2013 Lap around the USA

[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

[john.waters]

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

Lifey

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

[Mark Sedenquist]

John,

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

Mark

[john.waters]

John,

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

Mark

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

[john.waters]

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.





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.




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.


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.

[john.waters]

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.





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.



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.



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.

[john.waters]

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.












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.


Day 12 over. A happy wife. Mission Accomplished.

[Mark Sedenquist]

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

but enjoying the rest of the tale.

mark

[john.waters]

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.

[john.waters]

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.









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.



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.



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.






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.