Georgia: The Space Odyssey Continues

Lake Ocmulgee State Park, Helena, GA

Our plan was to explore the campground this morning on bikes. It is known for its amazing bike trails, but it was raining. Time to put this on the list of "places to revisit" and blast out of here.

Speaking of blasting out, our first stop today was the Space Science Center in Columbus, Georgia.

What a hoot we had!

This Science Center is designed for kids which is probably why we had such a good time.

 

 

We all tried the flight simulator...we all crashed. Let's be clear, I wobbled a lot and never really flew, Linda flew for awhile before crashing, Ned was sailing then failed his mission, and I don't know what the heck Gary was doing.

 

 

 

Next was the space shuttle Odyssey ride. Our mission was to dock with the international space station

By the looks of it, I was very excited to be on this journey!

We got to experience what it was like for astronauts as they took off, hooked up with the space station, and experience some disasters. We were hit by a meteor! We were supposed to go on to the moon and mars, but the mission was aborted.

I'm happy to report we all made it back to earth safely.

 

These three goofballs had way too much fun driving their rovers on Mars. Instead of practicing precision maneuvers they spent more time playing bumper cars.

Fortunately, we had the museum almost to ourselves. I would have hated to set such a poor example for young kids.

We also went to the planetarium and watched a constellation show and a movie about astronaut training. Thank you Coco-Cola Space Center for such a fun time!

 

 

The City of Columbus, Georgia is so beautiful. Lots of stately homes on treelined streets. There is also a gorgeous paved path along the Chattahoochee River.

We took a bike ride and rode past rapids, kayakers, guys fishing and kids swimming. It felt like the quintessential summer day.

 

 

 

Hey Gary, are you coming or going?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gary, doing his Major King Kong impersonation from Dr. Strangelove.

 

 

While biking we decided it was time for lunch so we pedaled on over to the closest bbq. Chester's BBQ won out.

I had chopped pork with collard greens and cornbread. I wasn't expecting a mustard based sauce. I thought we wouldn't hit that til at least South Carolina. It was still pretty darn tasty. Linda and Ned had the chopped pork sandwich while Gary went for the ribs. We discussed sweet potato or buttermilk pie, but decided we were all too full.

 

 

Tonight we are camped at Lake Ocmulgee. We have the campground almost to ourselves and haven't explored it that much. Why? Because Gary has spoiled us with his Moscow Mules. (Is it bad that this has become a nightly ritual?) Needless to say, tonight was basically hanging around the campsite and shooting the breeze. I love vacation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Alabama: Selma to Montgomery & the Tuskegee Airmen

Chewacla State Park, Auburn, AL

Today was jam packed with activities. Our first stop of the day was visiting the Selma Interpretive Center. We took in all three floors and got an in-depth review of the events leading up to Bloody Sunday, and the March from Selma to Montgomery.

After walking across the Edmund Pettus Bridge we also took in the National Voting Rights Museum & Institute. This museum focused more on the history of voting rights in the U.S. and the stories of the "foot soldiers" who made it happen.

We also visited a Freedom Park which had several monuments and memorials to the leaders of the Voting Rights movement.

To experience what the march was like, you can drive the 5 day, 54 mile march from Selma to the state Capitol in Montgomery.

Along the way one can visit the 4 campsites and see several memorials to those who died. There is also an incredible Interpretive Center about half way.

We stopped here an delved further into the history of the Civil Rights Movement. If you only have time to visit one Interpretive Center, pick The Lowndes one. It's much more in-depth and has more impressive exhibits than the one in Selma. (Although both were good).

 

 

 

 

Because we were pressed for time, Linda made up sandwiches for everywhere between the Selma to Montgomery drive. We took a quick moment to have lunch and pick our options of what to do in Montgomery. So many choices!

Biking, more Civil Rights museums, Hank Williams museum or a walk thru the Old Alabama section of town.

 

We opted for some outside time and viewed some of the old Alabama homes...after getting some ice cream of course!

Ned and Gary just so happened to pick out the same green T-shirt and gray shorts today. Cute hubbies - aren't they?

 

 

 

Our last stop of the day was the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site. Wowza! We spent several hours here. The exhibit is in two airplane hangars. There is so much to take in. We saw a really informative, emotional movie about the airmen and their contribution to WWII, learned about their intensive training and all the obstacles they had to overcome. I particularly enjoyed all the interviews and oral history of these brave men and women.

There were also several airplanes and other cool exhibits. I only wish we had time to take in the Tuskegee Institute as well.

We pulled into Chewacla Campground in the evening and after having dinner and doing laundry we didn't have time to explore it. Looking forward to doing that tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Driving thru Mississippi to Selma, Alabama

Paul M. Grist State Park, Selma, AL

Due to Memorial Day most National Points of Interest and attractions were closed. We also woke up to a rainy day. Good time to log some miles and take in the back roads of Mississippi and Alabama. We were lucky that once out of Louisiana the rain stopped.

I was surprised by how Eastern Mississippi is so unlike the west part of the state. It's much more wooded and very little farm land. Here's a typical shot of what the 5 hour drive looked like.

 

 

Just cuz, I had to include some fun things along the way. Kinda jealous that our California gas fill-up stops don't include boiled peanuts, both Cajun style and plain!

We're used to seeing almonds or walnuts everywhere in California, but this is pecan country...pies, pralines, roasted, sugared, you name it.

 

We stopped for a picnic on the side of the road and barely made it to Selma within minutes of the Interprevtive Center closing. I had just enough time to run in and get some literature and maps to plan our strategy over the next couple of days. It was so cool to walk across the famous Edmund Pettus Bridge. Because it was the Monday evening of a holiday weekend we had the bridge to ourselves

This was the sight of the "Bloody Sunday" conflict between law enforcement and peaceful protestors in 1965. The 50 mile march from Selma to Montgomery triggered a milestone event in the Civil Rights Movement.

P.S. Gary violated the "no butt" rule and snapped a pic of Ned's butt. So funny.

 

 

The view from the middle of the bridge looking out was beautiful. Hard to get my mind around the serenity and beauty from this spot with what happened over 50 years ago.

We also visited the Brown Chapel AME Church. This place served as the starting point for the Selma to Montgomery March.

"Defying threats of death Martin Luther King, Jr. led 400 Black and White Americans on the longest, largest most dramatic march of his career."

The March was for Southern Blacks to gain the right to cast a vote. In the following 10 years Black voters increased from 1.4 million to 3.8 million, and Black elected officials from 72 to 2568 .

 

 

 

Selma also has some beautiful historic homes.

This is the Sturdivant House, one of the most intact Greek Rival antebellum homes in the South. It was completed in 1853.

 

 

 

We're camped about half hour away from downtown Selma. The campground is amazing. There are only 11 campsites and we have the entire place to ourselves. We are camped right on the lake. There are very friendly Canada geese, fireflies and really noisy frogs `that have come out this evening.

After all the New Orleans food we consumed we were looking forward to a healthy dinner this evening of grilled chicken and salad. I'm loving all the history, culture, places and food we're experiencing on the trip, but also loving just as much just hanging with Gary and Linda laughing and telling stories.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Other New Orleans

St. Bernard State Park, New Orleans, LA

Ned and I had enough of the party scene and couldn't wait to get back to nature. Gary & Linda went on a swamp tour (thanks Matt, Rachel & Jessie, what a sweet Christmas present to your folks) while Ned and I headed for the Barataria Preserve.

We took a 4 mile hike through the Preserve, which was mostly on a boardwalk raised above the swamp and marsh.

 

To get there we had to go all away around downtown New Orleans, which would take about an hour. That pesky Mississippi River was between us and the Preserve. As luck would have it there is a ferry boat crossing about 5 miles from the campground. Sounds like a plan to me!

We were in awe of the captain's maneuviring skills naviagating the powerful downstream current.

This pic is of a huge tanker going by the ferry dock. Still can't get used to the hub-bub of the hundreds of tankers and barges in the delta.

It was a gorgeous hike through this National Park, but dang was it hot and humid! We walked for a couple of hours and the big payoff was a lookout over the Marsh Area. On the hike we saw a gator, but I was more impressed (scared to death) of the humongous spiders hanging from overhead branches onto the trail. Yikes!

This area is named after Jean LaFitte. Mmm, so not impressed. His claim to fame was "he led 1000 men of different nationalities into one of the largest, although illicit business enterprises of its day. With 99 vessels LaFitte and his band of Baratarians supplied slaves and luxury goods to the wealthy planters along the Mississippi and to the residents of New Orleans."

 

This map puts into perspective where this Preserve is in respect to New Orleans

Basically, there's not a whole heck of a lot between here and the Coast.

 

By mid-afternoon we met up with Gary and Linda in the Garden District and took a cemetery tour of New Orleans' most famous cemetery. My big takeaway - don't believe the story that the reason the crypts are above ground is because of the water table. It's all about resource management, i.e reclycing the same space over and over to bury as many people as possible.

After the cemetery tour we took a bike ride through the Garden District up and down all the bumpy streets looking at all the historic homes. And because I still hadn't ridden enough I cajoled everyone into doing some more biking around Audubon Park. What a gorgeous park with a paved path just for cyclists!

 

 

After dinner Linda and Gary headed out for another night of dancing on Frenchmen's Street. We cried uncle and headed for the campground.

As I doze off to sleep I'm going to try and not think about all those ginormous creepy spiders and the alligators we saw on our hike. (Notice how every little itch or brush against your leg just gets you twitching? Yeah, me too).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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NOLA: Cruising the Big Easy

St. Bernard State Park, New Orleans, LA

Memorial Weekend in New Orleans. Might as well head for the belly of the beast and go right to the French Quarter.

We arrived late morning committed to staying until my dancing sister got to experience another evening swing event.

The best part of strolling thru the streets is hearing the incredible jazz. The woman in this band just owned the clarinet and had a smooth jazzy voice as well. I could have listened to her for hours, except the sweltering sun kept us moving.

 

After taking a stroll thru the French Market we thought it was time that Gary & Linda were initiated to the wonders of the Muffeletta. As far as we are concerned the Central Market is the only place to go. Proud to announce they are now devotees.

When Gary was in flight school one of his fond memories was putting peanuts in a coke, shaking it up, then drinking it. We all watched as the coke fizzed up and he gave it a swig. He reports it was just as tasty.

 

 

We stumbled into the New Orleans Jazz National Historic Park building and there was loud, enthusiastic drumming going on. A woman was explaining the local cultural influences on New Orleans jazz and their very unique Second Line.

They asked for volunteers to do some drumming, and before you knew it Ned and I were drumming away and Linda was joining us in dance before a packed house. OMG - this was so much fun!

 

We walked from the Mississippi River, all thru the French Quarter, strolling each and every street, eventually ending up on the infamous Bourbon Street.

Along the way, Linda found a vintage shop that specialized in swing dresses, the boys snagged some daiquiris, we popped in several hot sauce places and quirky shops, and we all participated in people watching.

By late afternoon we were ready to take a break in a shady court and have some beignets and ice coffee.

We saw several weddings today, including one ON Bourbon Street and many, many Second Lines with the bride and groom dancing, complete with police escorts. Crazy place this New Orleans.

 

 

Just cuz, I put in this collection of signs and things unique to New Orleans. Yeah, I did taste the crawfish jelly. It was pretty good too!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At 7ish we walked over to Frenchmen Street so Linda could put on her dancing shoes and get in some more swing moves. Gary took a couple of turns with Linda then decided he wanted to experience Bourbon Street at night. We left Linda dancing away and off we walked once more to Bourbon Street.

It.was.insane.

Glad to report we survived and made it back to Frenchmen Street to tear Linda away from the dance floor. I'm beat, but my toes are still tapping away to the great jazz sounds we heard today.

 

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Louisiana - Hot & Spicy

St. Bernard State Park, New Orleans, LA

Palmetto Island State Park is a pretty wild place, wild with nature that is. Nutria were scurrying all over, the insects and frogs were roaring, and there were supposedly bears and alligators within the park. Since we pulled in at dark, Ned and I couldn't wait to go for an early morning bike ride and see it first hand. I just loved the ride through the swamp in the early morning light.

 

 

Once the troops were rallied, we headed for Avery Island where Tabasco Sauce is made. We took the self-guided tour through the facility. Ned and I were last here about 7 years ago. They've upgraded the tour tremendously since then. It goes without saying that we had a great time viewing the greenhouse, warehouse, blending and bottling facilities. The best part was visiting the country store afterwards and tasting everything Tabasco from ice cream to soda, and every kind of sauce you can imagine.

 

 

Ned is a funny guy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Except when he wants to get another barrel for chocolate aging and carry it across the U.S. Nooooooooo! - once was enough!

 

 

Avery Island also has a Jungle Garden Tour. Ned McIlhenny wanted future generations to enjoy and study the wonders of nature while observing plants and flowers from around the world. The grounds are dotted with massive live oak trees with Spanish Moss hanging from them and there are several gardens, ponds, a bird sanctuary and a Buddha shrine. We spent most of the afternoon exploring them and enjoyed spotting the occasional gator and unique birds.

The Buddha shrine was built by Emperor Hui-Tsung of China in 1101. Centuries later, the temple was looted by a rebel general who took the statue as part of the loot and sent it to NY to be sold. The statue was given to D.A. McIlhenny as a gift by two friend. My two cents: bad karma dude, give it back.

 

On our way to New Orleans, we made a quick stop in Morgan City to show Gary & Linda the riverwall that prevents Morgan City from flooding everytime the Atchafalaya River floods. For the Army Corp of Engineers if it's choice between Morgan City getting flooded or New Orleans, Morgan City loses.

Seeing the different high river marks on the old seawall lead me to believe that Morgan City lives on the edge.

 

After this action packed day we headed straight for New Orleans. Linda had her heart set on dancing at a certain club on Frenchman's Street. Perfect. I was looking forward to exploring that neighborhood.

It was so much fun walking Frenchmen's Street. We took in a Friday night art walk and the music was just pouring out of the clubs. By 9 pm there were jazz players on the street corners and dancing in the streets. Unfortunately, we had to check into our campground before they locked up the gates so off we went to St. Bernard State Park. Great campground just 25 minutes away.

Whew, what a day. We better rest up cuz it's Memorial Weekend in NOLA and we got a lot of partying to do!

 

 

 

 

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Louisiana: Exploring Creole and Cajun Country

Palmetto Island State Park, Abbeville, LA

Our first stop of the day was Natchitoches (pronounced Nack-a-tish) the original French Coloniy in Louisiana. It was established in 1714 and is the heart of the Creole Cane River Country.

We walked around the charming town, did a little window shopping and stopped for a coffee. (Real coffee not the instant we make for breakfast every morning). The boys also tried a meat pie. It was more like an empanada with a pastry exterior.

So what defines being a Creole? Depends on who you ask. It's a mixture of French, Spanish, Native American, African-American, and English/American settlers' culture. One of our guides said it in a way that cracked me up. "It's a culture where you speak French, cook Spanish and are Catholic."

This area has several plantations scattered through out. We opted for the oldest intact plantation that was owned by only one family since 1821 and given to the National Park service in the 1990's.

We arrived in time to take a 12:30 tour of the slave cabins. Our guide was really personable. He knew a lot about the history of the area, this family and the life of a slave on this particular farm.

 

 

We enjoyed that tour so much we decided to take another tour of the main residence. Because it was in the same family since 1821, seeing the original artifacts and how the house evolved over almost 200 years was fascinating! There were pieces of furniture dating back to the original owners, and a 1953 kitchen and bath. One of my favorite things was a gentlemen's outfit coordinator circa 1920's. The picture is the middle one on the left. You dial in what color tie you are wearing and it matches up your shirt and suit. I like to think of this as the original app.

 

Our guide for this tour was even more remarkable. He knew so much detail about the Creole culture, the history of this particular family and did research about some of the slaves on the farm. He wrote a book called "A Blacksmith's Son goes to War: The Story of William Smith." Lucky me, I received a free autographed copy from him!

 

 

It was such a gorgeous day, warm but not too hot with a nice breeze. Perfect for a mid-afternoon picnic lunch!

 

We were so fascinated by this plantation we decided on a quick stop to view the brick slave quarters of the Magnolia Plantation, which was close by.

Again, so fascinating, but to be honest it's a bit emotional to walk the grounds.

I picked up lots of reading material and am looking forward to diving in and learning more about the Creole familes and culture of the Cane River area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

What's a road trip without stopping by a farm stand? This one specialized in pecans. Who knew there were so many varieties? And yes, we tasted them all including all kinds of amazing things that you can do with a pecan...coat it in chocolate, cane sugar, cinnamon, etc. Delish!

 

 

 

 

 

Late in the afternoon, early evening we drove thru Cajun country stopping at St. Martinsville to see the monument to Longfellow's Evangeline. Such a beautiful setting.

And then finally off to more Cajun food and dancing! This place was great. A dance hall with live Zydeco music. Linda was in heaven. So cute to see Gary and Linda take a few rounds on the floor. Linda would have stayed til they shut the place down, but I knew we had another hour to go before reaching our campsite for the night. So, at 9:30 we headed to Palmetto Island State Park.

For those inquiring minds dinner was: fried alligator, seafood gumbo, corn and seafood bisque, crawfish etouffee and fried crawfish...shared by all. It was superb.

 

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