A challenge leaving New Orleans

Wed, Jan 29

This morning we awoke to overcast skies, but thankfully it had not snowed overnight - however it had been below freezing and our water line to the motor home was frozen.

Because the weather seemed good, we decided that it would be a good day to start our trip toward Florida (and South), so by 10:30 we were on the road.

In order to not have the experience we had when we came into town (driving through some less than desirable sections of town), we made sure we were headed to the 4 lane roads and Interstate highways.

Our first sense that something wasn't quite right was when we had driven about 8 miles where we were to get on the West Bank Freeway to get across the Mississippi River and into New Orleans. By the way, it is interesting that we are East of downtown on the West side of the Mississippi River and we have to go West across the Mississippi River in order to go East.

Anyway, when we got to the on ramp to the freeway, it was blocked off and we couldn't get on the road.  "Must be a major accident that has closed down this portion of the road, let's go to the next ramp."  The next ramp was closed - and the next one - and the next one.  We finally stopped a cop and asked what was happening.  "Sir, the bridge is closed because of the cold!"  "Ah what cold sir?"  "We close the bridge when there may be ice".

"But Sir, it's our only way our of town!!!!!"

THIS THE ONLY WAY TO GET OUT OF HERE!!!!  And there's nothing but bridges everywhere.

We are stuck!  We can't get on the only road across the river to get on the only road headed East!

We sat in a gas station lot for a while frantically searching for any way to get across the river, any other bridge, a ferry, anything.  Just as we thought about driving a few miles and seeing if a ferry was operating, we started seeing a few cars on the freeway, and sure enough, it was opening, so we hopped on and got across the river.

Little did we realize that this was just the beginning of the adventure.

This part of the country is called the "low country" for a reason - it is low.  Mostly swamps, rivers, and bayou.  And ALL of the roads are mostly bridges, which means pretty much every road is closed.  Basically, this historic cold weather has completely shut down New Orleans, and as we are to learn, most everything on the Gulf Coast.

After a few miles on the freeway and when we were just about to get on I-10 East, another road block on the Interstate - same problem, the temperature is low and there may be ice on the bridges.

Once again, we go back to the maps and eventually find another road that hugs the coast heading East - Highway 90, and it doesn't appear to have "many" bridges.  We immediately head for it and made good time getting out of Louisiana and into Mississippi.

Mississippi is looking pretty good by now.

We eventually have to get off Highway 90 because another bridge on it is closed "because of the cold weather.  So we are now able to get back on I-10 East.

We have had so many delays that we decide that we'll make a short day of driving and stop at Keesler AFB in Biloxi, Miss.  In order to get to Biloxi, we have to get off I-10 and onto a Interstate spur to get there - and we have to cross another high rise bridge.  And it is closed "because of the cold weather".  We had driven up to the bridge to ask the policeman who was stationed there if there was any other way to get to Biloxi.  Just as he was starting to tell us there was and was going to draw us a map, another guy pulls up and hears our plight.  He's going to have to take "the" detour to get to Biloxi and we can follow him.  Which we thankfully do.  We would never have gotten here if not.  We went through back roads and I still have no idea how we got here, but we are here, perhaps marooned, in Biloxi.

At least there is some snow here, and the bridges that we did travel across were a little icy.

There really is some snow here in Biloxi

After we settle into the RV park at Keesler, we unhitch the car and start out to find something to eat.  There are many restaurants in the area so we don't think there will be a problem.  WRONG!  After driving around about an hour and finding NO restaurants open, we finally find a Mexican restaurant that is open (although I don't think they have a heating system because it was just barely above freezing inside).  So we have supper and quickly get back to our toasty, warm motor home.

The palm trees are pretty lonely on this snow covered beach in Biloxi, Miss.

This is only the second time in our travels from California to Nova Scotia that weather has had any impact on us.  The other was last winter when we had to leave Utah earlier than planned so as to get across the Rocky Mountains in Colorado before a big snow storm closed the Interstate.

But honestly, I have to understand that this is a historic weather event in this area.  They never have snow and freezing weather for the 2-3 days of this event.  Therefore they do not have any snow plows and any salt and sand to spread on the bridges and highways.

We hear from friends that it's pretty miserable back home in NC.  They actually had snow in Beaufort - a relatively rare event.

We have no idea what tomorrow will bring.

New Orleans II

Mon, Jan 26

We decided to give New Orleans a second chance and we're glad we did.  I guess our expectations were lower today than last week and therefore we enjoyed it more.

We went to the aquarium downtown.  The only problem with the aquarium - it's downtown. And traveling in downtown New Orleans is always a challenge.

Anyway, we really enjoyed the aquarium.  However, we weren't captivated by the fish.  We were enchanted by the birds, or rather the parakeets.  There is a large aviary filled with nothing but parakeets.  We must have stayed in there for over an hour.  The birds were very tame.

The parakeets loved to try and get into our pockets

We did go to our first 3D IMAX movie.  Unfortunately, it was our least favorite of all IMAX movies we've seen.  The 3D was interesting, but the movie was about sharks.  After seeing about 100 of them burst onto the screen from every angle, it got rather boring.

After spending a few hours in the aquarium, we had an awesome lunch at Bubba Gumps and decided to walk the few blocks to Bourbon Street.  Our opinion didn't change - it's a real weird place.

Bourbon Street

We almost bought this hat for Evan.  They really had some wild ones

Mon, Jan 27

We have seen advertisements for Louisiana Plantations, so this morning Clara selected Houmas House about 1 1/2 hours from here toward Baton Rouge.

This is not what I'd consider a restored plantation.  Rather it is rehabilitated plantation home and grounds.  The owner has taken a house that was started in the early 1800's and as it passed through several owners, each added on to the original structure resulting the beautiful home that now exists.

This oak tree is over 450 years old

The grounds have hundreds of statues

The current owner, Kevin Kelly, purchased the property in 2003.  It is told that the home had few furnishings when he purchased it, however, over the years he has added millions of dollars of antiques, paintings, and furnishings to create a beautiful home - in which he lives full time.  He has also added many features, including beautiful gardens and landscaping, restaurants (there are three on the property) and small cottages for overnight visits.

Judy welcomes us to the plantation home

Judy not only told us the history of the 1857 Steinway Piano, she played it and sang for us

By the end of the tour, we felt like Judy was a old friend.

After a nice lunch in one of the restaurants we took one of the guided tours.  It is a rather cool day and we ended up as the only ones on this particular tour - and boy, were we lucky.  Our tour guide was a black lady, Judy, who was full of personality, jokes, and history.  She treated us as if we were the most important people who had ever visited the place and took time to tell stories and history that kept us fascinated for over an hour.

After we finished the "grand tour", we were in the gift shop and we saw a "worker" that appeared to be what Judy had described as the owner of the property.  Turns out he is the owner, and he spends his days working around the property, appearing to be an employee (of which there are 119).  We started a conversation with him, and for the next thirty minutes were thoroughly entertained with his explanations and stories.

Kevin Kelly, owner, Houmas House

One of his best stories is about a day when he was in one of the many ponds working around lunch time.  Rather than stopping what he was doing, cleaning up and going to lunch at the restaurant (where he eats all his meals), he asked one of the staff to bring him something from the restaurant and he would eat it at the pond.  It turns out that the there were many guests that day and the staff decided to "give them a show".  When they brought his lunch out, they brought it out with a flourish and on a large silver platter.  Some of the nearby guest questioned why the "guy working in the pond" was getting such treatment.  They told these guest that it was difficult to get experienced people with this guys abilities to maintain the elegant ponds, and they were trying to make sure that they kept him happy.  Apparently this created quite a stir and they later recreated the event so it could be recorded.

Another promotional event, which apparently got a lot of press was the formal wedding, with all the dressing and ceremony for his two dogs, including a prenuptial agreement.

  Kevin is quite the promoter and Judy a great tour guide

Tues, Jan 28

This morning as I was getting dressed in my "travel clothes", Clara called back from the front and said, "Honey, I have 3 good reasons to stay another day".  My reply, "Yes Dear!"  I don't remember what the 3 reasons are, but we're staying another day.  On our schedule, it really doesn't make a difference.

We decided we needed a few items from the BX/Commissary.  As we approached the parking lot, there were no cars - a bit unusual at 10:30 am.  We checked, and sure enough, they are closed.  As we rode by the gym, I noticed there were no cars in the parking lot, which is usually full.

We decided to go downtown, wanting to see the Katrina Museum.  As we passed the gate on the way out, I asked one of the guards why the BX was closed.  "It's the weather, sir".  "What weather?"  "Oh it's supposed to be bad today!"  "Okay, thanks."

The weather wasn't bad.  It was raining and 35 degrees.  So we headed downtown.  On the way, I noticed that there really wasn't a lot of traffic.  As we got into downtown, the  streets seemed relatively deserted.  As we rode down Bourbon St., there was hardly anyone out, and most of the stores were closed.  And the museum was closed.

Now I remember 2 of the 3 things for which we are spending another day.  A Mardi Gras hat for Evan and Mardi Gras mask for Anna.  We did find a few stores open and successfully purchased said things.

A couple of crazy New Orleans souvenirs

On the way back to the base, we stopped by a Walmart and picked up some of the essentials (B&B) for a quiet afternoon in the motor home.

Boy, it great being here in the sunny (warm???) South!!

Maybe we'll leave tomorrow, maybe not!

Caribbean Cruise

Mon, Jan 20

Day 1 of the 5 day cruise.

Waiting to get on the ship

We picked Tony and Jill up at the place they were staying, got all the luggage to the port, got the car parked, checked on board, and started trying to find our way around the ship. It didn't take long before we didn't know which direction was the stern and which was the bow, or whether we were starboard or port. It really is confusing at first. I'm sure that after 5 days we will know our way around.

Our friends from Asheville, Bill and Jan Bass were on the cruise with us.

Leaving New Orleans

We are on this cruise as a part of the meeting of the Arc Light Young Tiger reunion. This group is made up of crew members who flew B-52's and KC 135's in South East Asia during the Vietnam War. We went to the groups earlier reunion in Savannah and are excited about renewing old acquaintances.

We have several people whose home base was Blytheville, Arkansas. Some of the people we know best are Hal and Susie Martin (Hal was a pilot), JT and Lou Plummer (JT was a Radar Nav), Tony and Jill Pimentel (Tony was a Radar Nav). Bill and Jan Bass are joining us on the cruise. Although Bill was not on a crew, he was a Air Traffic Control Officer at Blytheville when we were there (there's a long story on how we got to know each other).

Hal and Susie Martin

We had a short meeting of the reunion guest this afternoon, followed by a great dinner (the joke is we will all gain weight on the cruise because we can eat as much as we want when we want, and so far everything has been great).

After some getting reacquainted, we went to a live show – and then after a busy day, settled in. Tomorrow is a day at sea on the way to Progreso, Mexico.

Tues, Jan 21

Day 2

There is a very well equipped gym on the ship. Interestingly, it's located in what I would consider one of the premier locations on the boat, on the front, 12^th deck, with a great view of the bow and ocean. Anyway, I took advantage of it this morning.

At breakfast I observed something very unusual in today's world. Not one person was using a smart phone or IPAD. It struck me because it looked like people were talking to the people seated with them. Perhaps there needs to be a regulation against smart phones in restaurants. It was very pleasant.

I'm gradually finding out how to get from one end of the ship to the other. There are many ways, but with some you have to climb and descend a bunch of steps.

Bill, Tony, Jill, Jan and Clara enjoying the nice weather on the stern deck

The atrium in the center of the ship was quite interesting - and helped us learn our way around

Tonight Maine lobster was served for dinner. The wait staff comes around when we're about finished and asks if anyone would like seconds. J. T. and I both had another round of lobster. Obviously it had been frozen and wasn't quite as good as fresh – but it was still pretty good.

Sunset

After a comedy show in one of the lounges, we're calling it a night.

Wed, Jan 22

Day 3

Progreso, Yucatan, Mexico

The boats-a-rockin. The winds are around 25 knot, sometimes stronger, creating what seem to be small waves from the boat. But obviously they must be bigger than they look because this big thing definitely does some rocking. Makes for some fun walking on the stairs or along a hall way. Everyone is weaving a little.

Soon after we docked in Progresso, Clara and some of the girls took off on the shuttle to the town. The town is about 2 miles away even though it's at the end of the dock. This whole dock complex is on a man-made extension which extends into the ocean. I haven't seen anything like it before.

When docked at Progreso, it was only a short walk to the Duty Free shops and the cruise ship shops on the docks

In this view, you can barely make out the shore and the town of Progreso about 2 miles away

After the girls left, I got off the boat with the intention of taking a stroll to the little set up that is built near the cruise dock. However, the drinks were cheap and I enjoyed the rest of the day in the shopping area.

Tonight after dinner, we went to one of the small rooms where a great singer/pianist was playing. We had heard about him today, and it was really worth the time. I had heard that there is usually some good talent on these cruises, but this was the first we had seen of it.

The pool and hot tub at night

Martyn Lucas

Thur, Jan 23

Day 4

We've reached the furthest point in our cruise, Cozeumel We arrived at 9 am and immediately got off, caught a taxi and went for our scheduled Sail/Snorkel trip.

We didn't really know what expect – and were pleasantly surprised. The coral was not necessarily interesting, but there were lots of fish.

While waiting to go out snorkeling, we watched a guy doing some pretty impressive stuff on a water powered pack

Tony and Jill went on their first snorkeling trip

This is the boat from which we snorkeled

The trip took most of the time that is allotted ashore, but Clara and Jill did manage to get some shopping done.

Heading home

Each night, we had a nice sit down dinner with Susie and Hal Martin, and JT and Lou Plummer

Tonight we're headed back toward New Orleans with an expected arrival Saturday morning.

Elation and her sister ship

Fri, Jan 24

Day 5

Today was a day at sea on the way back to New Orleans. As we gradually moved North in rolling seas, the temperature started dropping noticeably. We can catch the weather in the USA, and it ain't pretty. It was below freezing in all 50 states today, and that's what we're heading back to.

I had signed up for a behind-the-scenes look at the ship operations, covering everything from the kitchens and laundry to the engine control room and bridge, including meeting the Captain.

A few quick memories.

The ship has about 960 crew members

The laundry has a $700,000 machine that dries and folds the sheets

The crew hails from 46 countries.

The officers are generally from Italy and Croatia

The Captain has 22 years experience and has been Captain of this ship for only 2 months.

The Captain is basically the CEO of a small company

He has 3 direct reports

After a short workout and lunch, we had our business meeting of the Arc Light Young tiger Association. The next meeting will be held in June, 2015 at Wright Patterson June 14-20.

We had a nice time getting together with our fellow warriors

After dinner, we listened to Myrtin and start packing to leave the ship in the morning.

There were several ships docked at Cozumel

This map shows our voyage

Sat, Jan 25

Day 5 

Today ends the cruise with a return to a very chilly New Orleans.  This morning on arrival, the temperature here was 34 degrees - very unusual for this part of the country.  It certainly made for a rather uncomfortable disembarking because none of the shore side facilities are set up to handle passengers in cold weather.

I had parked the car in a parking garage a few blocks from the terminal, and by the time I had caught the shuttle and battled the traffic back, everyone was pretty chilled.   We took Tony and Jill back to their car and they're off to Wichita.

After checking on the motor home and getting the heat going and all utilities reconnected, we decided to ride South along a road that borders the Mississippi River.  I don't know what we expected, and it was more or less just a chance to reconnect with land.  It turned out to be rather interesting, but we found ourselves quickly showing signs of too much partying on the cruise and soon turned around and came back.