Oklahoma

It has been a few days since I have written in the Blog. Since then we have travelled uneventfully to Chicago. One interesting experience we had in South Bend Indiana was when we went to a Chinese restaurant next to our motel. As usual the rain that had been threatening all day settled in just as we were heading out to eat. We took a look up and down the street and decided that our most comfortable option was likely to be this nearby restaurant. Since we consider we have very good Asian food in Australia and all the ads for Asian restaurants that we had seen had only mentioned buffets we  were a bit sceptical. However we found the restarant was very tastefully furnished, it was all  alacarte and had an interesting wine list. I had one of the cocktails on special, my first I  hasten to say. It was very delicious pear and ginger with lime. The menu was influenced by the central Chinese province of Hunan so was different to any we had seen before. Bob couldn't resist having Singapore Noodles which were on the menu as an "old favourite". I chose a spicy prawn dish  which was very good.
The next morning we drove into Chicago. It was a bit "hairy" getting around all the motorway junctions to arrive in Downtown but Bob handled it well and we checked into  the International Hostel and returned the car without incident.
That afternoon we walked down to Millennium Park which is close by the Downtown area and then for quite a distance along the Lakeside walk path. Chicago Downtown is a very attractive city which I think I have said previously.
The next morning we flew to Dallas with only a slight delay due to thunderstorms and collected our hire car at the airport. Lou, Mike,, Brandy, Todd and the boys were there for dinner and we had a fresh fish dinner which was delicious. Since we had left Maine we had learned not to order fish in the restaurants so we were fish starved. On Friday morning we drove up to Oklahoma City for a bit of shopping at a Mall Lou Ann had recommended and then headed to Janet and Terry's. It was great to have a quiet evening with them and catch up on the family news. Saturday they planned a full day agenda. We headed to Choctaw to meet up with Kaleb and his lady, Jocelyn. Then we all went to a German Beer Fest which has been held in the town for 25 years. The beer was imported from Germany and just as good as we remembered. I am sure that the Brats were locally made but they were good too. We then visited the Olkahoma Bomb Memorial in Oklahoma City which has been developed into a beautiful site since we were there last. The museum was new and had very impressive audio visual details so it took us a while to work our way around. John joined us here and we then went to the top of OC's newest tower building to have a drink and look at the view which was spectacular particularly because the sky was clear. From there we headed to the  Downtown Bricktown Canal area. This had also been intensively developed since our last visit. The Canal area has been beautifully landscaped and we walked around before meeting John again. He had gone ahead to stake out a restaurant and claim a table. The restaurant is owned by a  professional basketball player. It is fairly new and was absolutely rocking when we arrived. After a bit of a wait we were give a table out on the patio overlooking the canal. This was highly desirable because the noise inside was deafening. There was a very loud rock  band across the canal but the food was good, the breeze was pleasant and we could talk in between the music.
Yeaterday was family lunch at Janet and Terry's. Kelsey made it home from College to complete the gathering. Once again we had fresh fish. Thank goodness we are related to keen fishermen. This was a very relaxed day with Kaleb asking us lots of questions about Australia and Janet and John joining in with reminiscences about their visit to Australia with Betty and Dale when they were young adults. Late in the day when everyone was heading home Janet and I made a lightening visit to the Outlets. Dinner was no problem. We ate well on left overs then slept the sleep of the just.
Tomorrow we head south again and fly out on Wed to arrive in Sydney on Friday for an overnight stay. Back to Perth on Saturday so this will probably be my last entry. It has been a great trip with beautiful scenery intergrated with catching up with family and friends. The  fact that our friends feel like family and we know our family over here well enough for them to be friends too has made the hospitality fantastic.

South Western Vermont

When we left Plattsburgh we drove onto the ferry and back to Burlington. We went straight to the Lakeside of Lake Champlain. This is the lake which is second only to the Great Lakes being 24 miles wide and 120 miles long. Burlington has a very attractive lakeside development and we enjoyed strolling along it. A free clipper then took us up to the market area in the central retail area where there was a Saturday farmers market. There wasn't much that we could buy but I did get some fresh fruit to eat on our way. From there we drove South crossing the border into Massachusetts to a small community in the Berkshire Mountains. It was beautiful countryside and our motel looked across the valley  to the forested hillside. Our host recommended the Old Forge restaurant just up the road for dinner and we rocked up at about 7pm to discover it was seething with starving people. It was the only decent restaurant in the neighbourhood and we just squeezed in the door to join the queue. As we didn't want to drive further to find an alternative we waited with the other fairly good humoured customers for the 15-20 minutes we were told to expect before we could have a table. As we got to the head of the queue and I could actually see the seating options I realised that there were very few tables for two. Most of them were for four or more. As the couple behind us seemed pleasant sorts I suggested that it they agreed  we should opt to share a table in the interests of being sooner rather than later. They quickly agreed and as the service was slow due to the crowd we passed the time very pleasantly. They were both motor cyclists though of course he rode a Harley but that provided plenty of conversarion options.
The next morning we set off quite early to explore the area starting with nearby Mount Greylock. The road was quiet and it was a long sloping approach to the top as it is the highest mountain in Massachusetts.  Just before we reached the summit we were flagged down to make sure we didn't skittle a runner. He was a very fit young man and we had just parked the car when he appeared at the finish line. There was a big reception for him and all the successive runners of a very large field. They had come from the opposite aide of the mountain which was over 3,000 feet high and run 8 miles virtually staight up. The front runners were very fit but some of the others who were obviously doing it more as a fun run looked very tired as they finally made it to the finish. On our way down the road they had come up we pased many of them still slogging it out and we were impressed at how they had managed a very steep climb. From there we drove to some of the small towns dotted through the area. We ended up at Bennington Mall where we resisted shopping but both of us did get a much needed hair cut.
When we arrived back at the motel we discovered that we didn't have any water to the room. When I phoned the manager he was very very apologetic but explained that the motel obtained their water from two springs that fill a well. It has not only been hot in that area but they have had a drought. Consequently one of the springs had dried up. They had spent the whole day cleaning the resultant muddy water out of the well and connecting it to the second supply. It took another couple of hours for the well to have sufficient water in it to supply the rooms. As he told us that this water would be highly chlorinated to ensure it was safe we deferred our showers to the morning.
That night we had pizza and salad in our motel room that we had purchased earlier at the Mall.
We didn't fancy tackling the Old Forge again.
Today we set off early because it is the Labor Day holiday and we figured the roads would get busy. It did get busy as the day went on and as it has been the whole time the temperature was up to 90F and very humid.  We drove 420 miles and then called it a day in Erie.

Now the Lake Placid photos

I hope that these will  publish this time,

Mt Washington and North Conway.

Our drive from Arcadia to Mt Washington went very smoothly. Once again along forested roads that were quiet because it was a local highway not a motorway. The trees are just starting to show patches of red leaves. We arrived early enough that we decided to drive to the top of Mount Washington that afternoon. As this is a State Park we had not realised that the road to the top has been privately owned since the area was developed and as such we had to pay $38 to drive on it. It was quite a hairy drive as although it was sealed it was only just wide enough for two cars with a steep drop off right beside the road. If the oncoming driver was chary about going close to the edge it was  tight squeeze. The views from the top and the historic accounts of the early development were worth the drive. We couldn't see New York as they had promised because of the haze but the view was stunning anyway.
Next morning we decided on a drive through the Park to visit a couple of waterfalls. Our research told us that there were waterfalls quite close to the road and it seemed that we were in for a relaxing day. What wasn't said was that the walks were  1/2 a mile and 1.4 miles STRAIGHT UP. We did make it because fortunately we had done the short walk first and then wouldn't give up on the longer walk. They were both beautiful falls when we did arrive but I had to wet my hat to cool down as it was 80 F degrees and very humid. It took us and hour and a quarter to walk up the longer trek and only half an hour returning because this was all down hill. The return was also assisted by chatting to a couple from Colarado as we walked which helped to pass the time.
When we returned and had had a rest we went forth to tackle the Outlet stores that were right beside our motel. When we had finally worked out the layout we headed to the Rockport store. Coincidentally they were having a fantastic sale because they have changed ownership and were disposing of all the stock of the previous owners. All womens shoes were $25 and all the mens were $40. We left after about half an hour with 2 pair for Bob and 1 pair for me. Unfortunately they did not have any sandals for me but I am still hoping that I will find some when we go back down south.
Today we have driven along the Kamcamagus Highway through the State Park that surrounds it. Once again we have stopped at overlooks and walked up to a waterfall but this really was an easy walk to probably the most spectacular fall of all. From there we drove over the border into Vermont almost sraight across the state and are staying in motel near Burlington.
More exploration tomorrow.

Augusta to Arcadia NP

Our relaxing day was actually fairly active. We drove out of Augusta around some pf the lakeside communities as planned. Then went to find a walk trail we had seen marked on the map. This was a Round Hill Trail which which didn't aim for the summit of the hill as the name implies. Never the
less it was quite steep up and down at times and was four miles long (7 kms). The path was through tall forest almost all the way so it was comfortable walking. We had a few moments of bemusement almost half way round. We knew there was a short spur trail to take in the views and thought we must be getting close. Suddenly the trail did give us a view of the lakes below but then the trail ended. We didn't think we were on the spur because we had seen no sign. After hunting around we decided that we had no option but to return. And yes after 300 yards we found the biggest signs nailed to a tree telling us we had gone down the spur.Very relieved we finished the walk in fine style.
The next morning we drove down to the coast and once we reached Camden we followed Hway 1 around the coast to Trenton which is just short of Arcadia  National Park. After lunch we decided to explore the non National Park side of Desert Mountain Island.This is the private side of the island and base to lots of fishermen. We visited one of the old lighthouses which is now automatic and the building is privately owned. However there was a Lighthouse man/ gude there to answer questions. In conversation we asked him what was the best ocean fish caught locally. He nominated Haddock and the next logical question was where we should go to try some. He suggested a small restaurant in Bass Harbor and we decided it was near enough to dinner time to check it out. We ordered one Haddock dinner, one soft shell lobster and a side salad and shared the spoils. Complimented by a bottle of Riesling it was delicious.
This morning we went out to the Park quite early because we had been warned that it gets busy as the day progresses and we had noted that two cruise ships were due into Bar Harbor. After stopping at a couple of overlooks we went into Sand Beach. You might think this is a pretty mundane name but most of the coast around the Park is Pink granite and in fact 60 % of beaches in Maine are stony due to glacier activity in it' s long ago. By thetime we finished the walk the beach was packed with people, especially children building sand castles.
We tackled a walk up to Great Head which was moderate difficulty and once again mostly shaded. This is the thing most surprising to me about the Maine coast in that the forest grows right down to the beach. We then went on to complete the circuit road stopping off at Jordan Pond (a pretty lake) and Cadillac Hill where the views were stunning.
Lunch today was a lobster and salad sandwich which was delicious even though they each cost as much as our main courses last night. After an after lunch kip we went into Bar Harbor for a stroll around. It was just as touristy as we had anticipated but very pretty just the same.
More later

Boston

Our walking tour really began when we left the hostel and made our way up to Faneuil Hall and the Quincy Market. We walked the length of Washington Street which is the main retail area of the less exclusive shops. We were early so had the opportunity to explore the huge market area which occupies three buildings built in the early 1900's. We also observed the formation of a Police Parade to honour the funeral of a collegue complete with pipers.
Due to some misdirection by a woman at the information counter we ended up on a paid walking tour rather than the National Parks free one. However it was not expensive and the tour guide was a real "actor" who covered the history of fhe Freedom Trail with a humerous bent yet was very enlightening.
Afterwards we walked down to the piers and found information about the ferry trips out to the
Bay islands deciding to take a ride the next day. After eating a sandwich that we took down to Boston Common we met up with Isaac. We strolled through the Common and the beautiful Public Gardens with him then back to the hostel to collect the presents that I had for Sally, Lucy and Isaac. From the hostel was an  easy bus trip out to Sally and Isaac's apartment. We collected Lucy from her day care which  looked like an excellant one catering for toddlers only at that site and well staffed. When Sally arrived home from work we caught up on news and then had an excellant Thai meal. Catching the bus home was a doddle because we had earlier engaged Isaac to unravel the mysteries of purchasing tickets for the Boston Transport System. They have a one price system for the whole metro area and you need to buy the tickets in set amounts , eg $5 or $10  and just use it to cover the standard fare until it runs out. Simple really but there is nothing on the purchase screen to clarify this unlike other systems we had encountered.
Thursday morning we walked back to the piers and caught the National Parks ferry out to Georges Island. This was a fortified island developed prior to the War of Independance to protect the main chanel into Boston Harbour. The fort is a massive structure built of ganite blocks and an interesting place to walk around. It was used to house Confederate prisoners during and after the Civil War but otherwise was mainly underutilised serving only as a training facility. The ride over and back was in perfect conditions with the ocean breeze making the temperature very pleasant.
Afterwards I managed to explore TJ Max enroute to the hostel which was my first venture into retail therapy. The luggage restrictions on the flight back to Dallas from Chicago have meant that I have had to be restained so far.
Dinner that night was close to the hostel because I had caught Bob's cold and that meant we couldn't go near Lucy again. We found a pub which offered music and food and opted for that as it was comparable to most others in the area. The main attraction Jazz group were very good when they came on and finally started but by then our stamina was waning. Unfortunately the quality of the food was compromised by the provision of the entertainment as is often the case.
Yesterday we drove around US 1 along the coastal route to Maine. When we stopped at the Maine Visitor Centre we discovered why there was very little reasonable accommodation and crowds at each of the towns along the way. It is the last weekend before school resumes here on Monday and the fine weather has brought out everyone intent on making the most of the last weekend. Parking anywhere was virtually impossible so we drove slowly through Olgonquin and Portland gawking as we went. The crowds on the beach at Olgonquin were like Scarborough on a Saturday. Portland has redeveloped it's port area into a tourist mecca. After that we headed for the hills. We had booked accommodation in Augusta, the small Capitol of Maine in Quality Suites Motel which is luxurious after the hostel's basic accommodation. Last night we walked across rhe road to the Texas Steakhouse recommended by the motel staff and had delicious steaks at a very reasonable price. I think this must be because they are competing with the lobster and seafood dinners which are the main attraction in Maine.
Today we have a relaxing day planned exploring the lakeside communities that are a feature of the area.

Traverse City to Boston

Our final day in Traverse City began with breakfast at one of the local restaurants. This place had a Harley theme which would amuse Martin. The selection was huge and we both stubbonly proved our Aussie heritage by not ordering the local specialty of biscuits ( large  scones) and gravy. The gravy is an anaemic shade of pale made of flour, water and bacon grease. Both Mike and now Kathryn  assured us it was delicious but we both stuck with eggs.
We  then drove about 45 minutes to the top of the Peninsula near TC. This area is the site of one of the many lighthouses around the coast of Lake Michigan. Today it is a museum and State Park. We explored the shoreline of the lake while Adelaide and Willow had a splash in the water. It was too cold and too shallow just there to tempt the adults even though we had brought our bathers, just in case. We then visited the museum which was interesting because the lighthouse building had housed two families at it's peak and contained a comprehensive collection of memorabilia and description.  The strairs up to the lighthouse proper were  tricky and it was apparent that the inhabitants were a size or two smaller than todays popularion but we all made it. The view out over the lake made it worthwhile.
Our timing was perfect because the rain which had been threatening set in. Our drive home meandered through some nearby locations but it was too wet to explore so we headed home for a late lunch and a nap.  That evening Jerry and Kaye came over for dinner and the meal  was a feast by the time Kaye had added her contributions to Andy and Kathryn's array of food. I have scored a couple of new salad recipes to try out when we get home.
The trip to Boston began early the next morning as we knew we had two days of driving.  The countryside of Michigan is beautiful to drive through at this time of year with green forests and lush farmland. Crops of corn and beets are just ripening and are in huge acerages along the road. Their vinyards are different in that they do not trellis their wine grapes at all and the leafy vegetation grows straight up from the ground.
This was a long day as Bob wanted to break the back of the driving even though he was suffering from a cold. We stopped for the night in the small town of Victor in Rochester County after driving across a short section of Canada and coming back into the USA alongside Niagara Falls. We had visited the Falls on a previous trip so didn't stop but saw the countryside along the northern side and discovered it is a huge wine growing area. When we did stop we were so tired we opted for a pizza eaten in our room.
Yesterday we drove on into Boston and arrived at about 3pm finding our hostel in the downtown area without difficulty thanks to the GPS. Parking was an entirely different matter. The hostel gave us the address of a parking garage which gives discount to their customers. This amounts to $17 per day . Unfortunately Bob missed the entry and had an encounter with a nearby public car park which is $35 per day. Even extracting the car by driving through would have been $11 for the first hour. We regrouped and decided that it was better to pay the extortionate fee and move to the cheaper option immediately than risk incurring the 24 hour fee. We had a leisurely walk around the area finding some magnificent church buildings and some high end fashion shops which I did not bother to venture in to. In a slightly different direction we were in the Theatre district with plenty of restaurants and had a delicious Indian meal for dinner. Today we are planning on a walking tour, exploring the Boston Common area with Isaac and meeting up with Sally and Lucy for dinner.

Traverse City, Michigan

Our departure from Chicago was a little delayed by the crash of the computers at the Alamo car hire office. Fortunately the staff were very efficient at processing the queue that had formed ahead of us and we were only about 15 minutes behind our anticipated departure time. We  had a smooth trip up to Traverse City and arrived at 5-30pm  which gave us time to unwind before we went out with Andy and Kathryn. This was good timing considering that we had realised as we sat eating our lunch that we had crossed an invisible line and lost an hour.
That evening we went to a Cider and Sausage event which was designed to promote the local cideries. Our entry price entitled us to 5 pints of cider and as many brats as we could eat. There was a wide range of both cider and brats and Bob and Andy did their best to sample quite a few of the ciders. Kathryn and I were a bit more circumspect but I probably ate more of the different varieties of brats than was good for my waistline. They were delicious.
The next morning we took in the Michigan equivalent of Walmart known as Meijer while Kathryn put in a few hours at work.
When Kathryn was free we went up to the old asylum site which is being redeveloped since our last visit. Part of it has been bought by a develper and is being converted into retirement units. It is lovely to see the old buildings being revitalized. The other part of the land was a farm which operated to provide voluntary employment for the 3000 inmates for 50 years providing complete self sufficiency in terms of food for inmates and staff. Then along came electro convulsive therapy and the idea that inmates should not work but be "theraped". This land and several huge barns are being gradually developed as entertainment venues, a community garden and Botanical Gardens. We went on tour with a very knowledgable local and thoroughtly enjoyed it. That evening we had a delicious dinner at Andy's parents home.
Friday morning we went walking around Cedar Lake which was very relaxing. After lunch when Kathryn was home from her student orientation day we went out to the famous local ice creamery where I unashamedly had a huge black cherry and chocolate fudge ice cream. It was delicious.
We then went to "Friday Night Live" Downtown. We had dinner from a mobile food hall set up in the car park of a local tavern. This comprised a number of food caravans serving the local version of fast foods. People in Michigan eat more vegetables than their Southern Cousins so there was even a wide selection of vegetarian offerings. Afterwards we walked the main street watching the street performers and checking out the street vendors.
This morning we were up early to go to the producers market and sample some of the offerings for breakfast. This is Kathryn and Andy's vegetable shopping venue and we stocked up on fresh  vegetables and sweet corn which is straight from the paddocks around here and absolutely delicious. We then met with Andy's mother who was kindly providing child care so we could go bike  riding. Believe it or not we rode 14 miles( 24 kms) along a cycle path which is an old railway line. It was easy enough on everything except my butt because it is level gradient and concrete surface but quite an achievement never the less. The end of the cycle path is a small community called Suttons Bay which is a popular destination for riders and drivers like. After lunch we caught a retired school bus which has been modified to carry 8 bikes in very neat racks inside the back and 3 on the front. We were dropped off close to Andy and Kathryn's and even managed to ride the slightly up hill route to their house. 
Tonight we are having a leisurely dinner at home and hoping we won't have too many aching muscles tomorrow.
More later.

Chicago

We flew out of Dallas with clear skies after Mike had very kindly driven us the three hours from Allen  Oklahoma. All went smoothly depite some predicted turbulance until we were about 30 minutes away from Chicago. The pilot informed us that we were being placed in a holding pattern due to thunderstorms over Chigago. There was currently a two hour delay in landing patterns due to the build up of aircraft waiting to land and as we didn't have sufficient fuel to ride that out we were going to land at Kansas City. As we landed  we were told we would be able to disembark but just as people started to get off the plane the news changed and we were told we would be leaving in 35 minutes so we were to remain on the plane. Fortunately it was quite a comfortable aircraft with good leg room. We then took off for Chigago and landed after a reasonably short holding pattern over Chigago. However this had turned our two and a half hour flight into to a five hour one.
We caught the train into the city and found our hostel without difficulty. As it was by now 8.30 pm we went stright out to find the recommended restaurant which was about four blocks away. After one block it started to rain and by halfway down the next block we had retreated to a recessed doorway listening to the thunder and watching the lightning and rain coming down in stair rods.
That's where we stayed for the next hour until it finally eased enough for us to hussle to the restaurant. Of course we didn't have jackets or umbrellas as it had been warm and dry when we left our accommodation and we didn't understand Chicago weather. The restaurant staff kindly provided about a ream of paper towel for us to mop up and we then had an enjoyable dinner.
Yesterday we set off to explore. We caught the Hop on Hop off bus as the most efficient way to see the most in the available time. This worked well and we did almost the entire circuit before getting off for a saunter along the river walk. We then made our way back to the hotel going past the Alamo centre where we collect the car this mornimg  and down the most affordable of the shopping streets. It was a lovely clear day. Last night we went out to dinner armed with jackets and my umbrella and watched bemused as the same thunderstorms as the previous night developed while we sat eating our meal. This time we made it back to our accommodation without problems but it did scotch the plan to take the gratis night bus tour to look at the city lights from the open top deck of the bus.
We  are impressed with Chicago and could probably spend more time here given another opportunity.  The city has worked hard to make its downtown attractive and takes great pride it it's focus on  reducing it's carbon footprint. We sat in briefly on a free riverside talk about the architecture which detailed how some of the old buildings are being gutted and refurbished rather than tearing  them down. One new building has been designed to achieve the highest environmental rating and cycles river water through the building to cool the infrastructure machinery then cleans the water before returning it to the river. Being summer there are flowers and planter boxes everywhere and the city boasts 500 parks which makes up for the absence of  street trees.
Today we are driving to Michigan.

Natchitoches

We drove on to this small town after we left the Melrose Plantation. The Name is pronounced Nack -a-thish. This caused quite some discussion in the car as we drove along because there is a town with the same name in Texas which pronounces all the cylables and Mike took some convincing that this town in Louisiana was different. The story goes that the two communities were settled by two brothers from the Natchitoches tribe and the difference in pronounciation has developed over time. The town in Louisiana has two claims to fame. Firstly it is one of few rural small towns which has managed to retain its historical downtown area. The street is still paved with bricks and it is reported that the women of the town lay down in front of the bulldozers to stop them being ripped up and replaced with cement roadway. Secondly it was chosen as the setting for the film "Steel Magnolias". Lou tells us this is one of her favourite movies so I guess it must be a chick flick. We may try to find a copy to view while we are here because I don't recall it ever making it across the Atlantic.
The historic part of town is built along the banks of the Cane River lake which is about 15 miles long. It is a beautiful setting and the town council has made the most of it. An old Creole adobe house has been relocated to beside the river with landscaped gardens around it. The street above had a lively resraurant area with music at a couple of the venues. We couldn't afford the downtown accommodation but drove back into town from our motel out by the Interstate highway to eat. We were drawn into a resraurant by the lake by music we recognised played by two "good ole boys" . The setting was beautiful sitting on a patio above the river/lakeside in the cool of the evening and eating good food. The songs being played did deteriorate into local songs with rather peculiar lyrics but the music remained good. We had an entertaining time "people watching"  and then retired to our comfortable beds.
Mike was raring to go for the homeward leg of the trip the next morning and we set of straight after breakfast. We made the drive in good time and after stopping for supplies arrived in Allen in time to have a delicious dinner that Lou and Mike prepared together. Yesterday we took a stroll around their proprety taking a look at the new "pond" and the foundations of a treehouse Todd has commenced building. A very significant foundation made with old power poles. Progress on this seems to  have stalled. In the afternoon we drove over to Morgan, two hours away to vist Lindsey and Heath. Went downtown to see the Family Medical Centre that they have established in town. Because Heath is an experienced Nurse Practitioner and Lindsey is a radiographer they have buolt up a thriving practice in collaboration with the local GP and the hospital which is 15 miles down the road. Morgan has the distiction of owning its own outlaws. The Morgan Gang or the Hole in the Wall Gang were local rustlers who reputedly came back to this area to hole up sucessfully vanishing from pursuit on each occassion. Their cave was found only in 2004 by a tractor wheel collapsing part of the roof. Three of the five brothers came to sticky ends but two left the area for Colorado and became respected law odfficers. 
Today we fly to Chicago.

New Orleans Day 2

Thursday we drove around the Garden area to see all the old houses in that area and walked around the Lafeyette Cemetary. This was the cemetary for the German settlers and others dating from 1830. All the tombs were the above ground style  due to the marshy ground. The most interesing ones were the large tombs for the Hook and Ladder Firemen of which there were a number and one for the Home for Destitute Boys.
We then went out to the town of Laffitte, named for the pirate who supported the locals and helped win the War of Independance. This was where we hopped on an airboat for a tour around the marshes. This just has a huge fan up behind the "captain" to drive the boat over the top of the water. Our captain is a Creole man who changed to tour guide when the GFC hit business over here in 2008.. He has lived on the marshes all his life and really knew his stuff. He is amazed in the boom in tourism over recent years but for 6 months of the year this feeds his family. Apparently in winter he returns to fishing the waters instead of scooting around on top. Within the first 10 minutes he spotted an alligator and took us over to have a look. He emphasised that they are not aggressive and stories about them snatching pet dogs etc from Florida are related to Florida's  high density population and much warmer year round climate. They are indeed curious and came right up to the side of the boat with a second one soon swimming over to see if we had any food as well. It was a thoroughly enjoyable and informative tour about marsh ecology and I am glad we went even though it was Mike's pick and not something that I would have thought of doing.
That night we went to one of the popular Oyster restaurants as part of the scene. The food was good but it was in the tourist area and we felt as if we were being pumped through. Afterwards we walked up to a bar and listened to a fantastic group play modern music. We had to stand which shortened our stay there a little but not by much because they were so easy to listen to and entertaining to watch.
Yesterday we turned for home to start the two day drive to bring us back to Allen, Okla. We stopped in a little community on the banks of the Cane River Lake named because it used to be a branch of the Red River but is now a lake due to flooding changes  which built up the natural levies and cut off the water flow. We visited the Melrose Plantation which was founded by the son of a freed female slave. His mother had been a slave and the common law wife of a wealthy Frenchman who settled property nearby on her when he freed her and they parted after 20 years. They had 7 sons and a daughter all of whom were born slaves and were freed as they reached their majority. The house was most recently and finally occupied by the daughter when other family members moved away. She was a fascinating character who had a great personality. Because she was lonely she cultivated a retreat for writers and artists including many famous ones. We had a very enjoyable time with a talented story teller as our guide. The other interesting personality living there was a slave woman who worked on the plantation and then moved into the house as a maid. She picked up the discarded paints of the departing guests to try her hand and ulitimately became recognised as one of America's foremost primative artists. So long breakfast calls.

New Orleans

Mike chose the coastal route for the drive to New Orleans. This was very flat country with frequent views of the ocean of the Mexican Gulf,  two car ferries and numerous draw bridges across the bayous ( large creeks).  All the houses were built on very tall  poles to manage flooding. A long but interesting drive so we opted to over night 2 hours short of New  Orleans so that we didn't arrive tired and disorganised. It was a good call because in the comfort of our hotel room that night we found a bargain priced reservation at the Crown Plaza Hotel  on the corner of Canal and Bourbon Streets in the French Quarter of New Orleans and here we are. It is an older but very gacious version of the hotel chain and located right on the edge of the action. We went straight out for a look at the area but it is still very hot and humid here and after a couple of hours we retreated to the airconditioning for a rest with a high calorie bag of pralines from the reputed master confectioners in town. We did see the market square, the mighty Mississippee and its levee banks, the tourist paddle steamers and an art store run as a cooperative.
Seven o'clock saw us revitalised and retored. We walked up Bourbon Street looking at all the burgeoning action and then went into Frenchman Street because the Visitor Centre Staff had told us that is where we would find the best food and music. Enroute Mike engaged a local sitting on his verandar having a quiet drink and he  advised us to go to Adolpho's on Frenchman for the best Italian Creole food. And it was truly wonderful food with friendly family environment and reasonable prices. Walking home we sat for a while in an open courtyard listening to old jazz favourites played by accomplished musos and Lou and I indulged in Mango dacquries.
Fairly blissful night then home to a comfortable bed. The adventure continues.

Seabrook near Houston

Our goal when leaving  San Antonio was to  visit The NASA  Space Centre. Serious checking of  the accommodation options and figuring distances and directions  brought us to the decision that we didn't need to stay in  the centre of Houston but in  this smaller resort community just down the road from NASA. On the coast with direct access to calm water it is populated with zillions of boats and marinas clustered around a couple of food and entertainment options. The receptionist at the motel directed us to a nearby "mom & pop" operated restaurant for lunch and the local boardwalk entertainment area for dinner and we ate good reasonably priced seafood. For those of you who have seen "Forrest Gump" you will probably be amused to know that we had our evening meal at "Bubba Gump's" where shrimp was rhe specialty.
Sunday afternoon was still the steamy heat that is typical  hear so after sleeping off our lunch we spent a couple of hours at the Mall checking out the shopping. Bob scored a very nice pair of casual shoes and I bought some cosmetics at half the Auatralian prices.
Yesterday we spent the greater part of the day at NASA. The space centre public access is operated by a not for profit organisation and they do it well. The entry statement is just being up graded and is a 747 with the Space Shuttle on it's back. Collaboration with other countries to access the space station means it has been retired as the US presses on with it's Mars project. I was not anticipating being fascinated by the displays but they are extremely well done and I was. Probably the highlight was lucking on a tour around the Applo Saturn 5 rocket (external). The guide was a retired NASA project engineer who really knew his stuff and told stories about the astronauts and the project that were very entertaining.
Over and out.

San Antonio Saturday 8th August.

This morning we set off walking  from our hotel as we are close to the city's historic district and the famed River Walk. The historic district comprises  many streets of beautiful old two  story houses. Some need restoration, some have been restored and some are obviosly loved but I don't think the City Fathers would approve the colour schemes. We had a brief chat with one woman who had been born and raised in her home and had lived there for all of her lengthy married life.
The River Walk is 16 miles of beautifully landscaped river frontage. Lots of the path ,  which is both sides of the river is below the current  street level and shaded by plenty of trees. We were grateful for the shade because it is over 100 F every day at the moment for most of the day, There is also an interesting underground system of drainage pipes which takes water out of the river in times of flooding and is eventually returned once water levels fall. We didn't see it, just read about it.
We followed the River Walk into the city centre where it is lined with restaurants and there are barges for guided tours along the River. We followed a side canal that loops around the the Alamo area and went to visit the famous fort. This was initially a Spanish Mission building which was taken over by the Texas settlers when they were fighting for independance from the central Mexican Government. It was the site of the last stand of Davey Crockett and James Bowie when they and 200 fellow rebels fought against Santa Anna and his 6,000 troups. You will be pleased to hear that Santa Anna was defeated some months later in an attack by General Houston that lasted only 18 minutes due to the over confidence of the Mexicans and the good strategy of Houston. I was surprised to see in the historical display just how much of North America had been Mexico prior to this period. The state named New Mexico should have alerted me but there was Colorado and adjoining states as well that were taken over by the American settlers over the following five to ten years  as they joined the union of American States.
We had lunch at a Riverside restaurant before going back to our cool air conditioed rooms for a rest. We vertured out again at about 4pm and Mike drove us around more of the historic district and down to look at the beautiful old Spanish Church built by settlers from the Canary Islands who were commanded by the Spanish King to upstakes and go  to build a town in the wilderness. There are some very beautiful buildings in the Downtown area including the most enormous inposing Courthouse built out of Red Sandstone. In a city of paler stone buildings it really stands out. Walking around the inner city in the heat reminded us that we needed to replenish fluids and salt intake so we adjourned to the motel again for a relaxing pre dinner session. We have adopted local customs and didn't venture out for dinner until after 8 pm. Even then it was still 100F and the restaurants were busy. We had to while away half an hour with half price drinks while we waited for a table. Life is tough on holiday!

San Antonio USA

Well  here we are. Yesteŕday wàs our first real day of the holiday. Prior to that we  had been simply arriving. The flights went well and I have to say that the little man at Qantas has managed to get the message across to staff that friendly service is important. We managed to fight our way out of the complexity of Dallas airport with a minimum of the usual frustrations and the help of a friendly taxi driver who redirected us to the appropriate shuttle for our hotel.
Yesterday was also our first obligatory trip to Walmart. This was to purxhase an American sim card and for Bob to buy a pair of jeans. We have the sim but don't expect any texts from us until after we leave Lou and Mike bexause it is for 30 days and we won't activate it while  we have access to their phones so that the 30 days lasts until we are nearly due to leave.  We didn't get out of Walmart  with Jeans alone of course but we did keep the purchases to a fairly minimal amount. After grumbling about the price of the taxi fare to get ourselves to the shopping centre Bob was cock a hoop when he found a pair (last one) of his favourite style of Wranglers and then waa charged only $7.  His mood became even more mellow when we went to a needby chain restaurant, Twin Peaks for a cold drink and then lunch. We were greated by a cluster of scantily dressed young  women who had obviously been employed because of their "twin peaks". We watched in fascination as this huge  place rapidly filled with clientele some of whom ordered the local brews but most of whom were there for the food. It filled in an hour and a half of our orningvery comfortably. Typically I managed to eat about 1/3 of the platter of nachos that was put in front of me but  Bob polished off his burger and fries without difficulty.
Mike and Lou arrived to collect us soon after we were settled back in the hotel foyer. Lou had attended a workshop in Ada before they were free to set off and they had had a taste of some irritating traffic before meeting us. Unfortunatetely we were able to empathise all too soon as the traffic on the freeway from Dallas to San Antonio rapidly denied the description of free flowing. There had been roadworks along the way and even though there was no machinery working the traffic became bottle necked every so often and travel was slow. The crowning incident was a major accident just past Austin which absolutely slopped the communter traffic leaving the city. We were luckily diverted to a side road but even here we sat for long periods and only crawled forward until we were well past the site. This added an hour and a half to the expected 4 hour trip. However the very comfortable motel Mike had booked soon had us feeling in the mood to relax and enjoy our  dinner. We were close to all the action and the recepttion staff directed us to one of the towns best loved Mexican restaurants in the Market Place area. Over a delicious frozen Margerita and great food we realised that dining at 9pm had lots of advantages in terms of avoiding crowds and allowing us to enjoy our meal in the cooler evening air outside instead of in the crowded airconditioned interior of the restaurant.
We didn't even have a coffee as the very comfortable king sized bed demanded our attention.
So finished Day 1.

Another test

This is another test.

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