One of the best parts about going on the road is having your eyes opened up to the realities that exist beyond your own little corner of the world. So when it came to New Orleans, it was one thing for me to hear secondhand reports about the state of affairs in the city from the comforts of my home. But to walk through the rubble that remains, to talk to those who are trying to piece their community back together, was another thing altogether. This is why we travel.
Local Flavor
Learn what towns put out the welcome mat and for whom; from hippies to rednecks to soccer moms, see who fits in where across America.
Our time down on the bayou
For our visit to New Orleans, we boondocked on the BioLiberty compound down on Bayou Liberty in Slidell, Louisiana.
This is where our old Humboldt friend Gordon Soderberg now calls home.
Living full-time in his RV, he has established quite an impressive green enterprise with the help of a local dentist who owns the property.
New Orleans: Live Music and Great Art without the Attitude
I started out this trip behaving like a spoiled little West Coast snot, like a character out of that famous New Yorker drawing that shows a map of the U.S., with the Left Coast and the East Coast, and nothing in the middle. How wrong that is, and what an ignorant turd I was for falling for it.
The middle of this country has the nicest, most down to earth people we’ve met, and some of the most creative. And since arriving in the South, we’ve witnessed more talent, and met more artistic individuals here than anywhere else. Maybe it’s because they’re at arm’s reach here, whereas on the coasts, the artists and musicians I’ve met have gigantic egos, stick to their own kind and don’t make an effort to blend in with the masses, unless it’s to try to make a buck.
From The Redwoods to the Bayou, Now In NOLA
Friday, we pointed ourselves westward, right into New Orleans (NOLA), where we’ve met up with an old friend from Humboldt, Mr. Gordon Soderberg. As one of the founding members of the Redwood Technology Consortium, Gordon is one of the reasons why we fled San Francisco in ’98 and moved up to the sticks. He was a geek like us, and we figured if he could make a living in the trees, so could we. In 2005, Gordon left Humboldt to join the Veterans For Peace wagon train that was supporting Cindy Sheehan, and found himself in NOLA two days after Katrina, to help with the rescue, cleanup, and now, grassroots rebuilding efforts (because the government hasn’t done crap. More later).
One Good Thing About Florida: The Atlantic
Swimming in the Atlantic ocean is one good thing about Fort Lauderdale and Florida.
Dive Bars and Road Food Restaurants in Old Florida
There’s a lot of talk here about how “Old Florida” is disappearing. Kitschy roadside attractions are being paved over for gated homes along golf courses, and old timey family diners are being squeezed out by Chick Fil A and Olive Garden. It’s like this in a lot of the country, as Americans allow national chains to destroy the very things that make our hometowns unique.
We get a kick out of finding new, divey places to check out. In the last couple of weeks, we’ve found two great places that are sadly, a dying breed: Archie’s Seabreeze on Hutchinson Island, and Mrs. B’s in Vero Beach, off I-95.
We didn’t find them on our own; our online friend Chelsea told us about Archies, and the locals we met at Earl’s told us about Mrs. Bs.
Snowbirds: Prepare for a Florida Freeze!
When we lived just blocks away from the boardwalk in Old Town Eureka, we would enjoy the summer concert series when we could stroll along the waterfront listening to live music in the cool evening breeze. If it wasn’t raining.
Here in Florida, these type of concerts go on year-round. We attended one the week before Christmas at the Vero Beach Library. I wore shorts.
A couple weeks later, on New Year’s Eve, we had the air conditioner blasting during dinner. We were getting pretty heated. Literally! Just a few nights later, we had to run the heater and get out the wool blanket.
New Year’s Eve at Earl’s
It’s that time of year when everyone asks, “What did you do for New Year’s Eve.” 🙄
I’ve never quite understood what the big deal is about this one night a year when everyone can get away with getting liquored up. In fact, you’re supposed to. But I just consider it amateur night. I don’t need a reason to get drunk.
If you ask me, every day is New Year’s. In fact it was Saturday, January 5th one year ago tonight, as I write this. But never mind me. I’ll tell you what we did anyway. We got liquored up.
I’m dreading my next haircut.
Jim dreads his next haircut on the road as a fulltime RVer and remembers Fuckin Lou, who gave him a great trim in Troy, NY.
Rene Rides the 1958 Farmall 230
At every county fair we went to this summer, René would just have to sit on the tractors. And ever since we saw the antique tractor pull in Corey, PA she has wanted to ride a Farmall.
Well, she finally got her chance on the Quant’s 1958 Farmall 230. As one customer of the farm store said, “Looks like she’s having too much fun to ever get any real work done!” One thing is certain, Craig Morgan’s International Harvester
Christmas RV Epilogue: I finally got my Tryptophan
Not only big Mexican families can enjoy holiday traditions, you know.
We had our own little taste of a “white” Christmas on the farm too.
On Christmas eve we even had the joy of carolers coming to sing for us at the trailer. Those Quants are one crazy bunch.
Tropical Season’s Greetings, Reggae Style
Jim and Rene present a Reggae Christmas Medley video with music by Yellowman and others including Breadfruit Roasting on an Open Fire and The Little Drummer Boy on steel drums.
RV Living in Florida: Beware of Flying, Biting, Stinging Bugs
Ah, sunny Florida. The state name alone conjures up images of white sand beaches, sun baked old farts, golf carts, and tropical umbrella drinks.
But there’s one unique aspect of Florida that the tourism guides fail to mention. Bugs! Mean bugs. Flying bugs. Stinging bugs. You name it, this state has some of the nastiest insects that we’ve encountered on our entire trip. Pest control is big business in this state, but as usual, nature bats last.
Florida fare ain’t no Tex Mex.
We haven’t had any good Mexican food since we left California. In fact, we haven’t had any, or even tried looking for it until recently.
The reason? In all the miles we’ve traveled we hadn’t passed through any communities with enough ? shall we we say, authentic color ? to warrant a dinner out until we reached Florida.
But once we saw an authentic looking Taqueria, a Mercado selling dresses and phone cards, and our first Tecate billboard in over 29, 000 miles, we figured the food was worth a try. While it wasn’t bad, it was nothing to write home about either. But here I am doing just that.
Entertainment Review: Sun Cruz Casino’s Dumpy Ride at Sea
Let’s get one thing straight; Jim and I are not Gamblers. The few times we’ve found ourselves in Vegas, I would stand there gawking at the Gambling species, dumbfounded as I watched them willingly toss money away.
But last week while waiting for the space shuttle to take off, our fun campground neighbors Carol and John invited us to join them on a “free” four-hour casino cruise. In Florida, where gambling is illegal, Sun Cruz Casinos will take passengers out to blow money at sea, three miles offshore in international waters. They had a free shuttle that would pick us up right at our campground. “You get all of the free food and booze you want!” my neighbor said excitedly.
Now that caught my attention. Whenever I hear “Free” and “Booze” in the same sentence, this cheapskate gets happy. All that, and we’d get a “free” cruise in Florida too. Ah, the things trip memories are made of! I grabbed Jim and said “let’s go!”
Later, neither one of us would realize that we were about to set foot on a third rate, smoky casino from hell, unable to escape!