistics in to get me motivated and start the report. I made up an itinerary day book to keep records and gave it to my wife to fill in, so I have a record of what we done each day.
I didnt write down all the numbers and names of the highways we took but it should be easy to see where we went.

I hope to be able to add a few phots as I go along. The reason I took so may phots was that my favorite lens was plaing up and I had to keep reshooting to get an exposure I liked. I think I will be deleting quite a few.

John

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Originally Posted by Lifemagician

Wow John, what a trip. Can't wait to read more, and see the photos.

In a little more than seven weeks you covered more than half the miles I did last year in six months. It must have kept you on the go. What fantastic memories you'll have with 10500 photos. Enjoy reliving the trip as you sort through them.

What did you think of staying at truck stops? I'd like to read your take on them.

Lifey

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Hi Lifey

This trip I realised we would not be able to cover the distances we wanted by staying off the interstates and going all back roads.
To be honest I really enjoyed the interstates, the Flying J,Pilot and Loves Travel Plazas as well as the lovely Dennys breakfasts.

We first came across Truck Stop / Rest Areas after turning off Route 66 and heading into Texas. They were well lit places with rest areas for truck drivers to sit and watch TV. Some were a base for the Highway Patrol so we felt rater safe there.

Because of the long distances between stops in Texas, we were usually in late and gone early.
I didnt stay in the rest areas / Truck stops in dark / remote areas or just outside major cities, like Chicago. St Louis or Cleveland. We even spent the night in a Bank carpark after asking someone where we could stay the night.

We usually looked for a Pilot or Flying J.Pay for our fuel, have someting to eat and then ask if we can park for the night. Never had a refusal doing it this way, even at some small town gas stations.

Day 1 Friday 10th May 2013 - Arrive Los Angeles

After a long flight from Sydney we decided that this time we would get a motel and not start the road trip as soon as we arrived.
Last trip we picked the van up and hit the road. It wasnt a pleasant experience trying to find my way, driving on a different side of the road in heavy traffic.

We took a later flight which got us into LA at 10 am. Customs seemed a bit quicker without the early flight rush.A taxi to the motel and we were tucked up in bed by 1 pm and managed to sleep until 5 am on Saturday morning.We never seem to sleep much on the flight over and we normally watch movies.
I watched Lincoln and Derango unchained. Derango was a real experience, especially when we pulled up at Oak Alley in Louisianna. I could almost feel myself being on the set of that movie.
Its good to get a feel for what you are about to experience on a road trip.
(Im hoping to write the field trip during the day and add photos of a night as I edit them.)



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1 Our vegimite ready to be packed.
Our supply of vegemite was tested on as many locals we could find but it also meant us tasting a few their favorite foods as well. Some were intersting to say.



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2 Jet lag coffee. Forgot to take the cups out of the bags.


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3 Our luggage we arrived with.
I thought I would add a photo of our luggage as it grew quite cinsiderably over the eight weeks we were in the USA.

(Editing on the posts is greenlighted -- as per Editor)

John,
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That's a very funny image -- the still-wrapped coffee cups!

Mark

We were dying for a coffee after booking into the motel.I started making it and realised I had left the cups in the bags.
It didnt taste too bad as I wasnt going to tip it out. I think I ended up with both.

John

Day 2 - Saturday 11th May 2013 - Los Angeles to Newberry Springs. 243 Miles

It was excitement all round for our first day on the road. A good breakfast and a taxi over to escapercampers on West Century Boulevarde to pick up or home for the next 50 odd days.

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We chose a more modern and new camper than the Chevvy Astro we had last time. This time it was a 2010 Dodge Caravan that had just been painted and fitted out.

So we had the honor of the maiden voyage. It looked a bit small for my long body to stretch out in, but was soon to realise it was fine.Just had to get used to getting dressed laying down.

Afte the mandatory paperwork and guided tour of the camper we were handed the keys and ready to roll after we packed in all our luggage.
We were told the fuel was nearly empty so we could return it with the same amount of fuel. Thats fine we said as we headed off out the gate.

Our plan was to start the trip at Santa Monica Pier where Route 66 ends then lunch at Bubba Gumps before taking a few photos and hitting the Mother Road.

The fuel light came on within minutes of leaving the yard but we managed to find a gas station after lunch at Santa Monica.

Fifty dollars in the little camper over there I said to the attendant. He smiled and took my money and I walked out to the van. No gas coming out.

Went back in and he looked and said. I thought you meant that car, where a woman was pumping my gas at a different pump.

After a few minutes of shuffling money with the woman and the attendant we were on our way. But not the last time to experience fuel mishaps.

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After a beautiful pre trip seafood lunch, a van full of fuel we hit the road.
Armed with our GPS, Route 66 book and a Road atlas and of course my co pilot. The Saturday afternoon traffic was heavy as usual but we still managed to find parts of 66.
We found out later that is was much easier finding the Road when heading from Chicago to LA.

After a few hours I decided to top the van up of fuel. Prepaid for the fuel and halfway through pumping everything shuts down. Power outage. Back inside and after a while I get my money back, only to be confronted by an unhappy guy who had parked in behind me with a great boat on and couldnt get around me. I was wondering why he didnt back out. Surely he has to reverse to launch the boat.

He kept yelling I gotta go, I gotta go.I felt like telling him where to go but just moved out of the way. I think the Californians need to chill out a bit.Very highly strung,well some of them anyway.

We followed 66 as far as Barstow before losing our direction but found our way again and on to Newberry Springs where after buying dinner and fuel we were allowed to camp around the back with the trucks. It ended up being a long day and dark by the time we got to bed.

It was a system that seemed to work for us when looking for a free camp.Spend some money first, then ask the question. Plus the fact that they all loved our Australian Acent.

John

Photos and text are great.

Keep 'em coming!

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Originally Posted by Mark Sedenquist

Photos and text are great.

Keep 'em coming!

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Thanks Mark.
I have so much to catch up with at home and work but I will keep on it. Its great doing a field trip report as I get to relive the trip for a few more months.
John

Day 3 -Sunday 12th May 2013 - Newberry Springs, CA - Needles - Oatman - Kingman,AZ - Las Vegas NV - 360 miles
Today was our 34th Wedding Anniversary and also Mothers Day, so I had to behave myself. We were up early and out on Route 66 before we realised we were going the wrong way. A quick U turn fixed that.

We followed as much of 66 as we could to Needles before following 66 to Oatman. I pulled over along the way and enquired about fuel and told we could top up in Oatman. It was getting a bit low so we just plugged along steadly.

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A bit of a surprise to find that there hadnt been gas sales in Oatman for many years. Anyway we decided to check ot the town before heading off. An interesting town and lots of character.
Oatman
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Dont Feed Me
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We decided to head to Kingman for fuel so it was a much slower trip with the gauge on empty and me feathering the gas pedal. With sweaty palms and horrid thoughts of being out of fuel in the desert on such a special day.What a relief to put that nozzle in the gas tank.


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After Kingman it was a nice run into Vegas and book into the Bellagio Hotel for the night. My wifes choice for our anniversary.
We didnt venture far from the window of our room and just sat watching the water fountains below.
Another great day in the USA.

View from our room.

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A flower show in the foyer of the Belagio. I knew I took my macro lens for a reason.

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Hopefully I can get more posted soon.
John

Wonderful report again John and great Pics, I love the one of the Fountains, great capture !

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With sweaty palms and horrid thoughts of being out of fuel in the desert on such special days. What a relief to put that nozzle in the gas tank.

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Most travelling sales reps will tell you the secret in getting another 100 miles out of a tank [when you think you are about to run out] is just to bite your bottom lip a lot and tense your buttocks ! They swear they do this a lot and have never not got there. ;-0

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Originally Posted by Southwest Dave

Wonderful report again John and great Pics, I love the one of the Fountains, great capture !



Most travelling sales reps will tell you the secret in getting another 100 miles out of a tank [when you think you are about to run out] is just to bite your bottom lip a lot and tense your buttocks ! They swear they do this a lot and have never not got there. ;-0

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It must have worked for me this time.I was so relieved to get to the gas station. From then on it was regular stops at half a tank. But I still managed to have a couple of other close calls further on down.

Thanks Southwest Dave.fountains were beautiful. I spent ages taking photos. Got some great ones still to edit. Just grabbing random photos for the report. Hopefully get some up on my website one day.
The best thing about the photography is that my wife got the bug and got hold of my spare SLR and used it for the trip. She captured some great shots as well. Eventually got a good telephoto lens for her in Tulsa.

John

Day 4 - Monday 13th May 2013 - Las Vegas -14 miles

I jumped out of bed at what I thought was early. I set my camera up on the tripod before going to bed so I could capture the sunrise over Las Vegas. My wife had shut the curtains as well.What a shock it was to be hit with the mid morning Nevada sun.
Missed the sunrise by about five hours.That ended that photography session.

With no real plans we just packed our bags and wandered around the motel before taking the short drive over to Old Vegas where we had booked into the Golden Nugget for the night. We were quiet surpised how different it was.But a difference we liked also.
Spent the afternoon wandering around Fremont Street before resting up for the afternoon before venturing out again in the evening.

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What adifference a few hours made and what a wonderful experience as well.They certainly know how to put on a good show.

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John,

One of these days you will have to return and capture the famous "Vegas Blue." Just before dawn the sky takes on a magical color that locals call "Vegas Blue."

I've been fortunate to see it a few times -- Usually about 90 minutes prior to sunrise....

Yes, morning breaks with severe brightness here. If you're seeking raking light at dawn, you need to be up and up by 4 am in the summer months.

Mark

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Originally Posted by Mark Sedenquist

John,

One of these days you will have to return and capture the famous "Vegas Blue." Just before dawn the sky takes on a magical color that locals call "Vegas Blue."


Mark

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Definetly will be a third time Mark. Always seem to stay up too late in Vegas and sleep in.

Day 5- Tuesday 14th May 2013- Las Vegas - Kingman - Hackerry - Selligman - Grand Canyon Caverns - Flagstaff - Sedona - Winslow Meteor Crater RV Park Arizona. 385 miles

Up at 6am and looking at Las Vegas in the rear view mirror by 6.30 am. First stop was Rosies Den between Las Vegas and Kingman.

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We stopped there two years ago but this time was different as the the Roadhouse had burnt down and they were trading out of an old shed.
It seems they have a good business running sales of lotto tickets so they have decided to stay. They sold of some of their land to Chevron and a truck stop sits along side the old building.

It was good to pick up Route 66 again. We had covered from Kingman to Williams on last trip but its still a great drive on the old road. Hackberry is a favorite spot of mine and the only photo from last trip that hangs on my wall at home. Im sure I will add more this year.

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We venture off the road at Selligman and made a visit to the Grand Canyon Caverns. Its the first cavens I have been too where you take an elevator down. It was well worth the stop and wanted to see where Billy Connolly had stayed, in the underground Motel when he made his Route 66 DVD.

Billy's motel room
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From the caverns we continued along 66 before making a quick diversion down a very windy road in Sedona. My wife wanted to have a quick look around. It rained quiet heavy while we ther so headed out after a short visit.( Sedona was never on the list this time). What a beautiful town.
A nice slow drive out the same way and back onto 66 and continued on to the Winslow Meteor Crater RV Park for the night and witnessed a beautiful Arizona Sunset.

Whoa!

I hadn't heard about Rosie's. I wonder if they were able to save any of the memorabilia.

Mark

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Originally Posted by Mark Sedenquist

Whoa!

I hadn't heard about Rosie's. I wonder if they were able to save any of the memorabilia.

Mark

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It happened during the night in August 2011. Nothing was insured and I dont think anything at all was saved. They are planning on rebuilding with the money from the sale of the land to Chevron.
There are a few old T shirts in the shed but thats about all.
It had a lot of character and a very memorable place. Especially with the motor bikes pulling up to a tables for a cool drink.

Wow, Rosie's is/was in my "backyard" -- I guess it's been too long since I drove down that stretch of highway.

Mark

Day 6 - Wednesday 15th May 2013 -Winslow Meteor Crater - Route 66 to Albuquerque - South on 25 to Hatch New Mexico. 486 Miles.
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Up early and on the road by 7.00 am after a quick breakfast. Our first stop was at the Meteor Crater at Winslow.
Our Road Trip plan is to be camp / stop overnight as close as to next days first attraction so we are not on the road for too long before stopping.
It seemed to work well as we didnt miss anything that we wanted to see and also managed a few exta places.. The days were long but not all driving.

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We arrived at the Crater and were first in line to wait for the gate to open. Its an amazing site to see. I took a few panoramic photos while my wife spent some time (and money) in the giftshop.
Taking photos was a challenge as I can believe how windy it was. I couldnt use a tripod as it kept blowing over. We farewelled the crater and got back onto Route 66 and headed to another Iconic place.

Standing on a Corner in Winslow Arizona. We were not dissapointed in Winslow and everything we expected to see. Took a few more photos and spent some more money on shirts and trinkets before heading off again on 66.

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We followed Route 66 to just before Albuquerque where we turned south on the next leg of out trip. Down through Teaxas and onto New Orleans for my wifes birthday on the 21st May.

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The Los angeles to Albuquerque leg of Rote 66 was interesting and also fun to drive and also challenging to find in places.We now had to wait until Chicago to complete the remainder back to Albuquerque.

With such a beautiful day and we were now on the Interstate 25 it was a pleasant run to Hatch, New Mexico.
I had been keeping an eye on the fuel and stopping every couple of hours so wasnt worried. Not until I realised I had been looking at the temperature gauge that was reading just under half.
The fuel gauge was on empty and wasnt long before the light came on. It was late at night and didnt like the idea of being out of fuel on the highway. A bit of confusion for the first few days working what was the indicators and what worked the washer and wipers.

We searched and found a place called Hatch on the GPS and headed towards there very slowly. We made it into town and fuelled up.The attendant at the gas stop then gave us directions to where we could park for the night legally. It ended up being in the carpark of the local bank. We enjoyed the rest after fourteen enjoyable hours on the go.

After the fuel crisis we made a point of never letting the van get below half a tank.Well only once more did I nearly let it run out but that was planned.

Day 7 -Thursday 16th May 2013. Hatch NM - White Sands National Monument - Franklin Mountain - El Paso Texas - Rest stop near Fort Stocton - 463 Miles.

Today we headed off to White Sands National Monument. We arrived early so we would miss the heat of the day. After wacthing the National Park video on the area we headed off into the Park. Its such a beautiful place and deserves more than the three hours we spent there. Night time photography would be awsome.

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It started to get quite warm so we departed and headed towards El Paso and the Franklin Mountain Loop drive. For some reason I was thinking El Paso as a small country town but soon changed my mind. Must have been that Marty Robbins song in my head.

We had watching all the billboards along the road for a place called the Saddle Blanket Trading Post. We finally found it as we were leaving El Paso. We called in and spent an hour or so looking and shopping.

I got talking to the owner "Dusty" and he told me all about the history of his business. He then gave us a autographed copy of his book "From Rugs to Riches".
A very interesting read and a great person to boot. He eventually kicked us out at closing time.

From here on I was caught up in traffic for an hour or so and eventually had a good run on the interstate until we found a rest area near Fort Stocton Texas.
It was very well lit and a lot of others parking for the night like us. It only takes a few minutes after stopping to juggle a few bags and get the bed made.A great little van. Wish we could have kept it.

Driving through Texas was interesting and the speed limit of 80 mph gets some miles covered in a day.It took a while to get up to that speed but I really found 75mph on cruise control much better for me.
I think we were on the go for about 15 hours again that day. The days are long but mixing with sight seeing and rest stops we were having a ball.

Day 8 -Friday 17th May 2013- Fort Stocton Tx-Fredricksburg - San Antonio- Alamo- Colorado Rest area near Houston Texas 484 Miles

Finding the weather quite warm at night we were awake at 5am and decided to head off early and find a travel plaza and freshin up with a nice warm shower and a good breakfast.

We were greeted with a beautiful sunrise as we cruised down the highway. Some friends had told us of a nice touristy town called Fredericksburg and suggested we divert to check it out.

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The rural drive to the town was a enjoyable trip and a break from the 85 mph highway. It was just what I had imagined with all the ranch signs and Texas flags flying along side the US flag.

Fredericksburg reminded me of so many country towns in the US and Australia and a very friendly and welcoming town as well. I think we spent our days spending allowance before we headed out.

It wasnt long before we were heading into San Antonio and our GPS led us to the heart of the city and to the Alamo. As a child I grew up watching mostly American television shows, so the trip into Texas was full of memories of Davey Crocket and the Alamo and John Wayne Movies.

I came away with a different view after seeing the Alamo for myself and learning what actually happened there. I even found someone on the memorial list with the same surname, so I now have a bit more research to do.

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We took a stroll along the river walk before deciding to leave San Antonio and head off to somewhere close to Houston in readyness for tomorrow.
We again found ouselves at another Rest Area for the night. Another big day over. We slept well.

When planning our Road trip, going from Albuquerque to New Orleans seemed a challenge. It seemed like a big drive over a few days without much to see and just burn off the miles.

A little research turned what I though would be a boring drive into a memorable part of the journey. We only touched a small part of it and enjoyed every moment.

Day 9 -Saturday 18th May 2013 - Rest Area Tx - Houston - NASA - Galveston - Galveston RV Park. 156 Miles

Leaving the rest area around 7am we had a rather easy run through Houston. Although the multi lanes of traffic was frightening it was quite easy to just follow the signs and take the appropriate exit.
I love the USA road system so easy to drive and navigate. Another thing I love about a USA Road Trip.

Arriving at the NASA Training Centre and Museum we were greeted with near empty carparks and very few vistors. Again we were amongst the first few to arrive at the Centre. Our plan to arrive early at attractions was working well so far.

The centre was one of the highlights of our trip and to see where the Apollo missions were controlled from was amazing along with all the other exhibits and displays.By the time we left after lunch the place was packed with children ranging from the age of one to eighty. I relived a few chilhood memories of the moon landing as well. PlusI got to take a few photos.

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Apollo Rocket
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Mission Control
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Our spending was up again after leaving the gift shop but who could leave without a momento. Our plan was to head to New Orleans from Houston.
Seeing we had been driving fairly hard for a few days we decided to head to Galveston for the night. It was good to rest and catch up with washing and other chores.

We ended up spending a few hours sitting on the waters edge watching people fish and having a cold beer with some friendly people we met up with.

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It was good to share our different cultures and lifestyles and also given some really good travel advice as well.

Life is Good.

I hope Will and his wife are following this thread. They may get to see just how unlike Oz the place really is.

Lifey

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Originally Posted by Lifemagician

I hope Will and his wife are following this thread. They may get to see just how unlike Oz the place really is.

Lifey

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I agree Lifey.
If you superimpose a map of the USA over Australia they are both similar in land mass. But thats about where the similarity ends. I wish Australia was more like the US in some ways.Like cheaper fuel and better roads and Oh Id love to have one of those big pickup trucks.
Until we watched a travel show with some young adults travelling the USA in an RV, we had never thought of going to the USA. I love travelling Australia and plan many more road trips.

John

John,

You're leaving us hanging by a thread here (so-to-speak). I think you left off on Day 9???

Mark

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Originally Posted by Mark Sedenquist

John,

You're leaving us hanging by a thread here (so-to-speak). I think you left off on Day 9???

Mark

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My apologies Mark.

Its been a very busy few weeks at home. Finally got some more photo editing done so I can start getting some more of the trip posted.
No other excuses so Ill get back into it right away.

John

Day 10 – Sunday 19th May 2013 – Galveston Texas – La Place, Louisiana - 344 Miles

Spending our last night in Texas on the coast was a change from the hot few nights previous. Texas was a fantastic drive and looking forward to a little bit more when on the final leg of Route 66.

Not being sure of the best way to get to New Orleans from Galveston a resident of the RV Park gave us some directions that not only saved us time, but a scenic drive as well.
We ended up taking the free ferry ride across to Port Arthur before picking up I10.
We were chosen by security at the Ferry Port for a security check. They had a good look through our van and belongings as well as Passports etc.
The good side to this is that we were given priority loading onto the ferry, so got to go around all the waiting vehicles and on the first ferry to leave.

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Back on the Interstate and it wasn’t long before we were crossing into Louisiana and we started to notice all sorts of road kill. They turned out to be young alligators and armadillos.It wasnt long before it was a common thing alongside the road.
Came up behind this truck being towed backwards. I had this urge to yell out load and wake my wife.Then I came to my sences and thought of the consequences.

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I had read on the forum about a great café in Lafayette called the Blue Dog Café and worth a stop off for some great local dining.
Unfortunately our timing was out so we missed out on lunch and the café was closed for the day.
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We continued along our way for the remainder of the day just enjoying the scenery. We didn’t want to go too far as we wanted to visit Oak Alley Plantation the next day so decided on a free camp and pulled up at a Pilot Truck Stop at La Place, Louisiana.

We purchase some Internet access, fuel for the van and our dinner before asking if we could park overnight .A good way of getting approval to stay overnight.

The night was very hot and steamy so sleeping in our little van was uncomfortable so we spent a lot of time inside the Truck stop catching up with family and friends on the internet.
We were really looking forward to a few days in a motel in New Orleans.

Day 11 – Monday 20th May 2013 – La Place, Louisiana – Oak Alley Plantation – New Orleans, Louisiana – 90 Miles
Up and on the road by 7.00 am and arrived at Oak Alley Plantation well before opening and left before the crowds arrived.
I was able to get some great photos and panoramic photos without too many people in the shots.
On the flight over to the USA we had watched a movie called Durango Unchained and walking into Oak alley was like waking onto the set of that movie. It really added the feeling to the place.

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We went on a guided tour of the mansion so I took the opportunity to get a few more photos before leaving. My wife decided to sit on the verandah and have a refreshing mint Julep. Two parts Bourbon and mint syrup. It certainly helped her sleep on the rest of the trip into New Orleans.

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I purchased a bottle of Mint Syrup at Oak Alley so now waiting for the weather to warm up here so we can enjoy a few on our front verandah at home.

We arrived in New Orleans about mid day and headed to the visitors Centre. Very friendly and helpful staffs soon have a motel booked for us in the heart of the French Quarter. We stayed at the Chateau on Chartres Street and a reasonable $79 per night.
Getting to the motel through all the narrow one way streets was challenging and we ended up parking on the footpath at the motel and letting their staff park the van.

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It was good to relay in an air-conditioned room with a nice bed for a change. So nice we ended up staying three nights instead of two.

We finished off the day with a walk around the French Quarter and a great dinner at Aldolfos. There was a line up outside so we just put our name down and joined the waiting line. It was well worth the wait to experience some great New Orleans dining.
We finished the day off with a stroll back to the Motel and of course a few photos along the way and a good night sleep in a bed I could stretch out in. I’m not complaining about the camper, we love it. Just my bones are getting a bit old for camping every night.
Our first impression of New Orleans – WE LOVE IT.

Day 12 – Tuesday 21st May 2013- New Orleans – Zero Miles

Today was my wife’s birthday and my plans and itinerary were on track to celebrate in New Orleans. I had wanted to celebrate onboard the Natchez Steamer but it was fully booked out for the Dinner Cruise. I did manage to get a booking for the next evening so I survived another close call.

We walked around the streets of the French Quarter before finding our way to a Tourist Information Centre and booking to go bus tour.
The tour guide was a local man named Henry and he gave us a very colorful and humorous as well as very interesting commentary on New Orleans.

I think it’s the only way to get a feel for a city if only there for a few days. Henry took to calling my wife Miss Sandy so for the remainder of our trip it was called “Driving Miss Sandy”.

We celebrated Miss Sandy’s birthday at a great café called Café Pontalba. We tried a lot of the local dishes, Alligator and Jambalaya and crawfish cakes.
To top it off with Key Lime Pie and Mississippi Mud Pie, we left very satisfied. More walking and photos on the way back to the motel.

I really enjoyed all the nightlife of the American cities, so full of color and character. I always try to capture some of that in my photos. People are not always happy to have a camera pointed at them do being discreet it the key and no big lenses pointing at them.
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We were sitting on a bench watching the Paddle Steamers on the Mississippi when we spotted this guy walking towards us. As he got closer he looked at the gentleman sitting next to us, pulled a bottle from his pocket and sprayed white liquid all over the mans shoes.
He then grabbed a rag from another pocket and started shining his shoes. I took a few photos while he was doing this. When he finished he demanded $20 for the shoe shine. The man eventually gave him $10 before walking away. He Turned to me then and wanted money because I stole his picture.
I ended up giving him one dollar before he walked off looking for another victim. I’m just glad I was wearing sandals as I could have been next.

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Day 12 over. A happy wife. Mission Accomplished.

Yikes, that shoe-cleaning gambit sounds a bit dicey!

but enjoying the rest of the tale.

mark

The one thing that really stood out on this trip was the number of homeless people and people begging. It didnt seem to be that obvious last trip but we didnt visit as many major cities.
There seemed to be a lot of people with permanent disabilaties and in wheelchairs etc. Are these people carrying war injuries or is there some other reason I have been missing.
I was sad to see people living like this.

Day 13 – Wednesday 22nd May 2013 - New Orleans – Zero Miles


We woke early to the sound of heavy rain. The first bad weather we had had since arriving in the USA 13 days ago.
Turning on the news to watch more news of the devastating tornados in Oklahoma, I’m glad we decided to head to New Orleans after Albuquerque as we would have ended up in the middle of it all.
Everyone at home was glad to see that we were well away from the effected area.

We didn’t mind the rain and was a change from all the heat. We had booked a swamp tour and were just waiting for the bus to pick us up.

Arriving at the boat we were greeted with a friendly tour operator who gave us a very interesting and informative tour and explaining the way of life of the people in the swamp houses and some history on the area.

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He told us the area was where the original Swamp people shows were filmed. The whole time on the swamp we didn’t see another person, so I’m not sure where they all were.Not even sthe sound of a banjo.

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With another tick of the to do list it was back to New Orleans for lunch and try a few more of the local dishes then more wandering around the streets and shops.

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We finished off our stay in New Orleans with an evening dinner cruise on the Steamer Natchez followed by some more walking around the French Quarter.

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Cruising down the Mississippi River on sunset is something I had only ever dreamt of and never thought that we would be doing it one day. Something that only dreams are made of.
I’m sure my wife was glowing as much as the sunset. One very happy lady.

If we were to choose one city in the USA to visit, New Orleans would be on the top of the list.

Day 13 Done and dusted.