I dig the Bayou

January 15, 2012
We left lovely Gulf Shores, AL today after a rematch at Pirate's Island Mini-Golf on the Blackbeard course.  I won again.... I also drove most of the way today.  We took the old highway 90 and it was a pleasant  drive along the coast with virtually zero traffic.  It is crazy to see all the destruction from hurricanes that still exists.  Some towns almost seem like ghost towns.  One town that did seem happenin' though was Biloxi, MS.  We just passed through it but it seemed to have a lot of people there, is right on the ocean and they had some casinos. I'd spend a couple nights there.    I was also really excited to see the Live Oaks along the beach.  Seeing those majestic trees growing right out of the white sand gives you a feeling that you are in another time.  Another thing that I really enjoy is the sound of words that the people in this geographical region use, such as the word "bayou."  I really dig that word - it just rolls right off your tongue.

We arrived in New Orleans, went to Whole Foods to get some groceries for the next few days, and checked into our hotel the Maison Dupuy on Toulouse St.  We stayed here on one of our previous visits to NOLA and we really like it.  It's in the French Quarter and has valet parking in a garage, which really works for us from a security standpoint.  Tonight we are going to the famous Howling Wolf to see the Hot 8 Brass Band.

January 16, 2012

The Brass Band never happened.   We walked there but they weren't there even though the bartender said they were supposed to be, so in good New Orleans fashion, we didn't let that bother us and just left to walk back to Bourbon Street where there is ALWAYS a party going on.  We spent the rest of the evening, until around 1am, walking around the French Quarter, playing Dominoes, and drinking rum drinks....yum.  This morning, we packed a breakfast & lunch and drove to the Audubon Park where we unloaded the bikes, rode around for a little while then went to the Audubon Zoo.  I've always wanted to go there.  It was a really nice zoo actually because their exhibits were put together very well and they had a nice assortment of animals.  We came back to the hotel to do a hot tub session and get ready to go out for dinner and music this evening. Dinner was approached in a way for us to try as many things as possible and not going over our daily budget.  First we went to the French Market for Char-grilled Oysters - we get these every time we come here...they are so decadent.  After we came back to our hotel for some drinks, then proceeded to Remoulade where we shared the Louisiana Sampler.  This consisted of 3 new dishes for us which were all excellent; Natchitoches Meat Pie, Louisiana Snapping Turtle Soup, and Crawfish Etouffee. More delicious than I can describe.   New Orleans is just an experience to please the taste buds and to over indulge oneself in pure gastrointestinal decadence.  After dinner we walked around the French Quarter listening to snippets of music from each bar or restaurant...the air was charged and electrical this night because of the storm coming in tomorrow and the voodoo vibe scene that goes on here anyway.   We depart tomorrow for Louisiana Cajun Country and Arkansas.  Sans Souci. Adieu.

I really liked this guy.

So many colors on this one.

We are walking in High Cotton.

Watch out!

Night time at St. Peters

Mardi Gras Prep

And they all asked for you. Fleur de lis

Bourbon Street The Knight

Sweet Vacation Alabama

 

January 14, 2012

We are spending our last night in Alabama tonight in the hotel room watching the playoffs, which has been exciting to say the least. The previous two days and nights we have been in Alabama and it has been a nice place to escape the cold weather.  It has been unusually cold here as well, but I have been comfortable in a light jacket and it’s sunny.  The first night we spent in Mobile in a cheap motel. 

The next day we got the oil changed and had the geek, Daniel, at Mobile Best Buy check our car stereo because it keeps shutting off.  He did this for free and said it looks great, however, it did shut off again.  Not sure about this problem but it doesn’t happen all the time and it turns right back on - so we’ll see.  Then we went and parked in downtown Mobile to walk around for a little while and have lunch.  The Fort Conde visitor center is very helpful and there is an interesting street next to it that looks like a movie set of a Southern city. After lunch we drove back east underneath Mobile Bay in the tunnel and down the coast to Gulf Shores.  We stopped on the way down at Clear Point Park and walked out to the end of the pier.  We arrived in Gulf Shores where the wonderful welcome center had free coffee and cookies.  The ladies there were also very helpful.  Next door to the welcome center was a Pirate’s Island Mini Golf Course, so we had to play.  Jon gave me 9 strokes for the Jean Lafitte course and I only needed 6 because I got 2 holes in one and won us a free game so we are going back tomorrow to do the Blackbeard course.  Should I still take the 9 strokes?  Yesterday ended with a barefooted sunset on the beach.  It was cold but the sand was so soft and white; so we both went barefoot.  A tri-colored heron, a sandpiper, and a plover of some sort all spent the amazing sunset hopping around the beach with us.

Today, we tried to have an active day and we biked around Gulf State Park on the Rattlesnake Ridge Trail.  A lot of this area was tidal and forested but much of it seemed to have had prescribed burning.  The trails had many people utilizing them today, on foot and bike.  We did yoga this afternoon as well, which was a little easy for my liking but a nice class over all.  For sunset we drove to Fort Morgan and since it was so late in the day they let us in for free - score!   The fort was used mainly during the Civil War and had very steep stairs.  There was also a scout group spending the night and probably telling ghost stories and eating smores - yum. The Patriots seem to be kicking the Broncos butt, but I know what happened to the Steelers last week.  Tomorrow, we head to NOLA, one of our favorite vacation destinations.  Check back in a few days.

Fort Monroe

The second

Looking through

Heron

Not too cold to go barefoot

Burned

Tennesse, Tennesse, ain't no place I'd rather be.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozTPXc3j-4k   Check out Levon Helm singing Tennesse Jed at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN.  Jon drove through from Corbin, KY to Nashville, TN.  He woke me up at 1am, we were in downtown Nashville, we climbed into the back of the truck and spent a much warmer, if not a little louder,  second night of sleep in the truck.  We awoke on January 12 to a little rain and drove to Centennial Park.  We took a 1-mile loop walk around the lake and unsuccessfully tried to use our hot water heater with our 12V adapter in the truck to make some tea while we waited for the Parthenon Art Museum to open at 9am.  The Parthenon is a full size replica of the Greek Parthenon that was created for the Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition in 1897.  It cost $6/person to view the contemporary art exhibits and the sculptures from the Expo.  Overall, it was a nice rainy day activity.  We didn't get much exercise during this activity though and the local YMCA doesn't offer day passes.  I had wanted to visit the Grand Ole' Opry but it was the other direction and really, what am I going to do there?  We spent the rest of the day driving straight to Mobile, AL.  According to the forecast, it's  going to be really cold the next couple of days so we are trying to get as far south as we can.  We also have reservations to spend Sunday and Monday in New Orleans, so we are itchin to get South.  We drove to a cheap motel, cooked our dinner on the campstove, and enjoyed a hot shower, a bottle of Grace Bridge and a warm bed. 

The Parthenon

The Serpent

Me and Athena

Door face

the long hall

KY

As the sun set on our first day we drove into Kentucky.  We had a quick camp stove dinner at Blue Lick Battlefield State park then spent the first night in the truck.  We parked the truck in a field near Boonesboro State Park when it was cold and dark and went to sleep.  It rained the first night and was a little cold but we were dry and comfortable.  Then next morning, January 11th,  we tried to go to Fort Boonesboro Park but came to find that it was closed for the season, oh well.  Next we drove to Abraham Lincoln's boyhood home but it was also closed for the season.  We visited Mammoth Caves National Park and took the Historic 2 hour guided tour.  At our deepest point of the tour we were 350 feet below the earth. We were herded along with a bunch of tourists but our 2 guides both had beards..bonus.  The one guide seemed a little bit "by the book" and didn't know a few key facts about the geology of the cave but the apprentice guide added a little magic to the routine and got my vote for creativity and lantern light tricks.  I'm always very critical of ANY tour guide especially if they could be considered a naturalist.    Good tour overall, and the caves are AMAZING.  For dinner we made an outrageously long drive to Corbin, KY to the original Harland Sanders Cafe and Museum.  It was just a KFC with a little museum and a replica of Harland's old dining room....however, I did enjoy my 2 piece with 2 sides and a biscuit.  Jon and I made a pact not to eat any more fast food after that.  After that long drive, I fell asleep and Jon drove straight through to Nashville.

* A side note about places with the word Lick in them.  ” Lick” is a place where salt is found on the surface of the earth, to which wild animals resort to lick it up; — often, but not always, near salt springs.

  Me and the Harland Sanders Statue KFC Cafe

Abraham Lincoln's Boyhood home....Jon thought it was interesting that he had a wood fireplace.

Jon's ghost

Entrance/Exit to the cave

Hocking Hills, OH

On Jan. 10th, 2012 we left the Ohio Valley, I tearfully told my Mother and Father good-bye, and we made our way to destinations sans familia.  We decided to take the ol' Route 7 down to Marietta and across to Hocking Hills State Park which is one of the most beautiful places in Ohio.  We were able to go for a nice hike around Old Man's Cave.  We had our lunch where Richard Rowe probably ate his lunch around 1797 and then hiked down to the falls passing the Sphinx Head and Devil's Bathtub.  The geology of Hocking Hills was created by the erosion of Black Sandstone which was deposited there over 300 million years ago...dang!  The forest ecology befits at climate that is much colder with trees such as hemlock and birch.  We also got some groceries for the next week or so at Marietta's local Kroger Store.  I was really tempted by the frozen buttered steak but I restrained myself.  Off to Kentucky!

         How could I have turned this down?

O-H-I-O

1-9-12
Today is our last day in the Ohio Valley.  We have spent the last 10 days visiting family and friends as well as getting our truck worked on by the "King" of Warren Ridge, my Dad, Mike Horsky.  The weather went from being cold and snowy to sunny and warm-er.  Our truck seems to be ready to roll after we install our safe tonight.  At Mikey's advice we installed air shocks to help with the extra weight we'll be carrying.  We have new brake shoes, serpentine belt and had our transmission flushed.  Things are running quite smooth.  We went to Cbus to visit friends and had a nice time checking out Vlad's band and celebrating Jimmy's cousins 6th birthday at Chuck E Cheese.  I didn't have such a nice time watching the Steelers lose but hey...maybe next year.  I guess I'll cheer for Jon's team now....Tom Brady does wear Uggs.  Tomorrow we are going to head south in Ohio to Hocking Hills and the Scenic River Route.  We'll head to Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi and then New Orleans for a few days.  I'll probably check back in when we get to New Orleans because we'll have a hotel there and some wi-fi access but until then we'll be sleeping in the truck.  Tomorrow night will be our first night in the truck!    I'm going to miss my Mom, Dad and dear friends in Ohio more than I can express but I know they'll be following me along.  Til next time. 

 Mom and I

 Jimmy and Jon sharing a cup of hot chocolate at Chuck E Cheese

 Jon overlooking the YTR

 It's a Marvelous Night for a Moon Dance

 Prom pose with Meggie and Kristyn

 Over the Valley

 Through the Waterfall

 Cornfields

 Turkey

 Me and Dad hiking around

Finally checking out one of Vlad's bands

Day One-Jan. 1st

We began our adventure on January 1st.  We had a great night at Jon's Secret Santa Party as you can see from the picture above, and it gave us an opportunity to say good-bye to all our friends in Massachusetts.  Those guys are so smooth.  We drove the first day from Mattapoisett, MA to Rayland, OH.  We stopped in Manhattan for lunch at a NY Bagel shop and I ordered the Hot Pastrami....it came as a triple decker sandwich.  Whoa Pastrami!  Everyone was a little subdued in the Big Apple it seemed from the previous night's celebrations.  We were able to cruise through Manhattan though without much traffic problems because everyone was recuperating I guess.

Drive by of the Empire State Building. 

This was an awesome building with a sign that said plainly "The Cathedral".

  After our sunny, warm stop in the Big Apple we then proceeded to have a meteorologically varied drive to Ohio.  It rained, snowed, hailed and got very cold.  Now, we are going to spend 10 days in the burroughs and hollows(rs) of the Ohio River Valley visiting my family and friends.  Yenz check back now-ya hear?