Author: Glenda

Ups and Downs

Today was a day of ups and downs. On the whole it worked out to be mostly ups but there were some weird downs.  We arrive in Lafayette, LA.

Down: Glenda had a fitful night’s sleep due to the finding of a nasty remnant of a previous hotel guest in her bed. Ick, ick, and double ick.

Up: Susan slept fine.

Down: Susan had a frenetic few hours trying to find a notary to stamp a number of documents needed for a time-sensitive business transaction. Glenda is a notary but was out of her NJ jurisdiction.

Up: Glenda caught up on email, texts, and general nonsense while Susan tried  to muster up the patience to speak slowly and listen slowly and carefully to local notarial prospects.

Down: Susan had to pay a bloody fortune to the local notary while Glenda, in her NJ world, is only allowed by law to charge $2.50 per stamp (vs. $20 each here in LA!)

Up: We were able to cancel our nasty hotel room for the second night and made a reservation at another place, in Breaux Bridge, LA.

Down: We never found the city of Lafayette (see all the downs above) and it appeared to be strip mall central.  As Jerseyans, we are ever seaux familiar with strip malls but that doesn’t mean we like them!

Up: Made our way to Avery Island, home of McIlhenny’s Tabasco sauce and all its fantastic permutations.  We love it all and have a good ol’ time touring the factory eating lunch and, of course, shopping at the company store.  Christmas will be peppery this year!!   https://www.tabasco.com/visit-avery-island/

Down: We cannot find our next hotel which was to be our up compared to the previous hotel.  The GPS announces we are there but ain’t nothing to be seen but parking lots, a gas station, big rig trucks and further down the road a trailer park.  Okay!!

We call the hotel directly and discover that yes we are there…amidst it all lies a Holiday Inn Express hard against Highway 10 and a construction zone.

Up: The staff is lovely, the hotel clean and remnants of previous guests are nowhere to be seen.

Down:  The town of Breaux Bridge is not within walking distance as we had thought but a good 5 miles down the highway which, happily, is right next to the hotel for easy car access….we guess.

Up: We venture to Breaux Bridge and we find a big crawfish sculpture along the way and a random giant pepper in someone’s backyard.

Up2:  Downtown Breaux Bridge, after our initial strip mall view, is pretty interesting…definitely funky and old world south Louisiana.

Up3:  We found a great restaurant, Buck & Johnny’s, serving Cajun and Italian food in an old Chevrolet dealership.  We order catfish, gumbo and sweet potateaux and tasso soup and are told by our lovely waitress that tonight is Thursday and therefore 2 free glasses of wine per person night.  What?  Have you ever?  Seaux…when in Rome….you kneaux….we get our 2 generously poured free glasses of wine along with our very yummy tasting food.  Such an up, really!

Up4: A delightful older gentleman (yes, older than we are) comes up to our table to ask where we are from because he had overheard us asking about the tasso.  He welcomes us to his part of Louisiana and gives us some great pointers on where to geaux.  He returns 1 minute later and says the wife and daughter and son-in-law vetoed his suggestions and really we need to geaux another direction.  All good.  He and his family just wanted to make sure we would thoroughly enjoy our time here.  Such a nice moment!  Plus there is live music…a country duo playing.

Down: The driving is a bit dicey on this highway home.  Chock full of trucks.  But we make it back to our trucker hotel amidst the construction.  Apparently the construction work, cranes, trucks, machines, etc continues at night within earshot of our ground floor room.

Up: We have “To Geaux” cups filled with our FREE glasses of wine and it’s National Gumbo Day.  Thank God we ordered Gumbo on its day!!!

Peter Galbraith, this next photo is for you. What is it???

Up Next: Natchez, MS

Natchitoches, LA

After a fabulous breakfast provided by our friend, Miss Margie, we headed south to Natchitoches, Louisiana. Pronounced Nack-i-tish, it’s an utterly charming town on the Cane River, home to Northwestern State U.

Then it was off to sample some of the town’s famous meat pies, red beans, rice and corn bread. M’mm m’mm. Delicious!!!  http://lasyones.com/

As we strolled around town, we saw workmen stringing lots of Christmas lights. Apparently it’s a beautiful place to visit during the holidays. This time of year, though, it’s lots of mums and fall festiveness.

Plantations

After saying bye-bye to Miss Margie, we drove to Oakland, a NPS plantation and another plantation called Melrose. It was at Melrose that Louisiana artist, Clementine Hunter, worked and painted her remembrances of life on the plantation. Very interesting.  http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/16/travel/looking-for-clementine-hunters-louisiana.html

So here we are at the Hampton Inn in some town near Lafayette (pronounced not lah-fayette but laaah like a baby crying waaaaah)…ready to explore south Louisiana Cajun country.  Over and out!

Shreveport, LA

We head to Shreveport to visit our friend Margie, a Louisianan who spent 30 years in Jersey and just last year returned to Louisiana, making her home in Shreveport.  Margie has been instructed by her friend Sheron, Susan’s neighbor and friend in Short Hills (now living in Dallas), to only show us the best of her childhood hometown, Shreveport.  Margie gives us exact instructions on how to drive to her place avoiding all the….interesting?…places.  We run into trouble with a detour off the highway and are immediately launched into…just the places we are not supposed to be.

Nevermind.  Margie, the gracious southern hostess, was now on board to take us around town.  We start with lunch at Herby K’s.  A good ol’ fashioned fried food joint.  Yum!!

Now on to the fab sights in Shreveport.  We are always able to find some interesting ones.

Elvis!!

More fun Shreveport sights:

Margie’s friend Nancy has a most interesting tree in her front yard.  It’s a live oak tree with its branches growing along the ground. Natch, a photo opp.

Tomorrow we are off to Natchitoches..pronounced like Nack-i-tish..or something like that.  Woo!

A last stroll through Memphis.  Before hitting the road, we went for a walk downtown and near the Mississippi River.  One thing about Memphis..there are so many old timey signs.  Cool throwback!  Plus we had no idea we were so close to Arkansas and that Arkansas does not border Kansas.

Onward to Little Rock, Arkansas

Just 2 hours from Memphis we head to the Clinton Presidential Library.  But look!!  A roadside stop not to miss.  A 1936 round top filling station to the stars of the era in Sherwood, Arkansas.  It appeared that there is a curfew for juveniles there in Sherwood as well.  More investigating on that required.

Clinton Presidential Library

Who greets us at the door to the Clinton Library?  Joy Galbraith…. not sure if Susan is the northern branch of Galbraiths and Joy the southern but since the name is not that common we had a photo op of course.  Plus, Joy directed Susan specifically to the metal detector to make sure “Galbraiths weren’t packin'”.

The library was also surprisingly emotional…we had heard this from a fellow traveler and found it to be true for us too.  Here is a President Clinton quote we liked:

“We must return to the principle that if we give ordinary people equal opportunity, quality education, and a fair shot at the American dream, they will do extraordinary things.”

We found the Lost 40 Brewery around the corner from our hotel and ordered every appetizer on the menu along with the local brew.  Yum!!

Good night, Little Rock.  Spa time tomorrow.  Hot Springs, AR here we come.

We awoke to our first cloudy day since hitting the road but we didn’t mind since we had some indoor activities planned; our first major museum day.

King Cotton

Everything in Memphis is tied up with cotton, even today. Our first stop was to the Cotton Museum, housed in the beautiful, old Cotton Mercantile Exchange building. Here’s a summary of what cotton is:

Act at once! Here are some more pix:

Ducks

Of course we had to wander over to the Peabody Hotel for the 11 am march of the hotel ducks from the roof to the elevator to the lobby to the indoor fountain. Started as a practical joke by a visiting hunter in the early 1900’s, the ducks have been there ever since and draw a huge crowd.

Civil Rights Museum

The site of the museum is located right next door to the motel where Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated. The whole place was simultaneously moving and depressing given the current state of affairs. There was so much information in the well done exhibits that our heads were filled to the brim. Worth the visit.

She Said Yes!

In genteel Southern style, we needed a letter of introduction to visit our next stop. With that in hand we ventured to a well-established, beautiful Memphis neighborhood, home to the University Club. We met for cocktails on the veranda with Patrick, Glenda’s step-bro, and Jamesa who only the night before had said “yes” to Patrick’s marriage proposal. Woo hoo!!! Lots of champagne, toasts, catching up and getting to know each other ensued. Congratulations Patrick and Jamesa!

Next Up: Little Rock, AK

Asheville

A visit to the River Arts District is first up.  Cool area along the river being redeveloped for artists’ studios and galleries.  The studios are in old factory buildings.  We checked out several different artists’ studios and made some fun purchases.  Look out for ho ho ho.

On the Road to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, TN

Great timing for the great views and a herd of bugling elk!!  And random other animals.

Here for listening pleasure elk bugling:

We entered the park in North Carolina and exited in Tennessee.  Another stop in the park included a small taxidermy exhibit.  FUN!!!

We Love Dolly Parton

And finally, the piece de resistance..what we have been looking forward to….a touch of Dollywood.  Tickets to Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede., a combination of Hillbilly Disney, the circus, Lipizzaner stallion show and a giant country fare feeding of the masses. Glenda particularly enjoyed the racing mini pigs, rooting for Abe Link Sausage and General Grunt.  Susan was mesmerized by a performer dressed as an Indian dressed as a glow-in-the-dark giant bird..flapping its one wing while it held the hand of another Indian on a horse.  She was confused but into it!!

P.S. The gps-guided route to the show through hillbilly gully full of hairpin turns and trailer homes was almost as exhilarating as the performance itself.  The route included a stretch on the aptly named Boogertown Road.

Pictures below:

Listen again.  A couple snippets:

Up next Nashville, TN via Oak Ridge and Lynchburg!

Asheville

Good morning from our fun millennial-run  hotel!

Glenda, genealogist in training, took over and we think we found the birthplace of Frank’s father, Malcolm in 1913 in Asheville, NC.  Take note Johnson kids and cousins!!  Your southern roots are showing!!  The house was in a fantastic, historic neighborhood called the Montford district and was surrounded by cool craftsman homes of that era.  Here are some pics:

Onward to somethings big!!  It’s a big theme!!  We discovered a monument to laundresses worldwide right here in Asheville.  The world’s biggest iron! Fabulous!!

Biltmore

From big irons to big houses.  The Biltmore Estate, the biggest private home in the U.S., is next.  Such an informative and interesting tour of the house.  We were especially drawn to the laundry facilities in the basement.  Obviously inspired by our big iron visit.  The laundresses at the Biltmore had to heave around irons that weighed 14 pounds and they had to crisp up 1000 napkins!

The Biltmore

Craft Beers and Trivia

When in Rome…so when in Asheville, go to the breweries and we did!!  One World Brewery and Jack of the Wood.  Trivia night at Jack of the Wood pub.  Our first trivia experience….we didn’t come in last…a rousing success.  And we were only a twosome compared to the average team size of 8-20 or at least it seemed like that.

Next up: Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, TN.

Walking Around Lexington

We started this morning at the crack of 10:40 am with a walk around the hotel neighborhood and then headed into downtown Lexington, home to both VMI and Washington  & Lee. Charming and fun college town. The campuses couldn’t be more different even though they are smack up against each other.

Although VMI’s grounds were stark and severe, we never had so many “Good morning, ladies” with hats tipped in our lives!

Lots of history in this town, including Stonewall Jackson’s house.

Special Guest Appearance

Today we were so excited to have a special guest join us for a lunch engagement. Chris Campbell made a special appearance. Here we are:

Back On The Road

We only had time for one stop so it had to be a really special one. Here it is, the world’s second largest pencil!!

It was everything we’d hoped for!!! We hope you agree.

Asheville

We arrive in Asheville and immediately require a feeding. Glenda – always very, very busy in the passenger seat – googled, open-tabled, trip advisored and found a great restaurant called Table. Fun cocktails, interesting menu and delicious food.

Found our way to our hotel after dinner, a way-too-hip-for-us millennial spot. Everyone we’ve seen is between 25 and 35. And we saw this sign by the elevator but don’t get it. Can anyone out there explain? Millennials, we need your help!!!

Shenandoah National Park

Good morning!!  Another beautiful day on the road.  Coffee on the back porch, with a view or two!! https://www.nps.gov/shen/index.htm

Today is our communing with nature day.  We drive along the Skyline Drive/ Blue Ridge Parkway and stop along the way for hiking and exploration.  The drive in the daytime is for sure less stressful than the night time drive getting to the resort which was fraught with dark and winding roads and deer in the headlights…just sayin’

The visitor center midway gave us another stamportunity with multiple stamps..along with a very helpful gentleman ranger who gave us multiple suggestions for hikes.

Hikes

Through the woods, past an orchard end in a cemetery.  Up to a summit with interesting cascading rocks and a reconstituted 1890’s subsistence farm complete with dulcimer playing by old people.  Pictures below  include a picture of the trail map that Glenda insisted we must go right when, in fact, it was pretty clear we needed to go left.  Clearly map reading was not a prerequisite for a successful Verizon career.  Thankfully, Susan prevailed and we are thus writing this post.  Glenda adds that Susan’s skills in this area are only marginally better.  Susan agrees and it is a miracle we made it cross country and back in 2012 now that we think about it.

Lexington, VA

Home of Virginia Military Institute and men in white uniform.  A brewery filled with men in white uniforms.  Devil’s Backbone Brewery.  A brewery, food truck and 22 year old military cadets.  How millennial.  We fit right in!!!!

Valley Views

Up Next: Asheville, NC