Dig It!

Mason, Texas is known for topaz stones that have been found in areas surrounding this little town.  It is not being mined commercially, so there are three ranches that allow you to come on their property to search for them.  For a fee, of course.

The museum in town has quite a few of these stones on display, the largest one is uncut and is at least the size of a baseball.   There are some smaller ones, about the size of golf balls or a little larger, also uncut.  They also have stones that have been cut and faceted – complete with a star.  They are beautiful!  Texas gets lots of mileage out of that Lone Star!

It sounded like a fun idea, so I called and made arrangements to go out to one of the ranches to search.  It was a great day for digging – low humidity and total clouds for most of the day.  There was a large area that we could search  – there were two women besides myself.  We were given a few pointers by our guide, who then left us to our own devices. 

I decided I would dig close to a riverbed and ended up digging partly in the water of the small streambed.  It’s hard work, especially with wet sand/pebbles/stones.  You put a shovelful into the sifter and then scratch through it.  I found some nice stones and pebbles, but no topaz.  I tried a few more places and then decided I’d climb on top of the rocks for some photos, just for a break.  Besides, there was a nice breeze up on top!

I came back down and it was time for lunch.  The other two women had not found any topaz either, and decided it was time for them to leave.  I took a quick break, ate my sandwich and scouted out another place to dig.  I searched for another hour or so and decided I’d had enough, I’d been out there for about 4 hours.

I didn’t find any topaz, but I had a good time and it was interesting.  I’ve heard of places in other western states where you can search for stones, and I bet I’ll try it again.  I will probably do some research and see if I can find hints to make my next search more successful.

 

It's an adventure......

Yes, I went to see the bats again, at a different location – can’t resist a show like that.  I’m glad I did, since they emerged from the cave in two separate, huge groups about a half hour apart.   But this story isn’t about seeing the bats so much as it is about the trip out to the Bat Cave.   Yes, they do call it tBat Cave.

 I got an instruction sheet at the Visitor Center in town and it states that there is over 8 miles of dirt road to get there.   OK, I’ve been on dirt roads before.  Unfortunately, this one was rocky and had mostly a washboard surface for the better part of the way. 

The first part out of town was smooth going.  Then it turned into a narrow well-patched road, but it still wasn’t bad.  Then it turned into washboard and I was going about 10 mph to try to minimize the impact on my truck.  There were occasional cattle guards and even they were more bumpy than you’d find on a regular road around here.  A cattle guard consists of steel tubes across about 4’ of the road and the idea is to keep the cattle on one side or the other.  Apparently, they have not figured out how to get across it.  So, they're free to roam wherever they want.

I came across a bull who was rubbing his face in the dirt along the side of the road and then stopped to look at me as I passed.  Then I came across a little stream crossing the road, complete with the rock bottom.  The next stream was larger, with more water across the road.  I couldn’t  tell how deep it was, so I got out and walked around the edge – only a couple inches deep.   No problem.  Pretty canyon rock walls on the right side, so it must have been a nice river at one time.  Maybe it still is in rainy season.

I felt like I’d been driving forever and I hadn’t seen any signs.   Then I saw a white pickup coming at me, so I flagged him down and asked if this was the way to the Bat Cave.  He grinned and said it certainly was, but there was one more river to cross.  He told me it was about 100 yards wide but only a few inches deep.  I thanked him for the information and went bumping down the road.

Shortly after that, 3 SUV type vehicles passed me going at least 25 or 30, kicking up dust.  I looked at their wheels bouncing on the road and figured their vehicle must be more comfy than mine.  A couple minutes later, I rounded a corner to see all three of them parked and everyone out of the car, looking at our last river to cross. 

These people were all related and one of the members of the family was related somehow to the original owner of the Bat Cave property.  I told them about my conversation with the man in the pickup and that it was safe to cross.   One woman was very curious about me, since I was all alone and started asking about my life on the road.  She seemed very intrigued with it. 

The crossing was not bad, someone had planted sticks to mark the shallow area on one side, and on the other, you could see the rocks drop off – there was even a small waterfall.  Very small.  I took it very slow since I didn’t want to get water in my brakes – thinking that at least it was not sea water.

Shortly after that we were able to make our way into the preserve.  What a trip!  To prove that there are people who actually live down this road, there was a huge ranch with a big sign at the end near where we turned into the parking area.

The bats came out about 8 PM, which was still light enough to get pictures, but they’re so close and so fast that I didn’t get good shots.  They get going about 35 mph in the vortex, but can do 50-60 on a straightaway, after they get going.

After the show, I was able to cross the larger river in almost daylight and the only other holdup I had was cows.  By the time I came upon a herd of cows having a meeting in the middle of the road, it was totally dark and they’re all black.  I stopped to see if they would move out of the way.  They just stared at me staring at them.  I moved the truck a couple feet closer and they took a couple steps toward the sides.  I inched along slowly while they moved away.  I’m so glad they’re placid animals. 

The rest of the trip home was uneventful, although slow.  But, it was an adventure.

 

 

Just when you think things are fine......

 

I've been staying at Beachcomber Park, a Passport America park (discount!),  near Lake Buchanan in Texas.  Today, as I was doing some trip planning, I went into the bathroom and turned on the light.  The light seemed at half strength, so I tried another light - same thing.  Then I realized, it had gotten warm and the AC had not kicked on in a while.  I went out to the power pedestal and checked to be sure my power cord was still plugged in.  I bypassed my surge protector, but that didn't make a difference.  My breakers were fine.  I had no idea what to try next.

I went to the office to see if there was any problem in the area.  The owners were in the office and when I explained my problem, Carlton told me he would gather some tools and be right over.  He started checking at the pedestal and had power there, and there was power at my breaker box.  The GFCI outlet had not flipped, so that wasn't the issue.  He checked out my converter.  Somehow he figured out it was the battery.  The battery level was very low.  I'm not sure how that happened, the water level was OK and it was supposed to charge whenever the RV was plugged into shore power.

It was the problem, because when it was hooked to the truck with jumper cables to test it, the AC kicked on with no hesitation.  Carlton brought over his professional-looking battery charger and plugged it in to charge the battery.  I should be find out in the morning if it will hold a charge.  I know I'll be keeping a close eye on it in the next few days, and I may just get a new one as soon as I get to a store.

I have met many park owners in the past few months, but these people have been the most friendly and helpful.

 

Longhorn Cavern State Park

 

 

Another cavern tour – a completely different one.  This cavern was formed with an underground river instead of water dripping from above and forming stalactites and stalagmites and other formations.  This cavern has walls formed by flowing water and are smooth in most areas. 

Years ago, this extensive cavern system was home to many bats, but they have relocated because they were being disturbed by the noise of tours and lights during their daily sleeping time.  There is supposedly a small colony of bats that reside there, possibly in the less-traveled areas – we certainly didn’t see any. 

 

There are multiple tours that can be taken, including one where they provide knee and elbow pads and you get to crawl through small areas and get really dirty.  I opted for the basic tour, just over a mile in length, and it took about an hour and a half.  We walked through areas only 4’ tall and into areas that were as high as a 2 story building. 

 

 

After a quick lunch in their little restaurant, I walked a couple of their hiking trails and explored some of the old buildings built in the 1930s by the CCC. 

Bats!

For the past couple nights, I have been spending time with bats.  Yes, the popular Halloween images that everyone is familiar with.  They really are misunderstood creatures and are not a danger to humans or other animals.  They actually provide an important service for humanity – the consumption of insects.  In the case, in this area of Texas, they feed on moths that produce larvae that infest corn.  They can eat up to 40 moths per night.  Figure out how many that would be if you had a couple million bats going out to hunt every night.  The farmers love them.  There are no vampire bats in the U.S. – those are reserved for South America and places like that, so we're not talking about that kind.

The photo above is the entrance to an old railroad tunnel, which was abandoned in the early 1940’s after about 30 years of service.  Every year, the Mexican free-tailed bats migrate up here for the summer, starting in May.  The females arrive pregnant and when they are ready to deliver the baby that will weigh about 1/3 of her own weight, they will find caves in this area to deliver.  The babies require very warm temperatures or they won’t survive, they like it around 100 degrees or so and that won't happen in this tunnel since there is air flow through it.    The mother and babies will all spend about 5 weeks there and then return to places like this tunnel or under bridges in other areas. 

If you look directly into the tunnel before dark, you can see the bats moving around in there, but the real show starts about dusk.  At first, you’ll see a few bats fly out, then you’ll see more .  Soon, you will see a continuous stream of them, seemingly coordinated, fly out to create a counterclockwise vortex of swirling bats.  The area will be thick with them.  After they have gained enough speed and altitude, you’ll see them leave this vortex and fly off into the sky in search of their food.  Since there can be as many as 3 million bats in this tunnel, this continues for an unbelievable length of time. 

Last night, a large group of people gathered on the benches on the side of the area above and to the side of the tunnel.  I wanted to be as close as possible, so I was sitting right next to the fence.  This spectacular event lasted over a half hour and the air was continually thick with these critters.  They are so fast that it was impossible to make out any detail of an individual animal, you were just able to get the impression of a continual flow of them.  If you listened closely, the sound of their wings beating the air sounded similar to a distant stream flowing over rocks.  When the ranger told us it was time to leave, they were still coming out of the tunnel. 

During all this, I was watching the ones closest to me, some zoomed by within a few feet.  There were obstructions for them to get around, such as the fence, and a few misjudged and landed on the ground on the other side of the fence, but got right back up and into the mix.  One didn’t quite make it safely over the fence, but tumbled to the ground right at my foot, brushing my ankle lightly as he fell – but he was up and gone in a second. 

It was a great privilege to see this event and I hope I’ll be able to see more of them in other areas.

Enchanted Rock State Natural Area

 

Today I visited the Enchanted Rock State Park.  This is an area of granite domes, rising up to 1800’ or more above sea level.  The tallest one, for which the park is named, is a steeply sloped granite surface that climbs 425’ in .6 mile.  Huge boulders have broken off and remain scattered in the area. 

 

I went early to try to escape the heat of the day, and as I was climbing up to the top, it was comfortably breezy.  When I got to the top, the wind was at least 30 mph, possibly more.  Just when you think you’re at the top, it seems there is more to climb.  The photo above is when I was about halfway up - it seems closer than it is.

 

It was refreshing when you finally walk up the crest and see the surface flatten out.  There are little areas of vegetation, complete with wildflowers that have been able to anchor themselves in the dirt that has been blown up to the top.  There is an impressive 360 degree view of the surrounding area, although it was a hazy day. 

 

After recovering from the steep climb, I started my way back down and took the Echo Canyon Trail, which went between Enchanted Rock and Little Rock, which is just a few feet less than Enchanted.  This trail was mostly across boulders and rocks that had tumbled down through the years.  The wind was totally blocked by the Rock, so the trail was hot and mostly sunny.   This took me around the base of the Enchanted Rock, plus a few mystery trails that were marked with an arrowhead sign.

 

I love mysteries, so I took 2 of these trails, ending up at the base of the huge edifice and as far as I was concerned, there was no reason to be there.  It wasn’t marked on my map and I couldn’t see anything in the area that was interesting enough to create an extensive trail.  When I got back to the headquarters, I questioned the ranger and found that they were for the actual rock climbers – those people who scale the face of rock structures that seem to have vertical sides.  OK, not for me, it was just more hiking for me.
 

 I had a good morning hiking and I was getting hungry, so I finally got back to my truck and with a sigh of relief, turned on the air conditioning.

For those wishing to see more photos - check out my slide show at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSnqwsx3328

 

Luckenbach, Texas

This town is on my map, but my GPS didn’t know about it at all, which is not unusual, since she keeps telling me she’s “recalculating”, or that my destination is on the right when it’s definitely on the left.  She has not known about established cities before this.

I’m not a country music fan, but I figured I needed to drive through this town just because it’s famous enough to have someone write a song about it and actually make it a hit.  Well, it would be a real stretch to call this a “town”. 

There is a Post Office, which also sells tourist items in the front.  They boast a population of 3.   Yes, only 3, I didn’t forget any other numbers.   And then there’s the bar in the back, full of signs covering all walls, as well as objects hanging from the ceiling and a few neon beer signs.  If you go out the back door of the bar, you’re in an area of picnic tables with a stage for music.  There was a guy sitting on a stone wall with a guitar, playing and singing, a few people were gathered around with drinks.

Nearby, there’s a small building that has unique siding on the outside walls – license plates from all over.  Across the street, it’s just a dirt path at this point, there’s an old-time dance hall where they have concerts on the weekends.

                       

Certainly, it’s different and laid back.  It’s the kind of place you wander into and then spend the next few hours sitting and listening to music.  There were some bikers there, and it gives them a nice ride on a country road on a beautiful summer day.

Deer Week

 

For the past week I've been at a campground belonging to the U S Army Corp of Engineers.  These parks are always attached to a body of water, in this case, Canyon Lake, northwest of San Antonio, Texas.

These parks have hookups for water and sewer and paved RV sites, each with it's own large picnic table under a roof.  There are nice bath houses including toilets and large showers.  The sites are nicely spaced, with generous undeveloped areas between the sites and the lake and different camping areas. 

Early this morning, I opened my door to see 6 deer in the field next to my RV.   There wasn't a day that I didn't see multiple deer, and a few fawns, wandering through the area. 

  

This past weekend, there was an influx of locals coming in with their boats, jetskis and other water toys.  The area was full of happy campers, but it did not feel too crowded.  After a day or so, most of them cleared out and my nearest neighbor was  4 or 5 sites away. 

After a week of relaxing, it was time to move on for more sightseeing.  I'm sure I'll be looking for more campgrounds run by the COE - in fact, I have one picked out for the week after next.

Gruene, Texas

 

I went to Gruene, Texas the other day, a cute little old town that has become a thriving tourist attraction.  Among other old buildings located there, Gruene Hall is the oldest dance hall in Texas built in 1868, and quite famous, since many famous singers have played there.  It's a big old building, totally wooden, including the floors.  Nothing fancy about this place, seems that they don't even sell liquor, only beer.  Framed photos line the walls and seating in the large area is picnic tables.

There's an antique store, a gigantic one with so much stuff in it that you couldn't see it all.  In reality, it was part museum and part store.  In addition to jewelry, vintage dishes and other items, there were old cooking utensils, tin cans from back when food items such as crackers and pretzels came in such things.  There were also gallon-sized metal cans that had contained oil or heavy-duty lubricant.  Of course there were old soda bottles and beverage cans. 

One store had fossils, geodes, arrowheads, sharks teeth and more pretty rocks.  For those of you who may have read my blog about being a rock fan, I can now be accused of spending money on rocks.   I picked out 5 small ones and including all of them, they claim to boost my energy, confidence and courage as well as improving my intuitive perception and reasoning.  As a bonus, they guard against the evil eye, depression and melancholy.    One claimed to be good for artists and another will bring me tranquility and calm my nervousness.  OK, sounds good, and they're really pretty.  I'll let you know when my transformation to a perfect person happens.

Texas is Special

For those of you who have heard that Texas is different - it's true.  In many ways, it's special.  It's mostly a good special, not the cynical, sarcastic "special".

 

Texas is so special that Ford has a pickup truck labeled "Texas Edition".   Seriously.  I imagine that it's only sold here, but who knows, maybe someone can order it in Alaska or some other place.  There's another pickup labeled Lone Star Edition made by Ram.   Chevy probably has one, but maybe I haven't seen it.  I even saw some travel trailers in one of the parks that were labeled "Texan". 

 

San Antonio is special because it's got the Tower of the Americas (shown above), which was constructed for the 1968 World Fair.  There are 3 elevators that will take you to the top in just over 2 minutes - it's 750' tall and you can get a great 360 degree view of the area.  If you wanted to walk up to the top, there's only 952 steps.   Guess who didn't do that? 

 

San Antonio also has the Alamo, right in the middle of downtown.  Throughout the years, the city just built around it.  It's special because of the history, but I was surprised that it was quite small, but then, it did start it's life as a mission.  There are other missions also, with larger buildings and more history. 
 

In one part of San Antonio, El Mercado (Spanish for The Market) was delightful, with crafts and goods both relating to Texas and Mexico.  There was almost more imports from Mexico than local items.  There were onyx items, sombreros next to cowboy hats, Mexican pottery with wonderfully bright colors, cowboy boots and embroidered Mexican style clothing. 

 

Texas has the USS Lexington, a WWII aircraft carrier that has been turned into a museum.  It's massive, took me 3 hours to go through it and I didn't read everything.  Definitely worth a visit.
 

I've only been through part of east Texas, and I'm sure that there's more special things I'll see.  So far, I've found one thing I'm not thrilled with (besides the bumpy roads and lots of traffic).  Since Texas is famous for BBQ, I tried that today.  This restaurant was highly recommended and is a local chain.  I got a pulled pork sandwich and found that there was only two kinds of BBQ sauce - warm and warmer.   Is it only Florida that has the sweet BBQ sauce?  I guess I'll stick with the Mexican food unless they can guarantee me sweet BBQ sauce.   For any Texans reading this - sorry, I guess it's a personal taste thing.
 

Tomorrow, I'm looking forward to touring some caverns, where it's going to be a chilly 70 degrees inside, compared to the 90's we've been having.  It doesn't feel like 90's in Florida though - not yet.

 

USS Lexington, Corpus Christi, Texas

 

  

USS Lexington, nicknamed Lady Lex, is an aircraft carrier that served in World War II in the Pacific, and is now berthed in Corpus Christi and serves as a military museum. She is a massive ship, 880' at the waterline, 910' on the flight deck, which is 52' above the water. Her beam (width) is 196' and has a draft (depth) of 30'. The Japanese had nicknamed her The Blue Ghost, since she was reported sunk multiple times, but yet she kept re-appearing.

I took the self-guided tour, everything is labeled and explained, with signs pointing the way to the next exhibit. As you can imagine from the specifications above, the ship is gigantic and has multiple levels. One level to another is by way of steep open stairways, like you'd see in old war movies. The tour took me about 3 hours and I didn't stop to read all the exhibits, there wouldn't have been time in one day to do that.

Working areas were set up as they were when the ship was in service, with mannequins in appropriate areas, such as the work shop that held large lathes, drill presses and other equipment. The dental area was set up with the dentist, and his unhappy-looking patient in the chair with his mouth wide open. There was even a surgeon in full surgical garb standing in the operating room waiting for his patient to be brought in.

On the flight deck were many vintage war planes, as well as large gun mounts. One of the gun mounts was open and you could go inside to see how the servicemen operated these weapons. They had very cramped working conditions, and it would have been hot in there also. I have made a slide show of the planes on deck, which can be seen at http://youtu.be/Z3SvjCm-ug4
 

If you're ever in the Corpus Christi area of Texas, this is definitely worth a visit. Plan to spend a good part of the day there.

　

Aransas Pass to Port Aransas

 

Today I took a trip from Aransas Pass  to Port Aransas to visit the National Seashore in Texas.  Port Aransas is quite a large area and can only be reached by vehicle ferry.  They have numerous vessels of different sizes that run simultaneously so that there is only a short wait time.  The trip itself, once the vessel is loaded, is probably about 5 minutes and the service seems to be efficiently run.  The best part of it is that there is no charge. 

Port Aransas is a typical tourist beach town, similar to ones you'd find in Florida or other tourist areas.  The main area was full of restaurants, tee shirt shops, and other beachwear shops.  One difference that I had not seen in Florida was the large number of golf cart type vehicles that were available for rent. 

I drove south and finally ran into Padre Island National Seashore, a massive park that includes more than 60 miles of beach on the offshore island.  They allow driving on the beach, but post signs that only 4 wheel drive vehicles should attempt the drive after the first 6 miles.  I decided my truck didn't need to be in that corrosive environment, so I parked at the visitor's center and walked the beach for a while.  I figured this might be the last time I'd get my feet in sea water for quite a while - until I reach California or if I go to Mexico to the Sea of Cortez.

             

As you can see from the picture above, it's seaweed season in south Texas now.  There was seaweed for miles in both directions, piles of it sometimes over 2' high.  On another more public beach near town, I saw hills of seaweed where they had cleaned it off the beach.  It does add a certain fragrance to the beach.  Further inland from the beaches, the sand dunes are covered with vegetation, which helps to keep them from eroding during storms. 

This was a great way to spend a warm, breezy, blue-sky day and as a bonus, on the ferry back, I saw dolphins rolling in the water in front of me. 

Love Bugs! And Museums

 

Today I arrived in Rockport, Texas, a small town on the Gulf of Mexico.  After the long drive yesterday, I had a colony of love bugs smashed all over the front of my 5th wheel.  The truck wasn't so bad because I had cleaned the windshield the previous night so I could see to drive today.  After I set up and unhooked the trailer, I got in the bed of the pickup so that I could stand comfortably to try to get the love bug guts off the fiberglass.  For those of you who don't know about love bugs - you are SO lucky!   These bugs float through their lives blissfully connected to a mate - until they meet with a passing car, truck or RV.  For some reason, they dry into something that could pass as blobs of crazy glue - the residue is that tenacious.

I was up there rubbing all sorts of fluids on this mess to see what would remove them and not damage the finish.  A neighbor came over to see what I was working on and said he had something that would work.  He brought back a spray bottle and a rag and proceeded to demonstrate that it was actually removing the dried mess.  OK, I like that, still lots of rubbing, but it looked like it was working better than what I had.  Of course, it was in an area that I had already attempted with some of my stuff, but  I have no idea if that helped or not.  Then he showed me the spray bottle - a spray on wax for vehicles.   OK, I'm game, I'll try anything if it works - but that required a trip to the store. 

On my way to the store, I saw the Maritime Museum that I planned on seeing while I was here.  Big decision - get the wax and work all afternoon, or wander around a museum about ships and oceans?  No contest.  I pulled in the parking lot nearby and went over to the museum. 

One of their major exhibits was about a French ship named LaBella that came over in 1684 with 3 other ships.  It sank in Matagorda Bay during a storm and was not found until 1995, in only 20' of water.  They excavated parts of the ship, many artifacts, cannons and other weapons, as well as the remains of a human.  Some of the artifacts are in this museum, while others are housed in other museums. 

Other exhibits included information about warships used in the area, information about offshore oil and gas exploration, lighthouses and many others such as fishing equipment and antique outboards, such as the 1950 Chris Craft shown below.

Remembering my mission to get the wax for bug removal, I left there and was walking to the truck when I noticed that there was an aquarium nearby that I had been planning to see.......

USS Orleck, Lake Charles, Louisiana

 

                                           

Today I toured the USS Orleck, a Navy destroyer that was built for World War II - but it was completed and put into service about two weeks after the end of the war.  It did see service during the Korean and Vietnam Wars.  After that, she was sold to the Turkish Navy in the 1980s.  There are still labels inside the ship in Turkish.  She came back to the states in 2000 and ended up in Lake Charles, Louisiana where she is today. 

As with all boats, the project list is never completed.  She has a steel hull, which means there is continuous maintenance needed to keep the rust at bay.  At almost 400' in length, she needs to be towed if she is to be moved.  Her engines are no longer working and her props had been damaged in hurricanes after she was returned to the states.

On the forward deck, as well as the aft deck, she has massive fire power known as 5/38 gun mounts, that required multiple personnel to handle the gunpowder, the projectile, and to fire them.   The barrels are 5" wide, and over 15' in length.  There had been other weapons on board, which have been removed.

On the back deck there is a small helicopter, as shown below.  I was told that this is one of the first drones.  It was operated remotely, with no personnel aboard.  It's from the 1960s and was not original equipment.  Originally, that deck had multiple weaponry installed, but has since been removed.

                                    

 

The bridge was filled with original equipment.  Having lived on a boat, I marveled at the size of the depth sounder, compass and other equipment - extremely massive compared to today's equipment.  The radio room had an unbelievable amount of equipment.

  







 

 

                                  

 

There are plans to have it brought to the Lake Charles waterfront, which will be located close to town, which will make it more convenient to tour.  If you're in the neighborhood, it's worth a visit.

 

Pretty Rocks

            

        

I visited the Lafayette Science Museum in Louisiana the other day. There were various exhibits including space travel, fossils and dinosaurs. They also had a display of framed photographs of penguins, very well done.

What caught my attention probably more than anything, except maybe the penguins, was the display on rocks. Well, they weren't just rocks, they were crystal formations, quartz, calcites, some gemstones and geodes. Geodes are round rocks that had a void space inside that allowed the formation of crystals that cover the inside of the rock. If they had been allowed to keep growing, the crystals would consume the entire interior of the rock. They could be different colors, as seen below.
         

 

      

Also on display was a piece of tree trunk that was petrified, as well as a slice of a tree trunk that showed the interior. Surprisingly, you can see that it looks more like a rock than part of a tree. Throughout the time it petrifies, water flows through it and minerals replace the organic matter of the tree. Different colors are formed by different minerals.

　

One of the prettiest was a piece of opal, in rough form, but you can recognize the gemstone that is used in jewelry.

　

This was a small museum, and I found myself wishing it had more minerals, quartz and other pretty rocks to display. I'm sure in my travels, I'll find another museum with rock displays.

　

Street Musicians

 

 

New Orleans is home to all sorts of musicians.  Some play near the park and on various streets in the French Quarter, with all sorts of instruments.

One group playing early one morning near Jackson Park really impressed me. This group was playing a jazzed-up version of a Michael Jackson song and had quite a crowd gathered, as early as it was. I stood and watched them for a while - the keyboard player looked like he was playing with his eyes closed, his head keeping the beat from side to side, with a large smile on his face. 

Each of the of the musicians had long dreadlocks or braids and were very talented, it seemed like they had been playing together for quite some time, since they sounded so good. I think this group has the talent to go far. They're in the right place to start out, since New Orleans seems to cultivate musicians.

Check them out at www.NEOJAZZ.NET - they're called The Yisrael Trio. They also have a Facebook page, which I haven't looked at since I have very limited internet at this time

New Orleans Cemeteries

Louisiana cemeteries contain mostly above-ground tombs, especially the southern part, since the water level is very high. Some of the monuments are from the early 1800s, such as the one pictured above. Quite a few of these are very elaborate and probably cost more than some houses. Some of the larger ones have spaces for multiple family members, or they could be for just one person.

There are multiple cemeteries in the New Orleans area and there are guided tours for them, which are popular with the tourists. I didn't go on a tour, just wandered about by myself. I was surprised at the number of these elaborate tombs that had stained glass panels, mostly on the back side, as shown below.

 

 

    

 

 

There were a couple that looked like small houses, complete with a granite "fence" and landscaping such as small shrubs and flowers or plants.

                              

 

 

One was in the shape of a pyramid.....

 

 

 

And this area reminded me of a row of houses in a neighborhood.....



 

 

 

In any case, it was an interesting afternoon, and a very quiet one after exploring the French Quarter and other areas of New Orleans the past few days.  For a slide show of more of my photos - follow this link - http://youtu.be/GwAbBy0aN58





 



 

Museum Day in New Orleans

Today was museum day - I had 3 to check out and then the Battlefield from the Battle of New Orleans in the War of 1812. I found out one of my selected museums was running a special just for today - closed. Bummer, I really wanted to see that one.

The first museum, Presbytere, had 2 polar opposite subject for their displays. Hurricane Katrina was the first display, amazing photos and I kept thinking of my close calls with hurricanes in the Caribbean. I'm not sure why anyone would stay and watch a storm of that caliber come at them and not leave to find a safer place. There's only so much you can do by staying put - you can't save your house.

The second display was a history of carnival, with costumes, jewelry and pictures from past years.  Happy times and fun providing a stark contrast to the heartbreak caused by Katrina. 

The other museum, Cabildo, was a history of Louisiana, including musical instruments, weapons and other displays. As a bonus, there was a display of the Secret History of Louisiana Rock 'n' Roll with photos from the 50's and 60's depicting musical history in this area.

The Chalmette National Cemetery and Battlefield is located near the Mississippi River. There is a monument, pictured above, was completed in 1908. There are 122 steps to a small area at the top with windows showing the view in all directions. This was the site of the historic Battle of New Orleans, which has been reported to last about 30 minutes.

The adjacent Cemetery contains remains of the Union soldiers from the Civil War as well as veterans from the Spanish-American War, both World Wars and Vietnam. 

 

Garden District, New Orleans

Today was supposed to be museum day in New Orleans for me. Before I started that, I decided that I'd take the trolley out to the ritzy neighborhood in the Garden District, just to see how the other half lives.

Little did I know that it would take up most of the day. Luckily, the first trolley, or street car as they all them, operator convinced me I needed a day pass, which was only $3. OK, I figured she knew best and she certainly did. It's not just one trolley that goes everywhere, but you have to transfer to other trolleys along the way. Then, in the ritzy neighborhood, they were redoing the track, so all riders transferred to the regular bus service - gratis.

The homes in this area were massive, ornate with leaded beveled glass doors and some with stained glass windows. Huge old sprawling live oak trees with Spanish moss lined the streets and yards were well maintained behind the pointed iron fences. A few of the larger ones had been converted to apartments, but most of them looked like single family residences.

It was so convenient to have the pass. When I got hungry for lunch I just got off, had lunch and then continued on where I left off, taking another trolley. I could tell there were other tourists on the trolleys that were just riding for the fun of it, I kept seeing the same ones and overheard that comment a few times. It sure was nice to have someone else doing the driving so I could concentrate on the sightseeing.

By the time I got back to the station I had left that morning, I had just enough time for a quick visit to one of the museums on my list. Tomorrow I have 4 more places to go, so I plan to get an earlier start than I did today. I have already had to extend my stay for tomorrow, and may extend for the next day. It's really nice to be able to reschedule when the mood strikes.

The French Quarter in New Orleans

The French Quarter of New Orleans -

Street musicians - a Rasta man playing guitar, a single man playing the saxophone, a group playing music with a woman singing, a man with an African bass harp accompanied by another man on drums. One black man was playing trumpet while another was singing, two oriental girls playing guitars and singing and another woman with a violin accompanied by a man with a guitar. And that's just the start....

The French Market, basically a flea market.  Some of the displays would be at what the islands call the "straw market".

Beignets at Cafe du Monde, warm French donuts covered in confectioners sugar, as mentioned by Jimmy Buffett in the song "The Wino and I Know".

Wrought iron balconies on buildings.

Fortune tellers, Tarot card readers, mimes and artists in the park - along with the street musicians.

Horses pulling carriages full of tourists.

Bicycles pulling carts of tourists.

Characters - a man painted all in silver, a girl on a multi-colored bike with multi-colored hair.

Doors to stores, bars and restaurants open with music spilling out.

Signs outside bars offering drinks to go.

A sign in a public restroom that states "Please use these sinks for handwashing only".

Signs in most shops and restaurants stating "No Public Restrooms".

Old homes and buildings with wooden shutters that are actually used.

Great paint jobs on these old homes and shutters.

Carnival beads hanging all over, even though carnival over was weeks ago.

I thought the French Quarter was unique, but today, my first impression was - it's very much like Key West. After walking around the area for hours, I realized that in addition to Key West, it reminded me of other places I've been - parts of it reminded me of the islands. One street in particular gave me a deja vu - it seemed that I was transported back to one street in Porlamar, a city on the island of Margarita, Venezuela.

The French Quarter is so large that it has way more ingredients than any one place and it's no surprise that it keeps drawing tourists from all over.

For a slide show of the French Quarter - follow this link - http://youtu.be/-UenK-GaW6A