Chris gets us lost...twice so far.

Here's the dirt. When we got to New Orleans Chris had all the details: step-by-step directions right to the front door of the hotel. They looked pretty complicated to me, so I suggested I get us to the Morial Convention Center which is only 2 blocks from the place. Nope. Chris had the sheet of directions, so we followed them.

We ended up in a section of town that wasn't quite what we were looking for. It looked like someone was filming an episode of COPS. Good job there, Chris. We survived, so all is forgiven.

The day we left New Orleans we decided to follow Highway 11 northeast out of town. It was the interstate before Eisenhower got the idea to modernize the highway system, so it's just the kind of road I like. Small towns; abandoned motor courts and garages; it's a time machine made out of asphalt. It parallels Route 59, which is the new smooth multi-lane speedway, which we found ourselves on when trying to avoid a small city (the name of which i forget...but I do remember that it was somewhere in southeast Mississippi).

I said, "Chris, find a spot where we can get back onto Route 11." An hour later we were hopelessly lost, and getting desperate. If you've never been to southeast Mississippi, let me mention that it's as flat as a table, with a million short trees, and absolutely no street signs. Not the kind that identify streets, they have plenty of them, but the kind that reads "Meridian 10 miles," or "Biloxi 30 miles," or even "I549." And those street names aren't very useful. They're all named after people who were obviously related. There's Cletus Spence Road, Magnolia Spence Road, Cyrus spence Road, etc. After a while we started seeing familiar sand piles, logging paths, and swamps, so I just decided to pick a direction (hopefully east, although at noon it was tough to tell for sure) and drive until we either hit civilization or we ran out of gas.

By the way, if you want shade in southeast Mississippi you better bring an umbrella. Luckily it was a comfortable 96 degrees and sunny. Good job there, Chris. We survived, so all is forgiven. Beginning to see a pattern? The buzzards down there are quite colorful, though...

We've started towards home

Sorry for the lack of updates; we've been too busy stuffing ourselves at Mother's.

Yesterday we left New Orleans and spent the night in a suburb of Birmingham, AL called Pelham. Chris got us lost for the second time yesterday, and this time it was a beauty. I promnise I will tell all unless she confesses tonight.

Today's plan is to reach Cherokee, NC at the foot of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Sunday at Mother's

Well, we've been here two days & been to Mother's on each of them. The staff is already starting to recognize us. Tonight we tried the bread pudding w/whiskey sauce-OMG!!! George has volunteered to work in the kitchen to get the recipe.

It's quite warm down here. You walk for a block & you need a shower, but I'm not complaining. We still had the heat on at the house before we left! It's nice to see the city bustling with all the tourists. It's a good sign.

I signed George & I up for cooking class tomorrow. It's Monday so we all know what that means-Red Beans & Rice! A new recipe to add to our New Orleans repertoire.

More later...

Chris

In New Orleans

We got into New Orleans at the end of the afternoon yesterday and due to popular demand (Chris) we ate dinner at Mother's. Rather than stagger around tired, we decided that the best thing for us would be to take it really easy and recover from the ride. Yesterday's mileage was 382, and the roads in Louisiana are bumpy, so we were pretty "used up" from the ride.

The last 20 miles was on an elevated highway above the bayou country west of New Orleans. The speed limit is 70 down here, and I think it's more of a guideline than a law. Even the dump trucks were going 85. It's a good thing gas is cheaper here...

George

Saturday, May 24

Here's a quick note from Tupelo, MS. The "free high-speed Internet access" in the Quality Inn isn't working from our room, so I'm doing this from the Business Center in the lobby (and trying to look all-business in my Harley tee shirt).

Yesterday was a great one. Good weather, and an opportunity to ride the Natchez Trace, one of my all-time favorite roads. We covered 511 miles and Chris did get "behind the wheel" for a little while. The repairs should be done within a week.

Kidding.

Today we're bound for New Orleans and with only about 400 miles to go, it should be another great day. Sunblock is the word of the day. Hydration is the other word.

About the lack of pictures, we only brought the video camera this time, and although it has a still camera function, we haven't used it yet. We'll more than make up for it from now on.

George

Quick Anecdotes

Yesterday we traveled along Interstate 68 from Pennsylvania to West Virginia. The route took us all the way across the Allegany Mountains, and I have never faced winds as severe as these. The tank bag would have blown off twice if it didn't have a safety strap, for instance. The Harley weighs way over 1500 lbs when loaded, and I got pushed out of my lane a couple of times. And, it was showery. Once we turned south at Morgantown, WV things became very pleasant. Too much highway for my tastes, but we had miles to cover.

We gassed up in a "town" called Flintstone. It was one intersection with one gas station. It was the first time it felt like we had reached the South.

And the most amazing incident so far: I ate at a buffet.

George

What day is it?

Ok, I believe it's Friday. I'm a bit confused for multiple reasons. It's vacation, so you never really know what day it is & we started a day late so...

Today we're heading to Tupleo, MS, the birthplace of Elvis-don't be jealous! But what happens to get to Tupelo? A drive on the Natchez Trace. What so special about the Natchez Trace? I'm in the riders seat!! So, if this is our last entry...

Tell my family I love them...

Talk to you tonight.

Chris

Thursday, May 22

Carlisle, PA to Morehead, KY. 493 miles. A fun day that started with showers and wind. Morehead is about 40 miles east of Lexington, KY. More later...

A word about gas prices

Ouch.

Joya's Generousity

Morning!
I want to thank Joya for opening her home to us without a moments hesitation. On Tuesday, as we watched the bike get trailered away to Tibby's we still hoped to be able to get a few hours of riding in. As the afternoon passed & finding out it was the master cylinder, the hope dimmed but wasn't gone. Because I have no clue on what the master cylinder is or how long it takes to replace, I still held hope that we would get on the road that day. Obviously I was wrong. I guess if a part is called "master something", it's a major piece! Anyway, our thanks to Joya & Michael for offering their home to us & we're sorry we couldn't take you up on the opportunity. Maybe on the way home...

but I'll give you more notice ;)

Thank you Allison for getting us to Tibby's on Wednesday so we could get our trip started!

Now I have to get ready to hit the road! I have to join George in the parking lot doing the
"no rain" dance. talk to you tonight!!!

Chris

Tuesday AND Wednesday

So, we reach the end of the driveway, I step on the brake, and the pedal bangs off the stop. No rear brakes at all. We decided to waste 15 minutes of our lives, so we went to Ronnie's in hopes of someone telling us what we were up against.

Before I can even get my request for someone to look at the bike out of my mouth the service manager throws both hands up and says, "Wait a minute. If you think someone is going to touch your bike today...that's not happening. We're booked until next Thursday." I thank him for trying to help me. Jeeeezus.

I drive home, call Tibby's and the service writer says, "I'll hitch up the trailer and come get you. I'll be there in an hour." I love those people. They were booked too. But they understand what's supposed to happen when a stranded rider calls. My master cylinder had failed. They got the parts and fixed it Tuesday afternoon, bled the system and tested it Wednesday first-thing, and Allison dropped us off at the shop in Springfield. I'll be careful not to include the 50 miles in the trailer when computing total trip mileage.

Oh. The repair was covered under my extended warranty...and so was the trailer ride.

So, Wednesday we left Springfield at 11:00 amd parked it for the night in Carlisle, PA after covering about 380 miles. We hit some nasty rain near Scranton, PA, which slowed us up and prevented us from reaching our intended goal, which was Cumberland, Maryland. we're about 1.25 days behind and frankly we have no intention of trying to make it up. Tomorrow we head into West Virginia, hopefully to see where the Coal Mine War was fought in the early '20. The Battle of Blair Mountain and the Massacre at Matewan both interest me very much. I must've been a hillbilly in a previous life.

George

Last Minute Planning and Packing

Normally we have this stuff ready months early...but not this time. We haven't finished packing. We haven't finished planning the route. We barely finished finding the bungee cords and tie down straps. Big deal. We're leaving tomorrow.

If we forget something we'll buy it. We'll plan the next day's ride while eating dinner. Think of all the time we saved by not "wasting it planning out every detail."

Now, we have to shove stuff into duffle bags and hug the cats. So bye.

George