A New (and Sadly Final) Road Trip to Massachusetts Cut Way Too Short

If you remember correctly, my last posting indicated that now that my pain is in a controllable state that I'd start hitting the road again. I had planned a long weekend in Massachusetts and was looking forward to this trip for weeks. But as the old Biblical adage says: "The spirit is willing but the body is weak" (Matthew 26:41).  It's not often you find me quoting this work of fiction but it seemed relevant.

I started out for Massachusetts on Thursday for a 5 day long weekend. The most important part of this visit was seeing my rock star students. I've been getting messages for months about when I would be back for a promised visit and I knew I just couldn't disappoint my cherubs, so in discussions with my former principal, we decided the last day of school would be the optimal day. This way there wouldn't be any disruption to their studies. But how do you make sure that students show up on that last day -- my kiddos are notorious about blowing off the final day of school.  Simply enough, a few days before you spread the rumor that Ms. Smith will be coming to visit on that day. Instead of 4 or 5 students showing, we had a dozens. It warmed my heart.

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Hello all. This is Sandi's brother Tom. The above was the last blog she completed. She came home Saturday extremely ill and yet she managed to start this blog. I believe she may have had more to say, but I believe you get the gist. She loved her kids and was ecstatic to see the turnout. However, I believe the trip and the excitement in her frail condition may have took a toll on her. But deep down, I think she knew. She piloted this cancer from the start. She was not going to let this cancer dictate or control her life. I'm proud of her. She was one of a kind and I'll miss her til the end of my days. There will be one more post after this one. I'll polish that one up and post soon.

Roadus Trippus Interruptus - A Reflection (GART)

When I started my road trip back in January, my plan was to try to visit as many states as I could - especially those states that I have never visited before. As you can see from the graphic, I made some pretty decent headway in achieving that goal in the 7 weeks I spent driving around the country. When I started this trip, I had visited 22 of our great states. I have now had the pleasure of visiting a total of 35 - adding 13 on this trip. The last 15 will be far more difficult to tick off my list. At the very least, I need to add California. Notice something about the map - a lot of really snowy and cold states from the center of the country have not been visited by me. Hmmm...wonder why that is?!

First let me give the necessary props to my Saturn Ion which went the distance without a single hiccup. No engine troubles, no flat tires, no dead battery - nothing. She was quite the trouper. You cannot ask for more than that for an 8 year old. Additionally, she was getting amazing gas mileage. Always good for 30 mpg, she was getting 34-35 mpg at times. What a good girl! She even had her own milestone during the trip - somewhere in Missouri we celebrated her becoming an adult:

As my brother said: "Mazel tov!"

When I started this trip back in January, I had some sites that I very specifically wanted to visit. The short list was: the White House, the Smithsonian, Arlington National Cemetery, the Biltmore house, Graceland, Wizarding World of Harry Potter, New Orleans, San Antonio River Walk, the Grand Canyon, Redwood National Park, the Golden Gate Bridge, Pacific Coast Highway, Taos Pueblo, Mount Rushmore, Las Vegas, Mutter Museum, Rodeo Drive, Los Angeles.  Okay, there's still a lot I have not seen on this list. Mostly in D.C. and California. I can do D.C. while I'm here in Philly. California will just have to wait. I think Vegas and the Taos Pueblo are not going to happen.

There are sites that I visited not on the original list which I will remember in great detail and with much fondness: the MLK historic site in Atlanta, the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Little Rock Central High School in Little Rock, Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, the Grand Canyon in Arizona, and Lincoln Tomb in Springfield. These attractions resonate with me because they're all about either ideals/people I admire or nature at her finest. Things that are bigger and more important than my pathetic, nothing life.

But even more important than these places I've seen was spending time with family and friends. Being in Florida to see my niece walking down the aisle in her beautiful wedding dress was a dream come true. Visiting with some of my best friends from high school who I hadn't seen in 30 years - priceless. Certainly spending time with my nearly 90 year old aunt is nothing to sneeze at. Seeing old friends and making new ones all over the country was well worth the time taken.

Total stats to date:

Starting odometer mileage on January 24: 92,989

Odometer mileage on March 14:  101,182

Total miles in the 7 weeks: 8,193

Number of states visited: 25 (Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia)

After traveling nearly 8,000 miles, about 250 miles from home, I was done. I thought I cannot drive one more second and then I realized "Shoot, I still have 3 and a half hours to go." It was quite the annoyance. It didn't help that I was in massive amounts of pain and had not taken any meds to combat the pain. But I finally made it back to Philadelphia around 5:30 pm yesterday. The last 10 miles in particular were the worst! Stuck in Philadelphia traffic stinks!

A reminder: this is not the end of my travels but merely a hiatus. Sadly, my little Saturn will not have the opportunity to see California, but she'll be with me when I visit D.C. and all the other places that I still need to see, especially when I make it back to Massachusetts to visit my students and other friends... once the snow melts. I'm thinking that's happening in mid-July. 

Here are all the welcome signs:

 

Paying Respect to Our 16th President! (GART - Stop 23)

When I left the Grand Canyon, I had planned on driving straight home, but then I figured that I might not make it back to the Midwest. On my rather long bucket list of places to see, I had listed Springfield, IL - mostly to see the Lincoln Tomb and the Lincoln Home. Today, I made my slight detour to Springfield in order to pay my respects to one of our best and most admired presidents: Abraham Lincoln. 

History: Abraham Lincoln "presided over the most tumultuous period of America’s history: The American Civil War. He was elected to the presidency in 1861 and served until his assassination in 1865. His dedication to the preservation of the Union led the country through the difficult but transformative years of he Civil War, eventually leading to the eradication of slavery and reconciliation with the South. His place in the nation’s history is that of the Great Unifier as well as the Great Emancipator. Even to this day, elements of his legacy remain controversial, but his importance in the emergence of a modern, unified America is unquestioned. Much like Washington and FDR, Lincoln was revered as a political savior by those who supported him and derided as a tyrant by those who didn’t. He oversaw the beginnings of the industrial economy in America, expanded the role of the federal government and sought ernest reconciliation with those who sought to separate themselves from the Union. On April 15, 1865 Lincoln was assassinated by Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth" (Deseret News).

Lincoln Tomb: Lincoln Tomb is the final resting place of Abraham Lincoln, his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, and three of their four sons. (Their fourth son, Robert Todd is buried at Arlington Cemetery.) Lincoln Tomb is located in Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield. After Lincoln's death, his body was placed in a nearby receiving tomb and later in the state tomb. The mausoleum is owned and administered by the State of Illinois as Lincoln Tomb State Historic Site. It was designated one of the first National Historic Landmarks in 1960, and thus became one of the first sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966, when that designation was created. With a 117-foot high obelisk and several sculptures on the exterior, this Tomb is impressive. Inside the tomb are several reproductions of famous sculptures of the President. The burial room features black and white marble walls and a ceiling of gold leaf. At its center stands the cenotaph, a 7-ton block of reddish marble inscribed with Lincoln's name and the years he lived. It marks the approximate location of the burial vault, which is 30 inches behind and 10 feet below. It was a moving site. 

Lincoln Home: Beautifully restored to its 1860 appearance, the Greek Revival house was Abraham and Mary Lincoln's home for 17 years - the only home the Lincolns ever owned. In 1844 they bought it for $1,200 and some land from the Rev. Charles Dresser, who performed their marriage ceremony in 1842. When the house was built, it was much smaller than you see it today (photo). The Lincolns enlarged the house to a full two stories in 1856 to meet the needs of their growing family. Three of the four Lincoln sons were born here, and one (Edward) died here in 1850 at nearly four years of age. When Lincoln won the 1860 Republican Presidential nomination, he received a delegation of party officials in his parlor. When Lincoln became a presidential candidate the house became a magnet for visitors, parades, rallies and other political festivities. After holding farewell receptions there in 1861, the Lincolns rented it, sold most of their furniture, and entrusted the family dog to a neighbor. 

After the President's assassination in 1865, the Lincoln family never lived in the house again. Lincoln's son, Robert Todd Lincoln deeded the family home to the State of Illinois in 1887 for $1 under the condition that it would forever be well-maintained and open to the public at no charge. Interestingly, about 90% of the furnishings in the house were owned and used by the Lincolns. There are only about 14 items of furniture which are replicas. The original 14 pieces had been purchased by the President of a Chicago railroad and he had a house fire which destroyed the Lincoln furniture.

It was an impressive stop in Springfield and I am so thrilled that I could make this stop on my way home. Please check out all my photos from Lincoln Tomb and Home on my GART photo site. Even though I will not actively been traveling for a couple of weeks, this is not my last stop. I plan on perhaps doing a couple of day trips from Philadelphia (perhaps Gettysburg, Valley Forge, other places).

Travel stats:

Grand Canyon odometer mileage: 98,796

Odometer mileage in Springfield: 100,340

Miles driven to Springfield: 1,544

Total miles driven to date: 7,331

States driven through: Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois (whew!)

A Visit to 4 States and the Majestic Grand Canyon! (GART - Stops 21 and 22)

After resting all morning in my Albuquerque hotel, I sadly said "ciao" to my friends and left Albuquerque around 12:30, heading for the closest place to stay to my next destination, the Four Corners Monument. As I drove northwest, I wasn't sure what to expect. What I did not expect was such spectacular scenery. It was quite breath taking. The closest hotel to Four Corners is roughly 90 minutes away in Farmington. After a night's sleep, I was up at dawn and ready to head out. I left Farmington around 7:30 am. Somewhere along the ride, I actually drove through the Navajo Nation on my way to...

Four Corners Monument: Located in an incredibly remote location, Four Corners Monument marks the quadripoint in the Southwestern United States where the states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah meet. It is the only point in the United States shared by four states, leading to this area's being called the Four Corners region. The monument consists of a granite disk embedded with a smaller bronze disk around the point, surrounded by smaller, appropriately located state seals and flags representing both the states and tribal nations of the area. Circling the point, starting from north, the disk reads with two words in each state "Here meet in freedom under God four states". Around the monument, local Navajo and Ute artisans sell souvenirs and food. While some people might consider this cheating (myself included), I am adding Utah and Colorado to my list of states that I have visited. Yeah, okay, it was merely a few yards around the Four Corners, but I'm counting it.  This means that I have visited 32 of the 50 states. Cooooooooool.

After leaving Four Corners, I made my way to...

The Grand Canyon: The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona and is considered one of the seven natural wonders of the world. "The Grand Canyon is 277 miles long, up to 18 miles wide and attains a depth of over a mile (6,000 feet). Nearly two billion years of Earth's geological history have been exposed as the Colorado River and its tributaries cut their channels through layer after layer of rock while the Colorado Plateau was uplifted. While the specific geologic processes and timing that formed the Grand Canyon are the subject of debate by geologists, recent evidence suggests that the Colorado River established its course through the canyon at least 17 million years ago. Since that time, the Colorado River continued to erode and form the canyon to its present-day configuration" (Wikipedia). I arrived at the Park around 11:30 am and proceeded over the next couple of hours to make several stops along the route to stop and see the Canyon. It's impossible to describe the beauty and wonder of this site. It's definitely something that has to be experienced. After checking into my on-site hotel, I took a bit of a rest and then took a sunset bus tour of the Canyon. The tour guide had an encyclopedic knowledge of the Canyon and showed us some of the most beautiful vistas. We even saw a herd of elk! The sunset was amazing and worth the light blindness. 

Today, I woke early and hit the road, heading back to Philadelphia. I ended up driving for 689 miles which is approximately 10 hours. I drove through 3 different time zones (Mountain (MST), Mountain (DST), and Central) and 3 states (Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas). I love traveling west because you gain extra time every time you cross a time zone. Conversely, traveling east sucks because you lose time. What can you do?

Today's bit of annoyance: As I was heading into Amarillo and my hotel, I was stopped on the interstate by a police officer who pulled me over for speeding. Apparently I was doing 80 in a 75 -- even though my speedometer said 75, which means either his machine was off or my speedometer is. Either way, he let me off with a warning, but seriously, who pulls over someone for doing 5 miles over the speed limit????? 

Check out all my photos from Four Corners and the Grand Canyon on my GART photo site. I've decided that I'm going to make one more stop before I go home. As I will be traveling very near Springfield, IL, I will make a stop there to see Lincoln's Tomb and Home, especially as I doubt I'll get back to the Midwest anytime soon.

Travel stats:

Albuquerque odometer mileage: 98,330

Odometer mileage in Grand Canyon: 98,796

Miles driven to Grand Canyon (with a stop at 4 Corners): 466

Total miles driven to date: 5,787

States driven through: New Mexico and Arizona (and Utah and Colorado)

A Change in Plans - Sadly (GART)

Early this morning, I had to come to the difficult decision to cut short my road trip. After hours of extreme pain which no medication could seem to alleviate (leading me to a pain-induced vomit fest), I decided that I needed to head home. I'm hoping that once I'm home, the doctor can stabilize my symptoms. Then, hopefully after a couple weeks of rest, I can fly to California, in order to visit friends and see the sites of Los Angeles and San Francisco. Yes, flying is a cheat, but I can't make that cross country trip again. My intention is to drive back to Philadelphia, but if it turns out to be too much, I'll stop at the nearest airport and fly the rest of the way home. How my car will get back to Philly with that scenario I have no clue.

But before heading home, I plan on visiting two more sites. Tomorrow, my plan is to visit the Four Corners Monument and then head to the Grand Canyon for the day. These sites are just too close to not to make a visit. I think I can push through another day or so before heading back East. I've decided not to go to the pueblo as planned today, so that I can spend the morning resting my aching weary body.

These turns of events are a disappointment. I really wanted to finish this road trip, but I didn't count on my body breaking down so fast. Perhaps I've pushed it too much over the past couple of months. It's been fun so far, but for the past few days, it's also be extremely painful. I suspect it's only to get worse. Let's hope that after a couple of weeks rest, I can continue with my travels. Fingers crossed.

A Fun Day in Albuquerque (GART - Stop 20)

Today, I woke up -- feeling like death warmed over and thinking that I might have to stay in bed all day. Fortunately, my plans to meet up with friends was for late morning and I manage to rally myself after resting for a couple of hours. Man, I'm going to be pissed if I have to cancel this trip before I get to California!

Anyway, today I spent the day with a few friends. Okay, one friend (Melody), her wife (Hannah), and their friend (Allyson), but now they are all my friends. It turned out to be an amazing and relaxing day. After meeting up with my friends, we decided to visit some artists' studio as part of the Albuquerque Museum's celebration of local artists. On three consecutive Saturdays in March, participating New Mexico artists will open their studios to the public; visitors will be asked to vote for the artists they would most like to see included in an exhibition at the Albuquerque Museum.

We started with visiting a studio (and home) of a friend of theirs. The neat thing about this first stop is that the couple designed and built their beautiful adobe house and artists studio in the back. It was stunning. We then moved onto another site in which three different artists shared the space. I found one artist to be particularly interesting. Jessamyn Lovell created an art project/book, entitled Dear Erin Hart. Ms. Lovell's identity was stolen and she created an art project in response to crimes Erin Hart committed using her name and identity. I was so interested in her project that I pre-ordered the book.

We decided that we had built up a hunger, so it was time to find some excellent New Mexican food. We traveled a few minutes away to Old Town. Old Town is a historic district in Albuquerque, which dates back to the founding of the city by the Spanish in 1706. Old Town comprises about ten blocks of historic adobe buildings grouped around a central plaza. Many of the buildings in Old Town are houses that have been converted into restaurants and small art and souvenir shops, so yes, it's very touristy. Lunch was at High Noon restaurant and I had one delicious enchilada. 

Seeing as how we were in Old Town and I am a tourist, we decided to spend a little time checking out Old Town. We visited a few shops, and made a stop in the historic church of San Felipe de Neri which was built in 1793.  Ordinarily, I'm pretty good at not purchasing stuff, but I tried on a Mexican baja hoodie and I couldn't resist the purchase. It was only $13, plus it looks good on me!

Check out my very limited photos from Albuquerque (only 10 photos) on my GART photo site. Tomorrow, Melody, Allyson and I will be traveling west of Albuquerque to visit a pueblo: Acoma. Originally, I had wanted to see Taos Pueblo but it's in the middle of its winter quiet time and is closed until mid-March, so Acoma it is. 

Fun photos from the day!

Current travel stats:

Carlsbad Caverns odometer mileage: 98,034

Odometer mileage in Albuquerque: 98,330

Miles driven to Albuquerque: 276

Total miles driven to date: 5,321

States driven through: New Mexico

Mother Nature in all her Glory! (GART - Stop 19)

The best "welcome" sign yet!

Why is it when things are going well something happens to change all that? It appears that I might have to cut my road trip short due to an unforeseen medical issue.  I'll know better on Monday when I speak to my doctor on whether I have to go home to take care of this issue or if perhaps I can find a doctor on the road to deal with the problem. I'll know more on Monday, but in the meantime let's continue with my adventures.

Thursday, I left San Antonio at 8am to start my travels to Albuquerque, NM. As I mentioned in my last blog, there are parts of northern Texas which are quite beautiful. There are also miles and miles of cotton fields, oil fields, and cattle ranches. I've never seen so much open space. Halfway to my final destination, I stopped for the evening. Yesterday morning, I left Lamesa, TX to head toward my next adventure - Carlsbad Caverns. I decided that I wanted to make a stop or two before I arrived in Albuquerque. Thanks to an early departure and gaining an hour of time when I crossed into New Mexico, I had plenty of time to explore my first, and what turned out to be my only, stop. 

Carlsbad Caverns National Park is a United States National Park in the Guadalupe Mountains in southeastern New Mexico. The park contains over 119 caves. Three caves are open to public tours. Carlsbad Caverns is the most famous and is fully developed with electric lights, paved trails, and elevators. Slaughter Canyon Cave and Spider Cave are undeveloped, excepted for designated paths for the guided "adventure" caving tours. The primary attraction of the park is the show cave, Carlsbad Cavern. Carlsbad Cavern includes a large cave chamber, the Big Room, a natural limestone chamber that is almost 4,000 feet long, 625 feet wide, and 255 feet high at the highest point. It is the fifth largest chamber in North America and the twenty-eighth largest in the world. It's approximately the size of 14 football fields and is beautiful! 

In addition to the beauty of the caves, the Carlsbad bats are a major attraction for visitors. Seventeen species of bats live in the park, including a large number of Mexican free-tailed bats. The Mexican free-tailed bats are present from April or May to late October or early November. On summer evenings, the park has a bat flight attraction where visitors can watch the exodus of the bats from the cave on their way out to hunt for food. I hear it's an amazing scene, which sadly I couldn't see. Mostly because the bats are still in Mexico for the winter. 

When visiting the cavern, there are two ways to enter. The first is to take an elevator down to the Big Room, the second is to enter through the natural entrance and walk a mile and quarter of a switch back ramp-sidewalk that takes the visitor 750 feet below the surface. Stupidly, I went through the natural entrance. I keep forgetting that my lungs are compromised and I really shouldn't over exert them. I'm an idiot, but I took it slow and stopped for regular breaks. Despite the effect on my body, it was well worth the walk to see some of the most stunning views. My entire visit took 2.5 hours to walk the entire path that has been laid out by the park service. 

I departed the cavern around 12:30 to head north to Albuquerque. Along the way, I drove through Roswell which was going to be my second stop, but I was tired and changed my mind. The only thing that I thought I might visit while in Roswell was the UFO Museum, but I heard that all visitors had to have a full examination including an anal probe and I decided to just keep trucking. Roswell was surprising because they didn't have nearly as much UFO/alien paraphernalia as I thought it would. There was the odd green alien in front of a hotel and an Arbys with a sign saying "aliens welcome", but otherwise it was a fairly normal looking town. 

I arrived at my hotel in Albuquerque at 6pm last night. It was 8 hours of driving and 2.5 hours of exploring a cave which made for a very long, very exhausting day!!

Check out all my photos of Carlsbad Caverns on my GART photo site! Time to explore Albuquerque and visit with some friends.

Current travel stats:

San Antonio odometer mileage: 97,533

Odometer mileage in Carlsbad Caverns: 98,034

Miles driven to Carlsbad Caverns: 501

Total miles driven to date: 5,045

States driven through: Texas and New Mexico

San Antonio Does Not Disappoint (GART - Stop 18)

Remember when I said that Florida was a boring ass state to drive through. Well, East Texas is in 2nd place when it comes to boring scenery. The only reason why it's second place is because of the amount of cattle located in East Texas. I get a kick out of seeing the cows along the drive. Cows are cute - it's a shame they're also delicious! North Texas, on the other hand, has some surprisingly beautiful vistas.

After leaving Oak Alley plantation, I spent the next 7 hours driving, which included miles of swamp land in Louisiana, a traffic accident causing delays in Baton Rouge, hours of boredom in Texas, and a massive traffic jam in Houston. The worst part of boring driving is that I end up spending way too much time in my head - revisiting the past 49 years of life, especially the last 5 years. <sigh> Not a good idea! Although I did see this towing company billboard as I was traversing through Texas, which gave me a laugh:

Anyway, I spent the night in Sealy, TX and yesterday morning, after 2 more hours of driving, I drove into San Antonio. San Antonio was another city that I have always wanted to visit (specifically because of the River Walk) and I am glad that I came to visit this city.

My visit started with seeing the exterior of a small house that the short story author, O. Henry lived in during the 1880s. I was slightly annoyed that the museum was not open, despite the hours posted on the door saying that it should have been open. Sadly, I did not get to see inside this small 2-room house. It was a disappointment, but what can you do. I then moved along to visit the...

Spanish Governor's Palace: Don't be too impressed. Don't let the word "palace" lead you to expect something grandiose. It's a translation of palacio, which in Mexico means any building used as the seat of government. This was the house of the garrison's captain. It's a handsome building constructed of adobe and stone that dates from 1722. There isn't really a lot of old San Antonio left, so this is worth the visit for that alone. While the 1930 "restoration" was hardly sympathetic, at least the bulk of the original building is there and preserved and it has been furnished in an appropriate style. In 1977, a conquistador statue situated outside the palace was given to the people of San Antonio by the Spanish government. At $5 to tour the site, it's reasonably priced and worth a quick visit. Two blocks away from the palace is...

San Fernando Cathedral: The San Fernando Cathedral had humble beginnings as a parish church. It was commissioned as a simple stone church in 1738. The colonial society of the day was divided into two principal classes: the Canary Islanders, who, having been born in the Old World, were above those of Spanish descent born in the New World, which included most of the garrison and their families. But the project of building a church united them, and in choosing the patron saints, they selected one from each continent -- from Europe, Our Lady of Candlemas, and from the Americas, Our Lady of Guadalupe. What is seen today mostly dates from the 1870s when the church was elevated to cathedral. Changes continue into the present century. For example, the gilt altarpiece was introduced only a few years ago. The most interesting thing about the cathedral is that a coffin in the entry purports to hold the ashes of the Alamo defenders: Davy Crockett, James Bowie, William Harris, and others.  

I left the cathedral and returned to my car to make my way to my hotel for an early check in and a bit of a rest. Then it was onto...

The River Walk: The River Walk is a network of walkways along the banks of the San Antonio River, one story beneath the streets of Downtown San Antonio. It is a public park open 365 days a year, lined with individual businesses composed of restaurants, hotels, attractions and more. It's a great way to spend a couple of hours just strolling, people watching, and enjoying the beautiful views. Any visit to San Antonio must include a visit to the River Walk. There are water taxis available to take you along the river to your destination, although I just walked. My visit to the River Walk included a stop for lunch at a Tex Mex restaurant. After eating, I headed over to...

The Alamo: Originally known as the Mission San Antonio de Valero, it is a former Roman Catholic mission and fortress compound, and the site of the Battle of the Alamo in 1836. "The Battle of the Alamo (February 23 – March 6, 1836) was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna launched an assault on the Alamo Mission, killing all of the Texian defenders. Santa Anna's cruelty during the battle inspired many Texians—both Texas settlers and adventurers from the United States—to join the Texian Army. Buoyed by a desire for revenge, the Texians defeated the Mexican Army at the Battle of San Jacinto, on April 21, 1836, ending the revolution" (Wikipedia). The Alamo is now a shrine and a museum. Currently, the mission building has a display of weaponry which would have been used during the battle, which didn't interest me very much. I'm not much for objects which injure and kill people. The grounds have been beautifully maintained and the former barracks have a complete history of Texas, San Antonio, and the Alamo. For history buffs, this site is a must see, and the best part, it's free.

After touring the Alamo, I returned to the River Walk and hopped aboard a river cruise boat which was worth the $8.50 to see sections of the River Walk that I didn't even know existed. By the end of the tour it was late afternoon and I was exhausted. I returned to my hotel where I rested, had a little dinner, and then called it a night. This cancer crap is really killing my night life, I just don't have the energy to go back out.

Check out all of my photos of San Antonio on my GART photo site.

Current travel stats:

Oak Alley odometer mileage: 97,019

Odometer mileage in San Antonio: 97,533

Miles driven to San Antonio: 514

Total miles driven to date: 4,544

States driven through: Louisiana and Texas

A Visit to a Southern Plantation (GART - Stop 17)

As New Orleans disappeared from my rear-view mirror and I headed toward San Antonio, I decided to make a stop about an hour outside of New Orleans to see a plantation. I’ve always had a moral dilemma about visiting a Southern plantation. It’s hard to visit a place in which people made money off the backs of slaves, but I realized that it’s a sad part of America’s history. Ignoring it is unacceptable, therefore I went to a plantation to honor those people who suffered through slavery. There’s a location between New Orleans and Baton Rouge dubbed “Plantation Alley” where quite a number of plantations are available to tour. I decided to tour one of the most popular and well-known plantations: Oak Alley Plantation. 

Oak Alley is named after its distinguishing feature – an alley created by a double row of live oak trees which were planted in the early 18th century – a hundred years before the mansion was built. Originally named Bon Séjour, Oak Alley was established to grow sugar cane. In 1836, Jacques Roman obtained ownership of the 1200 acre plantation and the 57 slaves who were part of the plantation. The following year, Roman began building the mansion utilizing the enslaved labor. After the plantation was lost by the Roman family due to over expenditure and the Civil War, the plantation went through several owners who could not afford the upkeep of the house and by the 1920s the mansion and outbuildings had fallen into disrepair. In 1925, Texas cattle rancher Andrew Stewart purchased the property for his wife, Josephine, and spent thousands of dollars refurbishing the property. Josephine was the last owner to live in the residence. When she died in 1972, she left the historic house and grounds to the Oak Alley Foundation, her foundation - which opened them to the public.

I started my tour of the plantation with the slavery exhibit. The original slave quarters were in such disrepair that they were torn down. Replica buildings were placed on the footprint of the previous buildings. The exhibit shares the daily life of the slaves, including topics such as healthcare, punishment, and life after emancipation. One of the buildings has engravings on the wall with the names of the slaves as an honorarium. 

After seeing the exhibit, I toured and photographed the exterior of the mansion and the grounds, including the 300 year old oak alley and the Stewart Family graveyard. 

Then it was time to tour the house. I joined approximately 15 other visitors. The tour began in the parlor and then went through the dining room, the 2nd floor bedrooms, the 2nd floor balcony, before returning to the ground floor to see the plantation office. Beautifully decorated with period pieces and a few original Roman artifacts, it was a fascinating look at the antebellum period. Oak Alley has been featured in many Hollywood movies, including Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte; Interview with the Vampire; and Primary Colors.

Check out all the photos from the Oak Alley Plantation on my GART photo site. Onto San Antonio.

Current travel stats:

New Orleans odometer mileage: 96,964

Odometer mileage in Oak Alley: 97,019

Miles driven to Oak Alley: 55

Total miles driven to date: 4,030

States driven through: Louisiana

New Orleans - Days 3 and 4 (GART - Stop 16)

Squirrel!!

It's official - I hate New Orleans! 

The final straw that caused me to loathe this city was trying to catch a streetcar early this afternoon. Across the street from the resort is a streetcar stop. The hotel staff swore that it was the best way to get around the city and yet, I find that it is the most inefficient public transit that I've ever come across. Today, I had decided that I was going to take a ferry across the Mississippi River to see the town of Algiers. I headed out to catch a streetcar which would take me to the ferry. I waited over 25 minutes for a streetcar to show, which was then packed to the gills and I couldn't get on it. When I complained about the wait, I got a blank look from the driver who shrugged at my complaint. I was so angry that I just walked off, returned to my room where I spent the remainder of my afternoon - reading. I refuse to give this city one more bit of my time. Yesterday, as I was about to get on the streetcar to head back to my hotel, the driver said for me to hang on a second before I got on and she grabbed her bag and left the car in order to go to the bathroom. Now I get that drivers need bathroom breaks, but seriously, she left the streetcar filled with passengers and a line of waiting customers to take a 15 minute bathroom break. This kind of crap would never fly in cities in New York, London, Paris, or any other major metropolis. I hate the laissez-faire attitude of the workers in this city.

That's just one of the many complaints I have about New Orleans. I do not get the charm of this city. I don't understand why people come here every year on vacation. I never want to set my big toe (let alone the rest of me) in this city ever again. This city is fine for people who like to go out and party, but that's not where I am today. Perhaps 20 years ago I would have appreciated this city, but there is nothing here that really interests me. I have no desire to drink or eat myself into a stupor, or shop, or to hang out in a bar listening to jazz/blues - much of which is crap. That's about all there is to do in this city.  Okay, there are a few other things, which I have done over the past couple of days, but seriously, not much.

Yesterday, I woke to gray overcast/rain threatening skies. Therefore, I decided that it was a museum kind of day. I didn't feel like traveling to the art museum, so I went to the National World War II museum. The museum "focuses on the contribution made by the United States to victory by the Allies in World War II, and the Battle of Normandy in particular" (Wikipedia). My favorite part of the museum is the award-winning 4-D film, Beyond All Boundaries, which gives the visitor an overview of the war on every front. The film was produced and narrated by Tom Hanks and took over 5 years to produce. It was a great way to begin my visit to museum. There's a lot to take in at this museum - I spent 3 hours exploring the museum. Even then, I didn't see everything. 

After visiting the museum, I headed over to Cafe du Monde, where I lucked out to find a very short line. Cafe du Monde is an iconic New Orleans cafe known for café au laits, chicory coffee and beignets since 1862. I order myself some beignets and a hot chocolate (I don't like coffee). The beignets were good and reminded me of the zeppole that I grew up eating. Basically, it's fried dough covered with powdered sugar. They weren't even all that hot. I'm glad I had them, but they are not worth waiting hours. I would have been really annoyed if I waited in a long line for them. Plus there was the slow service - it took 10 minutes before a server came to wait on me and 20 minutes to receive my order! This is at a time when they weren't all that busy. What is service like when they are?? (Add this moment to the list of things I hate about NOLA.)

My favorite house.

This morning, I decided to visit the Garden District, an area that was originally developed between 1832 and 1900 and is considered one of the best-preserved collections of historic southern mansions in the United States. I found a self guided walking tour online and saw some beautiful mansions and visited one of the oldest cemeteries in New Orleans. A few of the mansions on the tour are currently or formerly owned by famous individuals: Sandra Bullock, Nicholas Cage, rockstar Trent Raznor (Nine Inch Nails), John Goodman, Archie Manning (Eli and Peyton Manning's father), and, of course, Anne Rice. In fact, there were several former Anne Rice homes on this tour. The cemetery in the Garden District is Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 and has a few famous residents. Perhaps the most famous tombs of the cemetery are the fictional ones. Among the fictional characters who are buried here are the family of Mayfair Witches from Anne Rice’s Witching Hour book series and the vampire Lestat from Rice's novel Interview with a Vampire.  In 1994, Interview with a Vampire was made into a movie starring Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise and all the cemetery scenes were filmed at Lafayette Cemetery #1.

And so ends my time in New Orleans. Thank you! I'll be glad to see the back of this city when I head out of town tomorrow. I plan on making a stop at one of the plantations about an hour outside of New Orleans, before heading to Texas. My next stop will be San Antonio. I can't wait to see The Alamo and The Riverwalk. 

You can check out all my Garden District walking tour photos on my GART photo site.

Former Anne Rice home and the setting
for the Witching Hour series (Mayfair Manor).

My First Two Days in New Orleans (GART - Stop 16)

Long on my list of cities to visit, New Orleans was found in 1718 as a French colony. It was named for Philippe d'Orléans, Duke of Orléans, who was Regent of the Kingdom of France at the time. His title came from the French city of Orléans. In 1763, the city was ceded to the Spanish Empire, where it remained under Spanish control until 1801 - reverting back to France. Napoleon then sold Louisiana to the United States in 1803 as part of the Louisiana purchase. As a result, the city is an amalgamation of influences (American, French, Spanish, Creole, and African). New Orleans is famous for its cuisine, music (particularly as the birthplace of jazz), and its annual celebrations and festivals, most notably Mardi Gras, which dates back to French colonial times. Most recently, 80% of the city was flooded by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, but the city has rebounded nicely.

I arrived at my accommodations yesterday around midday. Thanks to my brother's largesse, I am staying in his timeshare unit, saving me a ton of money. After checking and settling into my room, I ran out for a quick bite to eat. The concierge convinced me to go to an afternoon sales presentation for possibly purchasing my own timeshare. The incentive for me to go: $150 Amex gift card. I think I can give up 90 minutes of my time for $150. While waiting for the shuttle to take me over to the sales pitch, I met a lovely woman from Texas and a couple of her family members. We bonded over the ridiculous sales pitch and the high sales pressure tactics of the sales reps. We bonded so well that they invited me out to dinner with the rest of their family - very sweet. Eight of us headed out toward Lake Pontchartrain to a seafood restaurant, Deanie's. Being Friday night, we had a 60 minute wait, but it ended up being well worth the wait. The food was incredible! The photo is of my entree - crawfish étouffée. After our lovely dinner, we headed back to our resort where I crashed for the night.

This morning, I woke to beautiful blue skies and mild temperatures. After breakfast at a local restaurant, I was picked up from the resort for a morning city tour. Guided by a New Orleans native, we trekked all over the city. The tour included stops or views of the French Quarter, Jackson Square, St. Louis Cathedral, the French Market, Saint Roches cemetery, the Lower Ninth Ward (which was devastated by Katrina), the City Park, Sculpture Gardens, the ancient dueling oaks, Tulane and Loyola Universities, Audubon Park, and antebellum era mansions in Garden District. There was so much historical information provided. New Orleans is truly an interesting city. The most interesting part of the tour, for me, was seeing the recovery happening in the Katrina ravaged Lower Ninth Ward. Much of the city has recovered but there are still pockets of the city in need of refurbishment. It was also interesting to hear a first person story (our tour guide) of his experience with Katrina and its aftermath.

After returning to the visitor's center at the end of the tour, I decided to go explore the French Quarter in more depth. I started with taking a walk down the infamous Bourbon Street. I can only say this about Bourbon Street - I hated it! It's trashy and vulgar. Also, it's dirty, smelly, and riddled with drunktards. And that was during the day. I cannot even fathom how awful it must be at night. After leaving Bourbon Street, I meandered around several other streets in the Quarter, which were less obnoxious, but were a little too crowded and filled with drunken idiots for my taste. I eventually made my way to the famous Cafe du Monde - hoping that the lines weren't too long so I could get some beignets. Sadly, the lines for table service and take out were both at least 60 minute waits. I just couldn't do it. I'm hoping that sometime in the next two days the crowds will leave and I can get some beignets. 

After walking around the Quarter a little more, I started to feel awful (the pain from pleural effusion has intensified dramatically), so I decided that I would head back to my room for a rest - hoping that once I rested I would feel up to going out. Didn't happen. I just never felt well enough to go do anything. I'm hoping that I will not have to cut this trip short because I've been feeling a little off for about 4 days now.

Check out my first two days in New Orleans photos on my GART photo site. I still have two more day in New Orleans and hopefully will find some fun things to do. I'm thinking of taking a Garden District walking tour and a Ghost Tour.

A private residence in the French Quarter - beautiful!

Current travel stats:

Little Rock odometer mileage: 96,521

Odometer mileage in New Orleans: 96,964

Miles driven to New Orleans: 443

Total miles driven to date: 3,975

States driven through: Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, back to Louisiana

Interstate vs. State Highways (GART)

Subtitle: Driving from Little Rock to New Orleans

Prior to the 1950s, people who traveled via automobile had to utilize state highways which are a mixture of primary and secondary roads - often bringing the traveler into small towns and cities along their journey. In the 1950s, President Dwight D. Eisenhower championed the development of an interstate highway system. "He justified the project through the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 as essential to American security during the Cold War. It was believed that large cities would be targets in a possible war, hence the highways were designed to facilitate their evacuation and ease military maneuvers" (Wikipedia). Thanks to President Eisenhower, the U.S. now has an amazing interstate highway system which moves people faster to their destinations along roads that bypass towns and cities. It's an efficient way to travel, but is it the best way to travel.

I departed Little Rock late yesterday morning en route to New Orleans - with a overnight stop in Vicksburg, MS. It was an interesting drive. The drive took me from Tennessee to Louisiana to Mississippi back to Louisiana. The first half of the drive (from Little Rock to Vicksburg) brought me along state highways while the latter half was strictly via interstate highways. While I traveled quicker along the interstate, the state highway drive was far more enjoyable and fun. 

While in Tennessee, I drove through a town with a population of 240. Oh my goodness, I cannot imagine living in that small of a town. 

Additionally, while in Tennessee, I received the following advice:

That seems like good advice to me. 

Then when I hit Louisiana, I drove through a town called Transylvania in which the residents have a sense of humor about the name of their town by putting a vampire bat on their city water tank.

Of course, being in the deep South, there is an inordinate amount of churches. I swear in one quarter mile stretch, I counted 6 churches - mostly Baptist. Seriously? Any place that has more churches than schools disturbs me. Of course, when people travel they need their coffee fixes, so you can always go to...

Yeah, the deep South and their religious fervor bugs me, but otherwise, I really liked traveling along the state highways. I would have never been able to take photos like these on in the interstates. The best I've been able is take a quick "Welcome to..." photo when crossing state lines.

Leaving Vicksburg this morning, I traveled about 10 miles on a state highway before switching to Interstate 55 for the rest of the trip into New Orleans and I was bored beyond belief. Nothing but mile after mile of roads with very little to see unless you take an exit.

Yes, you get places faster with interstates, but you get better gas mileage, have more interesting scenery, and better entertainment value by sticking to state highways. So while I thank President Eisenhower for our efficient interstate highway system, I am saddened by the loss of more interesting driving routes with state highways.

A Snowy Day in Little Rock, Arkansas (GART - Stop 15)

When I left Philadelphia on January 24th, I hoped that I would not have to see any of that cold, wet, annoying white crap that falls from the sky. Up until yesterday, I was pretty lucky. A few flurries in Atlanta, but nothing else. I also was counting on the weather being much warmer than it's been for the past few days. What the heck?! What is going on this year? Of course, I can't really complain when I see what my Massachusetts friends are dealing with - 100+ inches of snow!!! Ugh! Glad I'm not there. As with Atlanta, I had to laugh about Arkansas's response to a little snow. Little Rock was predicted to have 1-3 inches of snow and they cancelled school. Yeah, that's insane. Little Rock actually got about 1.5 inches of snow yesterday. Oh well, what can you do. The snow did hamper my day a bit. I started the day with a visit to...

The Clinton Presidential Library: I've mentioned before that I have a fascination with politics that has been a fascination for decades. The first election that I was eligible to vote in was the 1984 presidential election. Sad to say, my candidate did not win. Neither did my candidate win in 1988. Both Democratic candidates were not the most exciting of candidates, but I believed they were the better option than the Republican candidates. Oh well, 8 more years of crappy politics. Therefore, when 1992 rolled around, I was ecstatic to find myself presented with a mostly unknown governor from Arkansas as the Democratic nominee. The more I learned about this candidate, the more excited I became, so much that I entered into the fray of campaigning on behalf of Bill Clinton. I was over the moon with happiness when Clinton was elected the 42nd President of the United States, and despite some of his personal flaws, I still think that Bill Clinton was the best president during my lifetime. Naturally, I had to go visit his library. The museum showcases artifacts from Clinton's two terms as president and includes full-scale replicas of the Clinton-era Oval Office and Cabinet Room, and is filled with ton of memorabilia from the Clinton years in the White House: gifts received, personal items, and so much more.  It consists of a 110-foot timeline of each of Clinton's years as President, as well as 14 alcoves featuring various events during Clinton's terms. Nothing is overlooked or missing from the timeline. It's an incredible library and well worth the time to visit.

Because of the snow, everything else I wanted to do was outside or closed due to the inclement weather. I spent the remainder of yesterday in my hotel room, watching TV. Eventually I would head down to the hotel's bar where I would have a couple of beers and chat with a lovely and well-traveled couple. It turned out to be a bit bittersweet. I became a little misty over the fact that this couple had each other with which travel and explore the world. Much I love my travels, it does get lonely. Such is life.

This morning, I woke to make the most of my morning in Little Rock. I headed straight for...

Little Rock Central High School: Founded in 1927, LRCHS is a public high school which was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1998. "LRCHS was the focal point of the Little Rock Integration Crisis of 1957. Nine African-American students, known as the Little Rock Nine, were denied entrance to the school in defiance of the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court ruling ordering integration of public schools" (Wikipedia). This is a complicated and involved story that would take up too much space for me to explain, but suffice to say that high school was a national focal point for integration in the public schools. The story includes the Arkansas National Guard blockade, the 101st Airborne Division armed escort, death threats, physical and verbal abuse, and so much more - all in an attempt for 9 students to get a good education. It boggles the mind. Additionally, after the 1957-1958 school year, the Governor of Arkansas closed all the high schools in order to postpone desegregation of the schools, now known as "The Lost Year". 15 and 16 year old Little Rock students (black and white) had no access to local public education for an entire year. Many were forced to leave the state. Some studied to enter college early. Others boarded busses daily to travel miles for classes in other cities. Because LRCHS is still a working school, there are only 2 tours during the day - 9:00am and 1:00pm. Fortunately, I got there for the 9:00am and was shown a portion of the school. This site is definitely worth a visit. The visitors center has a fantastic museum which is filled with photos, interviews, and other information about the desegregation of the LRCHS.

After leaving LRCHS, I drove around a took a couple of photos of houses that I wanted to see. The first was Daisy Bates's house. Daisy Bates was the President of the NAACP during the Little Rock Nine debacle and was instrumental in supporting the nine students. The second house is called The Empress, a B&B located in a beautiful Victorian-style house. The last house I stopped by is the Villa Mare, which is notable for being the exterior shot from the sitcom, Designing Women - a favorite show of mine.

All photos from Little Rock can be found on my GART photo site. I am in route to New Orleans, making a pit stop in Vicksburg, MS.

Current travel stats:

Memphis odometer mileage: 96,335

Odometer mileage in Little Rock: 96,521

Miles driven to Little Rock: 186

Total miles driven to date: 3,532

States driven through: Tennessee and Arkansas

Clinton Library was inspired by the
Long Room at Trinity College in Dublin.