There and Back Again

We are back! This will be the first of several posts detailing our trip to the gulf coast states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. The trip celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary and concentrated on visiting friends and a lot of beaches. The 10 day vacation took place between October 19th and October 29th.

I’m going to narrate in more-or-less chronological order, beginning with our visit to New Orleans. Other locations along the way include the Florida Panhandle and St. George Island, Epcot Center near Orlando, Key West, and visits with friends Mary and Jeff Hayes and my niece Jennifer, her husband Jeff, and their daughter Rowan. Let’s get started!

The weather throughout was just about perfect, with daytime temps in the mid to upper 80s and evening temps in the mid-60s. No rain fell, probably because we had packed umbrellas and rain coats. Our rental car was a 2014 Chevy Cruz, a mid-size sedan that delivered around 38 mpg but was (just) big enough to handle our suitcases in the trunk, leaving the back seat open for items such as the camera bag, water, and other travel odds and ends.

Our rental car, a 2014 Chevy Cruz

We flew out of Grand Junction and made a layover in Houston before landing at the Louis Armstrong Airport in New Orleans. The first two air links were delayed, one due to mechanical problems and one a software problem, but we didn’t miss any connections. Our luggage managed to keep up with us through all the changes so the flight ended without incident.

Leaving Grand Junction

Selfie on plane out of Grand Junction

(For the first time ever I tried taking selfies; some turned out, some did not. May need a selfie stick.)

New Orleans turned out to be an interesting town. We concentrated on visiting the French Quarter, including Bourbon Street. (Bourbon Street was named after French nobility, the House of Bourbon, and has nothing to do with liquor -although the actual street smells like beer.) Below are a few photos but look for a video, to be posted later, that includes footage of an impromptu street jazz band.

French Quarter is known for ornate wrought iron enclosed balconies

Wrought iron balconies became a symbol for wealth and prestige in early French Quarter construction. There were a lot of these, some more ornate than others, but all sporting some unique feature and often greenery and flower baskets.

Very ornate iron work on display in the French Quarter

Pam had wanted to visit one of the New Orleans cemeteries where burials have been above ground. While historically interesting, it was sad to see how many of the crypts have fallen into disrepair  as families moved or died out, leaving no one to care for their burial plots.

History plaque at cemetery #1

New Orleans Cemetery #1

(Note: I did some PhotoShop work on the above photo to eliminate some power lines that cross the back of the area.)

After this (somewhat morbid) side trip, we returned to the French Quarter, walked around many of the narrow streets, then decided to take one of the carriage tours that begins and ends at Jackson Park near the waterfront.

Pam on carriage in French Quarter

Our tour guide, Susan, has lived in the French Quarter for 30+ years

Susan, our tour guide, had comments on the history and architecture of the area as well as insight into the local culture we found informative. If you plan to visit New Orleans, take one of these carriage rides; it is well worth the $20.00 per person charge.

After most of a day spent playing tourist, we returned to our car and decided to take a drive north along the Mississippi and see some of the area. We quickly found the levee system blocks the view of the river from the road so could not see the river traffic and water-borne commerce, a disappointment for us.

We had hoped to see Pam’s niece, Caitlin, who lives in New Orleans but she had come down with a sinus infection and we could not make a connection. We did, however, drive through the area where Caitlin lives – the St. Charles Street area – and came across this sign:

Our daughter Felicity got a kick out of this sign

So our first day of our vacation was full of activity and new [Southern] experiences. We did enjoy ourselves, but we recognized when it was time to find dinner and retire to our hotel for a night’s rest before heading out the next day.

Over-all impressions of New Orleans:

Bourbon Street is interesting but over-rated. Smells like a bar crawl for blocks (“shtick, shtick,” what are my shoes sticking to?) Architecture is often surprising with small (and usually beautiful) garden areas behind the buildings which one can glimpse through gates and doorways. Entire area is zoned commercial although many live in apartments over shops. Recommend  taking the tours if you are in a hurry; these get you most of the info you want and cover  the high points 0f the French Quarter.

Next up: Day 2, Houmas House Plantation and our first beach stop.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

General thoughts on travel these days-

• actually sleeping on motel beds is an art
• where are the public toilets? More signs please!
• we start later (sore backs) and end earlier in the day  (tired legs)
• rather than being part of the crowd, we often sit and observe the scene
• humidity – great for the sinuses, not so much for skin and hair
• we carry less on day trips (no more heavy backpacks)
• we’re still map readers, not GPS devotees, an issue on occasion
• traveling with a spouse has its moments (even after 40 years)

Happy Trails.