After a 6877 Pedometer day we were ready for a car ride, a long one, 358 miles according to my Google sources, most of it on the I-55.
First stop was a rest stop. It looked new, part of a government project to stimulate the economy judging by the signs we saw on the roadside. Very swish and a nice surprise. They even supplied coffee, $1.00’s worth (in a polystyrene cup of course.) Hey, we can't expect too much improvement in one project can we.
Found another Jackson, this time in Mississippi. Drove around looking for a bank, didn’t see one! It’s supposed to be the biggest town in the state and the capital to boot, but not much was going on there.
We were hungry and took the plunge trying out Shoneys, a chain of diners we’d been seeing all the way along our road journeys. Didn’t know what to expect but pleasantly surprised to see a buffet and plenty of choices at reasonable prices. Seemed like most of the town’s disabled enjoyed it too. One by one, in wheelchairs and crutches, accompanied by carers they filed in, a sort of Lourdes eating place. They knew the staff who knew them just as well, lots of greetings ‘how are yas’ etc.
Not long after that I became one of them temporarily when I trapped my thumb in the car door. Dripping blood I found some ice in one of the vending machines in the service station, wrapped it in paper towel and a plastic bag. I had full range of motion so knew it wasn’t broken. Later, using eye makeup remover pads (hadn't used them for anything else thus far) I padded it and Maxine wrapped plaster tape tightly around to stop it bleeding. (I’d purchased the tape and scissors on my Darwin-Broome trip for blisters, very handy to have with you on a long trip.)
The first question out of people’s mouth’s when they discovered we were doing a road trip was ‘Have you got GPS?’ followed by a look of horror when we told them we did not, we were using maps. You actually hardly even need maps driving the freeways of the USA, and by now I’d discovered a new best friend, Rand McNally’s website whose instructions we followed getting in and out of destination cities. Very easy. We switched to the I-10 as instructed and found The Clarion Inn, Canal Street New Orleans, our new home for the next three days.
We had a room with 3 double beds, and after a cup of tea (we’re so English!!!) hit the streets. Our hotel was within walking distance of the French Quarter. I was keen to see the famous Bourbon Street.
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| New Orleans but NOT Bourbon Street! |
Oh my! I was not prepared for it to be so seedy, and not a lick of jazz played out from the open doorways. Instead sleazy looking men touted for business in their adult entertainment hovels. My romantic image, fuelled by jazz records of said street and the likes of ‘St James Infirmary Blues’ and ‘Basin Street Blues’ was shattered. It was enough to make you want to write the blues.
My glum, disappointed soul cheered up when we found Primo’s restaurant. They offered sample dishes of typical New Orleans fare, Jambalaya, Shrimp Letouffe, Red beans and rice, and Gumbo, all delicious, followed by bread pudding ( a common dessert in NO) This one had raisins and small pieces of peaches in it. It was delightfully moist and light.
After booking a steamboat cruise for the following evening, the sound of music and festivities caused us to detour on our way home. Turned out that New Orleans Fire department was promoting their 2011 calendar full of hunky firemen. Maxine lined up to buy one for her daughter (a calendar not a fireman) and get it signed by the real live hunks in attendance. Meanwhile we sipped on free wine and enjoyed the scenery!
A large flock of starlings intrigued us too. We saw them them again the next night when aboard the SS Natchez.
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| expand the pic and you'll see them! |
No wonder Maxine and Kathie fell asleep reading their books, (I took pictures) it had been a long day, a 6 - 7 hour car ride and 7729 steps.
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