Now sitting in a hotel room in Louisiana near New Orleans, tired, but sleep is still an hour or so away.
I have to wrap up yesterday.
A few loose, random items to add to this random trip report now.
After getting back from the shops, Adam, Craig and I went to meet Dennis at Enterprise car rental, where Adam has a corporate account that meant we got to hire a car at a price that made it worth our while.
After all the document and identity checks, we were given a lovely Chevrolet Impala in V6 flavour with crisp auto box.
So I drove that home in rush hour traffic.
Not quite the Hellcat, but perfect for the trip.
When we got home......
Meet Dorothy, 84 and acting 54 at times, sharp as a blade.
Check the toe nails.... as Craig said, the. Question is “Does she click her heels?”
She had just got home with her new car she had just brought back from the dealers, exactly the same model Impala as we got to use, in white.
After parking up the car, grabbing a cold drink etc, we went around to Adam and Hanna’s building site to play in the dirt.
First me, then Craig, then I carried on for another hour plus, moving dirt and tidying the pile and site with the Caterpillar Skid Steer.
JUST HOW MUCH FUN CAN ONE HAVE ON ONE HOLIDAY??
Craig getting to grips with it.
Video of my first time.
Not as easy as many people make it looks.
CLICK LINK:
https://youtu.be/jrBCaEAhN5Q
After parking the Skid Steer, I went to the shop, loads of guys all there, working on getting the new race car trailer hauler sorted.
2009 Silverado Diesel with crazy low miles on, replacing the previous black one that had astronomical miles on it.
It came with a service bed, but the regular bed had to be refitted and wiring worked out as they had cut the wiring when building it before.
Craig also used his problem solving brain to help identify some short cuts on creating a new bumper from the old and new replacement unit. Great result for an IT bod.
Bed back on, lights being sorted out.
Eventually everyone had left and we all got to bed late, then up this morning and we only left at 07.45 for refuelling, and to get some beers (not for drinking)
Dennis also had found a damaged aluminium wheel for Andy to melt down.
We are headed there after Labour day weekend, via Clems place in Fayetteville.
Andys garage thread.
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/...d.php?t=334140
Then onto the motorway......
Down to Pete’s place in Wentzville for a real breakfast.
Of course I ordered extra bacon.
Then out on I 70 toward the South.
Flags at half mast still in respect to the passing of Senator McCain.
700 miles ahead of us to New Orleans where heavy weather was forecast too, would be making for a long, boring day.....
Or maybe not.
Hope you are all still having fun
Well,after breakfast we headed out.
Dennis warned us that right after Cape Girradeau it would become as flat as parts of Arkansas and even Illinois
So he set Auto Pilot and we continued talking, non stop sh!t, ate crisps, Biltong/Jerky, random chocolate, drinking water, Coke, Mountain Dew etc till we stopped eating and just talked.
I will do a separate entry or even story about some of the sh!t Dennis has got into over the years.
For a guy who had over 20 tickets by the time he was 18 for speeding, burnouts, expired license plates, wrong tags etc, and other random stuff, but never a DUI he has some stories.
As Dennis says “I had a good lawyer”
SO THE QUIET ONE CONTINUED DRIVING AND GETTING US TO NEW ORLEANS.
States came and went with boring regularity.
What a beautiful state.......
Weather forecasts were for rain all he time we were down here, but hey......
Find a bar with a roof and we would be good.
Then of course the rains hit us, visibility to 10% and hammering it down.
Just check the Video I did.
https://youtu.be/1y8lRoQTJ5w
Every state has a welcome center, and there is a lot of evidence of thanks for those who served.
This really touches me. Another good reason to want to live here.
Back on the road.
While on the road, I also chatted with Caleb back home about what we saw, and he proceeded to send this pic of Dukey, helping him with his Thesis write up.
Along the way, there was a high visible policing presence as well, perfect for a long weekend over Labour day weekend.
Certainly beats a Skoda or Ford Focus patrol car.
Remember Dennis getting pulled over by the State Trooper......??
Part of the relationship building we had done with the Trooper was to show him this pic I had taken of a Geo-Cache painted stone, Mr Duck in this case.
So we were saved by the Bill from the Smokey kicking Dennis’ proverbial butt.
Craig and his family do Geo Caching and had explained it to me.... interesting stuff for sure, especially the way there are different levels.
Along the way Dennis pointed out many salvage yards, race tracks etc.
Craig spotted this one.
MIND BLOWING.
Eventually we made it into the state.....
Then booked into a Super 8 Hotel, simple, cheap, functional.
Random awesome door handle Craig spotted and snapped.
After that we had a first celebratory beer and went out looking for some good Cajun food.
Obstacles along the way.
Perfect.
Decor.
Ordered our meals, loads of beer, fast.
My selection.... and the Gumbo added.
Nommmmmmmmm...!!!
And introducing Ashley....... yes, I behaved, hard as it was.
Kelly will have to up her game, these Southern girls are lovely.
Headed out to New Orleans French Quarter after breakfast later this morning.
We saw on the news in the hotel room that today is also their Gay Pride March.
Dennis started the day by filling out cooler with fresh ice.
The man has skills.
Later guys.
Craig has an incredibly sharp eye.
Saw this while the three of us were doing the tourist thing around the French Quarter despite the rain that had been forecast.
Tropical storm has been predicted for later today so we havepulled the plug and are headed to Vicksburg, a great Civil War town to learn more there. Less rain expected but raining all the way so far.
The Siege of Vicksburg (May 18 – July 4, 1863) was the final major military action in the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War. In a series of maneuvers, Union Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee crossed the Mississippi River and drove the Confederate Army of Mississippi, led by Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton, into the defensive lines surrounding the fortress city of Vicksburg, Mississippi.