Home and a final post

Hello

So I've decided to not make a regular post about the trip from New Orleans to Minneapolis. Really, it wasn't that interesting and was mostly a bunch of driving. I did however stop in Little Rock, AR overnight and visited the Clinton Library, pictures can be found in the Photobucket.

Above are the unwrapped shot glasses and assorted knicknacks I collected along the trip. All told I have 27 souvenirs:
Death Valley, California.
Columbia River Maritime Museum
Stone Dinosaur, Wyoming Dinosaur Museum, Thermopolis, Wyoming.
Pacific Coast Rock, found along the beach in Washington State.
Tillamook Cheese Company, Tillamook, Oregon.
Mount Rushmore NM, Black Hills South Dakota.
Obsidian shard (for the) Big Obsidian Flow, Newberry National Volcanic Monument, Oregon.
William J. Clinton Presidential Library. Little Rock, Arkansas.
Spam Museum, Austin, Minnesota.
Seattle, WA.
Grand Teton NP, Wyoming.
Badlands NP, South Dakota.
Mount St. Helens Historic Site, Washington.
Sea Lions Cave, Oregon Coast.
Eruption flipbook, Mount Saint Helens, Washington.
Crater Lake NP, Oregon.
Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey, California.
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
Crazy Horse Memorial, Black Hills, South Dakota.
Bourbon St, New Orleans, Louisiana.
August Schell Brewery, New Ulm, MN.
Petrified Wood (for the) Petrified Forest NP, Arizona.
Carved California Redwood shotglass, Redwoods NP, California.
Corn Palace, Mitchell, South Dakota.
Grand Canyon NP, Arizona.
Glacier NP, Montana.
Wall Drug, Wall, South Dakota
Olive wood vase, from Crater Lake NP store.

Now for some numbers (9/10-10/10/08):

Total Miles Driven : 8899 miles.
Gallons of Gasoline: 253.43 gallons.
Total fuel cost: $903.43
Miles Per Gallon: 35.11 mpg
Average price per gallon: $3.56

Nights stayed in a tent: 6
Nights stayed in a hotel: 24

Trips to McDonalds (breakfast specifically): 16 (12)

Times I used my National Parks Pass: 15
Amount of park fees (approx) $280
Cost of a parks pass: $80

Total Trip Cost (including new laptop PC): $4302 (give or take).

I would like to thank everyone who has read and commented on my blog. This concludes the Blanketing the West blog. Thanks!

New Orleans and the South.

New Orleans

Day 28:

I left Kinder in the morning after making a one night reservation at the Ambassador Hotel in downtown New Orleans. After driving across miles and miles of elevated highway that crossed vast expanses of marshland I passed Baton Rouge and headed south to New Orleans. I arrived and had my first experience with valets on the trip. The room itself was only $50 for the night and included a breakfast and free parking; I understand that these prices would have been unheard of before Katrina. Anyways, after parting with my keys I wheeled my cart of Tupperware up to the room.

I must say, even for a converted warehouse the Ambassador is a nice place; probably the nicest place I stayed all trip.



The room had the original hardwood floors, roughly refinished. It also has a window with a great view of the brick wall 2 feet away, but still, it was a nice place, and for so little cash in downtown New Orleans. I relaxed for a while, watching the news and blogging, before venturing out into the humidity of the New Orleans evening.

Bourbon Street is northwest of the Ambassador Hotel's location on Tchoupitoulas St (choopitoolas), centered here, about 1 mile. Bourbon street is the main drag in the district, but there are many clubs, restaurants and tourist traps in the French Quarter surrounding Bourbon Street. The street itself was barricaded off from vehicles by the time I got there, and I suspect that they would make it a pedestrian walk for about 8 blocks but for some unknown reason.

I didn't take my camera, as, suspecting a situation similar to that of Amsterdam, that it would be more trouble than it's worth ('accidentally' or not, taking a pic of a prostitute's stall in Amsterdam will get your camera smashed, at least went the legend).

Now, this is pretty cool: I found a place to eat at a restaraunt called the Chartes Inn (or something, Place maybe?). While looking for the restaraunt's names and such I came across the Google Street View software system, and found this shot. Assuming it loads correctly this is a street view of the place I ate, and I can tell I ate there because the wall colors and door were very distinct. Technology is wonderful. Anyways, feel free to mess around with the street view thing for awhile, and get a feel for the atmosphere and such of New Orleans. Dinner consisted of an appetizer of a baked crawdad cakes, and an entree of a true tourist feast: the New Orleans Sampler consisting of bowls of jambalaya, red beans and gumbo. mmmmm. It was amazing. And it cost $40 (with white wine). But it was worth it. Best Food in America, in my new opinion. After I was fat and happy I backtracked to a cigar shop I had passed earlier and picked up a nice Macanudo which accompanied me as I sauntered toward Bourbon Street proper.

"Bourbon Street" is about 8 blocks long. The southwest end meets Canal Street and is mostly strip clubs while the northeast end is mostly jazz and music clubs. Again, using the Google Mapview thing I found the Jazz Club I visited: the Maison Bourbon, dedicated to the preservation of Jazz. Now, I don't pretend to have a deep appreciation of jazz. It is a form of music that doesn't really speak to me, but my friend and Jazz musician Mike Cain has educated me enough in the art of jazz to know good jazz when I hear it. And this club had good jazz. After the purchase of an $8 Guiness I listened to two sets by Louis Ford and his New Orleans Flairs. Again, jazz doesn't speak to me as it does some, but I could appreciate the extemporaneous nature of their music, and ended up (after a second Guiness) purchasing a CD of the group's works. I listened to it on the way home and I like it, but alas, I fear jazz will never be my thing. But I know that patronizing the things you appreciate is important, and I hope that my drinks and CD will help keep jazz alive in it's birthplace.

With a couple pints and a white wine in me I proceeded down Bourbon street south, past the skin and celebrations. Many tempting offers were directed my way by the eye candy, but an empty wallet and my better angels prevailed. If you're interested in the sites the Google View thing shows the entire street (strip?) and you can view to your heart's desire.

I made my way back to the hotel to sleep off the fun. Of the places I've visited this trip Bourbon Street's culture and proclivities were one of the most memorable, putting for example Vegas to shame and I am trying to figure out ways of getting back there again. Of all the places in America I suspect this one reminds me the most of 'Europe' and of course Amsterdam in particular. The combination of colorful people, places and relatively subdued commercial nature of New Orleans has retained it's appeal thru hurricane and strife, and I for one hope it never dies.

The trip north later.