Garden District in New Orleans



New Orleans across from Cafe DuMonde


The French Quarter New Orleans


Pensacola Beach -- The Sand is sooo white


Emily Exhausted after her first Semester of College

Beaumont to New Orleans to Savannah and Home!
The ride from Beaumont to NO provided nothing interesting or unusual until we approached NO and travelled through the swampy areas and saw some of the devastation that Katrina wrought on NO. We arrived at our destination--the B & W Courtyards Inn early enough in the day to enjoy an evening in NO. Our hosts, Kevin and Rob were a hoot! They gave us the low down on how we should spend our couple of days there and where to eat. The Inn itself was true NO, grungy and charming at the same time. We walked around the French Quarter and had the most amazing grilled oysters at the famous Acme Oyster House. Bourbon Street was quite interesting and worth a visit once, but that was enough. Women (we think… perhaps men????) luring you to come in and see their "shows" alcohol everywhere and drunk people in all sorts of attire. We visited Frenchman's Street and listed to some NO jazz at the "Spotted Cat". The next day we visited the Garden District which had beautiful 1800's mansions and Magazine Street with its funky art and antique shops. We ate at at another Diner from Guy Fierri's show -- Joey K's. We took the streetcar to the end of the line and saw Tulane and Loyola Universities and took in the flavor of the various neighborhoods. After a walk through the French Market and coffee at the famous Cafe Du Monde, where we watched the world go by (a very interesting mix of folks). Dinner was at Paul Prudhome's restaurant with the most amazing blackened pork chops stuffed with cheese, a stuffed potato that should be outlawed for the fat and calories, and blackened steak and fish. We LOVED New Orleans. It was one of our favorite spots on the trip, despite the filth that covers the city. It has to be one of the dirties cities and in such disrepair from neglect by the government that we have seen. Somehow though, it is charming, exciting and the food is AMAZING. Can't wait to go back. The next morning it was off to Savannah via Talahasee to celebrate Emily's 18th birthday and then start the final leg of our journey home. We drove via Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida panhandle. The devastation from Katrina is even more remarkable in Mississippi. While the recovery there is evident, the destruction was so overwhelming it will never return to its grandeur of its past. We stopped at Pensacola beach to see the white sand. We took a ride through sand dunes that make us think of a blizzard back home because the sand was so white. Savannah is a lovely city and Emily showed us around her favorite haunts. She is loving SCAD and has made many friends. Today we travelled our final leg of the trip from Savannah to home. We are exhausted from the trip, but we had a wonderful time and are already thinking about where our next adventure will be.
Stats:

Location Today: HOME !!!!
Traveled 9012 Miles since we left Maryland !!!!!!!
Visited the following states: Md, Va, Wv., Tn, Ky, Ar., Ok., Tx., Nm, Az, Nv, Ca, La, Miss, Ala, Fl, Ga, SC, NC
Next Destination: Oh the potential...
Nights on the Road: 39
Hotels: 24
Bowls of Gumbo: 4 (in two days)
Calories consumed: Astonomical

Highlights:
The French Quarter
Cafe Du Monde -- beignets and coffee with chicory -- a NO tradition
Acme Oyster House and their grilled oysters
The Garden District
The Streetcar ride through the city
Magazine Street
K Paul's Restaurant
Celebrating Emily's 18th birthday in Savannah at the Mellow Mushroom
Walking around Savannah

Not so great stuff:
Beaumont TX
Seeing the devastation in NO and Mississippi from Hurricane Katrina
More cold and cloudy weather
Exhaustion (we need a vacation from our vacation)

Beauiful Mosaic on the Riverwalk

Riverwalk Diners

Theatre Stage on the Riverwalk

Shopping on the Riverwalk

Lynn at the Alamo

El Paso to San Antonio to Beaumont TX:

On Friday we left El Paso for one of our longest drives…8.5 hours through well, NOTHINGNESS. This has to be one of the worst drives in history. I-10 has little to offer but depressing little towns out in the middle of the desert with nothing in between. After rest stops and a stop for lunch in one of the depressing towns (Ft. Stockton) where we had our 9th mexican meal on this trip (and believe it or not, one of the best), and Bob being stopped by a Texas State Trooper for speeding, who was kind enough not to give Bob a ticket (just a warning) we arrived in San Antonio almost 10 hours after leaving El Paso (UGH - never again). San Antonio is a charming city and is not only the home to the Alamo, but also the famed "Riverwalk". A very festive area in downtown San Antonio where the river flows though gardens, walkways, restaurants, hotels and shops. It goes on for several miles and is quite beautiful. We went to a Diner, Drive-In and Dive for dinner -- the "Tip-Top Cafe" an experience right out of the 1950's. We tried "chicken fried steak" and enjoyed the local hangout. We slept in and had a lazy day today. We had a nice brunch at La Fogata, a recommendation of the hosts of our destination in New Orleans. They told us it was a "must" and we totally agree. Then off to the Alamo for a bit of historical edification. Pretty interesting old buidling with lovely grounds. Our last stop was the Riverwalk again. We took a guided boat ride along the river and had a chance to see more of the area than last evening. Dinner was at a Texas BBQ joint called "Augies Barbed-Wire Smokehouse" -- amazing pulled pork and brisket. Yes, all we have beren doing is eating. We will likely not pass the weight restriction on the next truck stop…….

Stats:
Location Today: San Antonio to Beaumont, TX
Traveled 7350 Miles since we left Maryland !!!!!!!
Approx. 1350 miles from Md
Visited the following states: Md, Va, Wv., Tn, Ky, Ar., Ok., Tx., Nm, Az, Nv, Ca.
Next Destination: New Orleans, LA
Nights on the Road: 34
Number of Hotels/Inns/B&B's: 21
Number of Mexican Food meals eaten so far: 10
Number of Stops by State Troopers: 2 Fines levied none to date

Highlights:
The Alamo
Riverwalk
Tip Top Cafe
La Fogata
Augie's Barbed Wire Smokehouse
80 mile an hour speed limit though TX



Not so great stuff:
Long drives through nothingness, again
Stop by State Troopers for speeding
Expanding waist lines!

Tombstone

Gunfight at the OK Corral

Sabino Canyon

Sabino Canyon

More Sabino Canyon -- Saguaro Cactus far and wide!

From El Paso, Texas:
After a restful night in Tucson we awoke to a beautiful day in the desert - 85 degrees and sunny with a warm desert wind. Perfect! We spent the morning at Sabino Canyon, a national park in the foothills of the Santa Catilina Mountains just north of town. The Park runs a tram from the parking lot 3.5 miles into the canyon where you can get off at any number of stops to hike around and enjoy the scenery. It was great to get out of the car for awhile and move around. Before heading out of town, we were determined to find "El Guero Canelo" a Tucson tradition that serves something called a "Senoran Hot Dog". We drove through some unsavory area of town and found the place. It was worth the side trip and we can't wait to come back to Tucson for more!!! After lunch we drove down to Tombstone to look around. We toured the famous OK Corral and learned about the "official" account of the shootout, and also sat through the "Historama" which is a very cheesy multi-media presentation of the history of the town. Very corny, but fun. We got underway at sunset for our 4.5 hour drive to El Paso. The evening drive spared us of the boring scenery. Helping to pass the time while driving ,was listening to the Bill O'Reilly and Anderson Cooper TV shows on the XM Radio. All the spinning made us dizzy though.

Stats:
Location Today: Tucson, Arizona
Traveled 6426 Miles since we left Maryland
Approx. 1900 miles from Md
Visited the following states: Md, Va, Wv., Tn, Ky, Ar., Ok., Tx., Nm, Az, Nv, Ca.
Next Destination: San Antonio
Nights on the Road: 32
Number of Hotels/Inns/B&B's: 19
Number of Mexican Food meals eaten so far: 8

Highlights:
Sabino Canyon
Tombstone
Discovering Sonoran Hot Dogs at El Guero Canelo in Tucson…see diagram at http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/tm.aspx?m=280456&mpage=

Not so great stuff:
Long drives through nothingness, again
Not having enough time to see it all

View of the San Andreas Fault (dark line in valley) from Joshua Tree National Park


An oasis in the desert

Crazy Rock Formations


Joshua Tree National Park

From Tucson, Arizona:
We arrived early this evening after two relaxing nights at the Agua Caliente Hotel Casino and Spa in Rancho Mirage, California which is near Palm Springs (funny that lots of streets in the area are named after dead people: Bob Hope, Sonny Bono, Dinah Shore). This hotel ranks near the top of the places we have stayed on our trip. Truly a four star, Vegas type hotel, without the crowds or the price. Only open for one year, the place looks like we were the first guests to stay there. Amazingly, we never set foot in the casino other to go to our room! On Tuesday we visited the Joshua Tree National Park. We thought that the park's claim to fame was the Joshua trees but the real star of the show are the fantastic rock formations throughout the park. We were excited to learn that the place where we chose to picnic was a location featured in an original Star Trek episode.
Today's drive to Tucson took us past the Salton Sea, Imperial Valley, Yuma, and Gila Bend. Besides seeing the most fertile agricultural area in the country, there was lots of nothing.

Stats:
Location Today: Tucson, Arizona
Traveled 6123 Miles since we left Maryland
Approx. 2300 miles from Md
Visited the following states: Md, Va, Wv., Tn, Ky, Ar., Ok., Tx., Nm, Az, Nv, Ca.
Next Destination: El Paso?
Nights on the Road: 31
Number of Hotels/Inns/B&B's: 18

Highlights:
Agua Caliente Hotel
Joshua Tree National Park

Not so great stuff:
Long drives through nothingness
Finding out that Rachael has the swine flu....fortunately she's on the road to recovery!

View out the back deck at the Blue Butterfly Inn


Yosemite



Yosemite Falls


Half Dome Rock


Tenaya Lake


Mono Lake

Monument at Manzonar

From Rancho Mirage, California:
After two spectacular days in Yosemite we have started our gradual path back to the east coast. We left Yosemite via the Tioga Pass, a high road over the Sierra Mountains exceeding 9900 feet above sea level. Spectacular doesn't do enough to describe the scenery we have seen during the last couple of days. Yosemite is one of the most beautiful places we have both been. We look forward to returning again soon. After the Tioga Pass, we traveled to Mono Lake, and erie salt lake similar to the Great Salt Lake in Utah, with the addition of unusual rock formations. We arrived there at sunset, which intensified the erie and desolate nature of the lake which was surrounded by the snow covered Sierra Mountains. We spent the night in a outdoor resort town, Bishop, California. We enjoyed exploring it the next morning before starting our journey for the day. On our way to Rancho Mirage, we stopped at the Manzanar National Historic Site, an interment camp which existed during WWII which held Japanese Americans who were deported from California, Oregon and Washington. A sobering sight to see. The rest of the day we drove and drove and drove through nothingness-- and we mean nothingness. We are looking forward to a couple of days of R&R. The weather is going to be sunny and in the 80's here for the next two days (we are in the desert). We plan to visit Joshua Tree National Park too. Then on to our next destinations east…

Stats:
Location Today: Rancho Mirage, CA
Traveled 5503 Miles since we left Maryland
Approx. 2610 miles from Md
Visited the following states: Md, Va, Wv., Tn, Ky, Ar., Ok., Tx., Nm, Az, Nv, Ca.
Next Destination: Somewhere in Arizona
Nights on the Road: 29
Number of Hotels/Inns/B&B's: 16

Highlights:
Blue Butterfly B&B
Glacier Point, Yosemite
Tioga Pass
Mono Lake
Bishop, Ca (Schat's Bakery & Mahogany Smoked Meats)
Manzanar National Historic Site

Not so great stuff:
Hotels where pets have been in the rooms (even with a 'no pet policy' -- trouble for Lynn
High Altitude breathing
Long drives through nothingness

Sunset a we enter Yosemite National Park


Tasting Wine....


At Jordan Vinyards


Cabernet Grapes on the Vine

From El Portal, Ca:
Greetings from Yosemite National Park. We are staying at this neat little B&B at the gateway to the park -- The Blue Butterfly Inn. A hotel was built all around it, but the folks that own it wouldn't sell their land. It is right on a river and is really lovely. We spent our last day in Santa Roaa drinking wine and eating. We forgot to mention in our prior post that we were in a restaurant having dinner and in the restaurant were the finalists for the "Top Chef" competition on Bravo. They had been shooting the final episode there and were having a party in the restaurant. Fun to see the folks up close in person. One of the finalists was a surprise. We would never have guessed he would make it to the final! The last day in Santa Rosa was rainy, so we took it slow by only visiting two wineries compared to the five the previous day. The Jordan Vineyards tasting was special because it took place in a beautifully recreated french chateau, and each wine was paired with a different cheese. We end up leaving Calif. wine country with lots of bottles of wine… not sure where we are going to put Emily on the way home. The ride to Yosemite was so beautiful today. We arrived just at sunset. We are looking forward to touring the park tomorrow.

Stats:
Location Today: El Portal, CA
Traveled 4954 Miles since we left Maryland
Approx. 2690 miles from Md
Visited the following states: Md, Va, Wv., Tn, Ky, Ar., Ok., Tx., Nm, Az, Nv., Ca.
Next Destination: ??
Nights on the Road: 26
Number of Hotels/Inns/B&B's: 14

Highlights:
"Top Chef" finalists sighting in Healdsburg
Jordan Vineyards Tasting
Bennett Lane Winery
Taylors Refreshment in St. Helena
Scenic drive entering Yosemite


Not so great stuff:
Three straight days of rain
Hearing about the Fort Hood killings

The Lone Cypress in Carmel


17 Mile Drive in Carmel


Alcatraz

Bella Wine Caves

Our Third Winery of the day... Farrari-Carano

The vinyards change color in the fall....


From Santa Rosa, Ca:
After spending a wonderful couple of days checking out the coast of California, we were fortunate enough to be able to do the 17 mile Carmel drive in nice wether with good visibility It did not disappoint with beautiful scenery. We arrived in San Francisco on Nov 1st. Beautiful weather. The Bay Area was bathed in warmth and sunshine -- high 70's. Hard to adjust to the city after quiet small towns. Visited Alcatraz on Tuesday, another beautiful day. We were both suffering from too many days on the road and not enough rest, so we were walking around like zombies around the Fishermans Wharf area. Still enjoyed our stay. The next morning we went to the famous Yank Sing in the Rincon Center for their famous dim sum. It was orgasmically yummy! Arrived in Santa Rosa/Healdsburg area yesterday. The Vintners Inn is a relaxing oasis that we both need to recharge our batteries before our return trip across the country. We scrapped our plans to visit the L.A. area (and tickets to see the Tonight Show) in order not to rush back east. We are still trying to figure out our return trip route, but know that Yosemite National Park is our next stop Friday and Saturday. From there, southern Arizona and east……


Stats:
Location Today: Santa Rosa, CA
Traveled 4694 Miles since we left Maryland
Approx. 2850 miles from Md
Visited the following states: Md, Va, Wv., Tn, Ky, Ar., Ok., Tx., Nm, Az, Nv., Ca.
Next Destination: Yosemite
Nights on the Road: 24
Number of Hotels/Inns/B&B's: 13

Highlights:
17 Mile Drive in Carmel
Alcatraz
The Sea Lions on Fisherman's Wharf
Dim Sum
Colorful characters in San Fransisco
Vintners Inn in Santa Rosa
Wineries in Russian River Area
Tasting really good wines


Not so great stuff:
Cloudy cool weather in wine country
Tasting not so good wines
Frantic pace of the big city