The Alamo and Dancing Cowboys

I'm writing this entry on a picnic table on school playing fields while most of the rest of the group are swimming in a lake. I got burned to a crisp last time we swam in a lake and have learned my lesson...

Thursday, 6 August 2009

Trek Day 9

This morning we left hot, sweaty Louisiana behind us and entered Texas, the Lone Star State. Instantly everything got bigger; the flags (both in size and frequency); the stores; the distance and the size and warmth of the welcome grew bigger too.

At our very first Texan truck-stop, a kindly old bear of a gentleman asked me cheerily, "What are all you girls doing here from Missouri?" He'd seen the plates on our rented van and assumed we were from there. I explained where we were from and what we were doing and we got chatting. Turns out he had lived in Grays in Essex and also in Kent. Before I knew it I was getting an impromptu history lesson of the local area. Such a sweet, genuine interest what you are doing is a refreshing change from the off-hand way in which British often treat visitors... and the fellow countrymen for that matter.

Driving Clean Across Texas

It's rare for people to drive across Texas and as the road stretched away ahead of us through the second largest US State (second by volume to Alaska and by population to California) it is clear why.

We skirted around Houston, a massive metropolis of impressive skyscrapers and (according to the guidebook, impressive air conditioning too) and headed to San Antonio, city of The Alamo.

On the way into the city, we had a quick pit-stop at the Salvation Army store for essential supplies. More of which later...

Another City. Another Campsite

Campsites are beginning to look a bit samey. Especially as we have often stayed at ones run by the KOA company. Tonight's was relatively close to the City which was good as there were plans afoot.

Pitch tent. Shower. Change clothes. Get back in van. It's a variation on a theme we are getting very used to... but never accustomed to.

A Sneak Preview, Rude Food and Dancing Cowboys

Refreshed, though instantly sweaty again in the 100+ degree heat, we arrived in the centre of San Antonio where we got the chance to walk along the city's Riverwalk. A series of water-side paths, lined with shops, restaurants and ice cream parlours. It was very busy and very commercialised, so I broke away from the group (who had all immediately walked into the first bar they came to) and headed to The Alamo.

This symbol of Texan pride is almost overshadowed by surrounding buildings, but it's history means it retains an air of tranquillity and respect. Only in America would the site of a great defeat be so revered. However, this was just a sneak peak at the outside as the full visit would be the next day.

I rejoined the group at Dick's Last Resort, an American restaurant where the "theme" is sarcasm, rudeness and disrespect. A bit like a Harvester, but by design. Funny hats were produced with smutty innuendos on, napkins hurled around the place and much abrupt banter abounded. It was packed, so I retorted to the waiter by writing on my plain, white paper place-mat, "I like my service like I take sex... long and slow." He seemed to appreciate that.

The Cowboy Dance Hall

After dinner, we headed to the Midnight Rodeo Bar, but it turns out Thursday is their dead night. We had a few drinks (non-alcoholic beverages were free!) and I revealed to the group my Pool skills about which they were duly impressed. After the disappointing quietness there, we drove to the Cowboy Dance Hall, which does exactly what is says on the tin sided building.

Basically it is an industrial unit, a bit like an out of town B&Q done up with wooden facades of a Saloon, store and Sheriffs office etc. plus an entrance to the "Cowboy Dance Hall".

Inside you find a huge dance floor, a triple storey stage set (with live band) and hundreds of Cowboys dancing with their Gals. All around are various bars, some selling everything, some only shots, some just bottles and so on.

The dancing is amazing. When the dance floor was full and the Country Rock band in full swing, the sight of all the couples dancing in the same direction is extraordinary. There's shoelace ties, cowboy boots, denim, vests (waistcoats) and, of course, cowboy hats, swirling around the place like a well organised tornado.

The don't limit themselves to just Country music though. Once the band had finished for the night, the DJ took over and threw in some contemporary and R&B classics. Even I had a dance, much to the surprise of the group who probably didn't realise people can still dance as they approach 40.

It was quite a heady atmosphere, in the club, but not remotely threatening. The rest of my gang didn't get too sozzled and we got back to camp around 2:30 in the morning.

I had a good night.

Stats - Day Thirteen

Distance travelled (as the crow flies) - 316 miles Sam Houston Jones State Park, LA to KOA Campsite, San Antonio, TX

States entered - Texas

State count - 11 + DC

Still in Louisiana

Wednesday, 5 August 2009

Trek Day 8

We've not done much today except drive. We left New Orleans after a lie in, then pressed West towards Texas. We've not made it into the Lone Star State yet though and are now camped next to a little lake in Sam Houston Jones State Park.

We've made a couple of stops en route. One was a "surprise" visit to the McIlhenny Tabasco factory on Avery Island in Louisiana. The "tour" consisted of a 10 minute video, then we were lead past a bottling room where we watched little red lids go onto bottles, then into a small room with some wall displays about the history of Tabasco.

We were a bit bemused, but frankly I was glad not to have been taken around a factory full of hot, stinky peppers.

The second stop was a giant Wal-Mart to buy supplies.

So, not the busiest or most entertaining day, but at least we're not exhausted.

Washing Up Duty

Kelly and I are on washing up tonight, so I better go do my bit.

Goodnight.

Stats - Day Twelve

Distance travelled (as the crow flies) - 193 miles New Orleans to Sam Houston Jones State Park

States entered - 0

Total state count - 10 + DC

Irreconcilable Differences

Tuesday, 4 August 2009

Trek Day 7

Sadly, my feelings of unease with New Orleans did not subside overnight. If anything, they worsened. On top of my mental discomfort, it was very hot again today so I ventured no further than the hotel's breakfast room where I sat for around for several hours catching up on emails, news, Tweets, this blog and also began to book hotels for the driving portion of my trip. So, I can give you a sneak preview and confirm that my first stop after Los Angeles will be Santa Barbara.

A word about my Trek group

On the first night in New Orleans, my group rolled in at various times between 3:30am and 6:30am. I remember those days, not particularly fondly.

They were not too bad, but one guy did decide to bang on every door, including mine and yell "Breakfast Call, Wake Up" at 3:30 in the morning. Luckily I was already awake so I wasn't jolted from my sleep.

In general though, I do like my group. I have spoken with several of them of the last week about why I don't drink, how I am happy in my own company and thus find the adjustment to a group dynamic a bit tricky. I think they appreciate that as I am older than them (by between around 8 to 19 years) that I have different priorities and goals for the Trek and my whole trip.

...and speaking of my group, they have started arriving back home now on the second evening. It's only 11:30pm so I am hoping they are here to stay and not just refuelling before going back out. I'm going to go say hello and see how their evening has been.

Goodnight.

Stats - Day Eleven

Distance travelled (as the crow flies) - 0 miles (only about 200 yards actually)

State count - 10 + DC

Swamps and Suites

Monday, 3 August 2009

Trek Day 6

We started the day after a pretty good night’s sleep at the KOA Campsite near Meridian in Mississippi. I was on wake-up duty this morning which, surprisingly, suits me fine as it takes me so long to get ready in the morning at the campsites that in order for me to not hold people up, I have taken to setting my alarm earlier than necessary. I hate rushing in the morning at the best of times, but when I am in a damp, sweltering tent where the bathrooms are usually a few hundred yards walk away, I need all the time I can get.

We drove through Mississippi all morning, crossed the border into Louisiana and arrived at our en-route stop for the day, a two hour boat ride through the swamps outside of New Orleans.

Close Encounters

Needless to say, the heat was exhausting the moment we set foot outside of the air conditioned van. However, once out on the Bayous, River and Swamp, the heat was quite manageable and was even lightened by a brief, light shower.

I've only ever seen Alligators as near lifeless specimens in Zoos, so to see some up close and in the wild was an impressive treat. They are magnificent creatures, with a strange air of wisdom to them. Maybe it's because they have been around since before the dinosaurs came and went and that they haven't evolved for 100 million years. They've done all the growing, learning and evolving they need to and are now completely at ease with sloping around in swamps.

You have to admire that.

Putting on a Show

Our wonderful, friendly, genuine son of Louisiana, Captain Charlie took great care of us and spoke knowledgably about the plants, birds, insects and ecosystems we were seeing all around us, but the big applause lies in seeing the Gators in action.

For this, a relationship has built up between the tourist boat captains and the gators. The Gators have learned to trust the Captains and in exchange for treats. Treats in this case being marsh-mallows and hot-dog sausages.

Several alligators approached our boat without hesitation, others needed to be seduced with a marsh-mallow thrown over the side. Once they'd arrive, our gallant captain would place a sausage on a stick, tap the water, then coax the gator into some very impressive feats as they powered themselves out of the water to grab the sausages. I think this photo speaks for itself.

The Big Uneasy

When I looked over the itinerary for the TrekAmerica tour, one of the stops which I was not particularly looking forward to was New Orleans. The city, still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, has a reputation as a big, laid back soup of fun, beads, free flowing booze where the only thing hotter than the weather is the food.

I do not drink at all. I am not a party girl. I do not like busy bars, however "laid-back" they may be. People spilling out onto streets, clutching brightly coloured cocktails is not my cup of iced tea. So, this evening, I am typing this entry in the living room of the suite of rooms we have as our accommodation tonight. Next to us is an area which the hotel proprietor tactfully said "you do not want to go into" and three blocks the other way is the quiet end of Bourbon Street.

I'll make no bones about it, I am nervous and more than a little on edge. I do not like the accommodation much, either in terms of facilities (no internet in our rooms, only in the main building which I am afraid to go to in the dark) or proximity to a "no-go" area. I am also on edge about how trashed the remaining 10 members of my party will be when they return from the gaudy bars late tonight.

Tomorrow is another day

I hope to be proved wrong, but as I sit here now, I cannot wait to get out of New Orleans and into the National Parks section of our tour. Tomorrow we are free to look around New Orleans on our own. With the heat and lack of anything which pushes my buttons, I suspect a short stroll plus a quiet day in the run-down hotel is on the cards for me.

Goodnight.

Stats - Day Ten

Distance travelled (as the crow flies) - 192 miles: Toomsuba, MS to New Orleans

States entered - Louisiana

State count - 10 + DC

Into Mississippi

Sunday 2nd August

Trek Day 5

A short entry as my battery is dying...

Today we left Tennessee behind us, briefly dipped into Georgia, then hit Alabama and Mississippi. Two stops on the way today. First was the Jack Daniel's Distillery. I don't drink anymore, and even when I did I hated Jack Daniel's. I just about managed not to throw up.

Second stop was the Civil Right Museum in Birmingham Alabama.

Humbled

As a white, raised in the home counties of England, it is humbling to see the way Black Americans were treated until so relatively recently.

For me, the most moving part was viewing Martin Luther King Jr's "I have a dream" speech. These are rightfully seen as extremely powerful words, but they rang even clearer because only days before I had stood at the exact spot where he spoke those words.

I am now sat at a picnic table enjoying 24Mb Broadband in the soggy backwoods of Mississippi. Sweet.

Goodnight.

Stats Day Nine

Distance travelled (as the crow flies) - 289: Ocoee, TN to Toomsuba, MS

States entered - Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi

Stae count - 9 + DC

Isolated Thunder Storms

Another entry written in the back of the van...

Saturday 1 August, 2009

Trek Day 4

It's OK. There were no bears. Kate thinks she heard an animal of some sort, but it didn't eat us so that's the important part.

We struck camp, the trailer was loaded and we were back on the road. We'd be staying entirely in Tennessee today, moving from Bristol in the North of the State to Ocoee in the south. This also meant we were only on the road for around two and a half hours.

Brandon's Water Shoes

We'd pitched camp just after lunch time and the more intrepid of the group went white water rafting. I wasn't feeling adventurous or energetic enough to paddle and crash down a raging river, so I selected option B and went swimming in a lake. On the short drive to the lake we did get proof positive that there are bears around when a young cub crossed the road a hundred yards ahead of us. And, no, I don't know why the bear crossed the road.

The lake was actually a reservoir created by a small damn, and had a purpose built beach area with steps down into the refreshingly warm, fresh water.

We bobbed and swam around for an hour or so and watched the locals at play. Our favourite exchange of the day went thus.

Mom (yelling from the beach): "Brandon! Do you have your God-damn water shoes on?"

Brandon (a strapping 16 year old in the water): "No!"

Mom: "Then get the hell out!"

So, another new experience... well, two actually. Firstly, I swan in a lake. Secondly, I peed in a lake. *giggles*.

S'mores

Refreshed from the swim (where, it turns out, I got really rather badly sun-burned) we got back to camp where Fajitas were promptly and deliciously prepared. Kelly and I were on washing up duty today so were keen to make sure as few pots and pans as possible were used.

We'd just put the plates and pans away when the rain started. A marquee was erected above the picnic table and a camp-fire started beneath it too. Kate then introduced us to an American delicacy of which I had only heard of recently... S'mores.

Here's the recipe. Take two marsh-mellows, and heat them over the camp-fire on a long skewer. When sufficiently hot, take two Graham Crackers (sweet, biscuit-wafers) and two squares of Hershey's chocolate and sandwich the chocolate and marsh-mallows between the crackers. Eat. Lick sticky fingers clean. Yummy!

As we ate our S'mores, it became clear that the rain was getting worse and rapidly turned into a torrential thunder storm.

I ventured to our tent to find a not inconsiderable puddle outside and inside our door-way. I decided to forget about changing into night-clothes and just laid down on top of my sleeping bag and spooned the big pile of baggage safely stacked in the middle of the tent, away from the worst of the wetness.

The rain stopped over night, but managed to start exactly in time for a damp breakfast.

Stats, Day Eight

Distance travelled (as the crow flies) – 150 miles? (tbc) - Bristol, TN to Ocoee, TN

State count – 6 + DC

Thunderstorm count – off the chart

Heading South, y'all

Trek Day 3

Today was described as one of our epic driving days, where we have covered around 375 miles as we head South-West into what is commonly known as the Bible Belt.

I woke feeling pretty good after a considerably better night's sleep (no gunfire), packed chaotically and helped take our tent down.

We were on the road not long after 7:30am and began the long journey out of Maryland, through Virginia and into Tennessee.

The vast majority of the day was on the road, with only a brief lunch stop and shopping expedition to buy group food supplies on the way.

Rain Check

The only minor disappointment of the day was that the planned trip to a Minor League Baseball game at the Bristol Sox. We had arrived at camp, pitched tents at full speed, headed to the Baseball field only to find that it had been cancelled earlier that day due to pitch conditions.

So, back to camp, and time for us to cook our first meal for ourselves. I was paired up with Kelly from Maidstone and we made a very successful and highly praised Pasta Bolognese. Scrumptious.

Up to date!

And there I am, all up to date. I'm looking forward to a good night's sleep with my newly purchased pillow, no 12 lane highway... Oh, but there are Raccoons and Bears to worry about.

Goodnight.

Stats - Day Seven

Distance Travelled - 347 miles (as the crow flies)

States entered - Virginia, Tennessee

Total states count - 6 + DC

Meals cooked - 1

Campsite count - 2