New Orleans Road Trip Photos
RadicalWacko May 18th, 2008
I know I still need to finish the story of my adventure to New Orleans. Just been a bit busy. In the mean time, I finally got a chance to upload my photos from the trip.
Archive for the 'Travels' Category
A Rough Start, but Still Loving It
RadicalWacko April 22nd, 2008
So, with short notice and good fortune, a chance arose this year for me to go back to New Orleans for Jazzfest after an extended absence. Also, owing to good fortune, this opportunity aligned with previously scheduled time off so as to allow me another of my grand road trips. Of course, you can’t have a good road trip without at least one good disaster. So far, this year it came in the form of a nasty sore throat which started early Sunday morning. It turned out to be a nasty case of Strep Throat. Thankfully, antibiotics still work and after after my first doctors visit in nine years, I was quickly on the mend.
However, the net result of the illness was that I got a very late start on Monday. So I spent most of the day speeding across central and eastern Texas with very little time for breaks. I slept at the beautiful Comfort Inn in scenic Longview, TX, soon to be featured in the upcoming essay “A short look at Longview”. (Thanks Mark)
This morning I got a pre-dawn start and made my way to Kilgore, TX, a down made and maintained by Oil and is darn proud of it. From there I wandered over to Jefferson, TX, a very well preserved 1870’s small town.
Northern Louisiana doesn’t offer much in the say of sightseeing opportunities. However, it makes up for that with vast stretches of open road where Dominique and I can frolic.
I made my way across the state and into Vicksburg in time to spend four hours touring the fascinating, if still very grim, Vicksburg Battlefield National Park. Tonight, I had dinner in the Cedar Grove Inn, an 1840’s estate which apparently survived much of the looting and destruction after the fall of Vicksburg due to the fact that it was build for General Sherman’s cousin by her husband. However, there is a cannon ball in the parlor wall that has never been removed, so it didn’t escape entirely unscathed.
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NOTE: Pictures are in a raw state and haven’t been cleaned up yet.
Back Home
RadicalWacko August 19th, 2006
So, I finally made it to Monticello. It is a truly amazing house that is quite stunning and certainly much more tasteful than the other mansion I visited. It is always odd to ponder the contradictions of this great man, and his house is no exception. It is a strange thing to think that a man who gave such an eloquent defense of liberty in the Declaration of Independence and even argued for the abolition of slavery in the colonies should have excavations of slave cabins on his land.
It was also amazing to see his vast array of little home inventions, including my favorite, the fireplace wine bottle dumbwaiter that would bring wine straight into the dining room from the wine cellar. They also had his fabulous writing reproduction machine out as well which is a stunning piece of engineering. All in all, this really was an amazing highlight on my trip and is well worth a visit to anyone in the area.
From Monticello, I got on the Skyline Drive which at a blazing 35 mph takes you though the beautiful Shenandoah National Park. From there, I connected with US 50 and started heading west though West Virginia. I have to say that while beautiful, the extreme poverty of this state is a little disconcerting. I don’t think I saw a nice coat of paint on a building in the entire state. However, the country side is beautiful and I camped for the night at the very nice Tygart Lake State Park.
The next morning, it was off through the flat farmland of Ohio and Indiana. It’s amazing how much corn there actually is in the Midwest. ;) I camped for the night at a little recreational area in central Indiana.
The next morning, I did a little hiking around and took a few pictures of the area. However, I was starting to feel tired of the road. I was starting to drive for distance and not stopping to see the sights. Instead of pushing on, I decided that my vacation should be about doing what I want. So, I took off for home and arrived early yesterday evening.
All in all, it was a heck of a trip and just what the doctor ordered. The vacation was great, but it’s great to be home and I’m looking forward to getting back to work tanned, rested and ready.
Weather is Beautiful, Wish You Were Here
RadicalWacko August 15th, 2006
Well, I’ve been out of cell phone coverage for a few days now and have just been too busy soaking up the rays and enjoying good friends to post, but I’m back on the road now and getting back to business.
Well, I made my rapid trip back to Oklahoma City. It was a bit surreal to fly into your hometown as a stopping off point instead of as a destination. In any case, the service was nice and I was glad I was able to make it back.
Then back on a plane to get back to the journey. The trip back cost me a couple of days so I had to hustle to make it to New York by Friday. However, I was able to do a great deal of the Blue Ridge Parkway before getting on the interstates for the run to New York. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it to Monticello on the way up, but the nice thing about a flexible vacation is that I can still make it on the way back.
So, I made my way out to Long Island on Thursday night without much excitement except a slight detour through beautiful Elizabeth, New Jersey. It was wonderful see some great old friends in such beautiful settings. The beach house was just gorgeous, the water was warm (well, for the Atlantic that is) and the weather was freakishly nice (mid 70’s for highs). We woke up late, drank beer early, and ate like royalty (thanks to the culinary genius of Gina) It was just what I needed after this long period of uninterrupted work.
On Monday, I bade my farewells to everyone and headed back on the road. Unfortunately, I have seemingly been catching up on several decades’ worth of sleep so I didn’t make it far before having to pull over early. Then, I slept late so I didn’t make it back into Charlottesville, VA until late this afternoon. However, I’m off to get a good night sleep before waking up early to see the home of Mr. Jefferson and heading back up to US 50.
Roadtrip Update
RadicalWacko August 8th, 2006
Well, it’s been quite a busy trip so far and it doesn’t look like it’s going to change anytime soon. My travel plans have changed considerably in fact. My grandfather, who had been suffering with a weak heart for sometime, passed away on Friday night. I’m currently flying back to Oklahoma City for the funeral on Tuesday. However, I’m not giving up. I’ll be flying back out on Wednesday to pick up my car and to continue the journey.
Despite this rather somber note, the trip so far has been spectacular. I know many have enjoyed my not quite so sober video post which I think speaks volumes to the good time I’ve been having. So here’s the big recap so far . . .
Tom In Memphis
RadicalWacko August 5th, 2006
Chicago Trip Gallery
RadicalWacko June 23rd, 2005
Since it’s been almost a year since I last posted a gallery, I figured I am more than overdue. Therefore, here’s some snapshots from my trip to Chicago last month for my friends Rob’s and Gina’s send off from the land of singleness. A good time was had by all. Of course, these are a bit late considering that the wedding was last weekend, but better late than never.
Vacation at an End
RadicalWacko April 28th, 2004
Well, I guess it’s obvious that I survived New Orleans despite my lack of posting during my stay. Coherent thought is not one of the common experiences of the Big Easy and I thought my delirious ramblings might not be the best reflection of my intellect to my faithful readers. However, it is safe to say that a good time was had. We saw some great acts, drank more than necessary and ate fabulous meals.
However, I should suggest staying away from the Radisson on Canal Street. Their employees learned about customer service from the former KGB agents now employed by your local DMV. My favorite being the hour long wait for light bulbs in a darkened room already smelling strongly of mildew from the flooded carpet in the hall that hadn’t been dried after two days. But hey, these are the things that make your vacation memorable.
Anyway, I’m back at work and it feels good. I always love vacations for the sole reason that I’m anxious to get back to the daily grind. I haven’t talked about the details at work lately, but I’ve been really short handed lately. The result being that I was left doing minor updates and lots of mind-numbing maintenance. I know it’s part of the job, but doing it for a few months is enough to cause even a workaholic like me to develop serious burnout. However, we are soon to be fully staffed again and can start doing some real projects again. I get to do some new design work which I really love. All in all, it’s good to be back.
Another Fun Travel Day
RadicalWacko April 21st, 2004
I woke up early this morning, 6:30 to be precise, but I always have a hard time sleeping in hotel rooms. I made the unfortunate mistake of trying out Horst’s recommended continental breakfast which actually turned out to be left over WWII German Army rations. However, they say that military life builds discipline so I’m happy to say I muscled my way through.
I hit the road right after breakfast and made my way down beautiful Highway 71. If, you’ve never had a chance to make your way through the Quachita National Forest, I highly recommend putting it on your list. It’s really a beautiful area of the country and I hit it at a perfect time. There was a heavy rain last night and a mild morning which meant beautiful patches of mist hovering on the sides of the hills and making its way through the trees. The other thing I’m really noticing is that these road trips are really improved by my lack of smoking. There are a lot of smells that I’ve been missing for a long time. The smells of fresh cut wood, rain and smoke were rampant in the morning air. All in all, probably one of the better pieces of road I’ve been on.
Vacation at last . . .
RadicalWacko April 20th, 2004
Ah, vacation at last. It’s shocking how much work it takes to go on vacation. I’ve been frantically trying to tie up loose ends during this last week just for preparation for this short junket. Then when I get back, I’ll have a stack of other stuff to go through. Almost makes you wonder if taking these rounds of relaxation is more or less stressful than not taking them. Not really of course, but I do love to complain.
I didn’t get out of the city as early as I was trying to, but early enough. I took I-40 East towards Arkansas. While, interstate driving really isn’t much on the scenery there was enough to keep the eye distracted. What really made the drive worth while was the weather. Storm clouds were overhead almost all afternoon but never started to rain. The air was pungent with the smell of a storm which is one of life’s great pleasures.
I had dinner in a nice little roadside grease stand called the Hungry Traveler. After well filling myself with a chicken fried steak, I headed on down the road. Now for those of you not familiar with the chicken fried steak, I should point out that it’s narcotic effects are very strong and this one particularly so. So, about 30 minutes down the road I started to feel a very strong desire for a nap. It was then that the conspiracy became abundantly obvious. At the next exit, I noticed a large sign advertising the well located Sleepy Traveler Inn! Some sort of marketing genius has been drugging his diners and leading them to his hotels. What a fiendish plot!
I fought through the effects however and made it to Fort Smith for the night. Unfortunately, there is a PGA golf tournament going on tomorrow so hotels are scarce. However, Horst at the Wellesley Inn has put me up quite comfortably for the night. Tomorrow I get off of the Interstate for most of the day and get some good back roads driving. I’ll report more when I can . . .
