Dinner and a Movie - Austin, TX

By Claire

Yesterday was a 7 hour drive and tomorrow is 8, so we decided to completely blow off today and just relax.  We slept in, had breakfast then mostly lounged in our huge, one bedroom suite with kitchen ($84).  We are hooked on these kinds of places.

After a while, we decided we probably needed to head out for supplies:  chocolate covered coffee beans for Chuck, yogurt for me.  A latte sounded good, too, so we scoped out a Starbucks using our iPhone map and took off.

While we were enjoying our coffees, we spotted something called Alamo Drafthouse Cinema.  I thought, hmm, maybe a movie would be good.  And then I remembered something David had said--we had dinner last night with friends who live here--he told us about a theatre that serves food while you watch.  Turns out, that's exactly what this place was.  So we went for it.  Looper was due to start in 15 minutes and the man behind the counter very kindly explained that we had to choose our seats.  He showed us a touch screen and made recommendations about where to sit.  We made our choice, took our tickets and found our seats.  That's when we saw how it works.  Amazing clips from old Sci-Fi movies and TV were being shown as we walked in.  Sitting down we saw the menu and the order sheet.  We decided on Grilled 3 cheese and roasted tomato sandwiches; our order was picked up by a guy who walked in front of the tables picking them up, explaining how it works (extra lemon for your coke?) while swiping our card. 

 

It was all very efficient and fun.  We settled in watching the clips and previews, all done in a very fifties style--with the sound in a normal range, while various waitstaff took orders.  We noticed that the couple next to us was served a bowl of popcorn and a pitcher of beer.  The woman at the end of our row had a glass of wine.  The theatre was small and intimate and the screen size was just right.  It wasn't stadium seating but somehow no one blocked our view.  Taking out a row of seats every other row and adding a long table probably accomplished that.  One of the best features, and we noticed this at the last movie house we went to in Biloxi, is that talking and texting is absolutely NOT tolerated.  You will be removed from the theatre and there are no refunds.  I like that.  And best of all, there is an Alamo Drafthouse Cinema coming to San Francisco in 2013!

Another great, spontaneous day.  Oh, and the movie?  Fantastic!  See it.  We're off to the hot tub, now.

Our happiest moments as tourists always seem to come when we stumble upon one thing while in pursuit of something else.  ~ Lawrence Block

The Big Easy

By Claire

We did some quick research on New Orleans last night and discovered a free walking tour through the National Park Service (The French Quarter is a National Park) at 9:30 am.  So, we were up at 5:30 and on the road by 7:00 after one of our better free hotel breakfasts.  They actually had cut-up fresh fruit!  And this was in Mississippi!

Arriving in New Orleans at 7:50 am, we were parked in a garage and sitting down to Beignets and Café au Laits at Café du Monde.  It was eerily quiet and everywhere the streets were being hosed down and street cleaners were making their way getting ready for a new day.  The temperature was a lovely 64º and warming up nicely and we were ready for our day.

 

Waitresses gossiping while waiting for customers to show up

 

Beignets and Café au Laits--a must have

 

Creating the dough

 

Classic New Orleans

 

Jackson Square

 

We wandered over to the Jean Laffite Visitor Center connected with the Park Service and joined 8 other people for our free guided walk.  The ranger spent 20 minutes filling us in on the history of New Orleans.  From there we wandered the area, up on a levy and over near the French Market.  He spent almost 90 minutes with us.  Worth every penny!

We decided to check out the French Market.

 

 

 

 

Since we'd eaten at 6:30, we decided to get lunch while it wasn't crowded, at 11:30.  A good choice.

 

Red Beans and Rice for two.  I eschewed the sausage.

 

Our guide had mentioned free concerts at the Old Mint building, now housing the Louisiana State Museum, another Park Service.  We found it, walked in and talked briefly with the ranger, who told us there was in fact a free jazz piano concert beginning in 10 minutes.  We scored.  Ronald Markham was a virtuoso, performing works honoring James Booker but in his own style.  I swear I saw him placing one hand inside the other while playing at a speed that was simply breathtaking.  Not only that, we had front row seats!  He played 7 numbers in just over an hour.  It was wonderful.

We walked around the various streets, taking in the architecture and the sights.

 

 

 

Courtyards are very common in New Orleans and afford a sense of privacy away from the noise and hustle bustle of the city.

 

 

Musicians setting up on Royal Street

 

 

Preservation Hall, where music happens; the building dates back to 1816, the music to the 1960's--when we came back that night, there was a long line

Time for a free ferry ride to the other side of the Mississippi and back

 

And a walk along the levy

 

Soon it was time to contact Chuck's son, Todd, whom we planned to meet this afternoon.  While we waited for him to arrive on his bike, we just sat on a bench enjoying the flow of people going by.  I really liked this "Gypsy Reader's" table with the Red Bull can.

 

Todd found us and we headed for coffee.  It was great to see him.  It's been since last Christmas since he lives here now.

 

He thought we ought to see Louis Armstrong Park, so we walked there and we are so glad we did.  It is enormous and beautiful and there was a free concert going on!  We sat on the grass and listened for awhile.

 

 

 

The Man himself

 

 

We left after the lights came on so we could see this.

 

Time for dinner and Margaritas all around

  

Todd recommended fried pickles for an appetizer. Turns out, they were fantastic!

 

Chuck had Gumbo, I had a Caribbean salad and Todd had a taco salad.  But the main event, besides the drinks, was the praline bread pudding. It was warm on the bottom, full of pralines and topped with whipped cream.  The waitress brought 3 spoons.

 

 We were lucky to sit up on one of the balconies--aka galleries in The Big Easy.  It was such a gorgeous day today and it was still 72º.

 

By now it was getting on towards 9 pm; so Todd rode home on his bike and we picked our car up from the garage and drove to his place, where he lives with 2 roommates.

 

We had a spectacular day--it was easy and relaxed and everything fell into place.  We saw so much and enjoyed every second.  Spending time with Todd was a huge bonus.

What we play is life. ~ Louis Armstrong

Catastrophe on Route 10

By Claire

The weather has changed—it was 41° and we were still in Florida!  Nobody warned us about that.  But, off we went at 8 am to drive through the Florida Panhandle and Alabama to Mississippi.  It was at the third rest stop for our driver switchover that I discovered my backpack was missing.  I had been to the restroom and, on my way back, noticed something I wanted to take a picture of.  My camera is almost always in my backpack.  Chuck and I tore the car apart but it was nowhere to be seen.  All I could think of was that it held my wallet with my credit cards, about $100 in cash, my driver’s license and my camera!  We were very bummed, but decided that we better start figuring it out; so I called the hotel and they checked our room.  It wasn’t there. 

Then I realized that it was in the car at some point, because my phone was sitting right there playing music for us.  I never put my phone in my pocket.  It’s either in the backpack or in my purse.  Then I recalled writing in the amount for the hotel in my little spiral bound notebook that has all the data from our trip and is housed in my backpack.  So.  It had to be in the car.  Or…could someone have stolen it?  We racked our brains and I decided that maybe we hadn’t locked the car when we left for the restrooms.  Maybe someone saw the backpack and just opened the door and snatched it.  Whatever.  We had to act before this hardened criminal could start charging things on two credit cards and a debit card.  Chuck took back the wheel, even though it was my turn.  

I spent the next hour on the phone talking with our main credit card holder, getting cut off at the last minute just when I had given them the hotel address in Austin to send new ones.  So, back to square one.  Imagine doing this as the car is speeding down the highway, it’s noisy and you have the usual high-pitched person on the line and you can barely hear them, let alone understand them.  I persevered, and eventually everything was taken care of. 

We traded driving after stopping for lunch and I started remembering all the things in my wallet that needed replacement.  Chuck started writing them down.  We do have another camera, my old one that only works intermittently and doesn’t have a back-up battery.  I tried to think positively.  It could have been so much worse.  What if they had taken our “tech” bags with our laptop, iPad, Kindles and more?  We got over it.  But then started questioning ourselves and our inability to be in the moment.  Chuck left a beloved shirt behind in the hotel from the day before.  They are shipping that by UPS to our home.  Unfortunately, he won’t have it for the rest of the trip.  Were we getting careless?  Where are our heads?  I can tell you I was very stressed by this.  But, we gained an hour by entering the Central Time Zone and decided that since we had no plans for Mississippi, we would go to a movie.  Which we did. 

Finding the theatre was another nightmare.  Chuck had found a place playing Argo on his iPhone map and the directions were very clear.  However, the streets had no names.  We almost gave up but decided to circle back to where we had been and found it hidden behind another building—all thanks to his electronic map and the little blue bubble that shows us where we are on which streets.  He could see that we were there, it was just over there--on a new street our map did not have!

The movie was fantastic.  Don’t even read about it, just go.  It was a nice escape from our loss and by the time we left, it was after 4 pm, so we drove the remaining 15 miles in search of gas and our hotel. 

Things were looking up when we spotted the hotel AND a gas station with a price of $3.09, the cheapest we’ve seen on this entire trip.  The lines were somewhat long but we were there so we went for it.  Meanwhile, Chuck couldn’t get the pump to work so while he went into the store to get some help, I started looking for maps and tour books for the next leg of the trip.  And what do you know?  The driver’s seat was pulled up because I had last driven, and there was my backpack!  Somehow, it had slipped down behind the seat and then when Chuck got in and put the seat back, it was completely hidden.  So what’s a few canceled cards? 

I was so grateful to know I have my camera back and my driver’s license.  It also made me start thinking about all the technology we have used on this trip.  Here’s a list:  GPS (aka Vicky), iPhone with a rest area app, Yelp app, Google, National Parks app, Where app, weather.com app, Living Earth/Clock app (thanks Steph), Chronicle app, USA today app, NY Times app, and the iPhone timer for switching drivers and remembering to put wet laundry into the dryer.  Could we have done this trip without all these things?  Hard to say.  Oh yeah, I forgot the iPad and our laptop. No, I don't think we could be without them.  No blog?  Come on!

We are 12 days from home but we still have things to do and see.  We’re not completely worn down yet.  In fact, walking into our suite this evening, I was just thinking—hey, I could get used to this!

Yesterday, we stopped at one of the many wonderful rest areas and we were doing a little walk to stretch our legs when we spotted the most amazing creatures.  They were not bothered by the cars and trucks going by or the people walking right next to them.  I had to look them up in Google to find out what they were.  

Sandhill Cranes 

 

 

 

 

We drove past Ponce de Leon State Park and it reminded me that he finally found the fountain of youth, but, alas, Dick Clark was already there.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

River of Grass

By Claire

I must say again that Florida has turned out to be a wonderful surprise.  If you love nature, and especially birds, this is the place for you.  The weather continues to be perfect, and it is fresh and clean.  We have the vultures to thank for the fresh air--nothing dead lasts long around here.  Plus, the local vultures don't just go for road kill, they do some killing themselves.

We kept hearing about the sawgrass prairie and how important the water is; and the more we explored, the more we came to understand.  A slow-moving, shallow (the wet prairies average only 4 inches in depth) river (50 mile wide by 100 mile long) runs through this entire area and the water is in constant movement, about 1/4 mile per day; so it is not a stagnant swamp.  And this is only one-seventh the original Everglades area--Man intervened and developed, dammed and "improved" the rest.  There are currently plans to effect a partial restoration. 

 

We had a plan for today--head to Shark Valley Visitor Center at the northern part of the Everglades. We decided to go for the 11 am tram tour.  However, not all plans always work out.  And sometimes it's for the best.  You know, that spontaneous, serendipitous style of travel.  We had driven almost an hour when we were stopped by a FHP (Florida Highway Patrolperson) at the beginning of the road leading to Shark Valley.  Apparently there had been a fatal accident up ahead, and he was not letting anyone in unless you were a tribe member.  He advised us to go somewhere until 10 am when the road would be opened again.  Well,  I guess we were not going to be doing the 11 am tram tour after all.  We had no idea where to go, but decided to just turn around and follow the road for a ways and see what we could find.  Chuck had just suggested a McDonalds (horrors!), when I spotted a Starbucks.  Hooray!  So, I pulled out my iPad and he had his Kindle and we spent a pleasant hour with our devices and our lattes.

I guess we were too relaxed, because we didn't get back onto the road until about 10:10 and then found out that about every 5 miles it became a one lane construction zone and we had to sit and wait until it was our turn.  Just after the second lane closure, I noticed a Gator Park advertising Air Boat rides and a gator show.  How could we resist?  There was no chance of making the 11 am tram ride; so, against his better judgment, Chuck pulled in at my urging.  He kept asking me, "are you sure you want to do this?"  I have to admit, it looked kind of cheesy, and I was beginning to think it was going to be really lame. 

 

 

But, we had nothing else to do, since the next tram ride was at 1 pm (so we thought).  We went for it.  While waiting for our boat, we watched one come in with a batch of Japanese tourists.  I'm not sure if they just didn't understand English or they weren't listening but it was rather hilarious to hear the boat guide yelling instructions at them repeatedly:  SIT DOWN!  PUT THAT FISH BACK IN THE WATER!  SIT DOWN!  He was completely ignored.  Several of us watched in horror as a few of the tourists jumped out of the boat with fish in their hands.  They thought it was just so funny, and took it as a photo op.  They did finally throw the fish back into the water but by then, they were pretty much goners.

 

We were handed ear plugs and given instructions, like do not pet the alligators, do not put your child on an alligator.  

Our boat guide, Randy

 

 Right off the bat, Randy spotted an Alligator.  Cameras began clicking madly.

 

Our most amazing sight was of a mother alligator and her young.  They were so cute!  Much excitement ensued.

Baby on board

 

Baby alligators are natural born predators and can swim and hunt fresh out of the egg. They are born with the same amount of teeth as their mother:  40 on top and 40 on the bottom.  However, when they are this young, they are also a natural prey.

A nest of babies--moms can have 40 or more eggs, but only 1 in 5 reach maturity--their eventual prey are their initial predators.

 

We were advised to insert our ear plugs and then off we went, full throttle!  What a ride!  I was laughing so hard--but with the ear plugs and the noise from the air boat V-8 engine I couldn't even hear myself.  Chuck was grinning from ear to ear and laughing wildly as well.   Randy roared through the glades, fish-tailing through the grass and causing immense glee. 

The fun can only last so long, and now it was time to quietly glide through the water and look for more alligators and birds.  Randy was great at spotting.

Great Blue Heron

 

Great White Heron

 

After our wild ride, we found out there was an alligator wrestler waiting for us.  We hurried over to a small stadium seating area.

Tom, the gator wrestler, shoving a scorpion into someone's face as she walked in

 

The scorpion

 

 

Tom trying to get her to kiss the frog and turn him into a prince

Tom demonstrated putting his hand into the alligator's mouth letting us know there was no danger as long as you don't touch him.  He then used a pen to barely touch the bottom inside jaw; it snapped shut instantly.

 

Tom wrestling a gator

 

Just a toddler, 3 years old

 

I have to say: it may have been cheesy, but Tom was a great performer and we were all very entertained.  It really was fun, and we were so glad we took that little detour.

Back on the road again,  we arrived at our destination at 12:30 with plenty of time for the 1 pm tour.  But, the next one wasn't until 2!  We had 90 minutes to kill, but decided to go for it.  We weren't really in any hurry, and we could walk on the trail and see some more wild life.  We also went to the Visitor Center.

 Shark Valley Visitor Center

 

Poaching was a big problem in the Everglades.  In fact, the Egrets and Great White Herons were endangered because their plumes were used in ladies hats.  In 1903, an ounce of feathers was worth twice as much as an ounce of gold. With feathers so highly valued, you can bet that there was a "gold rush" for plumes. Laws against poaching went into effect, but the game wardens could not stop it and birds continued to be killed.  The power of fashion was too strong, and the destruction of birds ended only when women's tastes changed.  When a new, short hairstyle became the trend, the birds were ultimately saved from extinction.  This new hairstyle could not support the big extravagant hats and the demand for plumes disappeared, forcing plume hunters to abandon their trade.

How about this purse?

We decided to go for a stroll near the Visitor Center and look what we saw!

Alligator length can be estimated converting the distance in inches between their nose and their eyes to feet--if the distance is 12 inches, the length is 12 feet.

  

Is he smiling?

 

Female Anhinga drying her wings--males are all black

 

Little Red-necked Blue Heron

 

And another

 

In flight

 

One of his two lids--an ordinary one for land and a transparent one for under water

 

Just hanging out

 

Finally our tram tour began.  Again, I was worried that it would be kind of ho-hum, touristy.  Wrong.  It was a relaxed, fantastic 2-hour ride through Shark Valley.  Oh, and about that name?  There are sharks down in Flamingo and the area (between the coasts) that we were in dips down 4-5 feet, forming a valley.  We rode along with Cynthia as docent and George as driver.  He was uncanny in his ability to spot wildlife and she was full of information and very entertaining.  Half way through the trip, we came to the viewing tower.

Trail through Shark Valley

 

65 foot viewing tower

 

Ramp up to the viewing tower

 

Did we tell you?  Chuck's running for office.

 

Great Blue Heron--tallest bird in the Park

 

This one just ate

 

A Twofer

 

On our way down the road from Shark Valley, we came upon this post office.  It's the tiniest post office in America.  What better spot than this to mail our ballots?  No, just kidding; we took those to the main post office.  

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Nanette Watson, Postmaster of the “Smallest Post Office in the United States” – the Ochopee Post Office – decided she wanted to paint the 8’4’’ by 7’3’’ building bright pink. “I’ve been wanting to do this for many years,” she explains. “You see, people come here from all over the world to take pictures of the smallest Post Office. So it’s a great way to bring attention to breast cancer research.”

We've noticed a few things about Florida.  Except for Rock Reef Pass--at 3 ft.--it is almost completely flat.  At one point, there was water from a canal lapping at the road we were driving on.  It is the cleanest state we've been in--everything is fresh and sparkling.  I don't know how they do it.  No litter, no graffiti.  I think we'll come back; they say February is the best month.  We only saw hundreds of birds; but in February you will see thousands.

 

By the time we leave, we will have spent 10 days in Florida--twice the time spent in any other State. 

Glades that go on forever-- Everglades