Out of NOLA Two

Bear and Dinosaur

There is a curious effect that happens when traveling without an itinerary, plans change constantly. My original thought when reaching Pascagoula Mississippi was the next morning I would be heading north into Mississippi and then curl back West so I could renew my car registration in Missouri before heading North again. I happened to turn on the Weather Channel while I was getting dressed and heard the central parts of Mississippi would be reaching temperatures in the triple digits during the day. That's hot. It's even hotter when you are in a little pickup truck that doesn't have air conditioning.

What? Driving through the South with no air conditioning? Am I crazy? Well, no, not crazy, just habit. I had a car with air conditioning once... the AC died after two weeks, so I was back to my normal driving situation. It isn't something that I feel is essential. Heck, 60 years ago there wasn't any air-conditioning! I'm just taking after our ancestors. Dragon Sea Monster

There are benefits to traveling without air conditioning. The best one being you get to smell the country you're traveling through and how those smells change through the drive. The feel of the air changes too and you get to experience that as well. Of course this is less romantic when passing a pig farm, but is still a lovely way to travel. The only precaution is to buy some ear plugs and use them. Having the air blowing in your left ear for hours subjects your ear to high sound-pressure levels-- (lots of loud noise.) The high sound pressure will damage your hearing. It is a fact that most Americans have hearing loss in their left ear while most British people have hearing loss in their right ear. This is attributed to driving with the window open. With ear plugs in you can still hear sirens, the radio and even conversation, you are just lowering the over-all sound levels your ear is subjected to. Remember kids, hearing loss is irreversible and permanent. Bionic ears are still a long ways off. Protect those head-wings!

With mid-state temps reaching triple-digits and high-humidity I thought it might be better to stick to the gulf coast where it was cooler and continue East. I moseyed through Mobile, Alabama and found an old Miniature Golf Course. I formulated a plan of action. I would continue to doodle along the coast until I came across a fishing village with one of those seafood places right next to the docks. You know the type. They have incredibly fresh fish and different species as well, fish that never makes it into the commercial markets. Mmmmmm, now that is something worth doodling! Chicken found in a miniature golf course in Mobile Alabama

So I dawdled along until I reached Pensacola, Florida. Wow, I was in Florida, this was unexpected. I realized if I continued heading East I would end up at the Atlantic Ocean. Clever, eh? This would give me the status of touching two of the edges of the USA. When I began this adventure I thought I would travel no further south than mid-Arkansas and no further east than the Mississippi. However, as the Poet said: "The best laid schemes o' mice an' man gang aft agley." Any plans I may have had at the outset of this trip were long since "gang agley" and my best option at this stage was to say yes to these options that seem to appear out of nowhere. It is a good thing to say yes to life, yes to the serendipitous circumstances that present themselves. Read the signs of the Triumvirate-- Circumstance, Serendipity and Synchronicity-- and discovering where it will take you.

Besides there were advantages of going all of the way East before heading West again. One is I drive in the morning and find driving into the light less advantageous--all of the good pictures are behind me--it kind-of spoils the fun of the wiggly roads when you can't see the good pictures. Once I am as far East as I can go, I can drive away from the sunrise and all of the good shots will be before me.

So that's what I did. I drove all the way East. From the East coast would be starting West again. I thought it would be fitting to go to St Augustine, Florida. St Augustine was the First City founded on the continental United States. It would be as if I was starting at the beginning. Where better to begin heading West again. I had ulterior motives too. A friend lives there so I could sleep on their couch and save on hotels.

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      Washington
      Hey, Let's hit Idaho
      A Drive About (series)
          And We're Off
          more...
      West Highway 162
      A Jaunt to Nevada
      Coffee and Pie (series)
          Branson to Fayetteville
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Misc

Travel Posts
St Augustine Florida
Aug 10, 2006
Known as the First City, St Augustine, Florida is a tourist haunt. I arrived there on a stifling day of the full moon and somehow managed to find my way to the Historic District simply by following the signs.
  Out of NOLA Two
Leaving New Orleans
Aug 08, 2006
Once it gets under your skin, New Orleans is a difficult place to leave. It is the perfect mix of small-town and cosmopolitan lifestyle. With world-class restaurants, culture and a tight-knit community, the experience of New Orleans is something to be both savored and splurged
Pictures of New Orleans
Jul 02, 2006
Pictures of New Orleans
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New Orleans Second Line Parade
Jun 28, 2006
Master percussionist Kufaru died the second week of June. Kufaru was a popular New Orleans musician who has recorded with the Neville Brothers, Emmy Lou Harris and others. He was a generous man who gave back to his community and was well-loved for it. In his honor his friends and family held a second line parade...
Hurricane Katrina
Jun 18, 2006
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For many people Friday night and the phrase "complete abandonment" means excitement and wild activity. Along the main drag of Stuttgart, in the Springtime at least, it means the opposite...
Fooling About in Arkansas
May 25, 2006
One of the problems with bonking about in Smalltown is that eventually you will need something that is not available in the local Walmart nor in the businesses that managed to survive the economic scouring that a new Walmart tends to give a community. I came  upon such a moment when one of my external hard drives took a data dump to that big supercomputer in the sky....
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Imagine yourself amongst the rice fields of Arkansas. Wide, open spaces, precisely leveled and flattened with an Ausburgian attention to detail. The carefully planted rice is short, looking like a bad hair transplant/
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Mobile Alabama
Miniature Golf
Ferrocement
Gulf Coast

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