Folks,
I am home, arrived back in Melbourne at 7.30 am this morning, feeling good and not tired. I think flying east to west is easier somehow, although it was a 16 hr flight.
Everything good at home, need to sort through a pile of snail mail.
Stay tuned for futyre adventures of LB, although it may be a little while.
Doug (AKA LB)
Friday 13 May 2016
Wednesday 11 May 2016
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
After leaving Lake Village Arkansas this morning, which by the way is actually on a lake and not the Mississippi as I had thought, I meandered my south through the B & C roads again to get a better feel of Louisiana. It is Cajun territory, lots of water and farming, mostly corn (I think) as it is still only green shoots. I made my way down to Lafayette and had a second late lunch. Then I decided to push on an extra hour to Baton Rouge so I have less distance to travel tomorrow to get to the airport at New Orleans. The freeways here can turn to gridlock pretty quickly so what is meant to take 1 hour could end up taking 4 hrs. Best be early than late.
Only one pic today, the view from the Cafe in Lafayette, mostly swamp or Bayou between here and Lafayette. Better watch out for mozzies.
Plane leaves New Orleans at 18.07 tomorrow and then later that night from LA direct to Melbourne. Arrives 07.25 am of Friday morning(with luck).
The next blog update (unless I do something at the airports tomorrow) will probably be from home.
It has been a good trip, Sth America, Mexico and Cuba all good. The US has also been good but it is expensive here, things seem cheap but when you factor FX, taxes, tips, etc etc. It adds up to be a lot more than you anticipate. My list of US States now visited = 23 My list of Countries visited = 58
Still plenty to go.
Only one pic today, the view from the Cafe in Lafayette, mostly swamp or Bayou between here and Lafayette. Better watch out for mozzies.
Plane leaves New Orleans at 18.07 tomorrow and then later that night from LA direct to Melbourne. Arrives 07.25 am of Friday morning(with luck).
The next blog update (unless I do something at the airports tomorrow) will probably be from home.
It has been a good trip, Sth America, Mexico and Cuba all good. The US has also been good but it is expensive here, things seem cheap but when you factor FX, taxes, tips, etc etc. It adds up to be a lot more than you anticipate. My list of US States now visited = 23 My list of Countries visited = 58
Still plenty to go.
Lafayette, Louisiana
Tuesday 10 May 2016
Lake Village, Arkansas
I could not resist adding one more US State to my tally, besides I wanted to cross the Mississippi. Only two sleeps to go before catching the big bird home.
Today was spent slowly meandering through the backroads of Mississippi moving from Tupelo in general south west direction, I sort of got lost in the back roads but it wasn't a problem, simply put a new destination into the GPS and all was fine. I found a place called Coffeville to have coffee and lunch, just a small cafe with three old timers stirring up the waiting staff and asking me what I had been taking pictures of. They were taking it easy.
The backroads were very quiet, hardly saw any other cars, at one stage I stopped to take a photo of some horses in a field and not one car came by.
Eventually I was back to places I had been through on the way up, like Indianola where I did my laundry the first time. It also turns out to be the birthplace (or near enough) of BB King and there is a BB King Museum there as well as his grave site. 1925-2015 He made it to 90.
That was a good spot to have a break from driving and just meander around through the exhibits.
After that, about 1 hrs drive down the road brings me to Lake Village in Arkansas. It is a small quiet town by the big river.
Tomorrow, I might travel down through the Louisiana side of the river through Lafayette and Baton Rouge. But that's tomorrow's decisions.
Pics
Today was spent slowly meandering through the backroads of Mississippi moving from Tupelo in general south west direction, I sort of got lost in the back roads but it wasn't a problem, simply put a new destination into the GPS and all was fine. I found a place called Coffeville to have coffee and lunch, just a small cafe with three old timers stirring up the waiting staff and asking me what I had been taking pictures of. They were taking it easy.
The backroads were very quiet, hardly saw any other cars, at one stage I stopped to take a photo of some horses in a field and not one car came by.
Eventually I was back to places I had been through on the way up, like Indianola where I did my laundry the first time. It also turns out to be the birthplace (or near enough) of BB King and there is a BB King Museum there as well as his grave site. 1925-2015 He made it to 90.
That was a good spot to have a break from driving and just meander around through the exhibits.
After that, about 1 hrs drive down the road brings me to Lake Village in Arkansas. It is a small quiet town by the big river.
Tomorrow, I might travel down through the Louisiana side of the river through Lafayette and Baton Rouge. But that's tomorrow's decisions.
Pics
Monday 9 May 2016
Tupelo, Mississippi
Here I am in Tupelo, Mississippi, birthplace of Elvis and name dropped in many songs. It was only about 70 miles from Muscle Shoals, so it was an easy drive. The GPS took me via a road called the Nachez Trace parkway. A stated in previous posts, a parkway is a simple road through a national park. The meaning of the word trace was more interesting , apparently it means a road or a path and this path or trace has been used for a long time, well before the civil war, but it was during this time that the trace became a major highway for troops.
This afternoon I did some washing so I have some clean clothes to travel home in, explored Tupelo a bit, saw a very overlong goods train go across the road, it must have 10 minutes to pass, had two engines in front and three at the back. Tupelo is just another once small, now expanded town with acres and acres of shopping malls and car dealers. I then visited Elvis's birth home, it is very small and would have been in his day, a fair way from town. Very modest beginnings for some. Hence Elvis's parents always lived at Graceland as he promised his mum he would put her in a big house. Graceland is not huge, but compared to this place, it is.
Pics
This afternoon I did some washing so I have some clean clothes to travel home in, explored Tupelo a bit, saw a very overlong goods train go across the road, it must have 10 minutes to pass, had two engines in front and three at the back. Tupelo is just another once small, now expanded town with acres and acres of shopping malls and car dealers. I then visited Elvis's birth home, it is very small and would have been in his day, a fair way from town. Very modest beginnings for some. Hence Elvis's parents always lived at Graceland as he promised his mum he would put her in a big house. Graceland is not huge, but compared to this place, it is.
Pics
The Parkway Road
Elvis's Birthplace home
Sunday 8 May 2016
Muscle Shoals, Alabama
I left Atlanta reasonably early this morning and went via the downtown area, it was very big and full of new skyscrapers so I did not get off the freeway, instead I had breakfast down the road and continued into Alabama and Birmingham.
First stop was the Barber, Vintage Motorcycle Museum and racetrack. What a collection, the best I have ever seen. I think they must have nearly every motorcycle ever made either on display or in storage. I took over a hundred pics and that wasn't near all that there was. After spending nearly two hours there, I went into downtown Birmingham, it was deserted, I suppose it is Saturday but not much happening so I pushed on. It did have some nice buildings and one had my name on it (someone, somewhere, owes me rent).
I decided to head north again for Muscle Shoals, legendary music recording studios in little backwater town in northern Alabama. I will look around here a bit tomorrow and then head south to Tupelo. As long as I am back in New Orleans by Wednesday to catch my flight, I am travelling easy.
As I said, I took lots of pics, I have cut them back but there is still heaps. So I put them in a slide show to music. Enjoy.
First stop was the Barber, Vintage Motorcycle Museum and racetrack. What a collection, the best I have ever seen. I think they must have nearly every motorcycle ever made either on display or in storage. I took over a hundred pics and that wasn't near all that there was. After spending nearly two hours there, I went into downtown Birmingham, it was deserted, I suppose it is Saturday but not much happening so I pushed on. It did have some nice buildings and one had my name on it (someone, somewhere, owes me rent).
I decided to head north again for Muscle Shoals, legendary music recording studios in little backwater town in northern Alabama. I will look around here a bit tomorrow and then head south to Tupelo. As long as I am back in New Orleans by Wednesday to catch my flight, I am travelling easy.
As I said, I took lots of pics, I have cut them back but there is still heaps. So I put them in a slide show to music. Enjoy.
Saturday 7 May 2016
Atlanta, Georgia
Well, I am where I started in the US when Delta flew me to Atlanta, then would not let me leave the airport. Today, I got to achieve one of the things I wanted to do in the US and that is, drive along the Blueridge Parkway. Ideally, I wanted to travel on it by motorbike, but that wasn't to be this time. I was also fortunate that I chose only the most southern section of the otherwise very long (nearly 500 mile) parkway. The section north of Asheville is closed, according to the bikers I met on the parkway today. Essentially, the Blueridge Parkway is a single road that meanders through at least two National parks alongside the mountain ranges in the SE of the US. It starts in Virginia up near Washington DC and ends near Cherokee, in North Carolina just before the State border with Georgia.
I only did about 80 mile today of the parkway and it took at least 3 hours, of course there were many photoshops, but it is a slow old road. The speed limit is max 45 mph and often only 35 mph. The highest point was just over 6000 ft and starting to feel very cool. I was also fortunate that, despite a forecast of rain all day, it was often sunny along the way.
After the Parkway, I looked around Cherokee and found a Gun and Pawn shop, so I thought I would have a look. There was every type of handgun imaginable, including older style colts and machine hand guns (Uzi like, note sure of brand). I did not even look at the rifles, the walls were covered in them. There is something seriously wrong with this place.
After that sobering experience, I went south towards Georgia and came across a knife specialist just off the side of the road. They are essentially suppliers of materials for knife makers, handles etc, but they had a huge range of ready made knives, including kitchen knives. They had a ceramic cooks knife there on special for $18 (they are a lot dearer in Aus) so I bought one. What the heck, it was $18.
I actually staying in place called Suwanne (nothing to do with rivers I believe) and as far as I can tell, it is like the Ferntree Gully of Atlanta, that is lots of shopping centres and freeways, but still a fair way from downtown Atlanta. A lot of the cities and towns here are like that, very spread out, often with lots of green vegetation in between. Its the burbs.
Tomorrow, I might try to look at downtown Atlanta before heading west toward Birmingham, Alabama. I have booked my flight home, I will be back on Friday 13th, spooky.
Pics attached All Blueridge Parkway
I only did about 80 mile today of the parkway and it took at least 3 hours, of course there were many photoshops, but it is a slow old road. The speed limit is max 45 mph and often only 35 mph. The highest point was just over 6000 ft and starting to feel very cool. I was also fortunate that, despite a forecast of rain all day, it was often sunny along the way.
After the Parkway, I looked around Cherokee and found a Gun and Pawn shop, so I thought I would have a look. There was every type of handgun imaginable, including older style colts and machine hand guns (Uzi like, note sure of brand). I did not even look at the rifles, the walls were covered in them. There is something seriously wrong with this place.
After that sobering experience, I went south towards Georgia and came across a knife specialist just off the side of the road. They are essentially suppliers of materials for knife makers, handles etc, but they had a huge range of ready made knives, including kitchen knives. They had a ceramic cooks knife there on special for $18 (they are a lot dearer in Aus) so I bought one. What the heck, it was $18.
I actually staying in place called Suwanne (nothing to do with rivers I believe) and as far as I can tell, it is like the Ferntree Gully of Atlanta, that is lots of shopping centres and freeways, but still a fair way from downtown Atlanta. A lot of the cities and towns here are like that, very spread out, often with lots of green vegetation in between. Its the burbs.
Tomorrow, I might try to look at downtown Atlanta before heading west toward Birmingham, Alabama. I have booked my flight home, I will be back on Friday 13th, spooky.
Pics attached All Blueridge Parkway
Friday 6 May 2016
Asheville, North Carolina
Well another wet day, only did about 200 miles today. I am in Asheville for tonight and tomorrow I will attempt to drive along the most southern section of the Blueridge Parkway, America's most scenic road. I will only see a small part of it as it is about 500 mile long from top to bottom. The other thing that Asheville is famous for is Biltmore Estate, the Largest Privately owned house in the US. A French style chateau on 8000 acres built by one of the Vanderbilts at the end of the 19th century.
see link for details https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biltmore_Estate
I was delayed on the way here, it seems there must have been an accident on the freeway as the police blocked the freeway and sent us off at an exit. I just followed the crowds and eventually made it back to the freeway to Asheville, although I am not convinced it was the same freeway. They have lots of freeways here.
Anyway I took a few pics of the countryside today, some in Kentucky, some in Tennessee and some in North Carolina, but don't ask which is which. The rain finally eased when I got to Asheville and the sun was out briefly. I think the forecast is more rain tomorrow.
Pics
see link for details https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biltmore_Estate
I was delayed on the way here, it seems there must have been an accident on the freeway as the police blocked the freeway and sent us off at an exit. I just followed the crowds and eventually made it back to the freeway to Asheville, although I am not convinced it was the same freeway. They have lots of freeways here.
Anyway I took a few pics of the countryside today, some in Kentucky, some in Tennessee and some in North Carolina, but don't ask which is which. The rain finally eased when I got to Asheville and the sun was out briefly. I think the forecast is more rain tomorrow.
Pics
I thought I heard banjos, so I kept driving.
Note Sherrifs car just to left of red truck, blocking the road.
The Smoky Mountains were covered in cloud.
Thursday 5 May 2016
Col Sanders and Corbin, Ky
I have just found out that Corbin, where I am currently, is where Col Sanders started out during the depression, selling fried chicken from a roadside stand. Hence, Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Corbin, Kentucky
Well I did not make it as far as the Smoky Mountains, I decided by about 4pm it was time to stop and not rush. So I stopped in a town called Corbin, at the Fairfield Inn, no less.
Here are the photos from the Corvette Museum, unfortunately it has been raining ever since and I have not taken any pics of the Kentucky countryside. It is very lush and pretty. It would look great here in the Autumn with the changing colours, now everything is green.
Maybe tomorrow if the sun is out. The Daniel Boone forrest is not far from here, maybe I will have a look if easy to access tomorrow.
Pics for the motor heads or more correctly "Chev heads"
Here are the photos from the Corvette Museum, unfortunately it has been raining ever since and I have not taken any pics of the Kentucky countryside. It is very lush and pretty. It would look great here in the Autumn with the changing colours, now everything is green.
Maybe tomorrow if the sun is out. The Daniel Boone forrest is not far from here, maybe I will have a look if easy to access tomorrow.
Pics for the motor heads or more correctly "Chev heads"
One of the early types, I think I like more than later models.
For those who like engines
Some that came worse off
A rare only one surviving 1983 Corvette
The Diner
Look, they even have customised Gibson Corvette Guitars.
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