DAY FOUR ~ New Orleans 495.6 miles
I am in love with my audio books. No seriously they are amazing! This was a Tim Burke recommendation and it was spot on. He gave me two David Baldacci (sp?) ones that lasted me through Arizona and New Mexico, but I had to go into Barnes and Noble in Albuquerque to get a few more. It is amazing how the stories suck you in and the hours pass so quickly. In fact they have become such a routine part of the day…
Travel Routine:
1. Watch the tail end of the first World Cup match.
2. Watch the second game of the World Cup match while getting ready and packing up.
3. Leave and listen to local radio station while eating breakfast.
4. Listen to the third World Cup match on my favorite new app.
5. Pop in audio book and the hours speed by.
6. Arrive at destination.
There is room for modifications for sights, food and or no reception.
I spent some time in the morning exploring uptown Dallas – thanks to former resident Jen Swinton for the trolley suggestion - which was really nice. The thing about Dallas is that it was 92 degrees when I arrived at 10:00pm and it was 97 degrees when I left around noon. This is kind of like San Francisco…57 degrees in July and 52 degrees in January. ☺
Again the change in scenery is very dramatic, as when I began to move out of Texas into Louisiana the land stayed flat but with lots of trees, swamps and a lush greenness compared to the paler Texas green. I stopped at a gas station that was a combo gas station, Arby’s and Casino. It was great; if you left your car too long the woman at the cash register would get on the loud speaker and yell “Move your car!!!” But a casino? Really?
I stopped in Alexandria for lunch, again I tried a Tex Mex place that Yelp recommended – this time FOUR enchiladas, one beef one chicken, one cheese and one with beans. I am beginning to crave a crab enchilada from Don Ramons! I am just so amazed by the extra large size of everything. The best was the conversation I overheard at the restaurant. A couple, about my age, came in and sat down. They started to discuss guac. I love the stuff and will eat it anywhere, chunky, smooth, with tomatoes, onions, whatever. The woman said to her husband, “Yuck! I can’t stand avocados!” He replied, “I know, I hate when they ruin good Mexican food with vegetables.” Keep in mind that one of the reviewers said that this was an authentic Tex Mex place because “the servers have a problem with the language so it must be authentic.” Seriously!
When I left Alexandria my trusty iPhone Google maps knew I wanted to see the American public – I have decided that is what I am seeing. You know that American Public, small town American from the 1950s that politicians continually refer too? Google Maps took me down another rural highway that looked like it was straight out of Fried Green Tomatoes. It was also as hot as sin; you could just feel the moisture in the air, so thick and steamy. It was nice to see water again though.
Driving through rural Louisiana you are struck by the poverty in a way that I didn’t see in Texas. There were so many abandoned cars, shacks, businesses, gas stations, trains, big rigs, etc. Everyone had a rocking chair in front of their house and it seemed like most were sitting on them looking at who was bothering to drive down this rural highway. But it also struck me how many more people there were in comparison to Texas but especially Arizona and New Mexico.
I think my favorite Americana scene was the pickup truck that had pulled up on the side of the road ready to pull onto the highway with an ATV in the bed of the truck. Sitting in the driver seat of the inert ATV was a 9-year old boy. There wasn’t a helmet in sight and all I could think about was how that would never ever in a million years happen in San Francisco!!!
I pulled into New Orleans coming across a causeway that straddled a corner of Lake Ponchartrain at dusk. You can still see some of the damage from Hurricane Katrina in the outskirts of the city. After some harmless flirting with the cute valet I am tucked in and ready to explore the city tomorrow.
On a side note, did you know you cannot get anything besides Whole Milk and Chocolate Milk in the South?! No soy, goat, or skim let alone my favorite 2%!
Off to explore New Orleans…
Miles Traveled So Far: 2287.6
Movies that have run through my mind: Treme, Hope Floats, Fried Green Tomatoes
Best sign of the day: “Guns and Gators next right” a sign on 20E in Louisiana
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