'Nawleans, LA, Biloxi, MS and Mobile, AL

They use actual gas lamps in the French Quarter

Mardi Gras yeaaahh. Apparently Mardi Gras is a celebration before the beginning of Lint where everyone just sins it up and does whatever because once Lint comes around then you got to be on the straight and narrow... How effed up is that? Well in the south and particularly in Louisiana Mardi Gras is a big celebration and a big hoop-de-hay. After Katrina I heard "spiritual" people hypothesize that because of this debauchery that is Mardi Gras God forsook them. Yea I don't buy into that but the whole premise of Mardi Gras seems suspect.

The Mississippi River

Getting the vibe of 'Nawleans

We rolled into 'Nawleans, as the locals call it, and went straight to the French Quarter. From our tourist guide it said that it is basically the only touristy place there. We rolled into and stopped at a coffee shop to recharge our batteries and get situated for our time in NO. As soon as we get out of Maander there is a guy who is working on his car in front of his apartment and takes a moment to compliment our bus and we start talking to him. He gives us some suggestions of where to go and what you will run into when there. I get inspired to ask him if there are any places to avoid. I asked him this because I have heard through media that the cops can be corrupt and that there are some very shady places in NO. He said yea and basically laid out the places we really shouldn't wander into. Cool we are off to a good start. We say goodbye and he offers to sell us some weed and we kindly decline and are on our way :)

Secret Garden??

Narrow streets with many things to do

We head on into the coffee shop which had a nice vibe to it and the people that were patronizing the establishment were very bohemian. There was a lady there that looked like she had grown her dreads for over 10 years and everyone there looked to have lots of style and apple products :). I start surfing the net and sipping java and after the convo with the gentleman I get inspired to type into google: "what are the bad parts of New Orleans?" This was a mistake. I read page after page of horror stories and crime and how there isn't one redeemable part of NO that exists. I started becoming fearful, hell I think anyone would after reading this and this. This gave me great anxiety and I became paranoid. For the rest of our time in NO I was on edge, this kind of ruined the experience of the town.

Examples of some pretty cool
Mausoleums

We were debating staying in the vicinity till Saturday which would be the beginning of Mardi Gras and as previously mentioned, a very big deal here. After the paranoia there wasn't a chance. We walked the streets of Bourbon St, and Decatur St. All the roads were very narrow and everything felt old. The French Quarter of NO actually wasn't effected by Katrina because it is actually higher than sea level. All I can say about this area is that the culture and eclecticism was palpable. You could tell that this was a Mecca for artists of all kinds to come and just be. Not even a destination to necessarily become famous at but, to live and be with like minded people. Here in the south there seems to be a great deal more of diversity in terms of black and white. In Cali we get Mexican and many different ethnicity's and we are quite diverse. In the south you have many African-Americans of varying classes and lifestyle choices. You have the artist and musician of all different backgrounds and it feels like this colors this part of NO a great deal and in a good way.

Beignet yeaaaa gooood

We push on and experience the, "Quarter" and see the Mississippi and grab a bite. Since Bourbon St is known for Mardi Gras either it always is pushing a Mardi Gras feeling all year long or they were warming up for it in just a week. People were acting loud and stupid. In the restaurant that we were at this group of cougars were stupid drunk and acting like asses and it was only 5pm. One of them that was just sloppy drunk was announcing to the room that this was the best turkey club she has ever eaten. This inspired Anna to order that turkey club and was then disappointed after she got it. I had a good chuckle that she based her decision on the drunkard in the back. We walked around till a little after dark and then decide we would find the place to stay the night. I decided on a Walmart outside the city to try and make sure we are safe and have a quiet rest of the night.



In the morning, we went to the Metairie Cemetery. Why a cemetery? well since LA is below sea level for the most part most people aren't buried in the ground but in mausoleums. This cemetery was particularly regarded for the elaborate family mausoleums. We spent time walking the grounds and saw the beautiful monuments. It almost seems narcissistic to get such elaborate things made for the dead. In their defense it will house their entire family in all likelihood and will last probably a thousand years to commemorate those there. From there we left for Biloxi.

On the way to Biloxi

On the bike ride

All this talk of NO reminds me of a conversation I had with Tommy. When we discussed hurricanes in the area. I asked him if he had been through any or what they typically do and all that. Tommy said he likes staying for hurricanes, he said it was part of the culture. He described his experiences with Katrina and with Gustaf. From him they didn't sound like that big of a deal for the area he lived in. He said what really messed up NO was that the levees broke. Lots of people in the media commented about why were so many people still in the town when the hurricane came and were the poor people too poor to get out or be informed. I now believe that many people stayed because it was cultural and they were showing in a very real way, "We are stronger than this storm" turned out they weren't stronger but this isn't the first hurricane in the area. What the media says and what is reality is always a much different story.

The Gulf Coast

Sorry this blog is so long winded :) onward yo to Biloxi

I will keep Biloxi short. It is on the Gulf and it was cool to see. Anna will likely say that the water looked oily and nasty. This is a complete lie and misunderstanding. The water was muddy and the water was really flat. No oil. And last I checked Oil and water don't mix so it can't be somewhat oily, either there is oil present or its not. The beach was white and beautiful and the weather has been great ever since we got out of Houston. We didn't do much in Biloxi and it seems the only reason to go there is if you want to go to a casino. We saw a movie and just got some relaxation there. That hiccup with Maander I told you about has been getting worse and it made it so Maander wouldn't start. As I said before I suspect it to be the distributor so I start investigating and confirm the coil is in working order etc etc. I end up replacing the distributor and also changed out the generator pulley belt because it had some fraying which was cool to nip that in the butt before we had to change it out on the freeway. So far so good with the new distributor though the timing could be fine tuned.

The beach niiice

Mobile hasn't been much but we haven't explored much either. Last night we stayed at a Motel 6 because we were desperate for some showers. I won't be going to one of those again because we get there and pretty soon we get word that some "Police Activity" is going outside and I peak out my window and see cops with guns drawn peering around corners. I get pretty nervous and Anna and I kinda stay towards the back of the room in case some gunfire starts happening. Apparently, a bank robber from Kentucky had stayed the night at the Motel 6 and the US Marshals had tracked him down. They caught him luckily and he was only 3 doors down from us. So we get freaked out by that then when we turn in for the night neighbors are being loud and obnoxious throughout the night. I have only stayed at Best Westerns for the past 3 years and before that would rarely if ever stay at hotels. This crap was not what I was used to and it pissed me off. In the morning the neighbors were once again loud and obnoxious grrrrrrrrr. I will spend the extra 40 bucks or more to have respectful neighbors and a hotel that had nice beds with a mediocre breakfast.

Some big houses in Mobile

Beautiful Spanish Moss

I'm now in a coffee shop in Mobile after a bike ride. We had planned on going to this coffee shop and just hanging out but when we showed up there was a bike gathering. Turned out they had a get together where we would ride the historic districts of Mobile and this Architect would talk about the homes and history of the area. It was a lot of fun and there were a ton of people. This area is truly beautiful and has a Sacramento feel to it with how old the neighborhood is and the trees.

Cool old Oak

We will be heading to Pensacola, FL later today and just finally get ourselves to that east coast. My uncle may be able to hook us up with a weeks stay at a camp site in Florida. We will be hanging out all over Florida till the east coast is ready to be explored with Maander. Love you all and miss you a ton. No matter what we will be back in Sacramento the end of June because Anna has some obligations. I am sure it will come sooner than I realize. Peace y'all.

Getting ready to go on the ride