Day 13 - Tennis and Tyrone

We had a leisurely morning in Roswell, with a short tour of the area and picking up some sanwiches for the tennis tournament.  Stu and Justin were playing in a league doubles tournament, and it was a beautiful day for the event.  The home courts are in the neighborhood complex and it was fun to watch the old boys play (Justin played with a partner that is our age).  Both Justin and Stu won their respective matches, and it was just a perfect morning.

Then it was time to battle the Atlanta traffic again and I was lucky enough to meet up with my friend Tyrone Shannon.  Mr. Shannon has abandoned the hotel industry and is now applying his industry talents to the hospital world, and loving it.  We had an enjoyable lunch, but the conversation was the main course.  Good to get together after not seeing each other for about ten years.

Left Georgia and headed north, ending the day just outside of Charlotte, North Carolina.  The state count is now up to 14 and should increase dramatically when the tour of New England begins later in the week.

Tomorrow the plan is to head to Washington DC for a visit with Sarah, Ben, and Elle.  Can't wait!

Day 12 - Georgia on My Mind (and GPS)

After a nice morning and breakfast with the van Rijssens, it was off to Georgia from Sarasota. It was tempting to stay with Sue and Rick another day to watch the launch of the space shuttle, but I had to move on to Atlanta.

The weather got better as the day went on, and by mid-day it was beautiful without a cloud in the sky.  Took all day to get to Atlanta, and arriving in that city at rush hour on a Friday was somewhat ill-advised.  There was a stretch of I-75 just south of Atlanta where the trees on either side of the road were strewn about from a tornado that touched down there.  Interesting to see the random, yet localized, damage.

Got to Roswell and Carol and Stu Cohen's house at dinner time, and we had a great evening.  Unbelievable dinner of wine, salad, filet mignon, cheese grits, and tiramisu.  Dinners on Thursday (Peruvian) and Friday (chez Cohens) were the best of the trip, hands down!  It was so great to see Stu and Carol, and finally meet sons Justin and Steven.

Day 11 - Sarasota, Florida

Left Tallahassee in a wicked rainstorm after hearing that there was a tornado about 15 miles to the west.  Time to go.

Go to Sarasota late afternoon and spent the rest of the day and evening with Sue and Rick, saw the beach at Siesta Key, saw the coast, saw the city, and then got down to business for dinner and drinks at Selva Grill, the greatest Peruvian restaurant ever.

Day 10 - state #11

Spent some time walking around the French Quarter again.  I took everyone's advice and went to Cafe Du Monde for freshly made Beignets, and wasn't sorry.  Warm pillows of goodness covered with powdered sugar.

I took some more pictures of the area and then headed off to Florida.  The pictures are of the founder of New Orleans (de Bienville), plaza in front of St. Louis Cathedral, St. Louis Cathedral, statue of Andrew Jackson in Jackson Square, bridge over the Mississippi, and Riverboat on the Mississippi.

On the way to Florida I traveled through Mississippi and Alabama.  Got off the freeway in Mobil and drove to Fairhope, the town with rich history in Gayle's father's family.  I had heard about the area for years, and again, I wasn't disappointed.  Fairhope is a coastal town that is simply southern and beautiful.

Ended the day just outside Tallahassee, FL.  Tomorrow I'm off to Sarasota, FL to visit Sue (Perry) and Rick van Rijssen.

Day 9 - Bonjour New Orleans

Woke up to heavy thunder shaking the hotel this morning and decided it was time to move on. Went to the Tabasco plant on Avery Island and even took the tour. Beautiful scenery, and the egrets are some of the more gracefull birds around. Had a nice bowl of Crawfish Etouffe for an early lunch and then headed back out on the road.

The drive from Avery Island was green and lush. Arrived in New Orleans mid-afternoon and walked for about four hours. The city was bustling, and it was interesting to see the scenery and sights that seemed familiar from TV, movies, and books. I think I covered a good portion of the French Quarter in my travels and managed to stay out of trouble.

The view from my hotel room is pretty nice with the river winding through the city. Hopefully I'll get a chance to do some more exploring in the morning. Can't wait to see if some of tonight's revelers are still on the street (literally) tomorrow.

Day 8 - Adios Texas

The Riverwalk during the day is still picturesque, but no activity as you can see in the pictures. It really is a phenomenal attraction, and I think I could have spent another day walking around, and certainly another meal on the Riverwalk.

The Alamo was only two blocks from my hotel, and it was more than I expected. The history was interesting, but the beauty of the grounds and the area were surprising. The old trees and cacti in the courtyards were really something.



Leaving Texas was uneventful, and getting to Lousiana was pretty much the same. I stopped in a small town just before Lafayette and ate dinner at the Bourbon Street Diner - the best Shrimp Po Boy with Sweet Potato Fries. Welcome to Lousiana!

Day 7 - Howdy Texas!

Today's post is my first on the Droid.

Kind of drizzly in Santa Fe this morning so I decided to hit the road. Pretty dull drive through southern New Mexico and western Texas. I saw two spots where there were wildfires off in the distance, but no direct contact. Highlight of the drive was watching a hawk swoop down on the side of the road and snag a big snake. Quite a sight watching it fly off with the big wriggler in its claws.

Made it to San Antonio this evening and got a hotel right on the Riverwalk. Had Texas BBQ and a margarita at a Riverwalk restaurant then a short stroll before turning in. Hope to get a few pics in the daylight tomorrow.

BTW, apparently my new name is Sweetie, since that's what I've been called by every store clerk and waitress since I crossed into Texas!

Day 6 - New Mexico

Left Tucson and headed to Santa Fe, which is out of the way to say the least.  Drove through Southern New Mexico which had some great rock outcroppings that were really pretty.  There was plenty of desert, but the rocks were striking.

Santa Fe is much more than I expected.  The downtown is full of shops, galleries, restaurants, and historic structures that are stunning.  The weather was more like Seattle than the southwest, although luckily the rain stopped as I pulled into the city.  Lots of vendors selling crafts and jewelery.  Not sure what will be open on Easter Sunday, but I'm looking forward to walking around some more tomorrow.

Day 5 - Tucson

Today I got introduced to Tucson, and it was fun!  The drive from Sedona was scenic and pleasant, but a bit longer than I envisioned.  I got to Tucson in time to have an unbelievable authentic Mexican lunch at Mi Nidito with Travis (Cindy's son).  After lunch we did a quick tour of Univ. of Arizona and then decided to play nine holes at a nearby golf course. Neither of us had played in a while so there were a few trick shots, and lots of laughs in the process.

Later I met up with an old friend from Seattle who is now with Canyon Ranch in Tucson.  We spent a good four hours drinking beer and recounting stories, mostly about mutual friends and acquaintances from Westin.  Great fun.

It was a great day in Tucson.

Day 4 - Indescribable

The Grand Canyon is nothing short of amazing.  I was convinced that I would be underwhelmed, and could not have been more wrong!  This was worth the drive.

After spending quality time at the GC, I headed in the direction of Phoenix, but decided to take a side trip to Sedona.  The colors and rock formations are beautiful.  Great dinner at a chef-owned Mexican restaurant.  Watched the sun set over the red rock and called it a night.  Love northern Arizona.

Day 3 - Are you serious?

Actually had fun walking around Las Vegas, but there were countless times when I just wanted to ask people "are you serious"?  Of course, they probably wanted to ask me the same thing.  It's just that I've never seen that many 70 year old women wearing halter tops, and 70 year old men wearing muscle shirts.

I also think the tobacco industry should let everyone know that smoking is alive and well (strange choice of words) in Las Vegas.  It's okay to smoke anywhere here, although the elevator seems to be off limits.  Credit to the MGM Grand for its ventillation system.

If you want to feel like the odd man out in Las Vegas, come here alone.  Everyone is either part of a couple, or part of a group.  When you get a seat at a bar or a restaurant and ask for "just one", there is this "knowing" look that tells you they think that either you are very odd, or in the doghouse with your significant other.  Can't say that it really bothered me, but the looks were pretty amusing.

Love the weather and love not having a schedule to keep.  Hopefully I'll be sharing some quality time with the Grand Canyon on Day 4 as I celebrate Leaving Las Vegas.......

Day 2 - viva Las Vegas!

 Day one I blew out of Seattle and made it down to Medford, Oregon.  It was basically going over old ground in that the roads I drove were very familiar since I've travelled that route more times than I can count over the past thirty years.  The drive was rainy, dry, rainy, dry...... Made the requisite stop at Woodburn, but it wasn't the same without the gang shopping.  Picked up a camera in Eugene so I should have some pictures to add when I figure out the download process (no Berit, no slot).  Stayed in a HI Express next to the home of Harry and David (didn't see either one of them).

Today was great, with the best part being the first half of the day.  Driving from Medford through the Siskiyou Mountains was amazing.  Great weather, beautiful scenery.  Mount Shasta was particularly pretty today, and cutting over from there to Nevada was beautiful.  The rest of the trip was fairly uneventful with desert and sagebrush virtually everywhere.

Pulled into Las Vegas and the MGM Grand late (9pm) and had sushi and wine.  Looking forward to seeing the area in the daylight.  Will probably head to Arizona on Thursday.