I seriously just experienced the shortest holiday dinner/get-together ever. I'm here in Nebraska at my aunt Josette's house, and they don't quite do things the way I'm used to at home. But it was different and now instead of trying to entertain my family for the next couple of hours, I can chill out and relax and finally write a blog entry...
When I last wrote, I was hanging out in Panama City, Florida en route to New Orleans. The weather was already significantly chillier since I left Naples which got me wondering if I was doing this trip backwards. Aren't you supposed to HEAD towards warm weather? But no, this is a Courtney trip. So I do things a little different. The ride to New Orleans was interesting. I had to keep calling my mom to tell her about because my parents would really like the drive through all the white sand beachs of the Gulf Shore, especially the Destin Beach area. I get so mad at them because they continue to go to the same spots year and year and never try anything different. I'm going to make sure that they drive up the panhandle this year though. It's such an easy drive. I also visiting a little bayou in Alabama which was neat, and the towns in Mississippi that I drove through were also nice. But you could still tell that Katrina had been there...there were lots of abandoned buildings and empty lots.
When I arrived in New Orleans, I was so excited! When I came to the city with my CMAA group in 2005, it was probably one of the best trips I've ever been on. To be able to go back to some of those places that made my trip so special were high priorities on my list. I stayed at the Parc St. Charles hotel, which was only 4 blocks to the French Quarter - so I felt safe walking by myself. Of course upon arrival, the hotel didn't have my reservation and I had to wait a good 20 minutes while they figured everything out. But no biggie, no worries mon. I was in New Orleans so all was good!
The first thing I did - after freaking out about how much I loved my room - was go and get my grub on! I didn't eat lunch so I could enjoy a nice Cajun meal that night. I found myself at a place called Oceania where I engulfed a dish of red beans and rice with andouille sausage. I wandered Bourbon Street for a bit, reliving some of the memories I had from '05 - especially when I saw the sign for the bar Razzoo. But my main destination was the best kept secret in all of New Orleans - Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar. You have to walk by all the garbage on Bourbon Street and go up a few blocks before you arrive. And even once you get there, you have to do a doubletake to make sure that this place is an actual bar. It's almost lighted completely by candles, the drinks are a little bit cheaper and the piano in the back has stools so you can just belly up to it and sing along with the piano player all night. And that is exactly what I did. I met a great group of people here on business and I stayed at the main bar and chatted with them for a while before the piano player started. Then I found myself hanging out with these two guys from Texas and let me tell you, we just had an absolute blast that night! So much fun that I barely even remember leaving the bar that night and buying a hot dog from a street vendor! Best bar ever. I already want to go back.
The next day after quickly deciding that it would be wise to not booze it up that night, I decided to literally walk all over the New Orleans Riverwalk and all of the French Quarter. I went up and down the streets all day - in my flip flops, I might add. I took some great pictures, enjoyed watching a band perform on the streets complete with locals dancing and just generally wishing that I had more time there. By the time I got back to the hotel to rest up before going out to dinner, I realized that my feet hurt WAY too much to even walk back down to the hotel lobby, so I ordered take out and stayed in all night. I wish I had been able to go back out to Lafitte's, but I know I made the right decision.
Originally after leaving New Orleans, I was just going to head straight up to Little Rock, Arkansas but while shopping at the Tabasco store near Jackson Square, I became aware that the Tabasco factory was only a couple hours away in a little place called Avery Island, Louisiana. So you can only guess where I went next! The ride was nice and the tour was free, so who would pass that up? Also got some free samples. Don't knock jalapeno ice cream until you tried it! Or jalapeno soda, for that matter. Also on Avery Island was this neat place called Jungle Gardens where you could ride through some nice cypress, bamboo and oak trees and also around a bayou - so I figured I would do that as well. I didn't quite make it to Little Rock that night but the sidetrip was definitely worth it.
The next day, after spending the night in Ruston, Louisiana, it was only a couple hour drive to Little Rock. The only thing I really wanted to see there was the Clinton Presidential Library. Yes, I'm a fan of the Clintons and their work, so I thought it would be an interesting thing for me to see. And it was! There was also a nice restaurant in the bottom floor of the library where I had lunch. The Library itself was more like a muesum. Lots of things to read, some videos to watch and some artifacts that had to do with the Clintons or the White House. There was even a model of the Oval Office the exact way that it looked when Clinton was President. But no, I did not see Monica underneath the desk. Nor was the blue dress on display. Little Rock seemed like a nice enough town but I wanted to get trucking on to St. Louis, so I quickly drove through the center of town and was on my way!
Well, before I write about St. Louis, I guess I should touch upon my first "mishap" of the trip. After leaving Little Rock, I was taking a road called Route 67 which would pretty much bring me all the way to St. Louis. I had about 50 miles to go before needing gas so I said to myself, "I will get off and get gas at the next command of my GPS" (which was only a couple miles away). Then Samantha really thought it would be funny to play a trick on me. All of sudden she started "recalculating" like she had tourette's syndrome. She was doing it so much that I had to put her on mute. Apparently the road was newer so she didn't recognize it. And therefore, the next GPS command didn't really exist. So here I am in basically the middle of nowhere - farms all around, no highway exits, no gas stations - and my fuel is running out. And so that's what it did. Right around sunset, I ran out of gas right off of the highway 67 (the new part) in a section of Arkansas that didn't believe in streetlights. Called my parents, minorly freaked out, called AAA and they said it would be over an hour. So picture this, here I am hunched over in my Jeep so no one would see that the car was occupied, trying to cover up any form of light that I was using and if anyone was to come and harass me all I really had was a hammer and a pocketknife. Now that I think of it, it was pretty hilarious. AAA finally shows up, gives me gas and all is right in the world again. Needless to say, I wanted to get the hell out of Arkansas so I pulled in for the night right over the Missouri line. Word to the wise: Never let that happen again!
St. Louis was definitely a good time. I did a tour of Busch Stadium - the home to the St. Louis Cardinals. Once again, another AWESOME baseball tour. I got to go on the warning track, in the dugout and when no one was looking I put my foot on the field! The tour guide even broke the rules and brought us down to the locker rooms. I also, of course, went to the top of the Arch. The tram ride is definitely not for the claustrophobic but the view at the top was great! After doing the Arch and walking around the Mississippi Riverfront, I passed a helicopter ride barge and impulsively decided to take a ride. I've never been on a helicopter, always wanted to, so why not? That's what this trip is all about! And it was just me, so these private tours really make me feel like a rockstar. The helicopter ride was only a few minutes but it's something I'll always remember - gliding over St. Louis right before sunset. That night I went out and drank. First I went to Schlafly Brewing where I met some interesting locals and had a few beers (two bought for me). Then I decided that that just wasn't enough so I went to a local bar near my hotel. First of all, you could have cut through the smoke with a knife. Second, the owner/bartender had a mullet. And third, these Mexicans that didn't speak much English kept buying me Coronas. OK. It was definitely an interesting night.
I know this is long, please bear with me. I'm almost done. I was going to do the Budweiser tour the next morning, but when I woke up much earlier then I anticipated, I decided to just buckle down and powerdrive to my aunt's house in Nebraska. It was a good 800 mile trip, over 12 hours of driving and I went through a time zone change. Saw lots of cool things on the way that I wish I had time to stop and see, but I had it in my head that I was getting there that day so I kept pressing on. I got to Alliance around 8:45 that night, had dinner and was passed out before 10:30. Man, was I tired. Josette gave me the grand tour of her town the next day, which really isn't much. But I did enjoy Carhenge, which is a tacky version of Stonehenge, but with cars. Besides that, I've really just been taking it easy and relaxing. I got the oil changed in my car yesterday and everything seems to be in tip-top shape. I'm in love with her cat Gaby. She seems to have taken to me too. I also am enjoying the company of her dogs - Gertrude and Nelly, or as I call her "The Tongue". It's nice to spend time with Josette as well. We have some things planned for the next few days. Tomorrow I'm heading up for a solo trip to the Badlands in South Dakota. Saturday we're heading to Scottsbluff. And Sunday-Tuesday we're spending in Deadwood since she won two nights at a hotel there. And it snowed here yesterday. Not a lot but I kind of liked it.
And then Wednesday.....since I just don't know when to stop, I'm heading to Port Orford, Oregon to see my other aunt, Louise. Call me crazy, but I could do this forever.
What route are you taking to get back east, once you get to Portland?
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