Gulf States

Back in the USA – Travel in this country is so easy. Although it's good to be traveling within these Gulf States the challenges and sense of adventure associated with Mexican travel have all but vanished. Even my trusty navigator the GPS is once again operatable. South of this border the GPS was utilized solely as a compass. Over the past four week I have toured along the Gulf of Mexico from Brownsville Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.

Nothing out of the ordinary to report – The following are a few highlights of my tour.

I enjoyed Easter weekend in Baton Rouge. During my stay the motorcycle was dropped-off at the local BMW dealer for it's 50,000 kilometre service interval.

I toured some of Louisiana's back roads through Cajun and Plantation Country. I enjoyed riding the River Road from Baton Rouge to New Orleans. This road meanders along the mighty Mississippi River through a number of picturesque communities. This route provided an enjoyable day's ride however the only time I got to view the river was when crossing it on a bridge. The river cannot be seen from the road because of the elevation of the levees - pity.

I arrived in New Orleans on a Monday afternoon - booked a hotel room in the French Quarters. I had planned to remain in this city for three days but stayed a week. The French Quarters Festival – a music festival with a large venue of extremely talented musicians was scheduled during my visit.

I experienced an enjoyable visit with Alabama Bob. I met Bob who is a high-mileage biker in New Mexico this past November. When he learned I was in New Orleans during the festival weekend he rode in from Alabama for a visit - a very good time we had. New Orleans is one of the best party towns I've encountered.

From New Orleans I would continue riding along the Gulf of Mexico into Mississippi, Alabama and Florida continuing south to Key West.

An observation about this segment of my tour within these Gulf States – This regions suffers from massive urban sprawl and it's associated heavy traffic.

The USS Lexington is a decommissioned WWII aircraft carrier transformed into a museum. It sit in shallow water at North Beach on Corpus Christi waterfront.

Sailboats, Masts and Corpus Christi city center.

I traveled by ferry from Galveston across Trinity Bay to Port Bolivar. Boating traffic was heavy with a large number of ocean-going oil tankers in this water passage.

These newly constructed elevated homes are a common sight along the gulf shores of Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. I can only assume this design was initiated to address flooding concerns.

Louisiana back country highway 14 curves along fields of new planted sugar cane and these flooded rice paddies. Once the rice is harvested in these paddies farmers will install cages to farm crawfish. Both of these crops require ponded fields and pumping stations to control the water level. The rice and the crawfish are a major staple in the Cajun diet and are the primary ingredients in jambalaya and etouffee.

The oak trees line the main street through the picturesque town of Franklin which is said to have one of the highest concentration of antebellum home in Louisiana.

One of the many Bayou's within the Mississippi Delta region. This region is home to the Cajun's (Acadian French) and Creole's (mixed French, African and Native Indian).

A Plantation Mansion along the Mississippi River.

Tug boats and barges are a common sight on the Mississippi River. The Mississippi River is longest River in North America (3,765 km) and the fourth longest in the world. The Nile, Amazon and Yangtze sit at first, second and third.

Louisiana's state capital building located in Baton Rouge is the tallest state capitol building in the United States at 450 feet high with 34 floors.

An obsession with guns.

A typical southern Louisiana cemetery - the above ground vaults were required because the ground water levels make burial impractical.

A strong Maritime connection. More the 250 years ago the bayous and fertile farm land received thousands of colonist deported by the British from the French settlement of Acadia in Nova Scotia. Today this region of Louisiana is know as Cajun Country. The rich cooking and fiddle-driven music has become but a few of the defining features of the area.

Another interesting T-shirt logo.

This boardwalk is known as “River Walk” - It is adjacent to the Mississippi River in New Orleans near the French Quarters - One of my favorite running routes.

The extremely talented street musicians are sure to delight.

Jackson Square is an historic park within the French Quarters of New Orleans. A bit of trivia regarding Equestrian Statues (1) When both of the horse's front legs are raised - it signified the rider was killed in battle. (2) When one of the horse's front leg is raised - it signified the rider died of his / her wounds sustained in battle. (3) When all of the horse's hoofs are grounded - it signified the rider died of natural causes.

The extremely talented street musicians are sure to delight.

I would stroll the streets of the French Quarters with a fist full of $1.00 bills – stopping to listen to the extremely talented Musicians – drop a few bucks and move-on to find more of the same.

Royal Street – French Quarters.

Maintaining the look of the French Quarters past – A successful restoration project.

Can you hear that great Dixieland tune!

The extremely talented street musicians are sure to delight.

The effects of Katrina remain visible through the area near Biloxi, Mississippi.

Riding along Highway 41 through the Florida Everglades I stopped for a break and noticed this alligator and three more of his buddies within 10 metres from where I stood.

Transmission Lines and Bridges - One of the many which provides the link along the Florida Key's Highway which is know as the Overseas Highway.