Day eighty nine - Friday

At 9:30 a.m. I left Gustine for Salinas. Today is Jimmy Miller's retirement lunch. Jim is retiring after 26 years at the S.O. I met with Jim Meckel at the S.O. and we went to Red Lobster for the lunch. There, I saw a lot of friends from my days at the S.O. It was great seeing these guys and gals again. Everybody looked great.

Ann spent the day with Grace and did some Christmas shopping. Rick was home today and did some work in his yard.

Grace made ham hocks and beans for dinner. Very good. Very much like my mom used to make.

Day eighty eight - Thursday

We dined at Denny's this morning and took off for Gustine at about 11:00 a.m.

We had an uneventful day driving north on 99 and then 5 until we stopped for fuel in Santa Nella. $3.59 a gallon for diesel. WOW! And, I'm told it's worse in Salinas. I wanted the cash price so I spent the whole $65.00 I had in my pocket on fuel. Yeah, 14 gallons. That won't get me too far down the road.

We got into Rick and Grace's house in the early afternoon. Grace fed us a great dinner and I watch the football game on TV. Too bad the Cowboys beat the Packers. At least the game was interesting until the last 5 minutes.

Day eighty seven - Wednesday

Today was a travel day. We left Las Vegas at about 9:30 and headed west. We got as far as Bakersfield where we found a nice little park on the south side.

The scenery was just what one would expect in that part of the country. It was dry and uninteresting. We did go over some high passes, including the Tehachapi mountains. The coach handled them just fine.

In Bakersfield we had a game of Scrabble and called it a night.

We had a great time visiting Gilbert. We're glad to report he's doing well and seems to be having fun with his friend Jasper. We look forward to visiting with Gilbert again soon.

Day eighty six - Tuesday

Late this morning we drove back down to the strip. We parked at the Tropicana at the south end of the strip. After walking to the MGM, we paid $18.00 for two all day passes to the monorail.

We rode the monorail to Bally's where we had the buffet lunch at $15.99 each. We weren't impressed at all. The food was unremarkable and there wasn't much of a selection.

Back on the monorail we rode to Harrah's and then walked across the street to the Mirage. Ann did some gambling on the slot machines before we rode the monorail back to the MGM.

After letting the dogs out for a break, we drove to the Red Rock Casino where we met Gilbert and the three of us had a game of Scrabble in the bar. Gilbert bought us dinner at a Mexican restaurant in the Red Rock. After dinner Ann played some more slots and Gilbert and I played Texas Hold-em in the poker room. Gilbert broke even and I lost again.

Day eighty five - Monday, Nov. 26

Today we picked up Gilbert and drove down to the "Strip." We checked out the Wynn casino, which was still being built the last time we were here. For dinner we walked across the street to an Italian restaurant, Maggiano's. It was very good food and very large portions. Ann and I shared a Cesar Salad and a Baked Ziti & Sausage. We finished the salad but took half the Baked Ziti and Sausage home with us. Gilbert had the Four Cheese Ravioli.

Day eighty four - Sunday

I mentioned the RV park we're staying in is Outdoor Resorts in Las Vegas. There are Outdoor Resorts all over the USA, including the one we stayed in in Newport, Oregon. Ann was looking in a binder in the laundry that had resort lots and motor homes for sale. One of the lots in the park is for sale for only $495,000.00. Many of the larger lots, like the one in the photograph, have amenities added that include outdoor kitchens, shade, pools and waterfalls. Other lots, like the one we're in, are too narrow to do much with but they're still very nice.

This afternoon was spent visiting with Gilbert and some of his friends. Ann made enchiladas, Spanish rice and salad and we ate at Gilbert's house. Gilbert's friends were his neighbors, including Jasper and his wife. Jasper and Gilbert are betting buddies. They bet on ball games and play Texas Hold-em at a local casino. Jasper used to be a dealer.

The other guests were Gilbert's next door neighbors and their son and grand son. Everybody was very nice and interesting to talk to. One of the guests is the CEO of MGM grand in Las Vegas. He worked for a year on the Celine Dion contract. Very nice guy.

The first photograph shows one of the fancy sites, but not the largest or fanciest, here at the park. The second photograph is our coach in one of the smaller sites. The last photograph is dinner at Gilbert's house.

Day eighty three - Saturday

Today was a shopping, cooking and run around day. We also had the coach washed and water heater fixed. The circuit board went out on the water heater and it cost us $450 to have a repairman come out and fix it. Bummer!

In the evening we went back to the casino. Tonight wasn't as profitable as last night. Yes, we lost. Both of us. I won't say how much but it was more than I won last night. Another bummer!

Back at the coach we had a game of Scrabble and called it a night.

Tomorrow we're expected at Gilbert's house at 3 o'clock where Ann is going to make Chicken Enchiladas for Gilbert and some of his friends. I may even get one! :) She started cooking chicken and stuff today.

Day eighty two - Friday

Kingman, Arizona to Las Vegas was just over 100 miles by the direct route. However, there was construction at Boulder Dam and vehicle restrictions. So, rather than fight the traffic and restrictions we decided to take a little longer route and go through Bullhead City, Arizona and Laughlin, Nevada, which are across the Colorado River from each other. My Mom and Dad used to stay in Bullhead City during their winter vacation. This was before Laughlin had more than one casino and before it was a destination.

Although we knew we were going to Las Vegas, we weren't sure where we were going to stay. Before we left Kingman I checked some places on-line, including a place I figured would be too expensive to stay. We'd stayed at Outdoor Resorts before but the price had doubled since we were last here two years ago. However, when I checked their website I found they had a coupon for five nights free, with restrictions. Hmmmm, worth a try! I called and found out the restrictions were that you couldn't have stayed with them in the past six months. That was it! I made reservations and off we went. We were still concerned that they would spring some kind of kicker on us when we got there but, no, it was free! So, instead of three nights in Vegas, we'll be staying five. We love this place but would have had to pay almost $500 dollars to stay here without the coupon. GREAT DEAL!

Once we were set up, we did some grocery shopping and had a game of Scrabble. We met with Ann's Uncle Gilbert at the Red Rock Casino on the west outskirts of Las Vegas. This casino is near Gilbert's home, so it's convenient for him. We had dinner at the casino. Dinner for the three of us was $60.00. Then Gilbert and I played Texas Hold-em while Ann played slots. I bought in for $60.00 and two hours later cashed out for $100.00. Ann had $30.00 and cashed out for $31.44. So, after paying for dinner and playing Poker, the evening ended up costing $20.00. Not bad!

BTW, we're back in the Pacific time zone. Kinda strange after spending a couple of months figuring the time difference for TV and phone calls home.

Day eighty one - Thanksgiving Thursday

Thanksgiving day was spent on the road. We left Willcox, Arizona and 380 miles later we drove into Kingman, Arizona. On the way we passed through Tucson and Phoenix and that's about all. Again, not much to look at while traveling through the Arizona Desert.

When we got to Kingman we had to fill up. The Petro station next to the RV park had such a deal on diesel - $3.41 a gallon. It's only going to get worse and we probably have two more fill-ups before we get home.

We're staying at the Blake Ranch RV Park and Horse Motel just east of Kingman at Hwy 93 and Hwy 40. This is a very nice park with cable TV, very large sites and two fenced in dog runs, with lights. Like the last park, this one is all gravel. I guess grass isn't an option in the desert.

This is the first Thanksgiving we're not spending with family and/or friends. We had a fine Thanksgiving dinner. We finished the pasta from last night's Italian dinner!

Day eighty - Wednesday

We left Fort Stockton at about 8:00 a.m. headed west. Again, we raced the sun and the sun won. However, we were able to put 475 miles behind us. We went through El Paso, Texas and Las Cruces, New Mexico and entered Arizona.

Within two miles of entering New Mexico we turned over 7,000 miles for this trip. Entering Arizona also concludes our map entries. We've been to every state we'll visit on this trip although we still have to go through Nevada and California to get home, we did those states at the beginning of the trip, so they're already on our travel map. We've done 24 states!

We actually got some elevation under us too. At one point in Texas we were at 4500 feet. Quite a change from minus elevation in New Orleans and elevations in the hundreds or less in Arkansas and Mississippi.

We stopped in the small town of Willcox about 50 miles into Arizona from New Mexico. We found a little RV park that only charges $23.00 a night. This is quite a place for $23.00. Full hookups, laundry, showers, indoor pool with hot tub and a restaurant with inexpensive but good Italian food. Although the whole grounds are gravel, it's clean and quite, except for the occasional train going by at night. Lifestyles RV Park turned out to be a little gem in the desert!

It's still a little over 500 miles to Las Vegas, so we'll get an early start tomorrow and go, hopefully, to Kingman Arizona. That'll get us close to Las Vegas.

Day seventy nine - Tuesday

Rejoice! Sadie is home. I picked her up from the Hospital today at about 9:30 and she was soooo happy to see me. She looks happy and healthy. She'll be on a special diet from now on to avoid future problems. She lost some more weight after being on IV fluids for five days but that won't hurt her.

We left San Antonio at about 10:30 and headed west on Hwy 90, through Castroville, to Hondo where we caught Hwy 173 north. From there we hit Hwy 689 to Kerrville. We then took Hwy 10 west to Fort Stockton where we found a Walmart to spend the night.

We did about 350 miles today and saw just about nothing. This part of Texas is mostly flat with nothing worth looking at.

An interesting aside, in Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana the elevation was in the hundreds with most of it being less than 100 feet. I checked the GPS as we approached Fort Stockton and found we are now above 2000 feet.

We were just about out of propane. I'd checked the price at the RV park in New Orleans and it was just under $4.00 a gallon. I passed on that! I checked the price again at the RV park in San Antonio and it was $5.00 a gallon. Pass again! Finally, not wanting to run out as the weather cooled off, I found a propane business in Fort Stockton and filled up. After the tank was filled, I asked the price and was surprised to learn it was $2.35 a gallon. What a treat. Finally a good deal on fuel. Now, I just wish I could find diesel that cheap. It's running $3.39 around here. It was $3.29 in San Antonio when I filled up. I won't need more diesel until we get to New Mexico tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow, we'll do about 300 miles tomorrow and turn over 7,000 miles as we enter New Mexico.

G'night

Day seventy eight - Monday, Nov. 20

Today ended up being another do-nothing day. We waited around for a call to pick up Sadie. When the call finally came, we were told Sadie could come home tomorrow.

Other than me taking the car to be washed and gassed and watching "Dancing", it was really a quiet day. Ann spent the day on the couch with an upset stomach so we weren't going to do anything anyway.

The weather has been cloudy but warm with possible rain beginning tomorrow. There's supposed to be a cold front coming down from the north and they're talking about freezing rain being a possibility later in the week. I'd really like to get out of here and head west before the cold weather moves in.

With any luck, tomorrow we hit the road for Las Vegas.

Day seventy seven - Sunday

Today was a repeat of yesterday. We're just waiting for Sadie to be released and today wasn't the day.

At least the coach windshield got cleaned as did the carpets and rugs. I even cleaned and reorganized the basement.

Sunday night football was a disappointing blowout but the Scrabble game was close.

Hopefully Sadie will be discharged tomorrow and we can hit the road again.

Day seventy six - Saturday

Today's weather called for thunderstorms so we didn't plan to do anything and that's exactly what we did.

We watched three movies, back-to-back-to-back before Ann did a load of laundry and we had a game of Scrabble. I spent most of rest of the afternoon in bed with a headache.

Of course there was just a little rain early in the morning and then nothing but clouds all afternoon. We could have gone somewhere or done something but that's okay. It was a relaxing day. Tomorrow is supposed to be partly cloudy so maybe we'll get out and about.

Day seventy five - Friday

We'd hoped to get Sadie out of the hospital today but we got a call from the Vet who said she needs to stay through the weekend. She's doing better but still needs some treatment. So, we'll be here a few more days.

This afternoon we drove back to Riverwalk where we had dinner at Pat O'Briens. Although we had drinks in the Piano Bar at the New Orleans Pat O'Briens, we didn't have dinner. So, tonight we had dinner at Pat O'Briens. Ann had the Caesar Salad with Blackened Chicken. The chicken was very good. I had a small Caesar Salad and a combination appetiser with Chicken Wings, Coconut Shrimp, Catfish and Alligator. I hadn't had alligator before so I was anxious to try it. It came deep fried with a mustard dip. I found the alligator meat itself to be bland and a little chewy. Not bad but not great. I won't go out of my way to have it again but won't avoid it either. Perhaps if it was grilled rather than deep fried it may be better.

After dinner we walked around Riverwalk again for a short time. It's Friday night and Riverwalk was more crowded and the restaurants busier than the past few nights.

Tomorrow we're supposed to have thunderstorms, so we're not sure what we're going to do. Maybe nothing, maybe SeaWorld.

Map is updated to show states we've visited in the motor home on this trip.

Day seventy four - Thursday

Today started with a 45 minute drive to Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch. This is a drive through animal refuge where you actually get food for the animals and are encouraged to feed them. The explicit instructions are to drop the food on the ground outside your car, not to feed the animals by hand, yeah, RIGHT!!! See first picture for Ann's interpretation of that hard and fast rule

After the Wildlife Ranch, we headed back into San Antonio and visited the Alamo. We walked around the grounds and inside the buildings where we heard a tour guide tell the story of the battle. This was a very interesting piece of American history.

Dinner was back at the Riverwalk. We went to The Country Line where we had BBQ. I ordered the five meat BBQ and had beef ribs, pork ribs, smoked turkey, sausage and brisket. Ann had a Caesar salad and helped me with mine because there was no way I was going to eat it all. In fact, we brought home some of the ribs and most of the turkey.

After dinner Ann talked to the Vet and learned Sadie is doing very well. If she continues to improve over night, she may be able to come home tomorrow afternoon. If so, we're out of here on Saturday.

The first two photographs show Ann feeding a Zebra. The third photograph shows Ann at San Antonio's Riverwalk and the last photograph is an evening shot of the Alamo.

Day seventy three - Wednesday

Today was supposed to be our only full day in San Antonio. However, Sadie has had a pancreatitis relapse and is back in the hospital. She'll probably be there for at least three days, maybe more.

So, we took today off and really did nothing but watch the OJ preliminary hearing on TV. OJ trial number three coming to a TV near you soon. We had a game of scrabble this afternoon and then did nothing.

I forgot to mention yesterday that we passed the 6,000 mile mark for this trip. We hit that milestone around the time we entered Texas. We'll be over 7,000 miles by the time we get to Las Vegas.

Also, good ole Verizon is giving me problems and I'm having to use TDS.net to send e-mails and I have no e-mail addresses in my TDS.net address book. So, I can send e-mails but it's a pain to do so.

Day seventy two - Tuesday

Today started out as a travel day as we left for San Antonio. A little over 300 miles later we arrived at the Tejas Valley RV Park just about ten miles from, yes, Castroville! This Castroville is just west of San Antonio.

Once we were set up and settled in, we headed into San Antonio to visit Riverwalk. Phyllis recommended this as a must see in San Antonio. Turns out Riverwalk is a neat place. It's a river right down the middle of downtown with a walkway up and down each side with restaurants on either side. Boats run up and down the river with some of the boats being set up as floating dining rooms.

We had a Mexican dinner at Rio Rio Cantina on the river. We sat at a riverside table on a perfectly comfortable evening. Ann had a Margarita with her dinner as evidenced by the photograph.

After dinner we shopped a little bit where Ann bought some souvenirs. At one point Ann contemplated a couple of cowboy hats, one for Roger and one for Barry. Hmmmm, which hat for these rough and tumble cowboys??? I think Barry would like the Pink Straw hat and Roger the Pink Felt.

Day seventy one - Monday, Nov. 12

Today we began chasing the sun. We left Slidell on Hwy 12 and hit Hwy 10, which we'll stay on all the way to Phoenix, Arizona. We're westward bound and will be looking into the sun all afternoon. This evening we saw a great sunset. The land is so flat here it's like seeing the sun set over the ocean.

At one point we crossed over an eighteen mile long bridge over a large bayou and swamp. The rest of the trip was flat and boring. We passed through Baton Rouge and Lafayette before entering Texas. We had hoped to get to Houston this afternoon but came up short after getting a late start. We're staying the night in a rest stop just east of Beaumont, Tx.

Tomorrow we'll continue on Hwy 10 to San Antonio, Tx.

Day seventy - Sunday

This afternoon we drove into New Orleans and visited the Longue Vue House and Gardens. This mansion and eight acre grounds was owned by Edith and Edgar Stern who were related to the Sears and Roebuck fortune. The grounds were beautiful and the mansion elegant and fascinating. We had a private tour of the mansion.

Our next stop was 118 Winthrop Place in New Orleans. This house was in one of the neighborhoods that was badly damaged by Hurricane Katrina. It was also the home of Sue Chatterton when she was growing up.

We found the house on a street bare of asphalt and sporting recently denuded lots. Many of the twenty five or so houses on the short street were still empty and boarded up. Half-a-dozen lots were empty and a few new homes had been erected. The flooding ruined the street and the city has not resurfaced it yet.

Sue's house was empty. The foundation had been damaged and inside the floors have been torn up and sheet rock torn down. A large sign on the front of the house said "WE TEAR DOWN HOUSES." Two doors to the right a new, elevated, house was being built. The house to the left had been torn down and now has a travel trailer sitting on the lot.

We had hoped to go by Sue's Grandmother's house at the other end of town but didn't get a chance to after having a very late night at the French Quarter. Sorry Sue!

The rest of the evening was spend at the French Quarter. We had dinner at Cafe' Maspeiro on Decatur Street. The meal wasn't the "WOW" meals we've had at other places but it was good. The place was packed and the price was right. It is one of the few places in the French Quarter where you can get a good meal at a reasonable price. To get things going, we shared the salad that came with my dinner and a bowl of Jambalaya for $4.00. The Jambalaya was good but rather bland. Ann had been wanting a Muffaletta since we got to New Orleans and here she had one. For seven dollars she got a HUGE sandwich with fries. She enjoyed it very much, or, half of it anyway. I ordered the Seafood plate which comes with oysters (I passed on those in favor of more of everything else) fried shrimp, fried catfish and fried calamari with the salad and fries for $10.75. I found the fried seafood to be rather bland. I figure we're in Cajun country and food here should be exciting! It was good, but not exciting. I only ate half of it and we took the rest home.

After dinner we walked to Bourbon Street where there were lots of people. Many people had come from the nearby Superdome where the Saints had just played a home game and lost. Losing didn't seem to dampen the spirits of the fans on Bourbon Street. The street and bars were full and people were happy. The two nights we walked around Bourbon Street we saw no fights or confrontations. Police cars would drive through every once in a while and foot patrols were scarce. People just seemed happy to be there. Even the sloppy drunks were nowhere to be found, even at 11 o'clock at night after a losing effort by the local team. We did see two officers on horseback tonight. They rode right down Bourbon Street.

It may have been a little more crowded because today was the day the streetcars started running again after the lines were damaged by Katrina. There was a big party for the starting of the streetcars. Except for a small section that had been repaired this summer, today was the first day the cars had run.

We spent most of the evening just walking up and down Bourbon Street. We did go into The Blues Club for a couple of drinks and live music. The band was very good and played traditional jazz, blues and some rock and roll. We had drinks called a Blue Note. It has Vodka, Rum, Blue Curacao and sour mix. Good drinks although a little pricey at $9.00 each. And, they come in small plastic cup. We figure we're paying for the drink and music so not to complain - too much.

Just after eleven o'clock we got back to the car. On the way out we stopped at the fire department where we had a look around. They had their roll up doors open and the troops were sitting and watching the world go by. Nice guys who took us into the station for a look around.

Tomorrow we head west toward Houston!

The top photograph shows one of the gardens and the mansion at Longue Vue. The rest of the photographs show Sue's home in New Orleans. The third "home" photograph shows the house the current owner built behind Sue's old house. The current owner is an artist who bought the property and, before the hurricane, build a new house in the back and turned the original house into a studio. The last shot is of the interior. I shot it though a screen window, thus the poor quality.

Day sixty nine - Saturday

I haven't said too much about this park we're in or Hurricane Katrina.

The park itself is no big deal. It's rather plain with sparse trees. I'm told by one of the locals that there were a lot more trees before hurricane Katrina. The two ponds at the back of the park show the effects of Katrina as evidenced by the downed trees on the south side of the ponds. The other evidence of Katrina are the 30 or so single-wide mobile homes parked at the rear of the park. The locals call this area the "hood." We're told many of the residents are New Orleans hookers and drug dealers. We lock our door even during the day when we're here.

There are a lot of permanent and long term residents here, which I don't like. It seems that when a park has a lot of these people in it, these people lose respect for the park and its occupants. There are also a lot of working folks here and the sparsely graveled, but still noisy, road right behind our coach sounds like a freeway beginning at 6:00 a.m. when people are rushing off to work in their cars and trucks.

Just yesterday there was a story in the news about FEMA trailers that are toxic. The FEMA employees have been told to stay out of the trailers due to the toxicity but there are thousands of people still living the these trailers. Why are they still living in them? Probably because all the residents, at least here, have to pay for is their propane. They don't even have to pay for electricity or water.

As we've driven through New Orleans around the French Quarter and surrounding neighborhoods we see plenty evidence of Katrina. Many residences and businesses are still unoccupied. Doors of homes are still spray paint marked from the door-to-door search after the hurricane. There are also signs of recovery. Many new buildings and fences have gone up and there's lots of fresh paint of all colors, many very gaudy colors.

The weather has turned from cold to hot and humid. It's only in the high 70's but with the humidity it feels warmer. We were going to drive to a plantation today but on checking the route I found it was 75 miles from Slidell. We decided not to drive that far and spent the day relaxing, watching TV and, in Ann's case, napping. We did walk down to the pond and saw the larger alligator lounging on the log.

On Monday we start west. We'll probably take six or seven days to get to Las Vegas. Maybe more if we find something to see on the way. We may go to the Space Center in Houston.

The USA map shows the states we've visited on this trip. I didn't include Montana because we didn't take the motor home there. However, we did drive the car to West Yellowstone, Montana. All the states on the map are states we spent at least one night in.

Day sixty eight - Friday

We didn't do much today during the day. Ann did some laundry and we had a game of Scrabble. However, in the evening we had a blast.

We went back to the French Quarter, arriving just before dark. Being Friday it was a lot busier than before and it took us a while to find parking. Once we were parked we walked about five blocks to Pat O'Brien's. Linda Zeppa recommended Pat O'Brien's, which has several bars and a restaurant. One of the bars has a flaming fountain and another is a piano bar. We selected the piano bar and ordered Hurricanes.
The piano bar has two pianos. Two women were playing the pianos and singing. They were fun and funny. The music was lively as they took requests. The crowd sang along and everybody was having a good time, especially two guys who couldn't keep their hands or lips off each other. Hmmm, local flavor?

When we left Pat O'Brien's, we walked up and down Bourbon Street. People were throwing beads off the balconies to people on the street but it wasn't rowdy like during Mardi Gras, at least not yet. We heard Jazz coming from one bar so we went in and listened to a couple of Jazz bands for a while and had Mint Juleps. The bands were very good and so were the drinks.

Back out on Bourbon Street we found there were more people on the balconies and more people in the street. At one balcony we noticed people were throwing beads up to the balcony instead of the other way around. It was a high balcony with a man and a woman. They were having trouble getting the beads up to the balcony but once they did I saw why there were trying so hard. Every time someone would get the beads up to the balcony, the woman would expose herself. She had quite a crowd down below.

We finally made it back to the car and drove back to Slidell where we had a very late dinner at a Shoney's. It's the south's version of Denny's but not as good. Once at a Shoney's is once too many times.

The first picture shows one of the singers at Pat O'Briens. The second picture shows one of the Jazz bands at Maison Bourbon Jazz Club.

Day sixty seven - Thursday

There are two private "ponds" at this RV park. I'm told there are Bass, Bluegill, Catfish and Gar in these ponds. I decided to go to the ponds and chuck some lures. I fished the first pond for about 15 minutes before Ann joined me. I had already noticed lots of turtles in the pond and pointed them out to Ann. We walked a little further along the bank of the pond and I spotted another critter. A black snake was sitting in a bush just above the water along the bank. Although not sure, I don't think it was a Water Moccasin.

Ann went back to the coach to get the binoculars and I stayed to fish the pond. A local came up and we started talking. He told me about the alligators in the pond and took me to a spot where he knew the alligators hung out on a log. As we approached the spot, the alligator slipped off the log and into the water. We were able to get a pretty good look at him in the water though. He was about 5-6 feet long and in no hurry to leave. I went to get the camera but by the time I got back a smaller 'gater and some turtles were on the log. I brought Ann back with the binocular and the small alligator was still on the log. The larger alligator was across the pond among some branches in the water. All that we could see of him was the top of his head in the water.

In the afternoon we drove back to the French Quarter. We took the long route so we could drive across the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. I had no idea how long it was across the lake so I set the trip meter as we passed through the toll plaza. As we started crossing the longest bridge in the US all we could see on the other side was the top of the New Orleans sky scrapers off in the distance. We could see nothing else in front or to the left or right but water. Twenty-four miles later, and almost running out of gas, we came off the bridge just outside of New Orleans.

At the French Quarter, we walked around again. The French Quarter is about one mile by one mile in size. We walked to the riverfront where we strolled along the Mississippi River for a short time before returning to Decatur Street. Here, we stopped at the Cafe Du Monde for Beignets. These "donuts" are very light and are covered with powdered sugar. Very good!

Back to Bourbon Street where we went into the Cat's Meow to listen to music and have a drink. We each had a Hurricane in a very large cup!

We got back to the coach in time for Gray's Anatomy.

The first picture shows the turtles on the log in front of the smaller of the two alligators in the fishing pond. The second picture is me enjoying a Beignet and the last picture shows the Cats Meow on Bourbon Street.

Day sixty six - Wednesday

We left the coach this morning with the intent of going by the office of a local tour company to see what our options would be with this company. We ended up in a small office located on the Pearl River just east of Slidell.

The clerk talked us out of taking their plantation tour, telling us they really only provide transportation to the plantation. Since we have a car, we can drive ourselves. However, they had a swamp tour leaving in just ten minutes. We paid $23.00 each for the two-hour boat tour and got aboard with 19 other people.

On this tour we floated down the Pearl River seeing a small alligator and a house that had been washed down stream several miles by Hurricane Katrina. The house was still intact but now swamped, literally, in about two feet of water.

Our tour guide, a Cajun, turned us around and ran us back upstream and into a swamp. Here, we entered very shallow water and moved along very slowly as he described the wildlife and ecology of the swamp. Here, we saw two more alligators, several snakes, including a Cottonmouth Water Moccasin. Turtles were everywhere and the flora and fauna was fascinating.

After the swamp tour we headed to Lakeshore Mississippi where we visited the Silver Slipper Casino. Ann did some gambling before we had an early dinner (supper) at the buffet. We paid half price for the buffet and found it was quite good for a casino buffet. There was a surprising variety and the food was very good, especially the catfish and the ribs. The ribs weren't BBQ, they were smoked.

Back at the coach we had a game of Scrabble and called it an evening.

Top photo shows the swamp we toured and the bottom photo shows one of the alligators we saw on the tour.

Day sixty five - Tuesday

This morning we drove into New Orleans and went to the French Quarter. After feeding a parking meter we started walking around. We checked out some shops before we decided to have lunch.

At the Cafe Beignet, Ann had Red Beans and Rice and I had Jambalaya. It wasn't bad but it was small portions and overpriced.

After lunch we continued walking around. We found Bourbon Street, listened to some street musicians and saw some of the sights. Ann had a Hand Grenade from one of the bars on Bourbon Street. I guess the ingredients are a secret.

We walked around for about four hours before driving back to the coach to give the dogs a break. Once they were taken care of we headed out for dinner. One of the locals recommended Copeland's for New Orleans style food. We found it easy enough but had second thoughts once we got inside. The menu looked good but the prices were a bit high. Well, we were there so what the heck. I ordered the Shrimp Ducky and Ann had the Jambalaya Pasta. We shared a Caesar Salad.

The salad was the best Caesar Salad either of us has ever had. The dressing was great but the real kicker was the toasted cheese crumbles that was added to the salad. GREAT!

Then, the main course. The shrimp, duck and mushrooms were in a brown sauce over white rice. Very good! Very, Very Good!!! Ann's Jambalaya was a shrimp, sausage and mushroom jambalaya on pasta. Also excellent. Neither of us were able to finish so we'll have a very good lunch tomorrow. Dinner was topped off with white chocolate bread pudding and vanilla sauce to die for.

Although the final dinner bill came to $60.00, including tip, it was well worth it. Copeland's is a restaurant we look forward to visiting again.

Day sixty four - Monday, Nov. 5

We left Jackson Mississippi this morning and headed toward New Orleans. A little over 200 miles later we arrived at our destination. We're not staying in New Orleans, we're staying north east of New Orleans in Slidell, Louisiana. Slidell is about 30 minutes from New Orleans.

We originally planned to stay here for four nights but decided to make it a full week so we won't feel rushed to enjoy New Orleans.

Dinner was Scrabble and fish with salad and baked potato. The evening was finished off with Dancing with the Stars and Nightline.

Day sixty three - Sunday

Another travel day brought us to Jackson Mississippi where we again spent the night in a Walmart parking lot.

We covered a little over 200 miles and three more states. Yesterday we left Missouri and came back into Arkansas. Today we covered the rest of Arkansas, crossed over the northeast corner of Louisiana and ended up in Mississippi. We followed Hwy 65 south and then turned east on Hwy 20 to get to Jackson, Ms.

Thus far we've covered 20 states and well over 5,600 miles.

Day sixty two - Saturday

Today was a pretty nondescript day as it is the first of three consecutive travel days. We left Branson just after 11:00 a.m. and headed south. We left on Hwy 65 and traveled through Clinton Arkansas and Little Rock Arkansas. At Little Rock we turned onto Hwy 530 south and continued to Pine Bluff Arkansas. It was a little over 200 mile day.

At Pine Bluff we found a Walmart Supercenter where we stopped for the night. Ann whipped me in a game of Scrabble for the third time in a row. The two rum and cokes may have had something to do with that.

We'll hit the road early tomorrow and head for Jackson Mississippi. Since we'll be on the road early we can stop at any interesting places on the way, if we find something interesting.

G'night!

Day sixty one - Friday

We didn't do any shows today. We started our day by going to a local church Christmas sale. Ann bought a few things but I couldn't find a tool or sporting goods department. I did find an old Les McCann album.

We lunched at a fancy Mexican restaurant - Le Taco Bell!

During the afternoon I fished Lake Taneycomo one last time. I hit the water at about 3:30. This spot I've been fishing is right by a fish hatchery. When I stand in about three feet of water I see Rainbow Trout hovering around my feet. Every time I move my feet the trout rush in to eat whatever I stir up. Some of these trout were 18 inches.

I fished scud pattern again and did a little better. I followed Geoff Malloway's advice and caught bigger fish. However, I still couldn't entice a big Brown Trout. I caught six Rainbows up to 18 inches. The first three were on the scud pattern and the other three were on an egg pattern that a local gave me. Billy Hunt is the father of a local guide. He gave me the egg fly and some advice. It worked. If anybody is coming here to fish, check out http://www.taneycomotrout.com/. It's a very good website with lots of useful, local information. I wish I'd found this before I fished the river.

After fishing Ann and I went to the Grand Country Buffet for dinner. Pretty good. It was a lot better than Dockers and cheaper too.

Tomorrow we head south to New Orleans. We've covered over 5000 miles so far. From here to home will be at least another 3000 miles.

Day sixty - Thursday

After chili omelets for breakfast we did some shopping.

At 3 o'clock we saw Yakov Smirnoff, a Russian comedian. Although I've seen Yakov on TV, Ann's never seen him. For those of you who don't remember him, he came to the USA from Russia with his parents in 1977 as a young adult. Twenty years ago he became a US citizen and he's a very funny guy. His show is heavily based on patriotism and his experiences as a citizen of a new country with different customs.


His show began with an opening act of two young comedians and then everybody stood up for the National Anthem. Although he' s a comedian, it would appear he truly loves this country and what it offers. As Ann put it, it takes someone from another country to really appreciate what we have here.

My favorite part of his show is when he did a presidential skit.

After the show we had an okay buffet dinner at Dockers and then back to the coach for a game of Scrabble.