Day 16: Appalachia and Final Thoughts

Today I got up at around 8am. A little later than usual but not to major since it was our final stretch back into Washington. We left Knoxville at about 9am and skipped breakfast. For lunch we stopped at Cracker Barrel and dad tried to talk me into getting grits. It didn't work because there was some ham and eggs that looked soooo much better. Got to hear some quality Tennessee accents though!

Heading north through the beautiful Appalachian mountains was great. They were thick with vegetation familiar to me from up north. I was finally back in my own environment after two weeks. The ride was pleasant. Really nothing new to report except for just how nice this 7 hour drive was. I knew I was close to home when I drove into the Shenandoah Valley between the Appalachian Range to my west in West Virginia and the Blue Ridge Mountains to the East where I frequent on some weekends for hiking. I will look at these mountains a little differently now though. After seeing those titans in the west, these here on the east coast are mere hills.


Final Thoughts:

Its been over two weeks now on the road and I am happy it is over now. It ended just at the right time. I'm not tired of it but rather satisfied with it ending. It was perfect. I got to spend some great quality time with my dad and to our surprise, we didn't get fed up with each other. I got to see and experience amazing things in the span of half a month. I experienced temperatures ranging from the upper-30s to 100 degrees with high humidity. I was on top of the world at 10,000 feet and below sea level. I viewed all types of terrain and incredible geological formations. I saw more animals than all the trips to the zoo I have taken combined. I saw different peoples and how they go about their daily lives. I even saw a speed limit sign of 80 mph! We live in such a beautiful country and I implore everyone to go out and see it when they have the time. I am so happy this happened and that my appetite for exploration has been satisfied for the time being!

Thanks for reading everyone and I'll be updating soon on other happenings.

Day 15: The Deep South

We left this morning a little late. I found it extremely hard to get up after yesterday walking all over New Orleans. By the time we hit the road it was past 9am but we got into Mississippi fairly quickly. This fine state is known as the Magnolia State and it lives up to its reputation. The highway had several of these flowering trees through out the state. Besides that, the flat coastal plains' fauna were made up of mostly deciduous trees but now there was an increase in pine trees too.

A few hours later, we crossed into Alabama. There were significantly fewer Magnolias but noticed an increase in another type of flowering tree -Mimosas. the coastal plains continued in this state until we started hitting some hills in the northern part of the state. Those foothills belong to a familiar mountain range known as the Appalachian Mountains.

For lunch, we stopped in the outskirts of Birmingham for some classic southern food. I found this great little diner and I figured it would be perfect. I was right despite waiting forever for it! Time definitely goes by a lot slower down south compared to what I am used to in the North. I had an authentic barbecue pork sandwich and for dessert I had a fried southern apple pie. It was pretty amazing and making my mouth water as I type this. I love southern food.

Back on the road now, we finished up Alabama and clipped the northwest corner of Georgia where the foothills were getting a bit bigger. We then drove into Tennessee and through the city of Chattanooga. We made our final stop for the night in Knoxville to get some shut eye.

Next Up: Appalachia and Final Thoughts!

Day 13-14: New Orleans

We got up early once again for another long drive was ahead of us. By now dad and I are used to the routine (which always includes a morning nap for me) so it isn’t that difficult. The only difference in the routine today was that we skipped breakfast to make up some time. As we went drove east out of the San Antonio area we were blessed with great weather. It was the second day in a row with no rain, however, temperatures were still maintaining upper 90s Fahrenheit and the humidity increasing every mile eastward. The fauna was also changing again. The small leaved trees that dominated San Antonio were now giving way to the more broad leaved deciduous type. In fact, if you ignore the number of pickup trucks and Bass Pro Shops, driving through the suburbs of Houston reminded me a lot of how the northeast looks!

Around lunch time, outside Houston, we stopped for brunch. We had been seeing billboard signs for this particular family run diner for miles and decided it had to be good. When we got there, I was dead set on having some quality Texas steak. Mission accomplished and it was pretty tasty by the way.

Back on the road now, we drove past downtown Houston and soon hit the state line of Louisiana. The roads now were surrounded by thick forests. The skinny but tall trees with their leaves only up near the canopy were covered with Spanish moss and connected to each other with vines. There were also many swamps between these forests. We would drive for long stretches (upwards of 30 miles a couple times) on elevated roadways as we passed across them. All in all, this would be a pretty freaky place in the dark.

Outside Baton Rouge, we drove over the Mississippi River once again. This was the same river we saw two weeks earlier in Minneapolis but this time it was very wide, slow, and meandering. It was a treat to see such a contrast of this mighty river which splits the country in two. Then not long later, at around 5:00pm we finally made it to New Orleans and found a motel for the next two nights. After dropping everything off, we headed downtown. The information center was closed so we just headed into the heart of the French Quarter for dinner and a quick recon. We found parking near the riverfront and started walking around reading dinner menus attached to the sides of restaurants. Within 10 minutes of parking and a Monday at 6pm, we watched a random marching band stroll down the street followed by loads drunks throwing beads at dad and me. That’s when we got the full meaning of the phrase, “let the good times roll.”

We walked around the neighborhood for a little until we found a place that served what we both wanted (I really wanted to get some Cajun/Creole food). I ended up getting jambalaya and I severally underestimated how spicy it was. To make matters worse, our sketchy waiter didn’t have any bottled water and told us that he wasn’t supposed to serve tap water. I ended up getting soda and he told me there was a rule that I could only get 1 refill. Despite the sniffles and watery eyes, I really enjoyed the meal.

The following morning was a real treat. I got to sleep in until 9am! We left the room at around 10 and headed south of New Orleans to check out the swamp lands and maybe see an alligator! Unfortunately we really didn’t know where we were going and I got annoyed at a seemingly waste of time. I ordered the car back north to spend the rest of the afternoon in New Orleans. It wasn’t all a waste though. We saw some beautiful pelicans and cranes around the region. I was also surprised at how well the city bounced back from the hurricanes. The only signs I noticed were some leaning telephone poles and a gas station which hadn’t repaired the canopy over the pumps.

When we got into New Orleans we parked near the Superdome which is pretty far from the French Quarter. We thought it would be a good idea to walk across the city but that soon changed when we noticed the heat index was over 100 degrees. We chugged tons of water and went into stores for the sake of its free air condition. We must have walked into Walgreens three times and pretended to admire its goods – particularly their collection of fans. Between our “cooling stops” we saw a lot of neat stuff which included statues of Benjamin Franklin and President Andrew Jackson on his horse! We also walked down Canal Street. A very nice road lined with tall palm trees and shops on either side. A free trolley car drove through the center for the convenience of tourists too. In the French Quarter, Dad and I took pictures of the old buildings around sector. We visited the Café de Mundo, an old French coffee shop and a “must” according to all the travel books. I ate something called a beignet but really this fancy name just translates to a dough boy.

I always heard New Orleans was a pretty sinful city these days. Where ever you would walk there would be profanity, drunks, and alcoholic beverages in every ones hands. There were strip clubs, gay bars, voodoo shops, the smell of vomit and clairvoyants all over the place. Certainly, the devil had a firm grip in this city. I made sure I prayed to Saint Michael for protection against curses. From what I have read and heard, that sort of thing isn’t as uncommon as people think. Of course, I may have been a little bit over the top when I checked my food and drink for any hexes and I did freak out a little when I thought a homeless man was giving me the evil eye. I mustered up enough courage to walk into a voodoo shop but when I saw that there was a cross-dresser behind the cash register, I ran out pulling my dad with me.

Despite such evil, standing tall like a white fortress in the center of the quarter was a magnificent church called St. Louis Cathedral. It was open so we went in and wow let me tell you of all of the churches I stepped foot in during this trip, I think this was my favorite. It was truly glorious. The church was brightly lit with chandeliers hanging under a beautifully painted ceiling. There were statues of saints and angels all over the altar and corners of the church. It looked like the sort of church where old coronation ceremonies would take place back in the Middle Ages.

That night, as dozens of bats flew around over the tops of the buildings, dad and I signed up for a ghost tour which promised to be the best one in America. My dad hated it. He expected that we got to go into the actual haunted sites but instead it was just a stroll through the French Quarter where our tour guide told us stories and recent sightings of ghosts. He also encouraged us to take pictures. In one instance he nearly guaranteed us that if we snapped photos of the roof of an old convent we would see orbs. I took five pictures of the roof and on the third I caught an orb! To most people that would be pretty exciting, but after watching a lot of ghost hunters, this picture of a “ball of energy” didn’t really satisfy me.

Once the tour was over, Dad and I were exhausted and headed back to our car and home to the motel. Now I know I said a lot of bad things about New Orleans but I don’t want anyone to get a wrong idea. I actually really enjoyed this city. It is full of culture and history. Everyone is really friendly and outgoing (Southern Hospitality they call it). The food is great. It also has really sweet antique shops for anyone who is rich… which is probably no one who is reading this. Anyways, my point is that I look forward to next time I come down to visit this really unique, fun, and great city.

Next up: The Deep South!

Day 12: San Antonio

We stayed in a motel about 3 hours outside San Antonio and we had to make it to the city by 11am to catch mass since it was Sunday. We left at 730am to give us enough time. I was so exhausted from yesterday and going to bed really late that I slept for pretty much the entire ride but I did notice that the fauna once again changed. Now there were many trees around but with very small leafs obviously designed to not be overwhelmed by the abundant sunshine.

After mass, we got some lunch and then checked in to another motel. Once we unloaded the car it was off to downtown. Our first stop was the Alamo. At first I was pretty surprised as to how small it was. It really put into context the bravery these 300 men had in defending this place against an entire Mexican Army.

Two blocks away was San Antonio’s Riverwalk. We crossed a park in front of the Alamo and passed an evangelical preaching on the street. It would have been fun to argue with him over a couple of his points but I was tempted not. Anyways, this section of the city makes Providence’s riverfront and waterfire exhibit look ridiculous. The Riverwalk here is beautifully designed surrounded by restaurants, hotels and shops on both sides of the river. There are trees and palms along the river with several different birds swimming and nesting around. Dad and I ended up taking a riverboat tour to get a good sense of this place. We learned a lot of interesting things including how San Antonio got its name. Along the water there is a bronze statue of Saint Anthony which was a gift from Portugal given to the city.

I really had a good time here but it was seriously hot. It hit 100 degrees. After being in the mountains of northern Wyoming just last week wearing a winter jacket, I am not at all adjusted to the heat so it was pretty uncomfortable.

Next up: New Orleans!

Day 11: New Mexico

We woke up to overcast and rain. In fact it rained all morning in Santa Fe. Its no longer a surprise anymore. Now we just expect it to happen and laugh it off. We were out of the motel by about 730am and headed into the center of town. Our first stop was the historic Cathedral downtown. The Church had been there since 1610 but the actual building was built in 1887 I think. It was a beautiful building -the only Romanesque design around towering over the pueblo style buildings found in the historic district known as 'The Plaza" The church from the outside had many statues and a beautiful assortment of flowers everywhere. When I stepped inside the structure I was very impressed with its majesty. It truly felt like the house of God. Everything from the architecture, artwork, layout, and a recording of beautiful chanting being played throughout lifted my spirit to the point where I experienced goosebumps as I tip-toed around this holy place.

Leaving the Cathedral, we crossed onto a street lined with pueblos on either side. In one of these buildings we found a french bakery that was recommended to me by my friend Mary. It was a great little place with tasty food. Dad had and strawberry crepe and I had a quiche. We liked the place to much we bought some french bread for the car ride out.

After breakfast we went around the corner to Loretto Chapel which is famous for its miraculous staircase. The story goes that a mysterious carpenter arrived to the chapel after the nuns there prayed a novena to St. Joseph that they could find someone to build them a staircase to the loft of the chapel. This mysterious man worked on it for months and when he was done he disappeared without seeking out his payment or for the cost of supplies. The staircase he left is very peculiar. It has no supports yet twists up 360 degrees twice up to the loft. The wood used is of an unknown origin and no nails were used, only wooden pegs. Experts today don't understand how it doesn't collapse. It was a very cool thing to look at and ponder. The rest of the chapel was beautifully adorned too by the way.

Next up was just walking around the plaza and exploring it. It was mainly restaurants and shops selling southwestern jewelry or other handcrafted things. Outside a building called Palace of the Governors, Native Americans sat lined next to each other the distance of the building selling their jewelry and other crafts. It was really an awesome city but the rain was coming down harder and we needed to head for Texas.

The rain finally ended and the sun came out about an hour before entering Roswell. The town is famous for an alleged flying saucer that crashed back in 1947. Ever since then, people from around the world have been flocking to this once small desert outpost. We visited the International UFO Museum in the heart of town. It turns out it was in an old converted movie theater and must admit I would have made it way cooler than what they had in there. Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading the large quantities of affidavits, old top secret documents, and newspaper clippings set in a timeline that provides what I believe gives a strong indication that the government tried to cover up what happened back in July 8th, 1947. The museum also included a lot of information on types of encounters, UFO pictures (actual and hoaxes), crop circles, and of course Area 51. It was one of the strangest yet coolest museums I have ever visited.

Back on the road south, the sun stayed with us for the rest of the day. Temperatures were getting hotter and the fauna began to change. The desert looked to be drier as we drove through southern New Mexico. The color yellow from the dry grasses dominated the landscape with hearty-looking green shrubs spread generously over it. This area was also geologically "boring" It was completely flat in all directions to the horizon. Only hints of distant hills and mountains could be made out from time to time. When we arrived at the Texas border the hills and mesas returned and we started noticing a new plant. It was a palm tree. It was taller than the other plants in the desert reaching perhaps a trunk 4 feet high with palms protruding on top much like the leaves on top of a pineapple. Curiously, I didn't see many cactus in this area. In fact I only saw a species of small cactus along the desert but never the tall cactus that so many people attribute to their idea of what the Southwest looks like.

Western Texas is a desolate place. Just like New Mexico, one must travel for many many miles with no cell phone service before reaching any settlements. The one difference from New Mexico so far is that the area is peppered with Oil wells. My favorite part of the drive here though was when we drove past an area of a couple hundred wind turbines on top of mesas while oil wells bobbed up and down in the valleys below. I'm a fan of diversity in energy sources :)

Tomorrow: San Antonio!

Day 10: The Grand Canyon

We finally woke up to a day with not a single cloud in the sky. Finally, no rain for once! We got up early and ate a quick breakfast in the car on our way from Flagstaff, AZ to the Grand Canyon. I really wanted to get there before the crowds showed up. This was the second time I saw the canyon and it was just as amazing as the first. What I really wanted to see was my dad's reaction when he first lay eye on it. Trust me, if you haven't seen it, you need to. Its as big as Rhode Island and pictures really don't do it any justice.

The ride up there went smoothly. No traffic really and just great views of the pine forests that surround Flagstaff, then through desert full of grasses and shrubs, and finally through the Kaibab National Forest which encompasses the Grand Canyon. We drove past the gates to the national park and it was another few minutes drive before we got to the rim of the canyon. You don't actually see it until you are pretty much on top of it.

When we finally got to the parking lot, we got our first glimpses of this majestic scene through the pine trees. We marched out of the car and on to the closest viewing point. All I remember my dad saying was , "wow this is big." I wanted a little more of an expression from him like when he met Tony Dungee at Yellowstone, but I should have expected this from him.

We made our way across the the southern rim looking at the canyon from different angles. The striped red hues of the rock carved out for 5000 feet to the base where the Colorado River continued its work was just as awe inspiring as the first time I laid eyes on this place last February. The entire scene just overwhelms your senses in a way I find hard to explain. all I can tell you is that you need to go before you die.

By midday we left just in time. The park was getting so crowded now that many cars were parking on the street since the parking lots were full. We drove back to Flagstaff for lunch and then got ourselves an oil change since we had driven over 3000 miles now. I really like this town. It was a great small historic section full of neat restaurants and shops with Mount Humphrey standing tall at 12,000 feet in the background. I drove around showing my dad some of downtown and then we jumped back on the highway to begin out trek back east.

We drove on Interstate 40 which used to be old Route 66. Its a pretty desolate desert plain with "ancient" ruins of old gas stations and other structures from the 1950s off the highway from time to time. As we got closer to New Mexico, the desert plains gave way to some more sandstone rocks and mesas. Once we got into New Mexico, more mountains began to spring up. we even saw distant smoke from a forest or brush fire. We dove by a couple fire department pickup trucks heading in that direction too. We also saw a very peculiar land formation around us. The desert floor was no longer the light brown color I was becoming familiar with but now stretching for many miles was a sea of black rocks. I use the word "sea" because in many instances the terrain would rise like ocean swells of these funny black rocks. Then it dawned on us that it was in fact an ancient lava pool left by a volcano millions of years ago. I am quite surprised at how well preserved this area was.

Around sunset, we finally made it to the Albuquerque-Santa Fe region. The mountains that surround these cities were stunning as they glowed pinkish red in the sunset. We ended up finding a nice motel out here in Santa Fe for some rest for tomorrow morning we shall explore! But before bed, I was hungry and thought about what would be an appropriate local delicacy here in Santa Fe. I went to Taco Bell, haha! Oh and by the way, we somehow caught a few drops of rain tonight! We are so convinced that a rain cloud is purposely following us. It does seem to be losing strenght though! I am interested to see what happens tomorrow!

Next up: Santa Fe, Roswell, and Western Texas!!!

Day 9: Moab, UT and Arizona!

Today we woke up at 7am and left the motel around 8. We drove about 15 minutes north to Arches National Park where we ended up spending most of the day. This place has some of the best hiking I have ever been to. The warm orange and red colors of the giant sandstone cliffs and sandy flats dotted with glossy green bushes were beautiful. The other thing that was really noticeable was just how quiet this place was. All you could hear were the occasional bird chirping as it flew around searching for some bugs to eat.

As we drove up the road in the park we stopped at many of the viewpoints to take pictures. Some of them required short walks of .2 or .3 of a mile through the desert to see the park’s giant sandstone arches. The walks were great with comfortable temperatures and the sun was finally out and looked like for once we weren’t going to get any more rain. At the end of the main road in the park, we found ourselves at a place called “The Devil’s Garden”. This place was home to some great arches but required some effort to get to. I talked dad into going on a good sized hike of moderate difficulty with a few rock scrambles and steep sections (I didn’t mention that part to him). We packed tons of water, grabbed the trekking poles, and put our hats on. We saw some really great arches –about 6 or 7 on this hike. The farthest one was a little over 2 miles from the entrance. When we got there I noticed people walking across the arch which must have been 150 feet high at least. I told dad to stay back to take a picture while I found the way up there. It required some climbing but I finally got on the natural bridge and Dad took an awesome picture. It may very well be facebook worthy!

On my way back to meeting my dad, the clouds had rolled in and it began to sprinkle. I couldn’t believe it. We must have a rain cloud following us. It is really getting ridiculous now. My concern though was if we got caught in a downpour or a lightning storm. Flash floods can happen pretty quickly in deserts not to mention how slick the sandstone gets. Dad and I power walked much of the way back down the sandstone to the easy sandy parts of the trail but then 10 minutes after we started, the sun came back again and we went back to taking our time.

We spent another hour or so looking at some arches on other roads that branched off the main one and by the time we were done it was nearly 3pm and we still needed lunch and make it down to Arizona! We drove out of the park and found ourselves in, yep, you guessed it, a crazy downpour in the desert. In fact, while in town I overheard a lady say “I have lived here for years, and have never seen it rain so much here before.” I wanted to tell her that I brought the rain. Anyway, what was really cool though about the downpour was that several large waterfalls appeared coming off the giant sandstone monoliths off the highway down to Moab.

We had lunch at a local bakery and then hit the road. My dad was pretty sore from the 5 mile hike I put him through so I decided to drive all the way to Arizona while he took a nap. The drive through the Utah desert was great. The sun came out again and as it sunk lower, the sandstone walls and mounds that surrounded me changed to a deep red shade. I drove by really cool named places on my way to Arizona like a town named “Mexican Hat” after a rock formation that looks like a sombrero balanced on top of a rock pillar, and then a beautiful place named “Valley of the Gods” by the Navajo Indians I imagine for a spectacular landscape. I then passed through Monument Valley on the Utah-Arizona border and let me tell you, that was another spectacular sight. This drive was so easy and went by so fast because there was just so much to see everywhere out there in Utah. Once in Arizona though, the sandstone structures faded away leaving flat desert of yellow grass, brown dirt, and those glossy green shrubs. Every now and then we would catch wild horses grazing near the highway. By 9pm AZ time (midnight on the east coast) we arrived in Flagstaff –our launching point to the Grand Canyon!


Next up: Grand Canyon and Santa Fe!