Day 7: Not Much NOLA

Miles traveled: 373                                                                                   Total miles: 1394

 

Money is a funny thing.  Saving money, spending money…there are definitely some irrational decisions made in both directions.  When we started this trip I knew need two hotel rooms.  The first one I needed was for Carlsbad, NM, and the options were not pretty.  I looked like we had two choices—“seedy” motels in the $70 range, and “nice” ones in the $150 range.  I didn’t want either one of those and was thrilled when I eventually found a decent hotel for $100. 

Then I went to find a hotel for our night in New Orleans.  At first I could only find 2.5 star hotels for $100 or 1 star hotels for $50.  Again, neither option was what I wanted.  A few days later I was really happy to find a 2 star hotel for $60.  It ended up being a really interesting experience.  It was definitely an old hotel.  Old as in almost creepy and in a very run down area, not old as in charming.  It was very clean though, and the pool was nice and the kids had a great time.  I was pretty ok with it until the sink made a funny noise and splashed out black water.  Then I was just grossed out and we were careful not to drink the water.

I’ve gone back and forth about it.  Was it silly to try to save that $40?  I tell myself it wasn’t, since I’ve spent it several times over on this trip in different ways.  But I don’t know…and I don’t even what I’d do if I was doing it again. 

Anyway, back to our time in New Orleans.  Saturday morning my plan was to drive into the city and explore for a little while before starting our (long) drive to my brother Jeremy’s in Houston, Tx.

We found a place to park and then started walking along the Mississippi River.  The kids were less than enthused.

 

And they stayed less enthused as we left the river and headed downtown.  I decided that they were not my preferred old-city-travelling-companions.  (That would be my awesome sweetheart Russ.)  I still managed to enjoy looking around.  I’m not sure what this building was but it must have been notable, I saw it on a Christmas ornament later.

The kids were fascinated by the long lines of donkey drawn carriages waiting for riders, and were very annoyed that I wouldn’t spring for a ride.  Especially since Russ & I apparently ride in horse drawn carriages “all the time.” 

Finally we got to our destination.  In the reading I’d done, an “off the beaten tourist track” café was mentioned with yummy beignets.  I should have been suspicious about just how far off the beaten track this café was when it appeared on the printed map I picked up at the hotel.  I had promised the cranky kids visions of yummy beignets and then we arrived and it was a tourist hades.  Seriously.  The line of people waiting to be seated in the crammed-full café had to have been half of a block long.  I couldn’t even think of doing that to me or the kids and so we just kept on walking.  As we passed the exit of the café I noticed a man sitting on a chair wearing a hat advertising the café, and holding a handful of money.  I assumed that he worked there and I thought I would get a suggestion of a less crowded place to get our beignets.  I quickly explained that I was accompanied by 3 footsore and cranky 11 year olds and said that I didn’t think the line was a good idea for us and did he have any suggestions.  Instead of suggesting another place to buy my beignets, he said that he would bring some right out to us to go—and in about 3 minutes he was back with a paper bag filled with beignets and powdered sugar and a bottle of cold water and we were on our way, somewhat more cheerfully than before.  We sat and ate on a shady bench, sprinkles of powdered sugar on the ground around it suggesting that we were not the first beignet eaters to take refuge there that day.  (When I said the bag was filled with powdered sugar I was NOT exaggerating.)

When we were done eating we took the streetcar back to the parking lot where our car was parked.  Total cost for our little NOLA outing: $9 parking, $10 for beignets, water, and tip to the helpful guy, and $5 for the streetcar.  Those were expensive beignets!

Because I still felt like I hadn’t experienced New Orleans at all I told the kids that instead of driving straight out of the city I was going to drive down a couple of streets in the french quarter on our way out.  I was a lot happier after I did that.

I loved the balconies that were on so many of the houses in the french quarter.  Especially the ones that were decorated with plants—they just made my heart happy.  One was almost enclosed by flowering vines and I imagined that it must be a glorious refuge in the middle of the city. 

I also loved all of the great trim on the houses—each house had different details.  I was really glad that there was almost no traffic so that I could drive slowly and take pictures.

Now to get to our hotel in New Orleans we had driven on a very long bridge over Lake Pontchartrain—some 23 miles.  I figured we were done with driving over water.  But no, when we left New Orleans we drove on another edge of Lake Pontchartrain, and then for miles we drove over a swamp.  It was really interesting, because it seemed that for miles the interstate sat directly over a river (parallel and on top of, not perpendicular to.)  I finally decided it was interesting enough to take a picture and then (of course) we hit solid ground. 

The other interesting thing was driving over the bridge at Lake Charles—it truly was the steepest thing I’ve ever seen.  My brother Jeremy & his wife Maria had just made the drive from New Orleans to Houston the month before, so it was fun to talk about the trip with them—Jeremy and I had noticed a lot of the same things.

This was the first exit sign we saw in Texas.  All I could think was –goodness, Texas is HUGE!

As a comparison, North Carolina (which seems like a pretty wide state to me) is just over 400 miles wide.  More on the size of Texas later…

We arrived at Jeremy & Maria’s in time to eat dinner and play a fun new game called Resistance.  Later while they were putting their kids to bed I took mine over to the pool where they swam and worked out a little excess energy.  Then we all went to sleep, very tired.

Day 6: Are we ever ready to leave the ocean???

Miles traveled: 270                                                                                 Total miles: 1021

 

Russ & I went to Big Bertha the first time to celebrate our 10th anniversary.  It was the beginning of a beautiful relationship that you’ve all heard plenty about.  It was also a moment in time where I learned something new about myself.  What I learned was that if I had grown up in the south eating chicken wings, I probably would have been sucking the marrow from the bones.

Now I don’t have the slightest clue what it actually is like to suck the marrow from the bones, but I can tell you that if we’re talking life experiences instead of chicken wings, I’m totally a marrow sucker.

On that anniversary trip so many years ago I had in my mind an idea of how the last morning at the beach would go.  We would have a relaxed morning, a yummy breakfast, and then one last swim in the ocean or dip in the hot tub.  In my mind it was an appropriate way to end our anniversary trip.

Clearly Russ wasn’t clued in to the vision in my head.  He got up, made a quick breakfast, packed and loaded the car, and was ready to be on the road.

I was crushed.

 

In the intervening years, I have learned to be somewhat better about letting go of my nostalgic ideas of how the last bit of our vacations should go.  I say somewhat better, because what has really happened is that I have learned to compromise.  For example, last year on Friday night I got as much packing done as possible.  And on Saturday morning I actually got up early (unheard of for me at the beach!) and helped clean and get everything loaded in the van.  And then Cindy Lynn & I snuck off and had one last short splendid swim in the ocean, then ran back in and showered quickly in the wonderful outside showers.  Like I said, a pretty good compromise.

 

Today I knew that we had a 5-6 hour drive in front of us.  I knew that I wanted to leave early enough in the day that we would arrive in New Orleans before night…but darn it, I also wanted to suck the marrow out of those bones!  And my three travel companions were equally adamant that we needed more time in the ocean before we left.  So we set an alarm to make sure I was up early enough this morning that we could have one last swim before heading west.

I was worried that since it was only 9 in the morning and quite overcast the water would be too cold.  And it did take me a little longer to get myself in all the way.  But once I was in and acclimated, the water was clear and crisp and invigorating.  We played and played, jumping the waves, body surfing when we could.  And finally I told them that it was time to go.

We went back to the beach house and packed everything up, ate the rest of the chocolate ice cream, and made lunches.  Rachel and Jared did their math while I took a short nap. 

Then we took some quick pictures to help us remember how much fun we’d had there,

loaded the van, and were off.

PS—for some reason the loading part is always stressful to me.  Every single time.  But not stressful enough to keep me from travelling…

Day 5: The Purpose of the Gulf

I know, I know.  You’re thinking “She’s going to tell us the purpose of the Gulf of Mexico???”

No.

Though if I was going to, I would say something like the purpose of the Gulf of Mexico is to hold the leftover water from the Atlantic Ocean.  And to provide an ocean for me to swim in when I’m in this part of the country, of course.

But that’s not the gulf I was thinking of, exactly.  I was thinking more of the gulf of time and space and miles between leaving Durham last Sunday morning and arriving in Oregon on the 22nd of May. 

In the beginning when I thought of this trip I just thought it would be great fun.  At a certain point I thought of the trip (and it’s apex—3 days with Shamu next week in San Antonio) as a really big carrot, keeping me working day after day.  But now I think that there’s more to it than that, even.  I know it probably sounds melodramatic, but I feel almost damaged by the last few months.  I feel pushed to my limits—socially, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  I think that if we had gotten on to a plane on Sunday morning (which we had the option of doing), arriving by that night to begin a new life in Oregon—I think I would have experienced all kinds of major whiplash. 

[Let me clarify please.  Being with Russ again so soon would have been wonderful.  Being away from him for so long is the one really big downside of our scenic southern tour.]

I think that this time in between is going to be, and has already been, a time of rejuvenation for me.  A time where I can step away from the stresses that have ruled my life recently. 

A time where I can enjoy my precious children after spending so much time working and ignoring them.

 

And maybe most importantly, a time that I can work towards having more peace about this next part of Heavenly Father’s plan for our lives.

 

Day 4: In the Gulf

Before you start to get all worried about us, let me specify the Gulf that we spent much of the day in:

The Gulf of Mexico.

As in: almost an ocean.

As in: happiness.

As in: sunburn.

 

It happened this way.  When I was first fantasizing my way across the United States, thinking about my fantasy visit to Katie & the aquarium, then thinking about other things I’d like to visit, I realized that just a hop, skip, and jump south of Katie’s house was my brother & sister in law’s beach house.  And I started hoping that it wouldn’t be rented when we started to travel.

We spent Thanksgiving in 2009 here with Larry and Gaye, and it is one of our favorite memories.  We were a little surprised to get to the beach and find that instead of the lake-calm-ocean we were expecting, the stiff breeze had whipped up some real waves. 

The lifeguard recommended that we not go out past our knees because of the stiff lateral current.  I told him that this was what the beach we normally go to looks like all of the time.

 

I did check out the situation (and the waves) pretty thoroughly before I let the kids get out past their knees, but seriously.  There was hardly any current of any kind.  In fact the only thing I had to complain about was that when I tried body surfing I ended up with a swimsuit FULL of sand.  (And yes, in all the unfortunate places as well…)

The only other thing I could complain about was that I laid down on my towel and actually snoozed for a few minutes, just long enough to get really sunburned.  (Didn’t I learn this lesson last Memorial Day at the beach???) Rachel got pretty burned too while she was reading.  Jared was smart enough to wear his shirt the whole time, and Jenna made sure not to spend too long in any one position.  Smart girl.

I ended the day by sending everyone—the three of them and me too—to bed early.  So that we’d be ready to do it all again the next day…

Day 3: Hanging with Katie & Heading South

Today’s travel: 303 miles                                                               Total travel: 751 miles

 

On Tuesday I slept nice & late (it felt so good!) and then spent the morning with Katie and her adorable baby Ellie. 

Katie and I were visiting teaching companions for the 5 years that she lived in Durham and I have missed our visits together since she’s been gone.  We talked and talked all morning.  First while we walked down to the nearby railroad tracks with the kids to put pennies on the tracks.  It was very interesting to see that each penny was smashed differently, and now the girls want to find another train track to smash some more pennies to make jewelry.  Then we dropped the kids back at Katie’s house and she took me for a longer walk to see some beautiful old houses in her neighborhood and to walk through a gorgeous wooded park nearby. 

We had such a terrific visit that I lost all track of time and was shocked to realize that it was after 2pm when we finished lunch!  I laid down and took a 30 minute nap so that I’d be good to drive, and then we packed up everything and started on the next leg of our journey.  (But not before getting a call a few minutes after leaving that I’d left my tennis shoes and having to go back for them!)

One of the things that we enjoyed about our time in Atlanta was that we spent a good amount of time driving through the downtown.  I think that the skyscrapers are all so interesting to look at.

When we left Atlanta we drove & drove for 7 hours, stopping for dinner at Hardees and then later at a Walmart for some quick shopping.  We arrived at the beach exhausted and fell straight into bed!

Day 2: Relaxing with the fish

Some time ago when I started thinking about the possibility of a westward migration, I decided that I would want to visit Katie and her cute family and also visit the Atlanta Aquarium again.  We came here in the spring of 2005 when it was brand new, and I had loved it then and wanted to visit again.  I don’t think I ever imagined what a perfect outing it would be for my exhausted post-move self.

We started our day by sleeping a little late, which was nice.  Then we ate some delicious home-made granola for breakfast (must get that recipe!) along with some protein, of course.  We had a relaxed morning, I think all 4 of us were enjoying not having work that had to be done right away. 

We left Katie’s about lunch time and headed first for a landmark in Atlanta, the Varsity drive-in restaurant where we were given hats to wear while we ate. 

We all had their famous hotdogs, and three of us had the “fully-loaded, heavy dog.”

We also had a yummy icee drink that was like an orange creamsicle.  Our general consensus was that the hotdogs were good, the chili was ok, “heavy” was too much, the fries were blah, and the onion rings were terrific.  The whole experience of having the food delivered to our car was fun.

From there we went to the aquarium.  Right at the aquarium entrance they have these tanks, one on either side of the entry.  They are so huge, but they look just like the fisher price aquariums we used on the kids’ cribs when they were little. 

I told the kids that one day when I’m old and need entertaining they can just get me a wall like this one.  (Except maybe with prettier fish…)  Seriously, this would keep me watching for hours.

We had a few minute to kill while waiting for the 4D movie, so we walked through the frog exhibit.  My favorite frogs were the poison dart frogs that are so brightly colored that they look like they’re made out of plastic.  We also saw the frog on the right, which is the most venomous animal in the world—this tiny frog has enough venom to kill 9 people.  Although once they take him off his local diet of toxic ants and toxic termites he becomes less deadly…(let this be a lesson to you: you are what you eat!)

 

After the frogs we went into the movie.  We were excited to see what the 4th dimension was, and we were not disappointed.  Rachel had been afraid it would just be smell (she has no sense of smell), but instead we were sprayed with water, shaken in our seats, felt puffs of air, and had confetti fall on us. 

After the movie we went to wait for the dolphin show.  Because we got there early we had great seats—close to the tank and right in front.  These were the oddest shaped seats we’ve ever seen,

and we have never had such upright posture.  (We think they were so odd because they were just bolted onto bleachers.)

The dolphin show was really beautiful, even if the kids thought the storyline was kind of lame.  I wish I had any pictures or video but I was obedient to the rule that said you couldn’t take any. 

Before the dolphin show we learned that one of the beluga whales is pregnant and due within the next month.  We were excited to go and see her, and she was truly massive.

We spent almost all of the rest of our time at the BIG tank.  And when I say big, I mean BIG, BIG, BIG!  As in, big enough to hold 4 whale sharks, which are the largest fish alive.  Really big.

To get to the big tank you first walk through the tunnel.  I have to say walking under sharks and whale sharks was very cool.  I could have sat and watched the fish in the big tank for hours, but the kids got restless after about half of an hour.   I loved seeing the different groups of fish swim by, the manta rays turning flips in the distance, the sharks, and of course the star of the tank, the whale sharks.  I was mesmerized by the whole thing and found it incredibly soothing for my so-recently-stressed self. 

Isn’t this wonderful? 

When they announced that the aquarium was getting ready to close we quickly went through the coral reef exhibit.  I always love these exhibits since they mimic the snorkeling experience so well.  This time I loved the tank with the jellies in it.  The colors were so striking.

I must have been super relaxed when we were done because when we exited through the gift shop (very clever, Aquarium designers!) where I had planned to let each kid spend about $5, I ended up letting them buy tshirts!  Not sure how that happened, but hopefully they enjoyed that rare experience.