We are home. A 10-hour drive from Las Vegas, long but uneventful.
31 days on the road, 5242 miles and a great adventure.
In spite of everything we did and saw, It is good to be back.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Jazz Fest Trip - Day 30
We are in Las Vegas at the Nellis AFB Desert Eagle RV Park (Famcamp) and in the homestretch of our trip.
We left Sedona about 7:30 am this morning and arrived at Nellis in the early afternoon. We filled up with gas for tomorrow and had a late lunch at the BX food court on base. Next, we checked in at the RV park. We stayed here at the beginning of the trip in April and it is a very nice place to stay.
We have a long drive tomorrow, so we are not unhooking the VW or going anywhere (like downtown Las Vegas) tonight. Dinner was leftovers in the RV and it will be early to bed. We hope to get a very early start tomorrow for the drive through the Nevada desert to Reno then over the Sierra west on I-80 and home.
Saturday Pictures - Sedona AZ to Nellis AFB NV
We left Sedona about 7:30 am this morning and arrived at Nellis in the early afternoon. We filled up with gas for tomorrow and had a late lunch at the BX food court on base. Next, we checked in at the RV park. We stayed here at the beginning of the trip in April and it is a very nice place to stay.
We have a long drive tomorrow, so we are not unhooking the VW or going anywhere (like downtown Las Vegas) tonight. Dinner was leftovers in the RV and it will be early to bed. We hope to get a very early start tomorrow for the drive through the Nevada desert to Reno then over the Sierra west on I-80 and home.
Saturday Pictures - Sedona AZ to Nellis AFB NV
Friday, May 20, 2011
Jazz Fest Trip - Day 29
We had a 9:30 am reservation to tour the Palatki Red Cliffs Heritage Site,west of Sedona on a washboard dirt road six miles off the highway. The cultural site, in a remote box canyon (rincon), is on USFS land and entry is controlled by rangers and volunteer guides.
The site is the ancesteral lands of the Singua Native Americans who arrived in this Red Rock country about AD 650 and flourished between AD 1150 and AD 1250,when they left the area and were replaced by Apache and other Indian tribes. There is also documented evidence at the site that various groups of people have lived in this area for almost 6,000 years.
The major attarctions of the site are an extensive display of pictographs (images painted on the cliff walls) dating from the Singua era and earlier as well as the remains of cliff dwellings in and under the overhanging red rock cliffs. Despite the difficulty getting to the site, it was well worth the trip and, once again, the views in every direction were spectacular.
After getting back on paved road , it was time for lunch. We decided to go back to the same place where we had lunch yesterday (Wildflower Bakery) and had another excellent meal.
After lunch, we drove to the Sedona airport, on top of a mesa in the center of town, and had a few more excellent scenic views. After a stop at Safeway for a few things, we headed back to the RV and called it a day. Judy did a last load of laundry and we went out to an early dinner at a brew pub in the shopping complex we went to yesterday (Tlaqueque).
We leave for Nelllis AFB in Las Vegas, NV in the morning, then a long ride home on Sunday.
Friday Pictures - Sedona
The site is the ancesteral lands of the Singua Native Americans who arrived in this Red Rock country about AD 650 and flourished between AD 1150 and AD 1250,when they left the area and were replaced by Apache and other Indian tribes. There is also documented evidence at the site that various groups of people have lived in this area for almost 6,000 years.
The major attarctions of the site are an extensive display of pictographs (images painted on the cliff walls) dating from the Singua era and earlier as well as the remains of cliff dwellings in and under the overhanging red rock cliffs. Despite the difficulty getting to the site, it was well worth the trip and, once again, the views in every direction were spectacular.
After getting back on paved road , it was time for lunch. We decided to go back to the same place where we had lunch yesterday (Wildflower Bakery) and had another excellent meal.
After lunch, we drove to the Sedona airport, on top of a mesa in the center of town, and had a few more excellent scenic views. After a stop at Safeway for a few things, we headed back to the RV and called it a day. Judy did a last load of laundry and we went out to an early dinner at a brew pub in the shopping complex we went to yesterday (Tlaqueque).
We leave for Nelllis AFB in Las Vegas, NV in the morning, then a long ride home on Sunday.
Friday Pictures - Sedona
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Jazz Fest Trip - Day 28
After breakfast in the RV we drove around the Sedona area to get oriented and decide what we wanted to do for the day.
Sedona is a beautiful, well-ordered town that reflects the presence of a lot of money. It is also a center for people who are into spiritual revitalization through interaction with the beauty of the area, the local sacred Native American sites, and the presence of at least nine "Spiritual Vortexes" in and around the town.
In Sedona, a vortex is a hot spot of natural energy that draws thousands of visitors each year. The vortexs are believed to create positive, negative and neutral releases of the Earth's energy and evoke balance, a heightened sense of awareness and an awakening of the spirit.
Some believe the vortexs are in conjunction with other world spiritual sites such as the Egyptian pyramids and Stonehenge and are connected with them through mystical powers and magnetic attractions. On a practical note, the locals have turned a lot of this into a commercial arrangement, offering Vortex Tours, Life Consultation Sessions and Ceremonies, Crystal Power, Psychic Readings, etc. promoting a metaphysical and spiritual experience for visitors and pilgrims to the area.
We decided to take a short hike into a "vortex" area and found a nice two mile hike up to the top of a butte in Boynton Canyon. Most of the area is on U.S. Forest Service land and the trails are maintained and controlled by them. The hike was great with outstanding views in every direction. This whole area is made up of many giant scenic views. We passed through the vortex at the summit of the butte, but, alas, we didn't feel any special sensations. During the drive to the hiking area, we also saw several Javelina, small wild pig-like animals, crossing the road.
After the hike we stopped at the visitors center in town then had lunch at a nearby restaurant, The Wildflower Bread Company. The food was excellent.
We then went to the Tlaquepaque (tla-lockey-pockey) Arts and Crafts Village to look around and window shop. The shopping complex has over 45 art galleries and many shops, and restaurants in a beautiful setting. The things for sale were mostly all high quality and many were by local artists . We were told there are at least 300 resident artists in town. I suspect many of them have day jobs though. We walked around the complex most of the afternoon and enjoyed looking at the many beautiful things for sale. The native hand made jewelry, mostly all in silver and turquoise, was exquisite. However, as we didn't need any $5,000 bronze cowboy sculptures, $2,000 oil paintings, or $1,000 necklaces, we decided to continue touring the area. Judy did find a couple of inexpensive hand-carved pigs for her collection (Pat insisted tha I had to buy these.
Next, we visited a small chapel built into a bluff just south of town in 1957. It is sort of a strange thing and we are not sure it really is a good fit for the natural beauty of the surrounding landscape. The views from the chapel were again outstanding in every direction.
It was then back to the RV to rest for awhile, then out to dinner at a nearby up-scale Italian restaurant to celebrate our 49th wedding anniversary.
Thursday Pictures - Sedona, AZ
Sedona is a beautiful, well-ordered town that reflects the presence of a lot of money. It is also a center for people who are into spiritual revitalization through interaction with the beauty of the area, the local sacred Native American sites, and the presence of at least nine "Spiritual Vortexes" in and around the town.
In Sedona, a vortex is a hot spot of natural energy that draws thousands of visitors each year. The vortexs are believed to create positive, negative and neutral releases of the Earth's energy and evoke balance, a heightened sense of awareness and an awakening of the spirit.
Some believe the vortexs are in conjunction with other world spiritual sites such as the Egyptian pyramids and Stonehenge and are connected with them through mystical powers and magnetic attractions. On a practical note, the locals have turned a lot of this into a commercial arrangement, offering Vortex Tours, Life Consultation Sessions and Ceremonies, Crystal Power, Psychic Readings, etc. promoting a metaphysical and spiritual experience for visitors and pilgrims to the area.
We decided to take a short hike into a "vortex" area and found a nice two mile hike up to the top of a butte in Boynton Canyon. Most of the area is on U.S. Forest Service land and the trails are maintained and controlled by them. The hike was great with outstanding views in every direction. This whole area is made up of many giant scenic views. We passed through the vortex at the summit of the butte, but, alas, we didn't feel any special sensations. During the drive to the hiking area, we also saw several Javelina, small wild pig-like animals, crossing the road.
After the hike we stopped at the visitors center in town then had lunch at a nearby restaurant, The Wildflower Bread Company. The food was excellent.
We then went to the Tlaquepaque (tla-lockey-pockey) Arts and Crafts Village to look around and window shop. The shopping complex has over 45 art galleries and many shops, and restaurants in a beautiful setting. The things for sale were mostly all high quality and many were by local artists . We were told there are at least 300 resident artists in town. I suspect many of them have day jobs though. We walked around the complex most of the afternoon and enjoyed looking at the many beautiful things for sale. The native hand made jewelry, mostly all in silver and turquoise, was exquisite. However, as we didn't need any $5,000 bronze cowboy sculptures, $2,000 oil paintings, or $1,000 necklaces, we decided to continue touring the area. Judy did find a couple of inexpensive hand-carved pigs for her collection (Pat insisted tha I had to buy these.
Next, we visited a small chapel built into a bluff just south of town in 1957. It is sort of a strange thing and we are not sure it really is a good fit for the natural beauty of the surrounding landscape. The views from the chapel were again outstanding in every direction.
It was then back to the RV to rest for awhile, then out to dinner at a nearby up-scale Italian restaurant to celebrate our 49th wedding anniversary.
Thursday Pictures - Sedona, AZ
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Jazz Fest Trip - Day 27
Today was an interesting travel day. We got an early start, leaving the RV park in Santa Fe about 7:45 am driving south on I-25 from Santa Fe to Albuquerque, then west on I-40. It was an easy ride until mid-morning, then the winds came up out of the SW, and driving became a major challenge, definitely a "two hands on the wheel" drive. The en route forecast was for 'isolated thunderstorms". About half-way to Flagstaff, we hit the thunderstorms and the rain lasted on-and-off the rest of way. In fact, when we arrived in Flagstaff, it was snowing (not sticking). We then headed south on I-17 in Flagstaff towards Sedona. Flagstaff is about 7,000 feet elevation and weather is usually an issue traveling through this area. A little ways south of town, we encountered hail. The road was covered and we saw three accidents in about ten minutes.
There are two ways to get to Sedona. The shorter road goes over the mountains but is very winding and vehicles over 30 feet are not recommended. The other route goes south a little further on I-17 then heads back north about 14 miles to Sedona. With the weather the way it was, we took the longer, but easier route.
Sedona is a beautiful spot in between imposing and spectacular red rock formations. The varied colors and huge formations rival those in the Grand Canyon that we saw two years ago. When we arrived about 4:30 pm we were still experiencing off-and-on rain (mostly on). The RV park is very nice and we are backed up to a beautiful creek (Oak Creek) that runs past the park and through town. After a very long drive in difficult conditions, we decided to eat in, so we ordered pizza that was delivered to the RV.
We will sleep in tomorrow and then explore the town and the surrounding area.
Wednesday Pictures - Santa Fe, NM to Sedona, AZ
There are two ways to get to Sedona. The shorter road goes over the mountains but is very winding and vehicles over 30 feet are not recommended. The other route goes south a little further on I-17 then heads back north about 14 miles to Sedona. With the weather the way it was, we took the longer, but easier route.
Sedona is a beautiful spot in between imposing and spectacular red rock formations. The varied colors and huge formations rival those in the Grand Canyon that we saw two years ago. When we arrived about 4:30 pm we were still experiencing off-and-on rain (mostly on). The RV park is very nice and we are backed up to a beautiful creek (Oak Creek) that runs past the park and through town. After a very long drive in difficult conditions, we decided to eat in, so we ordered pizza that was delivered to the RV.
We will sleep in tomorrow and then explore the town and the surrounding area.
Wednesday Pictures - Santa Fe, NM to Sedona, AZ
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Jazz Fest Trip - Day 26
We started out the day with a trip to the Santa Fe Farmers Market near the downtown area. The numbers of growers selling items was relatively small, but one of the growers said the market just opened on May 3rd and it is still pretty early in the growing season up here. She also said there are normally more booths on weekends and the crowds are significantly larger. We bought a string of dried red peppers (a ristra) that were grown north of town.
The Santa Fe railroad station is near the farmers market and is an active hub for regular train service between Santa Fe and Albuquerque. While we were there, a train came in and a number of passengers got on and off. The railroad station is also the hub of a commercial area with a number of shops and restaurants.
We then walked to a historical church nearby, the Santuario De Guadalupe, which was built in 1880 and is the oldest extant church in the United States devoted to Our Lady of Guadalupe. This is a version of Mary, Jesus' mother, who appeared to a seventeenth century Mexican farm worker.
After visiting the church, we drove to the downtown plaza and parked nearby. We had an excellent lunch at one of the many restaurants on the square, then walked around the plaza looking at the many shops with all kinds of art, crafts, jewelry, and native American items for sale. One interesting area was a sanctioned Native American vendors area. Individual vendors had many types of Indian items displayed on blankets on the ground. Just about any kind of Indian craft item was available for sale.
We then visited another church, the St. Francis Cathedral, which is close to the plaza and is a large cathedral that is typical example of a large Catholic church.
As Santa Fe is the city of churches, we visited another one. This one, the Loretto Chapel, is now privately owned and is rented out for weddings, events, etc. The special feature of this church is a spiral staircase up to the choir loft that is a work of art. The staircase is a double spiral with no supporting center post, built with wooden pegs and without nails or glue - amazing to see.
And just down the street is the San Miguel Mission Church. This church was originally built by native Indians under the direction of the Spaniards in 1610. it has been rebuilt several times since then, but is an active church and very similar to the many mission churches we have visited in California.
As we had seen enough churches for the day, we decided to visit the New Mexico State Capitol Building in Santa Fe, which is actually the oldest state capitol in the United States. The legislature is not presently in session so the building was practically deserted. It is a beautiful 4-story circular building that opens up to a rotunda with a flat glass dome in the ceiling. The highlight of the interior is an extensive collection of art by New Mexico artists on virtually every wall. All of it is very well done and displays a wide range of artistic subjects and mediums. The building was very different from the Texas State Capitol but seems to capture the special nature of New Mexico and its heritage very well.
We then headed back to the RV for dinner and to rest-up for our trip to Sedona, AZ in the morning.
Tuesday Pictures - Santa Fe, NM
The Santa Fe railroad station is near the farmers market and is an active hub for regular train service between Santa Fe and Albuquerque. While we were there, a train came in and a number of passengers got on and off. The railroad station is also the hub of a commercial area with a number of shops and restaurants.
We then walked to a historical church nearby, the Santuario De Guadalupe, which was built in 1880 and is the oldest extant church in the United States devoted to Our Lady of Guadalupe. This is a version of Mary, Jesus' mother, who appeared to a seventeenth century Mexican farm worker.
After visiting the church, we drove to the downtown plaza and parked nearby. We had an excellent lunch at one of the many restaurants on the square, then walked around the plaza looking at the many shops with all kinds of art, crafts, jewelry, and native American items for sale. One interesting area was a sanctioned Native American vendors area. Individual vendors had many types of Indian items displayed on blankets on the ground. Just about any kind of Indian craft item was available for sale.
We then visited another church, the St. Francis Cathedral, which is close to the plaza and is a large cathedral that is typical example of a large Catholic church.
As Santa Fe is the city of churches, we visited another one. This one, the Loretto Chapel, is now privately owned and is rented out for weddings, events, etc. The special feature of this church is a spiral staircase up to the choir loft that is a work of art. The staircase is a double spiral with no supporting center post, built with wooden pegs and without nails or glue - amazing to see.
And just down the street is the San Miguel Mission Church. This church was originally built by native Indians under the direction of the Spaniards in 1610. it has been rebuilt several times since then, but is an active church and very similar to the many mission churches we have visited in California.
As we had seen enough churches for the day, we decided to visit the New Mexico State Capitol Building in Santa Fe, which is actually the oldest state capitol in the United States. The legislature is not presently in session so the building was practically deserted. It is a beautiful 4-story circular building that opens up to a rotunda with a flat glass dome in the ceiling. The highlight of the interior is an extensive collection of art by New Mexico artists on virtually every wall. All of it is very well done and displays a wide range of artistic subjects and mediums. The building was very different from the Texas State Capitol but seems to capture the special nature of New Mexico and its heritage very well.
We then headed back to the RV for dinner and to rest-up for our trip to Sedona, AZ in the morning.
Tuesday Pictures - Santa Fe, NM
Jazz Fest Trip - Day 25
After sleeping in a little we had a few logistical things to do before leaving for Taos. First, the VW needed a serious car wash. There was one just down the road, so we had that done so we could see out of the windows again. Then it was on to the grocery store for a few supplies and cash back. After filling the VW up with gas, we were on our way about 10:30 am.
The Santa Fe - Taos drive takes about an hour and a half and there are two choices: The first and probably a little quicker is "The Low Road." which essentially follows the Rio Grande River valley north to Taos. The second road, "The High Road to Taos" is a New Mexico Scenic Byway road. We decided to take the low road up to Taos and come back on the high road.
The first part of the trip passed through an almost continious string of Indian reservations all with the seemingly mandatory casinios and highway commercial sprawl. The second part of the trip was dramatically different. We passed through the Rio Grande Gorge where the Rio Grande River makes its way from north to south the length of New Mexico then east to form the southern border between Texas and Mexico. The Rio Grande River through the Gorge is a relatively fast moving whitewater river that has been designated as a National Wild and Scenic River. There are several river access points and there appear to be a number of rafting outfitters who provide whitewater rafting trips. We stopped at a very nice BLM visitor center that provided information about the river gorge and the recreational opportunities available in the area.
We arrived in Taos about 12:30 pm and after a short walk around the plaza, we found a very nice little restaurant for lunch just off the plaza which is the center of the Taos Historical District.
After lunch, we walked around the center of town looking at the many shops and historical attractions. There are a lot of high-end art galleries and native craft shops as well as a number of typical souvenior shops in the immediate area of the plaza. We also visited a nearby Catholic Church built in the "Adobe Pueblo" style that is seen almost everywhere in the state and, in fact, is mandatory for nearly every new building and/or house in the Santa Fe area.
After touring the plaza, we decided to visit the Taos Pueblo, just north of town. The pueblo is the site of the Red Willow Indian Tribe and has been their home for at least the last 1000 years. The buildings have been mostly preserved and reconstructed and this particular village is now perhaps the best example of a New Mexico pueblo (native village) still in existence on its original site. The pueblo complex has also been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Visitors to the pueblo are strictly controlled. The tribe charges a $10 per-person admission fee and a $6 per-camera fee. Cel phones cannot be used in the pueblo and if they are brought in there is a fee for them also. (We left our phones in the car.) Private areas, such as Kivas (native religious centers) and interiors of all private homes are off limits to visitors. 30 minute tours are provided by tribal volunteer guides on a gratuity basis. Our guide was a young tribal member who is a sophomore at the Uuniversity of New Mexico. He did a good job and gave a very good overview of tribal history and the pueblo. There were a number of small commercial activities going on in the pueblo; tribal members were selling Indian craft items and souvenirs, some of which may have been made in the pueblo.
The Red Willow Tribe has about 3500 affiliated members and we were told by our guide that about 300 members still live in the pueblo on a regular basis, preserving the "old ways"; i.e., electricity, plumbing, water, and other modern conveniences are not allowed in the pueblo. Other tribal members live outside the pueblo and are not subjected to the pueblo rules regarding modern conveniences. The pueblo is also the center of tribal festivals, ceremonies, and gatherings. The tribe owns about 180,000 acres of surrounding lands, much of which was recovered from the U.S. government after an extensive legal battle that was resolved in the 1970s.
After our pueblo tour, we left the Taos area and drove back to Santa Fe by "The High Road to Taos", a beautiful winding road over the Sangre de Christo Mountains with vistas of snow-covered peaks and heavily forested hills and valleys in the Carson National Forest. We drove through several interesting mountain villages, some with adobe churches that looked like they were worth a visit, but we were out of time for today. We did stop at one religious site called Santuario de Chimaya, arriving just after it had closed for the day. The church there, or rather the"holy dirt" in a special area of the church, is supposed to have healing and restorative powers. Alas, we will never know. We got several pictures of the area, anyway. As we approached Santa Fe we also had to stop on the road to allow a few cattle to cross the road. There were lots of cattle guards but we were still in "open range" country.
After a short respite at the RV, we went out to dinner at the Nu-Mex restaurant (El Milagro)recommended by the RV park manager. It was Mexican food two nights in a row but it was well worth the trip. The restaurant was a no-frills mom-and-pop place in the nearby mall, but the food was excellent.
Monday Pictures - Santa Fe to Taos
Monday Pictures - Taos Pueblo - Santa Fe
The Santa Fe - Taos drive takes about an hour and a half and there are two choices: The first and probably a little quicker is "The Low Road." which essentially follows the Rio Grande River valley north to Taos. The second road, "The High Road to Taos" is a New Mexico Scenic Byway road. We decided to take the low road up to Taos and come back on the high road.
The first part of the trip passed through an almost continious string of Indian reservations all with the seemingly mandatory casinios and highway commercial sprawl. The second part of the trip was dramatically different. We passed through the Rio Grande Gorge where the Rio Grande River makes its way from north to south the length of New Mexico then east to form the southern border between Texas and Mexico. The Rio Grande River through the Gorge is a relatively fast moving whitewater river that has been designated as a National Wild and Scenic River. There are several river access points and there appear to be a number of rafting outfitters who provide whitewater rafting trips. We stopped at a very nice BLM visitor center that provided information about the river gorge and the recreational opportunities available in the area.
We arrived in Taos about 12:30 pm and after a short walk around the plaza, we found a very nice little restaurant for lunch just off the plaza which is the center of the Taos Historical District.
After lunch, we walked around the center of town looking at the many shops and historical attractions. There are a lot of high-end art galleries and native craft shops as well as a number of typical souvenior shops in the immediate area of the plaza. We also visited a nearby Catholic Church built in the "Adobe Pueblo" style that is seen almost everywhere in the state and, in fact, is mandatory for nearly every new building and/or house in the Santa Fe area.
After touring the plaza, we decided to visit the Taos Pueblo, just north of town. The pueblo is the site of the Red Willow Indian Tribe and has been their home for at least the last 1000 years. The buildings have been mostly preserved and reconstructed and this particular village is now perhaps the best example of a New Mexico pueblo (native village) still in existence on its original site. The pueblo complex has also been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Visitors to the pueblo are strictly controlled. The tribe charges a $10 per-person admission fee and a $6 per-camera fee. Cel phones cannot be used in the pueblo and if they are brought in there is a fee for them also. (We left our phones in the car.) Private areas, such as Kivas (native religious centers) and interiors of all private homes are off limits to visitors. 30 minute tours are provided by tribal volunteer guides on a gratuity basis. Our guide was a young tribal member who is a sophomore at the Uuniversity of New Mexico. He did a good job and gave a very good overview of tribal history and the pueblo. There were a number of small commercial activities going on in the pueblo; tribal members were selling Indian craft items and souvenirs, some of which may have been made in the pueblo.
The Red Willow Tribe has about 3500 affiliated members and we were told by our guide that about 300 members still live in the pueblo on a regular basis, preserving the "old ways"; i.e., electricity, plumbing, water, and other modern conveniences are not allowed in the pueblo. Other tribal members live outside the pueblo and are not subjected to the pueblo rules regarding modern conveniences. The pueblo is also the center of tribal festivals, ceremonies, and gatherings. The tribe owns about 180,000 acres of surrounding lands, much of which was recovered from the U.S. government after an extensive legal battle that was resolved in the 1970s.
After our pueblo tour, we left the Taos area and drove back to Santa Fe by "The High Road to Taos", a beautiful winding road over the Sangre de Christo Mountains with vistas of snow-covered peaks and heavily forested hills and valleys in the Carson National Forest. We drove through several interesting mountain villages, some with adobe churches that looked like they were worth a visit, but we were out of time for today. We did stop at one religious site called Santuario de Chimaya, arriving just after it had closed for the day. The church there, or rather the"holy dirt" in a special area of the church, is supposed to have healing and restorative powers. Alas, we will never know. We got several pictures of the area, anyway. As we approached Santa Fe we also had to stop on the road to allow a few cattle to cross the road. There were lots of cattle guards but we were still in "open range" country.
After a short respite at the RV, we went out to dinner at the Nu-Mex restaurant (El Milagro)recommended by the RV park manager. It was Mexican food two nights in a row but it was well worth the trip. The restaurant was a no-frills mom-and-pop place in the nearby mall, but the food was excellent.
Monday Pictures - Santa Fe to Taos
Monday Pictures - Taos Pueblo - Santa Fe
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Jazz Fest Trip - Day 24
After topping-off the propane at the RV park in Lubbock, we left for Santa Fe, NM about 8:15 am this morning. As we traveled up the Texas panhandle and northwest through eastern New Mexico, we again saw a lot of open space, range land, some farm land, and cattle (no cowboy sightings). We even saw a few antelope playing and the skies were not cloudy - although it was a little overcast when we left Lubbock. As we have experienced on most of the trip while driving, it was a little windy, especially as we approached the Santa Fe area and the altitude increased.
Another observation we have experienced throughout our trip, both in the west and south, is the proliferation of used automobile tire stores, most based at old gas stations. They usually have large piles of used tires stacked (sometimes) in the front and sides of the buildings. There also doesn't seem to much separation of the tires by type (i.e. truck, auto, tractor, etc.), let alone by size. I don't recall ever seeing any similar kind of thing anywhere in California.
We arrived in Santa Fe about 2:30 pm and are staying at the Trailer Ranch RV park about 3 miles from the center of town. The park is a combination RV park and 55+ retirement community. The park is O.K., not too fancy, but the people are nice and it is convenient to everything in town. The weather is clear and cool - about 65 degrees in mid afternoon. The city is at 7,000 ft elevation so it will be cool tonight (maybe even cold). The forecast is more of the same the next few days, so it looks our luck with the weather is still holding.
We will be here for three nights and the plan for tomorrow is a day trip in the VW to Taos, about an hour and a half north of here and a little further up in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. We will tour the Santa Fe attractions on Tuesday, then go on to Sedona, AZ on Wednesday.
After resting awhile and realizing we gained an hour by moving west into the Mountain Time Zone, we went out to dinner. The Mexican restaurant recommended by the RV owner was closed, so we decided to drive into town and look around for an alternative. After taking a short drive around the downtown plaza (very nice), we found another Mexican restaurant that looked O.K. It turned out to be a lucky choice; the food was excellent. It is hard to imagine how the other restaurant that was closed could have been any better.
Sunday Pictures - Lubbock, TX - Santa Fe, NM
Another observation we have experienced throughout our trip, both in the west and south, is the proliferation of used automobile tire stores, most based at old gas stations. They usually have large piles of used tires stacked (sometimes) in the front and sides of the buildings. There also doesn't seem to much separation of the tires by type (i.e. truck, auto, tractor, etc.), let alone by size. I don't recall ever seeing any similar kind of thing anywhere in California.
We arrived in Santa Fe about 2:30 pm and are staying at the Trailer Ranch RV park about 3 miles from the center of town. The park is a combination RV park and 55+ retirement community. The park is O.K., not too fancy, but the people are nice and it is convenient to everything in town. The weather is clear and cool - about 65 degrees in mid afternoon. The city is at 7,000 ft elevation so it will be cool tonight (maybe even cold). The forecast is more of the same the next few days, so it looks our luck with the weather is still holding.
We will be here for three nights and the plan for tomorrow is a day trip in the VW to Taos, about an hour and a half north of here and a little further up in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. We will tour the Santa Fe attractions on Tuesday, then go on to Sedona, AZ on Wednesday.
After resting awhile and realizing we gained an hour by moving west into the Mountain Time Zone, we went out to dinner. The Mexican restaurant recommended by the RV owner was closed, so we decided to drive into town and look around for an alternative. After taking a short drive around the downtown plaza (very nice), we found another Mexican restaurant that looked O.K. It turned out to be a lucky choice; the food was excellent. It is hard to imagine how the other restaurant that was closed could have been any better.
Sunday Pictures - Lubbock, TX - Santa Fe, NM
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Jazz Fest Trip - Day 23
We left the RV park in Austin about 7:45 am for Lubbock, Texas.
The trip went well but seemed long. We arrived at the Lubbock KOA in the lower Texas Panhandle about 3:30 pm after an endless landscape of rolling hills, grass land, and small towns. The road was good, no interstate highways, but mostly divided highways. The weather here is great - sunny and 75 degrees. The park is fine with typical KOA ameneties and close to our route for tomorrow. It is a pull-through site so we are not unhooking the VW tonight. Dinner was BBQ ordered through the KOA office and delivered to the RV. It was excellent. Judy also did the laundry for the rest of the trip home. It will be an early-to-bed night to rest-up for another travel day tomorrow.
We will be spending three nights in Santa Fe, New Mexico, then on to Sedona, Arizona before heading the rest of the way home.
Friday Pictures - Austin TX - Lubbock X
The trip went well but seemed long. We arrived at the Lubbock KOA in the lower Texas Panhandle about 3:30 pm after an endless landscape of rolling hills, grass land, and small towns. The road was good, no interstate highways, but mostly divided highways. The weather here is great - sunny and 75 degrees. The park is fine with typical KOA ameneties and close to our route for tomorrow. It is a pull-through site so we are not unhooking the VW tonight. Dinner was BBQ ordered through the KOA office and delivered to the RV. It was excellent. Judy also did the laundry for the rest of the trip home. It will be an early-to-bed night to rest-up for another travel day tomorrow.
We will be spending three nights in Santa Fe, New Mexico, then on to Sedona, Arizona before heading the rest of the way home.
Friday Pictures - Austin TX - Lubbock X
Friday, May 13, 2011
Jazz Fest Trip - Day 22
.After sleeping in a little today, we decided to do a little sightseeing in Austin. The weather was clear and pleasant with low humidity, and temperature in the 70's.
Our first stop was Mt. Bonnell, a 750 foot "mountain", slightly north of town with excellent views of the Pedernales River valley, Lake Travis, and the hills beyond. Austin is in the "hill country" section of Texas and is nothing like the desert, prairie and grass lands that make up much of the western part of the state. There is a small city park park, Covert Park, at the top of the mountain, with a few picnic tables and nice views.
Our next stop was the Texas state capitol. The building is an imposing structure, slightly higher than the U.S. Capitol, and the centerpiece of the Texas state complex of buildings dominating downtown Austin along with the University of Texas campus. The extensive grounds around the buildings are beautifully landscaped with many large trees native to the area.
We first visited the adjoining visitors center, located in the historical State Land Office building. They have lots of visitor information and several interesting displays including historical artifacts and flags. There was also a display about the interaction with early immigrants (mostly Germans) with the Comanche Indians, nomadic Native Americans who had inhabited the area for centuries. There was also an interesting display about the author and humorist O. Henry who once lived in the area and worked in the building.
It was a short walk to the capitol building, a magnificent structure made mostly of red granite on the outside with lots of marble inside. Before taking the tour and looking around, we decided to eat lunch at the Capitol Grill in the lower level of the building. It is a full service cafeteria restaurant with lots of choices. The place was filled with people who appeared to be legislators, legislative staff and administrative members, tourists, and other visitors.
There was a lot of activity going on in the building as the Legislature is in session. They are limited to meeting for a maximum of 140 days every two years, but can meet in special sessions of limited duration as directed by the Governor. We took a 30 minute guided tour, then walked around awhile, visiting the galleries of their Senate and House of Representatives and other historic court chambers. The whole place looked very well run and the capitol building, its furnishings, and surrounding grounds are outstanding. It was a good way to get a picture of one of Austin's major attractions and a glimpse of how their state government is run.
Next, we decided to visit the home base and first grocery store of Whole Foods Market the "mother ship" on Lamar St. in Austin which is the flagship store of the Whole Food Market chain. The corporate offices, catering service, and culinary center (classes and cooking demonstrations) are next door. The store is huge and has about everything you would ever want to buy in a grocery store. There are also at least a dozen restaurants, speciality counters and beverage bars in the store. Everything from wine and beer tasting to hot meals are available to take home or eat there. The choices and variety of things for sale was truly overwhelming. The store is also connected to a two-story parking garage below the store. They even have special escalators where you can wheel out your grocery cart down to your car in the garage. We did not see very many bargains in the store; the prices were fairly high but the quality and variety of choices certainly make it an attractive place to shop for high-end groceries.
We went back to the RV to rest awhile, then headed back to town for dinner at a no-frills BBQ restaurant, The Iron Works. The food was very good and capped off our culinary experience with Texas BBQ in the Austin area.
After dinner, we decided to walk through the Sixth Street entertainment district to sample the flavor of the Austin live music scene. It was lively. About every other store front was a bar with live music playing, mostly rock/alternative rock although we did hear some country and western and blues. It was a younger crowd for sure and we didn't see a lot of tourists. Everyone seemed well behaved and were having a good time. We avoided the jello shots and $2.00 Bud Lite beers however and made it home in time to get ready for our departure in the morning.
The next two days will essentially be travel days, with Lubbock, TX our destination tomorrow and then Santa Fe, NM on Sunday.
Friday Pictures - Austin
Our first stop was Mt. Bonnell, a 750 foot "mountain", slightly north of town with excellent views of the Pedernales River valley, Lake Travis, and the hills beyond. Austin is in the "hill country" section of Texas and is nothing like the desert, prairie and grass lands that make up much of the western part of the state. There is a small city park park, Covert Park, at the top of the mountain, with a few picnic tables and nice views.
Our next stop was the Texas state capitol. The building is an imposing structure, slightly higher than the U.S. Capitol, and the centerpiece of the Texas state complex of buildings dominating downtown Austin along with the University of Texas campus. The extensive grounds around the buildings are beautifully landscaped with many large trees native to the area.
We first visited the adjoining visitors center, located in the historical State Land Office building. They have lots of visitor information and several interesting displays including historical artifacts and flags. There was also a display about the interaction with early immigrants (mostly Germans) with the Comanche Indians, nomadic Native Americans who had inhabited the area for centuries. There was also an interesting display about the author and humorist O. Henry who once lived in the area and worked in the building.
It was a short walk to the capitol building, a magnificent structure made mostly of red granite on the outside with lots of marble inside. Before taking the tour and looking around, we decided to eat lunch at the Capitol Grill in the lower level of the building. It is a full service cafeteria restaurant with lots of choices. The place was filled with people who appeared to be legislators, legislative staff and administrative members, tourists, and other visitors.
There was a lot of activity going on in the building as the Legislature is in session. They are limited to meeting for a maximum of 140 days every two years, but can meet in special sessions of limited duration as directed by the Governor. We took a 30 minute guided tour, then walked around awhile, visiting the galleries of their Senate and House of Representatives and other historic court chambers. The whole place looked very well run and the capitol building, its furnishings, and surrounding grounds are outstanding. It was a good way to get a picture of one of Austin's major attractions and a glimpse of how their state government is run.
Next, we decided to visit the home base and first grocery store of Whole Foods Market the "mother ship" on Lamar St. in Austin which is the flagship store of the Whole Food Market chain. The corporate offices, catering service, and culinary center (classes and cooking demonstrations) are next door. The store is huge and has about everything you would ever want to buy in a grocery store. There are also at least a dozen restaurants, speciality counters and beverage bars in the store. Everything from wine and beer tasting to hot meals are available to take home or eat there. The choices and variety of things for sale was truly overwhelming. The store is also connected to a two-story parking garage below the store. They even have special escalators where you can wheel out your grocery cart down to your car in the garage. We did not see very many bargains in the store; the prices were fairly high but the quality and variety of choices certainly make it an attractive place to shop for high-end groceries.
We went back to the RV to rest awhile, then headed back to town for dinner at a no-frills BBQ restaurant, The Iron Works. The food was very good and capped off our culinary experience with Texas BBQ in the Austin area.
After dinner, we decided to walk through the Sixth Street entertainment district to sample the flavor of the Austin live music scene. It was lively. About every other store front was a bar with live music playing, mostly rock/alternative rock although we did hear some country and western and blues. It was a younger crowd for sure and we didn't see a lot of tourists. Everyone seemed well behaved and were having a good time. We avoided the jello shots and $2.00 Bud Lite beers however and made it home in time to get ready for our departure in the morning.
The next two days will essentially be travel days, with Lubbock, TX our destination tomorrow and then Santa Fe, NM on Sunday.
Friday Pictures - Austin
Jazz Fest Trip - Day 21
(The Blogger Application has been off-line so we are getting caught-up from yesterday)
We arrived in Austin, Texas on Thursday, May 12 about 3:30 pm. We got an early start, leaving Lafayette, LA about 7:30 am after stopping at Prejeans restaurant again and picking-up an order of beignets and coffee to go.
We headed west on I-IO to Houston, then northwest towards Austin. The weather forecast called for scattered severe thunderstorms so we were on the lookout for severe weather en-route which we hit about 2:00 pm. The sky turned black and the thunder, lightning and heavy rain came. Luckily, we were near a gas station, so we pulled over, had lunch and waited for the line of thunderstorms to go through. The main part of the storm moved on in about 30 minutes and we resumed the trip in steadily diminishing rain. When we arrived in Austin the skies were clear and noticeably cooler (65 degrees) than Lafayette.
We are staying at the Oak Forest RV Park about 7 miles east of town. The park is O.K. and like several we have stayed in, has a number of long term residents. The sites are close together, but paved, and it was very quiet last night.
After resting a little, we headed downtown for dinner at Stubbs BBQ, a popular local restaurant and music venue, also the origin of Stubbs BBQ sauce that is available in stores nationwide. The BBQ and the other food was excellent. As in many other restaurants in town, there was a small band setting up to play later on in the evening called “The Bi-Polar Bears.” Despite the strange name, the band members looked like fairly normal college students and the music sounded fairly normal for that age group.
Austin has six distinct entertainment districts, mostly focusing on music, shops, and restaurants. It is also the state capitol and home to the University of Texas main campus. Needless to say, there is a lot going on here. There is also a lake (Lady Bird Lake) separating sections of town which appears to be a popular water recreation spot; there is a hiking/running/biking trail circling the lake.
There is also a famous bridge across the lake (Congress Street Bridge) that is the focal point for a rather unusual daily event involving thousands of bats. The mammals have taken up residence under the bridge in narrow slots beneath the concrete road bed. The slots, each about 16”deep and 2” wide, are perfect homes for the bats who favor closeness over open space. They fly out from under the bridge at sundown and feed on mosquitoes and agricultural pests all night, so their presence is a definite benefit to the human population of the area. For this reason, they are protected, even revered, and the bridge site is on the “things to do in Austin” list. We went there after dinner, along with hundreds of other people, to watch the event. As if on cue, as soon as it was almost dark, the bats started flying out in huge numbers – it was amazing to watch. We only had our cell phone cameras with us, so I hope the pictures come out.
After that, we came back to the RV to read, work on the blog and go to bed.
Thursday Pictures - Lafayette, LA - Austin, TX
We arrived in Austin, Texas on Thursday, May 12 about 3:30 pm. We got an early start, leaving Lafayette, LA about 7:30 am after stopping at Prejeans restaurant again and picking-up an order of beignets and coffee to go.
We headed west on I-IO to Houston, then northwest towards Austin. The weather forecast called for scattered severe thunderstorms so we were on the lookout for severe weather en-route which we hit about 2:00 pm. The sky turned black and the thunder, lightning and heavy rain came. Luckily, we were near a gas station, so we pulled over, had lunch and waited for the line of thunderstorms to go through. The main part of the storm moved on in about 30 minutes and we resumed the trip in steadily diminishing rain. When we arrived in Austin the skies were clear and noticeably cooler (65 degrees) than Lafayette.
We are staying at the Oak Forest RV Park about 7 miles east of town. The park is O.K. and like several we have stayed in, has a number of long term residents. The sites are close together, but paved, and it was very quiet last night.
After resting a little, we headed downtown for dinner at Stubbs BBQ, a popular local restaurant and music venue, also the origin of Stubbs BBQ sauce that is available in stores nationwide. The BBQ and the other food was excellent. As in many other restaurants in town, there was a small band setting up to play later on in the evening called “The Bi-Polar Bears.” Despite the strange name, the band members looked like fairly normal college students and the music sounded fairly normal for that age group.
Austin has six distinct entertainment districts, mostly focusing on music, shops, and restaurants. It is also the state capitol and home to the University of Texas main campus. Needless to say, there is a lot going on here. There is also a lake (Lady Bird Lake) separating sections of town which appears to be a popular water recreation spot; there is a hiking/running/biking trail circling the lake.
There is also a famous bridge across the lake (Congress Street Bridge) that is the focal point for a rather unusual daily event involving thousands of bats. The mammals have taken up residence under the bridge in narrow slots beneath the concrete road bed. The slots, each about 16”deep and 2” wide, are perfect homes for the bats who favor closeness over open space. They fly out from under the bridge at sundown and feed on mosquitoes and agricultural pests all night, so their presence is a definite benefit to the human population of the area. For this reason, they are protected, even revered, and the bridge site is on the “things to do in Austin” list. We went there after dinner, along with hundreds of other people, to watch the event. As if on cue, as soon as it was almost dark, the bats started flying out in huge numbers – it was amazing to watch. We only had our cell phone cameras with us, so I hope the pictures come out.
After that, we came back to the RV to read, work on the blog and go to bed.
Thursday Pictures - Lafayette, LA - Austin, TX
Jazz Fest Trip - Day 20
Judy rose early, along with the resident roosters, and got a picture of the sunrise. It promised to be another hot, humid day in southern Louisiana, and it was. We drove to a local French bakery for breakfast, Poupart's, full of beautiful-looking things to eat. We had coffee, beignets and a croissant sandwich before heading south from Layfayette to the New Iberia, LA area.
We stopped at the local visitor's center there to try and get a feel for which of the local attractions should be visited first. There seemed to be a lot to do in the area and we didn't think there would be to time to see it all. We were right about that.
We decided to head further south to Avery Island, since that was the point furthest away that we wanted to visit; then, we would work our way back to the RV park. Avery Island is the home of Tabasco hot sauce, a venerable name in American cuisine. The company (McIlhenny) was founded before the Civil War, when Edmund McIlhenny married Elizabeth Avery and moved to her ancestral home on Avery Island. Here, Edmund and Elizabeth founded a family, a company and an empire. The extensive grounds of the island are taken up by the McIlhenny mansion, the Tabasco factory, some pepper-growing fields, the requisite gift shops, a salt mine (no joke) and a large "Jungle Garden" to drive through, filled with many different kinds of trees and shrubs collected by Edmund, who was "into" gardening and growing things besides peppers.
The salt mine is there because the island is actually the top of a geologic feature called a salt dome which reaches many miles below the surface of the earth. Salt is actually used in the manufacture of Tabasco sauce, so it's good that they have an unending supply. We found out that there are actually 6 or 7 different flavors of the sauce and that you can buy it by the gallon in the gift shop.
The Jungle Garden drive was very interesting; we almost didn't go because it sounded a little, well, hokey, but we really enjoyed it. In the lagoons and ponds scattered throughout the garden we saw more alligators than we had seen on the swamp tour yesterday. Unfortunately, these alligators were used to being fed handouts by the passing tourists; they swam right up to the edge of the ponds towards the car, showing no fear whatsoever.
A big part of the Jungle Garden was Bird City, a bird sanctuary for egrets and herons started by Edmund, who helped save the Snowy Egret from extinction in the late 19th century. We love to watch for egrets on our travels and this place had more egrets than any other place we had seen.
By the time we had finished with the tours on Avery Island, it was long past time for lunch, so we decided to skip that meal and just go for dinner. We went to another local Cajun restaurant, Paul's Pirogue. A pirogue is a Cajun boat, a sort of wooden canoe used in the swamps. (Actually, nowadays they all use shallow-draft motorboats out in the swamps.) Dinner was very good, gumbo, shrimp etouffe, stuffed potatoe and gateau sirop, a wonderful gingerbread cake.
Tomorrow we leave Cajun country several pounds heavier than whence we came and head for Austin, Texas and the regional foods there (barbeque is being considered). The diets start when we get home to California.
Wednesday Pictures - Lafayette, LA
We stopped at the local visitor's center there to try and get a feel for which of the local attractions should be visited first. There seemed to be a lot to do in the area and we didn't think there would be to time to see it all. We were right about that.
We decided to head further south to Avery Island, since that was the point furthest away that we wanted to visit; then, we would work our way back to the RV park. Avery Island is the home of Tabasco hot sauce, a venerable name in American cuisine. The company (McIlhenny) was founded before the Civil War, when Edmund McIlhenny married Elizabeth Avery and moved to her ancestral home on Avery Island. Here, Edmund and Elizabeth founded a family, a company and an empire. The extensive grounds of the island are taken up by the McIlhenny mansion, the Tabasco factory, some pepper-growing fields, the requisite gift shops, a salt mine (no joke) and a large "Jungle Garden" to drive through, filled with many different kinds of trees and shrubs collected by Edmund, who was "into" gardening and growing things besides peppers.
The salt mine is there because the island is actually the top of a geologic feature called a salt dome which reaches many miles below the surface of the earth. Salt is actually used in the manufacture of Tabasco sauce, so it's good that they have an unending supply. We found out that there are actually 6 or 7 different flavors of the sauce and that you can buy it by the gallon in the gift shop.
The Jungle Garden drive was very interesting; we almost didn't go because it sounded a little, well, hokey, but we really enjoyed it. In the lagoons and ponds scattered throughout the garden we saw more alligators than we had seen on the swamp tour yesterday. Unfortunately, these alligators were used to being fed handouts by the passing tourists; they swam right up to the edge of the ponds towards the car, showing no fear whatsoever.
A big part of the Jungle Garden was Bird City, a bird sanctuary for egrets and herons started by Edmund, who helped save the Snowy Egret from extinction in the late 19th century. We love to watch for egrets on our travels and this place had more egrets than any other place we had seen.
By the time we had finished with the tours on Avery Island, it was long past time for lunch, so we decided to skip that meal and just go for dinner. We went to another local Cajun restaurant, Paul's Pirogue. A pirogue is a Cajun boat, a sort of wooden canoe used in the swamps. (Actually, nowadays they all use shallow-draft motorboats out in the swamps.) Dinner was very good, gumbo, shrimp etouffe, stuffed potatoe and gateau sirop, a wonderful gingerbread cake.
Tomorrow we leave Cajun country several pounds heavier than whence we came and head for Austin, Texas and the regional foods there (barbeque is being considered). The diets start when we get home to California.
Wednesday Pictures - Lafayette, LA
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Jazz Fest Trip - Day 19
We left the RV park about 8:30 am for our swamp tour. The tour was on Lake Martin, just outside the nearby town of Breaux Bridges. The lake is essentially a land locked shallow lake with swamp vegetation along the shore, cypress and gum trees growing in the water, lots of birds, alligators, and snakes, etc. along with whatever else we couldn't see.
Our tour guide was a native Cajun and the son of the tour operator who runs the company. He was was very knowledgeable about the swamp and the surrounding area. Our boat was a shallow bottom motor boat and six other tourists were on the tour with us.
The swamp is an amazing place and nothing like you would ever see in the west. Trees covered with "Spanish Moss" were growing out of the water, water plants and flowers were everywhere and we saw lots of different types of birds. The lake is also full of alligators and, seasonally, water snakes. There were also several fisherman in bass boats fishing in the shallow waters. Our guide said the fishing is very good with different varietiess of fish to be caught. Duck hunting is also very popular on the lake and we saw several different types of duck blinds that are regularly used during hunting season. The tour lasted about two hours and we did get to see several alligators (big and small ones). The tour guides we talked to before we decided to go on the swamp tour were right - no mosquitos. Apparently the cypress trees give off some sort of resin that keeps them away. The weather was pleasant and not too hot. It was a great experience.
After the tour we went to "Vermilion Ville", a Cajun/Creole Heritage and Folk Life Park just south of town. The park is essentially a recreated village along Bayou Vermilion depicting Cajun/Creole life in the 18th and 19th century. It is sort of like a Cajun/Creole Colonial Williamsburg on a much smaller scale.
The park has about a dozen houses and buildings displaying different functions of village life of the time (school house, blacksmith, church, boat shed, etc.). Several of the buildings had docents in period costumes explaining things while performing tasks such as weaving, woodcarving, etc. There is also a large performance center for special events, a watershed building explaining the history and importance of water to the region, and an an excellent restaurant where we had lunch. The park apparently is a regular attraction for school groups; we saw two different groups passing through today. The park also has a number of other activities on weekends, including more craft demonstrations and musical programs. The crowd was pretty small today, which was good. It allowed us to move through the displays without a lot of people in the way.
After leaving the park we went to the adjoining Acadian Cultural Center. The center is one of six sites in Southern Louisiana that make up the Jean Lafitte National Historic Park and Preserve. One of the other sites we visited was the French Quarter visitor center in New Orleans. The Cultural Center has a very nice museum and a number of displays portraying the history, life, and culture of the Acadians (now Cajuns) from their migration to southern Louisiana after they were forced by the British to leave Nova Scotia in the 18th Century. We also saw a movie at the center depicting the story of the Acadian relocation and immigration.
After resting back at the RV, we went to Prejeans restaurant again for dinner and had another excellent Cajun meal accompanied by live Cajun music.
Today we are going to travel about 30 miles south to the New Iberia and Avery Island area to visit some more Cajun/Creole attractions.
Tuesday Pictures - Swamp Tour
Tuesday Pictures - Vermilion Ville/Acadian Cultural Center/Prejeans
Our tour guide was a native Cajun and the son of the tour operator who runs the company. He was was very knowledgeable about the swamp and the surrounding area. Our boat was a shallow bottom motor boat and six other tourists were on the tour with us.
The swamp is an amazing place and nothing like you would ever see in the west. Trees covered with "Spanish Moss" were growing out of the water, water plants and flowers were everywhere and we saw lots of different types of birds. The lake is also full of alligators and, seasonally, water snakes. There were also several fisherman in bass boats fishing in the shallow waters. Our guide said the fishing is very good with different varietiess of fish to be caught. Duck hunting is also very popular on the lake and we saw several different types of duck blinds that are regularly used during hunting season. The tour lasted about two hours and we did get to see several alligators (big and small ones). The tour guides we talked to before we decided to go on the swamp tour were right - no mosquitos. Apparently the cypress trees give off some sort of resin that keeps them away. The weather was pleasant and not too hot. It was a great experience.
After the tour we went to "Vermilion Ville", a Cajun/Creole Heritage and Folk Life Park just south of town. The park is essentially a recreated village along Bayou Vermilion depicting Cajun/Creole life in the 18th and 19th century. It is sort of like a Cajun/Creole Colonial Williamsburg on a much smaller scale.
The park has about a dozen houses and buildings displaying different functions of village life of the time (school house, blacksmith, church, boat shed, etc.). Several of the buildings had docents in period costumes explaining things while performing tasks such as weaving, woodcarving, etc. There is also a large performance center for special events, a watershed building explaining the history and importance of water to the region, and an an excellent restaurant where we had lunch. The park apparently is a regular attraction for school groups; we saw two different groups passing through today. The park also has a number of other activities on weekends, including more craft demonstrations and musical programs. The crowd was pretty small today, which was good. It allowed us to move through the displays without a lot of people in the way.
After leaving the park we went to the adjoining Acadian Cultural Center. The center is one of six sites in Southern Louisiana that make up the Jean Lafitte National Historic Park and Preserve. One of the other sites we visited was the French Quarter visitor center in New Orleans. The Cultural Center has a very nice museum and a number of displays portraying the history, life, and culture of the Acadians (now Cajuns) from their migration to southern Louisiana after they were forced by the British to leave Nova Scotia in the 18th Century. We also saw a movie at the center depicting the story of the Acadian relocation and immigration.
After resting back at the RV, we went to Prejeans restaurant again for dinner and had another excellent Cajun meal accompanied by live Cajun music.
Today we are going to travel about 30 miles south to the New Iberia and Avery Island area to visit some more Cajun/Creole attractions.
Tuesday Pictures - Swamp Tour
Tuesday Pictures - Vermilion Ville/Acadian Cultural Center/Prejeans
Monday, May 9, 2011
Jazz Fest Trip - Day 18
We left New Orleans about 9:00 am and had a leisurely 2:30 hr drive west on I-10 to Lafayette, LA, our first stop on the trip home.
We are staying at the Bayou Wilderness RV Resort, an RV park on the eastern outskirts of town. It is a nice park with plenty of space to spread out and is not very full at the moment. The area around the park should also be a lot quieter than downtown New Orleans. The weather is hot and humid and we have been running the air conditioner in the RV since we got here.
After we set-up we decided to go out for lunch. We found an award-winning Cajun restaurant nearby called Prejean's. The food was excellent, I had the crawfish enchiladas, and Judy had a half muffaletta sandwich and a cup of seafood gumbo.
We then did a short drive-around Lafayette. The downtown was very quiet. The city is the home of The University of Louisiana - Lafayette, the "Raging Cajuns" but we didn't see a lot of activity anywhere. After a stop at the grocery store, we returned to the RV to rest a little after a really busy week.
A lttle later, we went to the nearby town of Beaux Bridge to check out the boat ramp where we will meet a tour guide tomorrow who will take us on a swamp boat tour of Bayou Teche . They say there will be no mosquitos on the swamp tour, but we'll see.
We then ate dinner at a famous Cajun restaurant in Beaux Bridge. The restaurant is Mulate's and is billed as "the original Cajun restaurant". It is open every day from 11:00 am to "whenever". They also have live Cajun music each evening, 7 days per week. The food was heavy on the fried side and lots of it; very good and very filling but not something you could eat every day. The music was also good and attracted a lot of dancers during dinner. I think there must be a Cajun band member in every family down here. I suspect most of them do it for fun and have a day job to pay the bills.
We are also planning on visiting "Vermilionville" tomorrow, a Cajun folk life and cultural center in Lafayette that apparently tells the story of Cajun history, culture, and activities in southern Louisiana. We will be here until Thursday and our plans for Wednesday are still to be determined but we may travel to New Iberia and Avery Island, about 30 miles south of Lafayette. There appear to be a number of attractions in that area that sound interesting.
It also looks like we will be clear of any flooding in this area as the Mississippi River flood crest moves down the river and flood gates are opened to relieve pressure on the New Orleans levees. We are keeping our eye on the situation however.
Monday Pictures - Lafayette, LA
We are staying at the Bayou Wilderness RV Resort, an RV park on the eastern outskirts of town. It is a nice park with plenty of space to spread out and is not very full at the moment. The area around the park should also be a lot quieter than downtown New Orleans. The weather is hot and humid and we have been running the air conditioner in the RV since we got here.
After we set-up we decided to go out for lunch. We found an award-winning Cajun restaurant nearby called Prejean's. The food was excellent, I had the crawfish enchiladas, and Judy had a half muffaletta sandwich and a cup of seafood gumbo.
We then did a short drive-around Lafayette. The downtown was very quiet. The city is the home of The University of Louisiana - Lafayette, the "Raging Cajuns" but we didn't see a lot of activity anywhere. After a stop at the grocery store, we returned to the RV to rest a little after a really busy week.
A lttle later, we went to the nearby town of Beaux Bridge to check out the boat ramp where we will meet a tour guide tomorrow who will take us on a swamp boat tour of Bayou Teche . They say there will be no mosquitos on the swamp tour, but we'll see.
We then ate dinner at a famous Cajun restaurant in Beaux Bridge. The restaurant is Mulate's and is billed as "the original Cajun restaurant". It is open every day from 11:00 am to "whenever". They also have live Cajun music each evening, 7 days per week. The food was heavy on the fried side and lots of it; very good and very filling but not something you could eat every day. The music was also good and attracted a lot of dancers during dinner. I think there must be a Cajun band member in every family down here. I suspect most of them do it for fun and have a day job to pay the bills.
We are also planning on visiting "Vermilionville" tomorrow, a Cajun folk life and cultural center in Lafayette that apparently tells the story of Cajun history, culture, and activities in southern Louisiana. We will be here until Thursday and our plans for Wednesday are still to be determined but we may travel to New Iberia and Avery Island, about 30 miles south of Lafayette. There appear to be a number of attractions in that area that sound interesting.
It also looks like we will be clear of any flooding in this area as the Mississippi River flood crest moves down the river and flood gates are opened to relieve pressure on the New Orleans levees. We are keeping our eye on the situation however.
Monday Pictures - Lafayette, LA
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Jazz Fest Trip - Day 17
Sunday was the last day of the Jazz Fest. It was hot again with a little more humidity. Some cloud cover kept the temperature down a little however.
We again had a lot of choices on what to watch. Traditional jazz and modern jazz seemed the most interesting so we mostly stayed away from R & B, rock, and alternative/world music and focused on the old-time music that New Orleans and Louisiana is known for.
The first performance we saw was a Cajun band, Goodman Thibodeaux and the Lawtell Playboys. The Fais Do Do stage was one of our favorites despite a lack of seating and a hot sun. The morning sessions usually had small crowds and you could get right up close to the stage.
We then went to the Peoples' Health (a corporate logo) venue and saw several excellent traditional bands. The first one was The Louisiana Repertory Jazz Ensemble, followed by the Treme Brass Band. Treme is a neighborhood in New Orleans that has been the location of an HBO series set in the time just after Katrina. Both bands played lively Dixieland type music. We again had a large number of "Second Liners", people dancing around the tent in the traditional New Orleans parade style to the beat of the music. Most appeared to be locals, some colorfully dressed and carrying parade umbrellas. There was also what appeared to be marching club partcipating called The Second Line Strutters.
The Treme band brought up a number of younger musicians and dancers (teenagers) to participate in the performance. They all were very good. As the band leader said.."we teachin' the kids how to play da music". The Treme Band also joined in the parade at the end of their performance, marching around the tent with the dancers. The Treme band has the most national name recognition due to the HBO series and is one of the older marching bands that regularly participate in New Orleans jazz funerals.
After the Treme Band, we changed pace a little and saw Betsy McGovern and the Poor Clares, an excellent acoustic group playing Celtic music with a "New Orleans twist". They were also very good, but we couldn't stay for the whole performance because we had to eat lunch and go see Ellis Marsalis and his band. He is an outstanding jazz pianist and one of the famous Marsalis family of musicians. Lunch was Native American food again, eaten on the run, then on to the Marsalis modern jazz performance.
We then went back to the People's Health venue for two more ttraditional jazz performances: George French and the New Orleans Storyville Jazz Band and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Both were excellent performances, the crowd lively, and once more, included a lot of Second Liners dancing to the beat.
It was then time for dinner and the last performance of the evening. We decided on the Neville Brothers, part of another family of New Orleans area musicians. It had a little bit too much R&B rap music for us and was not one of our favorite shows. Nevertheless, we saw a lot of things we did like at the jazz fest and it was a wonderful, unforgettable experience.
We have a short ride to Lafayette, LA (Cajun Country) on Monday. We will spend three nights there, learning and seeing what we can about Cajun culture, history, and food.
Here is the link to today's pictures:
Jazz Fest - Sunday Pictures
Details to follow
We again had a lot of choices on what to watch. Traditional jazz and modern jazz seemed the most interesting so we mostly stayed away from R & B, rock, and alternative/world music and focused on the old-time music that New Orleans and Louisiana is known for.
The first performance we saw was a Cajun band, Goodman Thibodeaux and the Lawtell Playboys. The Fais Do Do stage was one of our favorites despite a lack of seating and a hot sun. The morning sessions usually had small crowds and you could get right up close to the stage.
We then went to the Peoples' Health (a corporate logo) venue and saw several excellent traditional bands. The first one was The Louisiana Repertory Jazz Ensemble, followed by the Treme Brass Band. Treme is a neighborhood in New Orleans that has been the location of an HBO series set in the time just after Katrina. Both bands played lively Dixieland type music. We again had a large number of "Second Liners", people dancing around the tent in the traditional New Orleans parade style to the beat of the music. Most appeared to be locals, some colorfully dressed and carrying parade umbrellas. There was also what appeared to be marching club partcipating called The Second Line Strutters.
The Treme band brought up a number of younger musicians and dancers (teenagers) to participate in the performance. They all were very good. As the band leader said.."we teachin' the kids how to play da music". The Treme Band also joined in the parade at the end of their performance, marching around the tent with the dancers. The Treme band has the most national name recognition due to the HBO series and is one of the older marching bands that regularly participate in New Orleans jazz funerals.
After the Treme Band, we changed pace a little and saw Betsy McGovern and the Poor Clares, an excellent acoustic group playing Celtic music with a "New Orleans twist". They were also very good, but we couldn't stay for the whole performance because we had to eat lunch and go see Ellis Marsalis and his band. He is an outstanding jazz pianist and one of the famous Marsalis family of musicians. Lunch was Native American food again, eaten on the run, then on to the Marsalis modern jazz performance.
We then went back to the People's Health venue for two more ttraditional jazz performances: George French and the New Orleans Storyville Jazz Band and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Both were excellent performances, the crowd lively, and once more, included a lot of Second Liners dancing to the beat.
It was then time for dinner and the last performance of the evening. We decided on the Neville Brothers, part of another family of New Orleans area musicians. It had a little bit too much R&B rap music for us and was not one of our favorite shows. Nevertheless, we saw a lot of things we did like at the jazz fest and it was a wonderful, unforgettable experience.
We have a short ride to Lafayette, LA (Cajun Country) on Monday. We will spend three nights there, learning and seeing what we can about Cajun culture, history, and food.
Here is the link to today's pictures:
Jazz Fest - Sunday Pictures
Details to follow
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Jazz Fest Trip - Day 16
We made a short trip to the grocery store before leaving for the Jazz Fest at 10:30 am on the shuttle from the RV park. Everything went about the same as yesterday as we walked to the fairgrounds gate from the shuttle drop-off point. Even the weather was clear and sunny again - and maybe even a little warmer (but no humidity to speak of).
The crowd seemed larger today and it probably was since the weekend is here. We decided to mainly focus on certain types of music today (traditional jazz and modern jazz) and we stayed a little longer at each venue. We also took several breaks in the hospitality lounge to refresh and cool off. There were a lot of other performances we wished we could have seen but it just isn't possible to see everything.
We did see a Haitian Vodou ritual (tourist version). No chicken was sacrificed, but there was a lot and drumming and chanting in a language we couldn't understand. Voodoo is a mixture of West African religions brought to the Caribbean by slaves in the 16th Century and the Christianity of the slave masters. It has evolved over the years and there are now several types of Vodou (Voodoo) practiced throughout the region. There is also a New Orleans (Louisiana) version of Voodoo which I understand differs in many ways from the Haitian Vodu and culture featured at the jazz fest. Apparently, many locals actually believe in New Orleans Voodoo and Catholicism and are active practitioners of both religions.
We had excellent Louisiana street food again for lunch. They really do a nice job with the food here. There is a wide variety of choices, it is served fast and is not very expensive.
The feature show of the night was Jimmy Buffett & the Coral Reef Band. The crowd was huge and enthusiastic. Most people seemed to know the lyrics to the songs and everyone had a good time. We brought more Louisiana food to the show and ate it while the band was playing, an excellent way to end a hot day. The crowd cleared out pretty quickly after the show ended at 7:00 pm and we were back in the RV by 7:30 pm.
The performers we saw today included:
The crowd seemed larger today and it probably was since the weekend is here. We decided to mainly focus on certain types of music today (traditional jazz and modern jazz) and we stayed a little longer at each venue. We also took several breaks in the hospitality lounge to refresh and cool off. There were a lot of other performances we wished we could have seen but it just isn't possible to see everything.
We did see a Haitian Vodou ritual (tourist version). No chicken was sacrificed, but there was a lot and drumming and chanting in a language we couldn't understand. Voodoo is a mixture of West African religions brought to the Caribbean by slaves in the 16th Century and the Christianity of the slave masters. It has evolved over the years and there are now several types of Vodou (Voodoo) practiced throughout the region. There is also a New Orleans (Louisiana) version of Voodoo which I understand differs in many ways from the Haitian Vodu and culture featured at the jazz fest. Apparently, many locals actually believe in New Orleans Voodoo and Catholicism and are active practitioners of both religions.
We had excellent Louisiana street food again for lunch. They really do a nice job with the food here. There is a wide variety of choices, it is served fast and is not very expensive.
The feature show of the night was Jimmy Buffett & the Coral Reef Band. The crowd was huge and enthusiastic. Most people seemed to know the lyrics to the songs and everyone had a good time. We brought more Louisiana food to the show and ate it while the band was playing, an excellent way to end a hot day. The crowd cleared out pretty quickly after the show ended at 7:00 pm and we were back in the RV by 7:30 pm.
The performers we saw today included:
- New Orleans Cottonmouth Kings
- D.J. Menard & the Louisiana Aces
- The Sonny Rimington International Band
- Jesse Winchester
- A Tribute to Walter Payton & Albert "June" Gardner
- The Nicholas Payton SeXXXtet
- Jimmy Buffett & The Coral Reef Band
Friday, May 6, 2011
Jazz Fest Trip - Day 15
We left the RV park around 10:30 am and were dropped off about 5 blocks away from the park entrance. It is about a 5 minute walk through a nice neighborhood with some funky houses that are brightly painted and landscaped. The street we walk down is a major pedestrian route to the fairgrounds and the closer we get to the gate the more people there are, mostly gathering around a neighborhood bar and lounge. It is sort of a tailgate atmosphere, with people sitting around talking and sipping beverages. Some beer was noted being consumed. There are also local entrepreneurs selling bottled water and beer out of coolers, as well as hats, trinkets, etc. It is a happy crowd and everyone seems to be well behaved and orderly. There were a lot of police around, apparently to control traffic, but most just seemed to be sitting around and talking to people.
We again started out at the "Big Chief" hospitality lounge to figure out our plan for the day. The lounge staff marks recommended performers for the day and we have found that they are pretty good recommendations about the many local groups performing at the event and the quality of their work
The groups we saw today, not counting the ones that were playing as we walked by were:
The weather was again clear, a little breezy, and hotter than yesterday. The crowds were also bigger, so we paced ourselves a little more than yesterday. We also toured and had lunch at the Native American area of the grounds. We saw a pow-wow dance and ate Indian tacos and a corn and sausage dish. Both were excellent. We also revisited the Haitian Center and watched native drummers.
As we left the park, we again encountered an interesting street scene. The same people were selling things and street musicians lined the street. We also encountered a Cajun garage band on the way back to the shuttle pick-up point. Again, everyone was having a good time.
Tomorrow is day 3 of the fest and we are hanging in there just fine. It has certainly been an interesting experience and we are looking forward to the rest of the fest.
We have again created an on-line Picasa album for the pictures today. Here is the link:
Jazz Fest - Friday Pictures
We again started out at the "Big Chief" hospitality lounge to figure out our plan for the day. The lounge staff marks recommended performers for the day and we have found that they are pretty good recommendations about the many local groups performing at the event and the quality of their work
The groups we saw today, not counting the ones that were playing as we walked by were:
- The Joseph Torrengano Jazz Band - Traditional Jazz
- Jambalaya Cajun Band - Cajun
- Guitar Slim - R&B
- Ingrid Lucia - Female Vocal
- Fleur Debris - Modern Jazz
- Bonerama - Jazz/R&B
- Buckwheat Zydaco - R&B
- Eric Lindell - Jazz/Blues
- Arcade Fire
- Willie Nelson
- Greg Alllman
- Lupe Fiasco
The weather was again clear, a little breezy, and hotter than yesterday. The crowds were also bigger, so we paced ourselves a little more than yesterday. We also toured and had lunch at the Native American area of the grounds. We saw a pow-wow dance and ate Indian tacos and a corn and sausage dish. Both were excellent. We also revisited the Haitian Center and watched native drummers.
As we left the park, we again encountered an interesting street scene. The same people were selling things and street musicians lined the street. We also encountered a Cajun garage band on the way back to the shuttle pick-up point. Again, everyone was having a good time.
Tomorrow is day 3 of the fest and we are hanging in there just fine. It has certainly been an interesting experience and we are looking forward to the rest of the fest.
We have again created an on-line Picasa album for the pictures today. Here is the link:
Jazz Fest - Friday Pictures
Jazz Fest Trip - Day 14
We left for the Jazz Fest about 10:30 am on a shuttle from the RV park. We walked a few blocks from the drop-off point to one of the entrances to the event, which is held at the fairgrounds and race track about 4 miles from where we are staying. Our first stop was at the "VIP" lounge where we had complimentary snacks and beverages and got oriented to the locations of the different performance stages and schedules.
The performances started at 11:00 am on 12 different stages. Needless to say, there is no way to see everything so you have to decide what you want to see and either watch the whole performance (usually about an hour each) or watch some of the performance and go to another venue to see something else. There are a lot of performers we have never heard before, so we moved around a lot today sampling a variety of music. The stages are also somewhat categorized by the type of music played (e.g. traditional jazz, modern jazz, cajun, blues, etc.)
The performers we saw today, in all or in part included:
In addition to the music, there are also a lot of craft vendors, food booths, and various things going on throughout the day. Several traditional New Orleans marching group (Indians) regularly paraded around the grounds along with marching school bands. The Jazz Fest is also featuring the culture of Haiti this year, with a Hatian Culture Booth displaying Haitian crafts, art work, and Voodo shrines. There is also a daily Voodo ceremony. We missed the one today but may see one before its over. We don't think they will be sacrificing a chicken as part of the ceremony however.
The food booths all feature local and regional foods. We ate both lunch and dinner on the grounds and everything we had was excellent.
The shuttle picked us up at 7:00 pm as the fest was closing for the day and we were shortly back in the RV. This does not mean that jazz in New Orleans is done for the evening. The program for the Jazz Fest lists 37 clubs in town where live jazz oriented music is played each night after the Jazz Fest closes and continues well into the early hours of the morning.
The experience continues at the same time tomorrow. We are also attempting to save a little time in Blogger by including the pictures in a Picasa picture web album (also by Google).
Here is the link to today's pictures, please let us know if it doesn't work.
Jazz Fest - Thursday Pictures
You can click on the slide show feature and go through them fairly quickly.
The performances started at 11:00 am on 12 different stages. Needless to say, there is no way to see everything so you have to decide what you want to see and either watch the whole performance (usually about an hour each) or watch some of the performance and go to another venue to see something else. There are a lot of performers we have never heard before, so we moved around a lot today sampling a variety of music. The stages are also somewhat categorized by the type of music played (e.g. traditional jazz, modern jazz, cajun, blues, etc.)
The performers we saw today, in all or in part included:
- Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes -"Swamp" Rock
- Lucinda Williams - Female Vocal
- Wilco - Alternative Rock
- Gail Holiday and the Honky Tonk Revue - Country Rock/Female Vocal
- The New Orleans Bingo Show - Show Band
- Cyndi Lauper - Female Vocal
- BRW - Rap
- Christian Scott - Modern Jazz
- James Booker Piano Tribute - Various Piano Players
- Belton Richards and the Musical Aces - Cajun
- Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys - Cajun
- The Iguanas - Cajun Rock
- Lisa Knowles and the Brown Sisters - Gospel
- Paulin Brothers Brass Band - Traditional Jazz
- Stooges Brass Band - Traditional Jazz
In addition to the music, there are also a lot of craft vendors, food booths, and various things going on throughout the day. Several traditional New Orleans marching group (Indians) regularly paraded around the grounds along with marching school bands. The Jazz Fest is also featuring the culture of Haiti this year, with a Hatian Culture Booth displaying Haitian crafts, art work, and Voodo shrines. There is also a daily Voodo ceremony. We missed the one today but may see one before its over. We don't think they will be sacrificing a chicken as part of the ceremony however.
The food booths all feature local and regional foods. We ate both lunch and dinner on the grounds and everything we had was excellent.
The shuttle picked us up at 7:00 pm as the fest was closing for the day and we were shortly back in the RV. This does not mean that jazz in New Orleans is done for the evening. The program for the Jazz Fest lists 37 clubs in town where live jazz oriented music is played each night after the Jazz Fest closes and continues well into the early hours of the morning.
The experience continues at the same time tomorrow. We are also attempting to save a little time in Blogger by including the pictures in a Picasa picture web album (also by Google).
Here is the link to today's pictures, please let us know if it doesn't work.
Jazz Fest - Thursday Pictures
You can click on the slide show feature and go through them fairly quickly.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Jazz Fest Trip - Day 13
We went to Cafe DuMonde in the French Quarter for coffee and begneits before going back to The National WW II Museum to see what we missed yesterday.
Jackson Square and Breakfast at Cafe DuMonde
We spent another two hours at the museum. It was definitely worth it go back and we still didn't quite see everything there is to see. This a 2-day place to visit if you are interested in military history and WW II. They are also in the process of a $300 million expansion project that will extend their collections into four new adjoining buildings, the first of which will open in 2012. It might be worth a return visit when the expansion is complete.
National WW II Museum
Lunch at Central Grocery Co.- Muffaletta
After lunch we passed a building that housed the headquarters of the New Orleans Jazz - National Historical Park. We didn't know they had such a thing, so we went in to check it out. The park itself is basically a series of historical spots around town that commemorate the history of jazz in New Orleans. A walking brochure has been developed and a series of audio files are available at the park website for download. As you visit each site, you can play the file on an iPod/MP 3 player to get a narrative description of each site.
The park headquarters is very small and is essentially designed as a performance venue. There is a stage and a small seating area. As we came in, a local jazz group was setting-up to give a performance. The park service regularly brings in groups (one or two a day) to highlight the extensive jazz heritage in New Orleans and they are open to the public at no charge. Also, most of the audience at the performance appeared to be locals.
The group was the University of New Orleans Guitar Ensemble. The group had six electric guitars, A stand-up base, and a drummer. They were excellent. The University of New Orleans apparently has a world-class jazz studies program and this jazz ensemble is one of eight that performs professionally. In fact, they played at the Jazz Fest last weekend. They played for an hour and we stayed for the whole performance. It was a nice introduction to the upcoming weekend of music at the Jazz Fest.
New Orleans Jazz - National Historical Park
After the performance we walked to nearby Jackson Square, checked out a small local book store housed in William Faulkner's old house in Pirate's Alley behind St. Louis Cathedral.
Jackson Square and Faulkner Book Store
We then squeezed in a short visit to the Louisiana State Museum in the square to view a retrospective exhibit of the Katrina disaster and its aftermath. It is a very good multi-media exhibit that describes the event from a number of different perspectives.
Louisiana State Museum - Katrina Exhibit
Fats Domino's piano, which was removed from his flooded home in the Lower Ninth Ward.
After the museum, we found a grocery store, got a few things we needed, and returned to the RV.
The Jazz Fest starts tomorrow and we will travel to and from the venue (fairgrounds) a few miles away by a shuttle bus provided by the RV park. There are 12 different stages with performances all going on at the same time. There are also cultural displays, vendors, food booths, and daily Mardi Gras-style parades. It should be an interesting adventure.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Jazz Fest Trip - Day 12
After breakfast at the RV, we drove to the nearby National World War II Museum. We had visited the museum last year on our Mardi Gras tour but we didn't get to see everything there and we wanted to go back if we ever got the chance.
The museum originally started out as a D-Day museum under the leadership of the author Steven Ambrose who lived in the New Orleans area. It has since expanded and is now a first-class museum telling the story of WW II through exhibits, personal memorabilia, and recorded oral and video histories of many people who directly participated in the war. There is also a spectacular 4-D film, "Beyond All Boundaries," narrated by Tom Hanks. The fourth "D" is smoke, lights, seats that rock, etc., and a host of other video and audio effects in an Imax format. New Orleans was also home to the manufacturer of "Higgins Boats" during WW II. The Higgins company produced most of the landing craft used in the war and played a huge part in the national war effort. This local connection to the war effort was also instrumental in the establishment and growth of the museum.
We relaxed back at the RV for awhile then went out to dinner at a famous French Quarter restaurant, K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen. The restaurant is owned by the famous chef and cookbook author, Paul Prudhomme, who is still actively involved in the operation of the restaurant. The food was excellent .
The museum originally started out as a D-Day museum under the leadership of the author Steven Ambrose who lived in the New Orleans area. It has since expanded and is now a first-class museum telling the story of WW II through exhibits, personal memorabilia, and recorded oral and video histories of many people who directly participated in the war. There is also a spectacular 4-D film, "Beyond All Boundaries," narrated by Tom Hanks. The fourth "D" is smoke, lights, seats that rock, etc., and a host of other video and audio effects in an Imax format. New Orleans was also home to the manufacturer of "Higgins Boats" during WW II. The Higgins company produced most of the landing craft used in the war and played a huge part in the national war effort. This local connection to the war effort was also instrumental in the establishment and growth of the museum.
The National World War II Museum
After watching the Tom Hanks movie and touring some of the exhibits, we ate lunch at the restaurant in the museum, "The American Sector". The restaurant chef is John Besh, a local chef of some renown, a former marine, and a cookbook author. The food was excellent, presented well, and reasonably priced. The quality was not what you might expect at a museum restaurant and is a nice addition to the museum complex.
Lunch at the Museum - "The American Sector" restaurant
We continued touring the museum after lunch and still didn't finish it all before it closed at 5:00 pm. The place is a treasure trove of history from the build-up to the war to its aftermath and the birth of the atomic age. It is a unique presentation of history that essentially tells the story of the era through the eyes of those who were directly involved and impacted by the war. It is a legacy for "the Greatest Generation" that should be be seen and appreciated by all.
More Museum
We relaxed back at the RV for awhile then went out to dinner at a famous French Quarter restaurant, K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen. The restaurant is owned by the famous chef and cookbook author, Paul Prudhomme, who is still actively involved in the operation of the restaurant. The food was excellent .
We are going to continue touring in the area tomorrow and go back to the WW II museum to finish-up what we didn't see today. The Jazz Fest starts on Thursday and will continue through the weekend.
Dinner at K-Paul's Restaurant
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
