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JULY 9, 2006 - THE EYES OF TEXAS ARE UPON YOU…..

Which means that I should have zipped up my pants at the last rest stop, I guess. It is true folks, I have the Mississippi River behind me and all of Michigan, Ohio, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, New Hampshire (again), Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York (again), New Jersey, Delaware,  Maryland, Washington D.C., Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana behind me now. I still have a lot of territory to cover. This country is an amazing place. I am stunned by how vast it is. I am heartened by the people I have met. I am hopeful for us as a country, regardless of the perceived or real problems we have as a population and as a country.

I cruised once again through the French Quarter just to take some more photographs of some of the homes and to get the "feel" of the place. I ran into another motorcyclist, and asked him where I might find a good breakfast. He told me there was a place up Canal Street a distance that had pretty good pancakes. So I followed his suggestion. On the way I pulled into a gas station to fill up, only I was unable to get anything to work. While I was fiddling with the credit card, the pump and the hose, I began to listen more intently to what I thought was a pretty damned high level conversation going on behind me. "I'll have three thousand here by tomorrow", one voice was saying. The other voice said,  "If that's all it takes, then I will get three grand myself." Voice 1 - "You couldn't find three thousand doolers (that IS spelled correctly) [I began to think something amiss] if you had it in your hand - WHICH YOU DON'T".Voice 2 - "Well, if he is going to put a down payment on a house, then I'll help and we can all live there."

I turned around to see what was going on. There were three fellows DEEEEEEP in conversation. Two of them were, actually, the third guy (with the news paper) was attempting to understand what his cohorts were trying to say. He was, I am sure dimly aware that he was awake, but I am also sure that THAT was the sum total of his ability to think. I am not even sure he was aware that he had a paper in his hands, but his BUUUUUUUUDDDDDDDDDEEEEEEESSSS were. Hooboy, what a conversation they had. It finally got around to the guy in the middle just being able to shake his head whil pointing with his thumb to the other guy who was able to speak.

This, of course, meant that there were two down, with one to go. These guys, had slept on the parking area of the gas station and had been awakened some time prior to my arrival. About the time that all three were rendered speechless by whatever morning chemical bath that their guts had taken, I had given up on trying to make a purchase. I left, still looking for the "..pretty good pancakes" place.

And there it was on the left. I pulled over and parked across the street. I then entered through the front door of Betsy's Pancakes - WHICH WAS THE FIRST MISTAKE OF THE MORNING.

I was standing there, and this short woman with a scowl permanently plastered on her face allowed, as she sped by "YOUSHOULDACOMEINTHEBACKDOORHONEY". I had no idea she could get that kind of volume out of that little carcass. I immediately had flashbacks to St. Elmo's Fire grade school and Sister Mary Killforbeer yelling in that same manner. Man, I did five things in three tenths of a second. I whipped my hat off, apologized profusely, genuflected, farted getting up, and headed for the side door. When I got to the back door, I admitted to those standing there that I had been yelled at. They, too, had been yelled at. I further admitted to being in "time out" and that the reason I was still shaking was because of memories of Sister Moby Dick (Regis) whose crooked jaw bore the signs of having belonged to the white whale. This was a look she fostered by tying a small figure of Gregory Peck to the little harpoons in her cheeks.

Oh, I am sorry. I seemed to have had another flashback. I engaged a couple already seated in conversation, and they invited me to sit with them, which I gladly did.  Phil and Cerrisa and I discussed the sights I had seen when I made my way in to New Orleans two days previous. I mentioned my dismay at seeing so much that was just abandoned, or destroyed. The response that they gave me was shocking.

They both agreed that the city and the area around the city were bouncing back much faster than anyone had hoped. They have a tile company and have been working steadily for private home owners since Katrina hit. Their attitude was very upbeat and positive. I told them that I would have to take their word for it, but inside I was wondering just how bad it had really been, if what I saw was on the mend. We talked about the reason for my trip across the country and Phillips face changed. He became smug and silent, but smiling and nodding his head. He pointed to Carissa and said that I was supposed to have been there for breakfast. It seems that she has been having pain in her abdominal area, but has refused to go to the Doctor. Well, at the end of our time at Betsy's she had promised to go to the Doctor and to write me when she had. They started talking about the current home they were working on. An artist that has a shop on Royal Street, in the French Quarter hired them to do some tile work at the home he was renovating. His new home had been a gas station in the 1930's and he was making it into a rather interesting place to live. I decided to go to "work" with them so I could see what this place looked like. On the way, we passed through neighborhoods that were beginning to come back. Many of the homes were having obvious work done. Others were waiting, but they didn't have that completely abandoned look to them. The photos that I took of the artist's gas station home and the interesting architecture of the homes around it will be posted in a separate entry. I left my two talented tile layers to head west and on to Texas.

Right into the rain I went, just outside of New Orleans. The rain suit came on. It was so damn hot that I took it off, after the rain stopped. Then I put it on, because I could see how intense it was raining ahead. Four miles later I took it off, feeling like I had been placed in a sauna. I put it on again because the rain was REALLY COMING DOWN UP AHEAD. I took it off again just outside of Baton Rouge. I had to put it on again the OTHER side of Baton Rouge.

While I was on the roadside sitting on the cooler and putting the rain pants on for the billionth time during this trip, I became aware of some of the darker roadside gravel actually moving. I looked closer. HOLY CRAP!!!!! I put the rest of the rain suit on and got the camera out. I chased down one of the critters - and there were hundreds of them crawling out of the grass -  and picked it up to take photographs. Using my own hand for scale, you will be able to get  an idea of the size of these things. I was impressed to say the least.

Dinner was planned for just outside Lafayette, Louisiana, and I pulled into a nice looking Seafood place called "Landry's Seafood and Steaks". I ordered catfish fillets and a shrimp cocktail. I have to say, the meal was very tasty and far better than the similar dish offered by Red Lobster. When I left I noticed a Honda Goldwing with a California Sidecar and a matching Bushtec trailer in the lot. I put my card on his dashboard, and went and got fuel at the Texico station next door. I had to return to the restaurant because I had left my sunglasses there. I saw the sidecar rig pull away to the gas station I had just left, so I went over and talked with the owner of the rig.

He had just come from Nashville Tennessee. He had met the former owner of the Sidecar setup in Nashville where he had just purchase it. It certainly was sharp. I asked him what he had paid for it, and when he told me how much, knew that it was one of those once in a lifetime occasions,  and it was. What he paid was far below market value for the Goldwing just by itself, not including the sidecar and trailer.

We decided to ride together for awhile, and I got to see the sidecar rig in motion. Whoever had it made sure it was set up very well. We parted company at Interstate 210, just outside of the Texas border.
I am in Texas tonight as I write this. Granted, I am only four miles into Texas, but I am in Texas. Tomorrow I leave beautiful Orange, Texas to head south toward Texas City, Gavelston, and on south to Brownsville. This part of the trip will be the longest piece of the trip within one state. I am not sure if California will be longer than this run. This will certainly be interesting. I plan on talking with the police force here in Orange, to see if they think I should stick close to the border between Loredo and points west, or if I would be safer sticking to the Interstate and going across Texas.

I will opt for the safer of the two routes, depending on their recommendation. Tomorrow will tell. Tonight, I am at a Quality Inn. I checked all seven motels along this strip, and this place had the best value for the dollar.  As Pat Cooperman used to say, "Onward and Upward", tomorrow.

Don't forget to look at the photos in the next offering from the road.

Te Amo, Y'all.