So here we are in Austin, the illustrious Texan capital. We drove in this evening from San Antonio, so we haven't seen much yet. We did, however, do quite a bit of sightseeing in San Antonio. We started our day by visiting Mission Conception, one of the four San Antonio missions that make up the Missions National Park. We walked around and saw the old churches that were used to convert the South Texan Indians to Christianity in the 1700s. It was interesting to see the way of life and all of the history that happened within the walls. We visited Mission San Jose, the "Queen of Missions," before heading into San Antonio center.
Starving, we made our way into the city, in search of what else but good old Tex Mex food. We made our way down to the Riverwalk, which is indeed as cool as people say it is! We found Original Mexican Restaurant, where we enjoyed some of the best Mexican food I have ever had! With full stomachs we wandered down the banks of the river which are lined with restaurants and shops. We walked across little stone bridges and watched boats float along full of eager tourists. Finally we reached The Alamo!
The historic Alamo was packed with tourists, many of which were native Texans, swelling with pride at the history of their beloved state. We walked the halls of the former mission that contained exhibits, including memorabilia from the likes of Davy Crockett. Stories of Texas history were plastered on the walls in an exhaustive manner. Overall it was a good experience to see the famed monument, but I much prefered the silent halls of the missions that showed the wear that hundreds of years and people had left on it. We got a good dose of history before heading to the mall to find Matt proper attire for the upcoming weddings. After our shopping trip, we headed back to the car and drove the hour and a half up to Austin where we are currently staying.
I am looking forward to seeing my cousin Billie and her adorable kids Natalie and Talon, especially since my cousin Jason has just gone back to Iraq this week. We are going to meet up with them tomorrow, and as Matt said, it will be nice to see some familiar faces! Onward and westward!!!
Stats to come.
-Alie
Friday, June 30, 2006
To Houston and To San Antonio Stats
I'm making this a separate post since we have two full days of stats but only one map. So here they are...
We have been to 31% of the USA!
To Houston:
Coming Soon!
To San Antonio Stats:
Overall Average: 55.9mph
Moving Average: 65.2mph
Moving Time: 4h 18m
Stopping Time: 42m 50s
Total Time: 5h 1m
Traveled: 281.3mi
So close yet so far...
We have been to 31% of the USA!
To Houston:
Coming Soon!
To San Antonio Stats:
Overall Average: 55.9mph
Moving Average: 65.2mph
Moving Time: 4h 18m
Stopping Time: 42m 50s
Total Time: 5h 1m
Traveled: 281.3mi
So close yet so far...
Day 9 & 10: Geetings From Texas!
First I’d like to apologize for the posting black out for the past two nights. At our last two hotels we have not had a good internet connection. So Its been difficult to get a post out. However now we have found a wifi hotspot and I can deliver you the last two updates.
Yesterday we went to the Houston Space Center. Which is still completely operational and getting ready for a historic day. The re-launching of the space shuttle fleet! Thus mission control shuttle and mission control space station are both alive with activity. Especially shuttle mission control; they have been going through simulations for the past week or more.
The way the Johnson Space Center works is a little odd. They want an attraction for people to go to, but they also want to show Historic Mission Control and the Training Center. So what they have done is turn a section over to Disney and let them basically design a HUGE kids playplace and the only real adult attractions are space suits, hall of Astronauts and the two tour locations. This would be fine but the entrance fee is very expensive and the flight simulations are $4 each. They obviously know they have you trapped but it seems like every place you turn they try to take money from you. Even when you try to purchase a ticket they try to sell you a combo pass that includes the tour of the facilities and an audio, when in fact a tour of the facilities is included in the regular ticket price.
But after saying all that there is some pretty cool things there. You get to see the mission control room where they controlled all the Gemini Missions, all Apollo Missions, and 77 Shuttle Space Flight Missions. Then we saw the training center which is very cool. What I thought was interesting is that we are able to take as many pictures as we want of the real palces where Astronauts Train but we cannot take pictures of any train on the MBTA.
After we spent the entire day at the museum we traveled to San Antonio where we found a hotel right near the Spanish Missions and the Alamo. I’m VERY excited about both.
So that was Yesterday.
The Day before is much more interesting
When we tried to leave Nawlins our car wouldn’t start. We called AAA they came jumped the Prisus’ battery and told us to take it a Toyota Dealer ASAP. So we took it to Toyota of New Orleans, they did not have anew battery but the good people at Mike Calvert Toyota did and would sell it to us. So we drove the 500 miles to Houston, which we were going to anyways. Oh yeah the final thing AAA told us was to NOT shut the car off. So for 500 miles we didn’t even when we needed a fill up.
We got to the Texas Dealership and left the car there and told them of the problem. We then went to dinner and then our hotel. The next morning around 11am I get a call and they said NOTHING was wrong with it. They allowed us to drive with a Master Mechanic to see if the problem came back and we drove around for 10 minuets or so and it was all fine. I asked the technician and he said a map light might drian the battery if left on but the 500 mile trip after the jump recharged it fine.
The best thing of all is that we did not loose anything but mental angish, not money or time. So knock on wood the car is fine and we will continue on to Austin tomorrow to Alie’s Cousin in law’s house and her children. It should be good to see familiar faces, its been a long time since Jersey.
Yesterday we went to the Houston Space Center. Which is still completely operational and getting ready for a historic day. The re-launching of the space shuttle fleet! Thus mission control shuttle and mission control space station are both alive with activity. Especially shuttle mission control; they have been going through simulations for the past week or more.
The way the Johnson Space Center works is a little odd. They want an attraction for people to go to, but they also want to show Historic Mission Control and the Training Center. So what they have done is turn a section over to Disney and let them basically design a HUGE kids playplace and the only real adult attractions are space suits, hall of Astronauts and the two tour locations. This would be fine but the entrance fee is very expensive and the flight simulations are $4 each. They obviously know they have you trapped but it seems like every place you turn they try to take money from you. Even when you try to purchase a ticket they try to sell you a combo pass that includes the tour of the facilities and an audio, when in fact a tour of the facilities is included in the regular ticket price.
But after saying all that there is some pretty cool things there. You get to see the mission control room where they controlled all the Gemini Missions, all Apollo Missions, and 77 Shuttle Space Flight Missions. Then we saw the training center which is very cool. What I thought was interesting is that we are able to take as many pictures as we want of the real palces where Astronauts Train but we cannot take pictures of any train on the MBTA.
After we spent the entire day at the museum we traveled to San Antonio where we found a hotel right near the Spanish Missions and the Alamo. I’m VERY excited about both.
So that was Yesterday.
The Day before is much more interesting
When we tried to leave Nawlins our car wouldn’t start. We called AAA they came jumped the Prisus’ battery and told us to take it a Toyota Dealer ASAP. So we took it to Toyota of New Orleans, they did not have anew battery but the good people at Mike Calvert Toyota did and would sell it to us. So we drove the 500 miles to Houston, which we were going to anyways. Oh yeah the final thing AAA told us was to NOT shut the car off. So for 500 miles we didn’t even when we needed a fill up.
We got to the Texas Dealership and left the car there and told them of the problem. We then went to dinner and then our hotel. The next morning around 11am I get a call and they said NOTHING was wrong with it. They allowed us to drive with a Master Mechanic to see if the problem came back and we drove around for 10 minuets or so and it was all fine. I asked the technician and he said a map light might drian the battery if left on but the 500 mile trip after the jump recharged it fine.
The best thing of all is that we did not loose anything but mental angish, not money or time. So knock on wood the car is fine and we will continue on to Austin tomorrow to Alie’s Cousin in law’s house and her children. It should be good to see familiar faces, its been a long time since Jersey.
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Day 7 & 8 Photo Dump Life Continues On
In Nawlins especially the French Quarter life is moving and the jazz is heard through out the streets. Here are some pictures from the past few days.
But first the answer to yesternigt's photo dump trivia question how can one tell the difference between a digital sepia print and a true sepia print? Clouds. Original speia prints took so long to be exposed that the clouds and the sky became completely washed out. We would have also accepted grain. Today grain can be completely eliminated ,but when sepia was common grain was almost overwhelming.
Now on with the photos!
But first the answer to yesternigt's photo dump trivia question how can one tell the difference between a digital sepia print and a true sepia print? Clouds. Original speia prints took so long to be exposed that the clouds and the sky became completely washed out. We would have also accepted grain. Today grain can be completely eliminated ,but when sepia was common grain was almost overwhelming.
Now on with the photos!
Laissez les bon temps roulez! (Let the good times roll!) Still.
Hey All,
It's Alie again, reporting live from the Big Easy. Day two of our New Orleans discovery was full of fun and interesting experiences. We have been moving pretty much non-stop since 11am, so it's nice to have a rest and update the ol' blog for a bit. We started the day the way any good day should start, with some beignets (and cafe au lait for me!) at Cafe du Monde, the happiest place on earth®. Disneyworld doesn't stand as chance against hot, deep fried doughnuts burried in powdered sugar...definietly the breakfast of champions!
Have no fear, however, we walked off our treats (including the after breakfast praline we had to get!). We walked around the French Market, dipping in and out of cute little shops, and we stumbled upon the National Historic Site for New Orleans jazz. We wandered in and spoke with the park ranger for quite some time. Though he had little to say about jazz, he had a lot to tell us about teaching, Hurricane Katrina and life in general. People are so friendly down here, and I feel like a lot of them just want to talk and share their experiences; most of them have a lot to say. Next, we got our share of New Orleans/ Louisiana history by exploring the St. Louis Cathedral (the oldest in the country) and the Cadilo where the Louisiana history museum is located. Highlights included the room in which the Louisiana Purchase was signed and Napolean's death mask.
Not having gotten our share of history yet, we saw the place in which Tenessee Williams wrote A Streetcar Named Desire (which, incidently is for sale, and Matt really wants to buy it). We also found the Jean Laffite National Park (two for one, how do you like that?) and learned even more about New Orleans history.
With tired feet, full brains and empty stomachs, we went out in search of some good ole creole food. We found a great little cafe and treated ourselves to the Creole Creation special; a cup of gumbo, jambalaya and beans and rice. We cleaned our plates! In New Orleans, they say there are two times of day: meal time and everything else. With food like that, I would have to agree!
After indulging in spicy goodness, we hopped on a walking ghost tour of the city, in which we saw the most haunted spots. Even a skeptic like me, got goosebumps when I heard of the tragic tales of former New Orleans residents and the spirits they left behind. We discovered that our hotel is indeed one of those very haunted spots (maybe that's why the rates were so good!).
The tour guide gave a little chuckle when we told him we were staying at the Place d'armes. He told us that our hotel was the site of the first Louisiana school, which was an all boys school. The first of two fires that destroyed the city while it was under Spanish control wipped out almost all of the buildings, including the boys school. According to the guide, the boys haunt the hotel and like to play practical jokes on the guests. This morning we were awoke by a knock at our door, but when I answered it, no one was there... coincidence or haunting...I'll leave that up to you to decide. We also heard chilling tales of the dirty dealings of a doctor and his wife who used slaves for medical experiments, the building itself has been abandoned for decades, but is finally in use again... we shall see how its current tenant fairs.
After a long day, complete with a pit stop at an old 24 hour diner on Bourbon St., we are ready for a much deserved rest. We will certainly be sad to leave New Orleans, it was a wonderful experience from which we learned a lot about both its distant past and recent history. It will always have a special place in my heart. I encourage people to visit this still beautiful city; if you support it, it will give back to you more than you might imagine. And now... on to Texas!
No stats today
I've talked enough already! Thanks for listening
It's Alie again, reporting live from the Big Easy. Day two of our New Orleans discovery was full of fun and interesting experiences. We have been moving pretty much non-stop since 11am, so it's nice to have a rest and update the ol' blog for a bit. We started the day the way any good day should start, with some beignets (and cafe au lait for me!) at Cafe du Monde, the happiest place on earth®. Disneyworld doesn't stand as chance against hot, deep fried doughnuts burried in powdered sugar...definietly the breakfast of champions!
Have no fear, however, we walked off our treats (including the after breakfast praline we had to get!). We walked around the French Market, dipping in and out of cute little shops, and we stumbled upon the National Historic Site for New Orleans jazz. We wandered in and spoke with the park ranger for quite some time. Though he had little to say about jazz, he had a lot to tell us about teaching, Hurricane Katrina and life in general. People are so friendly down here, and I feel like a lot of them just want to talk and share their experiences; most of them have a lot to say. Next, we got our share of New Orleans/ Louisiana history by exploring the St. Louis Cathedral (the oldest in the country) and the Cadilo where the Louisiana history museum is located. Highlights included the room in which the Louisiana Purchase was signed and Napolean's death mask.
Not having gotten our share of history yet, we saw the place in which Tenessee Williams wrote A Streetcar Named Desire (which, incidently is for sale, and Matt really wants to buy it). We also found the Jean Laffite National Park (two for one, how do you like that?) and learned even more about New Orleans history.
With tired feet, full brains and empty stomachs, we went out in search of some good ole creole food. We found a great little cafe and treated ourselves to the Creole Creation special; a cup of gumbo, jambalaya and beans and rice. We cleaned our plates! In New Orleans, they say there are two times of day: meal time and everything else. With food like that, I would have to agree!
After indulging in spicy goodness, we hopped on a walking ghost tour of the city, in which we saw the most haunted spots. Even a skeptic like me, got goosebumps when I heard of the tragic tales of former New Orleans residents and the spirits they left behind. We discovered that our hotel is indeed one of those very haunted spots (maybe that's why the rates were so good!).
The tour guide gave a little chuckle when we told him we were staying at the Place d'armes. He told us that our hotel was the site of the first Louisiana school, which was an all boys school. The first of two fires that destroyed the city while it was under Spanish control wipped out almost all of the buildings, including the boys school. According to the guide, the boys haunt the hotel and like to play practical jokes on the guests. This morning we were awoke by a knock at our door, but when I answered it, no one was there... coincidence or haunting...I'll leave that up to you to decide. We also heard chilling tales of the dirty dealings of a doctor and his wife who used slaves for medical experiments, the building itself has been abandoned for decades, but is finally in use again... we shall see how its current tenant fairs.
After a long day, complete with a pit stop at an old 24 hour diner on Bourbon St., we are ready for a much deserved rest. We will certainly be sad to leave New Orleans, it was a wonderful experience from which we learned a lot about both its distant past and recent history. It will always have a special place in my heart. I encourage people to visit this still beautiful city; if you support it, it will give back to you more than you might imagine. And now... on to Texas!
No stats today
I've talked enough already! Thanks for listening
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Day 6 Photo Dump: Old Timey
Most of the following photos are in Sepia hence the title. (I've lessen the size so this page loads faster if you want to see the full image click on it!)
20 points for those who can tell me the easiest way to spot a digital sepia print from a true sepia print! the answer will come tomorrow.
PS I've created a National Park Photo Set so all my National Park Photos taken from any trip are all in one place!
Something to Muse On
Here in The Big Easy its 1 am and for my late midnight snack I've been musing on something thing...
NEVER Under estimate the power of a Boston Red Sox Hat.
Since I've purchased a Sox hat September of 2005. I've gotten Go Sox from a lot of strangers even, when I was in Australia, half way around the world, people would go by me on the street and say "Go Sox!" or "How about them Sox?!" This has not been more apparent to me then on this road trip. Everywhere I go Sox fans turn up. Sometimes even starting a conversation with me. When I was in Savanna I saw a man with a Red Sox shirt on all I did was Nod and he nodded and smiled back. We did not even say anything, but we both knew what we were thinking...Go Sox!
Another time I was at a CVS in Hilton Head Island and the clerk there asked if I was from Boston, because of my hat. I told him I went to school there and he said he did as well. He asked where, I said BU and he shook my hand, while saying he just transfered out and welcomed me to Hilton Head Island.
The most recent being tonight. Alie and I had stopped at a bar, where a live band was playing Jazz music. When the band took a break this nice guy approached our table and asked if we were from the Boston Area, I told him the same thing as I did the CVS clerk and a conversation started, shortly afterwards he showed me the front of his backwards cap, which read "Boston Red Sox 2004 World Champions."
These three acquaintances, would have just passed me by if I did not ware my Red Sox hat instead we became passing friends, etched in each of our memories if only for a short time or longer and I think thats pretty cool. Because its all due to a simple red and white B on a blue background.
Go Sox!
NEVER Under estimate the power of a Boston Red Sox Hat.
Since I've purchased a Sox hat September of 2005. I've gotten Go Sox from a lot of strangers even, when I was in Australia, half way around the world, people would go by me on the street and say "Go Sox!" or "How about them Sox?!" This has not been more apparent to me then on this road trip. Everywhere I go Sox fans turn up. Sometimes even starting a conversation with me. When I was in Savanna I saw a man with a Red Sox shirt on all I did was Nod and he nodded and smiled back. We did not even say anything, but we both knew what we were thinking...Go Sox!
Another time I was at a CVS in Hilton Head Island and the clerk there asked if I was from Boston, because of my hat. I told him I went to school there and he said he did as well. He asked where, I said BU and he shook my hand, while saying he just transfered out and welcomed me to Hilton Head Island.
The most recent being tonight. Alie and I had stopped at a bar, where a live band was playing Jazz music. When the band took a break this nice guy approached our table and asked if we were from the Boston Area, I told him the same thing as I did the CVS clerk and a conversation started, shortly afterwards he showed me the front of his backwards cap, which read "Boston Red Sox 2004 World Champions."
These three acquaintances, would have just passed me by if I did not ware my Red Sox hat instead we became passing friends, etched in each of our memories if only for a short time or longer and I think thats pretty cool. Because its all due to a simple red and white B on a blue background.
Go Sox!
Monday, June 26, 2006
Day 7: The whole country (was) like an oyster for us to open and the pearl was there, the pearl was there.
A little less than one year after Hurricane Katrina New Orleans is coming back. The approach to the city is very erie. From Biloxi on there were trees blown around all pointing westerly; as if they were saying yes, go and see what has been done. As we got closer the damage became more and more apparent. There were blue tarps over some houses here and there but most of the places and housing communities were abandoned and still needing a lot of repairs. You got the feeling that the city would be just as deserted, kind of apocalyptic in a way.
However at the same time a lot of work has been done so places that would've been leveled before are showing signs of rebuilding. Also all the billboards that line I-10 West. All had messages of what I will call commercial hope. They say things like Casino "Grand Re-Opening" or "The New Biloxi will be great...We've seen the plans." There were also tons of billboards that discussed job opportunities in the area. One series for another Casino listed all the jobs they needed and then talked about creating a unified team in diversity to accomplish the best. This was very odd because not many billboards offer jobs to people or trying to establish that much hope.
Approaching the city we did not know what to expect. All we saw was more and more damage. The most telling was road signs that told about Six Flags New Orleans, but when we were passing it we saw the Six Flags marquee and it was completely gutted; as were all the rides, either by the storm or by work crews. Everything approaching New Orleans was boarded up still, and probably is going to remain so indefinitely. After we got into the city we headed for a new visitor center. There they booked us a great room at the Place D'Armes right on Jackson Square for $49!! Alie said because of the location alone that would cost us over a hundred before the storm.
Its kind of funny in the French Quarter you can almost forget the amount of destruction or the fact that less than a year ago this city was underwater, but if you look you will find things have certainly changed. The Virgin Mega Store here still lights up the signs out side and some things inside but there two signs on there. 1. "The Virgin Mega Store is currently closed. Sorry for any inconvenience." and 2. "Available for Lease" and then lists the contact information for a commercial Realtor. Also what is odd EVERYTHING around this area is still in ruins. Alie and I were driving around and underneath the highway to get to the visitor center and all the homes were heavily damaged or basically destroyed. Its amazing how much has been done and how there is still to go. Really gives us a sense of the catastrophy that occurred here. Hopefully I'll be able to report more on the life in the city tomorrow.
I have pictures of the French Quarter and some areas around it that I will upload. But the quality is not the best since it is from a car window. Also before that I must upload some from Fort Pulaski in Savanna.
But before all of that I have our current tallies...
Alie and I have now officially experienced more then a quarter of this country; we have seen 29% of it.
To get to New Orleans We drove 412miles.
In about 6h and 20m
At an moving average speed of 64.9mph
with only stopping for 31m and 9s
giving us a total Average Speed of 60.0mph
Amount of Gas: 1 full tank from Savanna to New Orleans.
Distance to go Getting shorter all the time
Where to next? Pirates Alley and the Place where Tennessee Williams finished A Street Car Named Desire all right here in The Big Easy
PS We are now in the Central Time Zone! Woohoo!
However at the same time a lot of work has been done so places that would've been leveled before are showing signs of rebuilding. Also all the billboards that line I-10 West. All had messages of what I will call commercial hope. They say things like Casino "Grand Re-Opening" or "The New Biloxi will be great...We've seen the plans." There were also tons of billboards that discussed job opportunities in the area. One series for another Casino listed all the jobs they needed and then talked about creating a unified team in diversity to accomplish the best. This was very odd because not many billboards offer jobs to people or trying to establish that much hope.
Approaching the city we did not know what to expect. All we saw was more and more damage. The most telling was road signs that told about Six Flags New Orleans, but when we were passing it we saw the Six Flags marquee and it was completely gutted; as were all the rides, either by the storm or by work crews. Everything approaching New Orleans was boarded up still, and probably is going to remain so indefinitely. After we got into the city we headed for a new visitor center. There they booked us a great room at the Place D'Armes right on Jackson Square for $49!! Alie said because of the location alone that would cost us over a hundred before the storm.
Its kind of funny in the French Quarter you can almost forget the amount of destruction or the fact that less than a year ago this city was underwater, but if you look you will find things have certainly changed. The Virgin Mega Store here still lights up the signs out side and some things inside but there two signs on there. 1. "The Virgin Mega Store is currently closed. Sorry for any inconvenience." and 2. "Available for Lease" and then lists the contact information for a commercial Realtor. Also what is odd EVERYTHING around this area is still in ruins. Alie and I were driving around and underneath the highway to get to the visitor center and all the homes were heavily damaged or basically destroyed. Its amazing how much has been done and how there is still to go. Really gives us a sense of the catastrophy that occurred here. Hopefully I'll be able to report more on the life in the city tomorrow.
I have pictures of the French Quarter and some areas around it that I will upload. But the quality is not the best since it is from a car window. Also before that I must upload some from Fort Pulaski in Savanna.
But before all of that I have our current tallies...
Alie and I have now officially experienced more then a quarter of this country; we have seen 29% of it.
To get to New Orleans We drove 412miles.
In about 6h and 20m
At an moving average speed of 64.9mph
with only stopping for 31m and 9s
giving us a total Average Speed of 60.0mph
Amount of Gas: 1 full tank from Savanna to New Orleans.
Distance to go Getting shorter all the time
Where to next? Pirates Alley and the Place where Tennessee Williams finished A Street Car Named Desire all right here in The Big Easy
PS We are now in the Central Time Zone! Woohoo!
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Day 6: Savanna and Beyond UPDATED!
Hi we are at a Best Western Tonight and the internet is a little spotty so I'll have to provide an update when we reach NOr'leans! Today we went to Savanna and Saw a Civil War Fort named Fort Pulaski, back to Savanna and I tried Pralines! Then we drove through the rest of Georgia and to Tallahassee where we are now! Tomorrow we depart for The French Quarter. So wish us luck! Updates to follow.
UPDATE:
Savanna was excellent though we did not stay too long we did have a great time exploring the fort and Savanna itself. Fort Pulaski was pretty interesting. It was named after a European who was mortally wounded in the battle of Savanna and helped defend the city from Biritish attack during the Revolutionary War The fort was originally built as a Masonry Fort after the War of 1812. For a while it fell into disarray until the what was known at the time as South Carolina Succeeded from the Union and the Confederates took the fort with a small 150 man garrison. It wasn't until Sherman came and descended upon the fort. It was a strategic location; at the mouth of two rivers. Thus Sherman needed it to tighten the naval blockade against the South. The confederates believed that the Union guns could not reach them from a near by island but the Union had just finished developing the rifled cannon and decided to use it in this battle. The new cannons made all the difference and the Union punched a hole in the south side of the fort and almost blew up the gunpowder magazine there, which would have obliterated the fort. Thus the Confederates surrendered. This marked the end of masonry forts.
When we finally got back to Savanna proper we were very hungry. We tired eating at this place titled Wall's BBQ but apparently it no longer existed. So instead we headed to River St. and ate at a semi commercial place there. It was good but seemed a little too processed. So in search of more fulfilling food we found the Savanna Candy Kitchen. They made excellent pralines which we got some samples of and they gave us $10.00 off mail order so we can have them any time. That pretty much covers us for Savanna so here are some of our totals.
So far we've seen 23% of the US
Travelled about 430mi
Average Movie was about 61mph
and the rest will have to wait while we retrieve the rest of the info from the car. Sorry!
UPDATE:
Savanna was excellent though we did not stay too long we did have a great time exploring the fort and Savanna itself. Fort Pulaski was pretty interesting. It was named after a European who was mortally wounded in the battle of Savanna and helped defend the city from Biritish attack during the Revolutionary War The fort was originally built as a Masonry Fort after the War of 1812. For a while it fell into disarray until the what was known at the time as South Carolina Succeeded from the Union and the Confederates took the fort with a small 150 man garrison. It wasn't until Sherman came and descended upon the fort. It was a strategic location; at the mouth of two rivers. Thus Sherman needed it to tighten the naval blockade against the South. The confederates believed that the Union guns could not reach them from a near by island but the Union had just finished developing the rifled cannon and decided to use it in this battle. The new cannons made all the difference and the Union punched a hole in the south side of the fort and almost blew up the gunpowder magazine there, which would have obliterated the fort. Thus the Confederates surrendered. This marked the end of masonry forts.
When we finally got back to Savanna proper we were very hungry. We tired eating at this place titled Wall's BBQ but apparently it no longer existed. So instead we headed to River St. and ate at a semi commercial place there. It was good but seemed a little too processed. So in search of more fulfilling food we found the Savanna Candy Kitchen. They made excellent pralines which we got some samples of and they gave us $10.00 off mail order so we can have them any time. That pretty much covers us for Savanna so here are some of our totals.
So far we've seen 23% of the US
Travelled about 430mi
Average Movie was about 61mph
and the rest will have to wait while we retrieve the rest of the info from the car. Sorry!
Day 5 Photo Dump Theme: Relaxing
Here are some of the latest photos from our trip. All about relaxing today. Can be seen in the previous post we barely drove at all and instead spent all day at the Beach! All photos from our road trip can be found to the right with the link titled Otto's Road Trippin' 2006 Photo Set.
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Day 5: A Vacation from Our Vacation :)
Hello All!
This is Alie. I thought I would give you my perspective on the road trip thusfar and give the webmaster the night off. We are currently still in Hilton Head enjoying our day of fun in the sun (and free lodging!). Today was a great day, even if it didn't turn out how we planned. After discovering the logistical inconveniences of going to Fort Sumpter, i.e the long drive and sparse ferry schedule to actually get to the fort, we decided to have a day of R and R, and what better place to relax on an island than the beach!?!?
We hopped on our bikes and rode downtown, after a few wrong turns and some frustration with traffic circles (plentiful and annoying down here!) we finally arrived downtown where we enjoyed a much deserved lunch at the deli and Italian ices (water ices if you like to be wrong and/or are from the New Jersey/ Pennsylvania area). We got to the beach around 3:00, and while I had visions of sunbathing and reading, Matt had other plans. I was coerced into getting into the ocean, which was mercifully warm (thank goodness) and I attempted to get my sea legs rather unsuccessfully. After a couple of nosefulls of water, I retreated to the beach to sleep while Matt contiued to swim and take some nice pictures.
At around 5:00 we rode home tired and sunburnt, but oddly refreshed. After picking up some provisions at the Piggly Wiggly we enjoyed a nice picnic in a gazebo near the pond and watch the turtles and TWO GATORS swim around. Now we are nursing our sunburns and resting up for another long haul drive tomorrow. New Orleans or bust!!
And now for the Stats:
Still 19% of the US
Miles traveled on bike: about 3
Miles traveled in car: about 2
Wrong turns: too many to be biking
Gas spent: negligable
Distance to go: only like a kabillion miles ;)
Next Stop: New Orleans hopefully via Savannah, GA and probably somewhere in Florida
This is Alie. I thought I would give you my perspective on the road trip thusfar and give the webmaster the night off. We are currently still in Hilton Head enjoying our day of fun in the sun (and free lodging!). Today was a great day, even if it didn't turn out how we planned. After discovering the logistical inconveniences of going to Fort Sumpter, i.e the long drive and sparse ferry schedule to actually get to the fort, we decided to have a day of R and R, and what better place to relax on an island than the beach!?!?
We hopped on our bikes and rode downtown, after a few wrong turns and some frustration with traffic circles (plentiful and annoying down here!) we finally arrived downtown where we enjoyed a much deserved lunch at the deli and Italian ices (water ices if you like to be wrong and/or are from the New Jersey/ Pennsylvania area). We got to the beach around 3:00, and while I had visions of sunbathing and reading, Matt had other plans. I was coerced into getting into the ocean, which was mercifully warm (thank goodness) and I attempted to get my sea legs rather unsuccessfully. After a couple of nosefulls of water, I retreated to the beach to sleep while Matt contiued to swim and take some nice pictures.
At around 5:00 we rode home tired and sunburnt, but oddly refreshed. After picking up some provisions at the Piggly Wiggly we enjoyed a nice picnic in a gazebo near the pond and watch the turtles and TWO GATORS swim around. Now we are nursing our sunburns and resting up for another long haul drive tomorrow. New Orleans or bust!!
And now for the Stats:
Still 19% of the US
Miles traveled on bike: about 3
Miles traveled in car: about 2
Wrong turns: too many to be biking
Gas spent: negligable
Distance to go: only like a kabillion miles ;)
Next Stop: New Orleans hopefully via Savannah, GA and probably somewhere in Florida
Day 4: Happy Anniversary! UPDATED
Today was a purely driving day. Alie and I logged a total of 8 hours of driving! More information will come tonight! for now here is the map of where we've been so far:
PS Alie's and my Anniversary was Day 4 hence the lack of update. ;)
UPDATE:
This isn't tonight but plans change. So I'm updating now. As I said above, we spent yesterday driving 8 hours to Hilton Head Island. We got there about 20 minuets ahead of what our GPS said we would. Which was really great but odd since the GPS is usually right on the money. We figured it was due to a speed limit change the most recent maps did not take into account. We only stopped for about 40 minutes for lunch, refueling and frosties!
We got into Hilton Head around 8:30pm. We then unloaded our stuff at Howard's condo and then went to Big Bamboo. This really neat restaurant modeled after a place in South Pacific founded by a WWII Pilot. Overall I enjoyed the atmosphere and food. Both had a lot of potential but fell just an inch short of what I'd consider excellent.
Then Alie and I got ice cream at the Ice Cream Cone and walked to the beach. We laid down got all sandy and looked at the stars. A very nice way to end the night.
Here are the current totals:
Been to 19% of the US!
Overall Average: 59.8mph
Moving Average: 64.0mph
Moving Time: 8h and 48m
Stopped: 37m 18s
Total time: 9h 26m
Gas Spent: Not exactly sure but so far we've gone 330mi on a 1/2 a tank.
Distance Traveled Today: 563.7mi
Distance to go: I'll never tell
Wrong turns: 0 (It was really simple all the way through.)
Where we go next? Was Fort Sumpter but thats another 2-3 hours of driving so instead its THE BEACH!
PS Alie's and my Anniversary was Day 4 hence the lack of update. ;)
UPDATE:
This isn't tonight but plans change. So I'm updating now. As I said above, we spent yesterday driving 8 hours to Hilton Head Island. We got there about 20 minuets ahead of what our GPS said we would. Which was really great but odd since the GPS is usually right on the money. We figured it was due to a speed limit change the most recent maps did not take into account. We only stopped for about 40 minutes for lunch, refueling and frosties!
We got into Hilton Head around 8:30pm. We then unloaded our stuff at Howard's condo and then went to Big Bamboo. This really neat restaurant modeled after a place in South Pacific founded by a WWII Pilot. Overall I enjoyed the atmosphere and food. Both had a lot of potential but fell just an inch short of what I'd consider excellent.
Then Alie and I got ice cream at the Ice Cream Cone and walked to the beach. We laid down got all sandy and looked at the stars. A very nice way to end the night.
Here are the current totals:
Been to 19% of the US!
Overall Average: 59.8mph
Moving Average: 64.0mph
Moving Time: 8h and 48m
Stopped: 37m 18s
Total time: 9h 26m
Gas Spent: Not exactly sure but so far we've gone 330mi on a 1/2 a tank.
Distance Traveled Today: 563.7mi
Distance to go: I'll never tell
Wrong turns: 0 (It was really simple all the way through.)
Where we go next? Was Fort Sumpter but thats another 2-3 hours of driving so instead its THE BEACH!
Friday, June 23, 2006
Day 3: Photos: Panorama-Rama!
I've posted some of my pictures to my slice of Flickr and I've created a set of Road Trip pictures seen here. But I've spent most of my time tonight stitching pictures together to create these panoramas...
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Day 3: The Long and Winding Road
Phew
Today was a VERY long day. Alie and I had to leave by 8:30am to get to Maryland for her appointment at Noon. Leaving that early allowed us to hit 0 traffic on the way down there. So we got there by 11am. Once we arrived we ate and she went to her appointment. While I read my book Bringing Out the Dead. So far its excellent but incredibly depressing, the author really enables you to see how his character sees the world. Yet that is neither here nor there. Around 2:00pm Alie got out of her meeting and we decided to head west towards Shenandoah National Park!
We arrived around 5pm and got out around 9:00pm. There are a bunch of trails and such but since we got into the park late we just drove through the 105 miles road called Skyline Drive. We stopped every now and again to take in the sights and take pictures. It was a little hot and hazey when we first got into the park so the views were not as amazing as they could be, but they were great nonetheless. We also saw TONS of deer in the park, which was very cool. They, like the buffalo in Yellowstone, were completely complacent with the vehicles and people driving around. Overall, it comes highly recommended, but by the time the road was finished so were we. Alie and I are more excited about the red rocks of the west or the incredibly tall peaks of the Rockies, but we figured it was just because we grew up with the green trees and pseudo mountains of the mid atlantic.
Now without further ado our current tallies...
We've now covered a whopping 15% of the country!
Wrong turns: 7 or so
(Note to self: The GPS sometimes recalculates slowly and will tell you when to turn as you are passing through the intersection.)
Today we travelled about 519 miles
in about 10h of moving time.
with 2h and 27m of stopping time.
A moving average of 56.7mph
and a total average speed of 45.5mph.
We used about a 1/2 a tank of gas.
All in a totaly amount of time of 12 1/2h
Distance left: We've only just begun
Next Stop: Hilton Head and Fort Sumpter!
Picture dump to follow soon. Stay tuned!
Day 2: Busy Busy Busy UPDATED
Getting started on a cross country road trip is tough work! Today was good; we made great time to Jersey and got most of our errands done that needed to happen. I'll post a bigger update hopefully mid day tomorrow describing today's events; for now I must sleep because we NEED to be on the road by 8am if we are to reach DC by Noon!
UPDATE:
Obviously I did not get to do it Mid day today. But I do have some things to tell.
1. I got my new glasses. I really enjoy them and they allow me to drive at night with much less of a problem so that's a plus.
2. Got a new camera. The G6 has been discontinued but Canon has created the A620 which is like a mini G6 with different features. Its much faster and that's EXCELLENT!
3. Got awesome Monster Batteries for the camera. Normally I do not ecoguage buying from Monster or monster products because you pay a premium, but I used these before and get three times as much power as I do from conventional batteries which is always a plus.
4. Our final trip was to CVS for Alie.
2ND LESSON LEARNED: It will take a lot more time trying to get on the road then you think, so plan accordingly.
So with all the errands done we were able to hit the road on time today. For more on that check the post starting with Day 3.
Wrong Turns: 2
Miles Traveled: 236.9
Overall Average: 58.9MPH
Moving Average: 63.0MPH
Total Time Spent Driving 4h and 1m
Total Moving Time: 3h and 45m
Time Stopped: 15m 37sec
Amount of Gas Used: 1 1/2 tanks from Boston to NJ
Experienced: 7% of the US
Next Stop: Maryland (See Day 4 post for details on that!)
UPDATE:
Obviously I did not get to do it Mid day today. But I do have some things to tell.
1. I got my new glasses. I really enjoy them and they allow me to drive at night with much less of a problem so that's a plus.
2. Got a new camera. The G6 has been discontinued but Canon has created the A620 which is like a mini G6 with different features. Its much faster and that's EXCELLENT!
3. Got awesome Monster Batteries for the camera. Normally I do not ecoguage buying from Monster or monster products because you pay a premium, but I used these before and get three times as much power as I do from conventional batteries which is always a plus.
4. Our final trip was to CVS for Alie.
2ND LESSON LEARNED: It will take a lot more time trying to get on the road then you think, so plan accordingly.
So with all the errands done we were able to hit the road on time today. For more on that check the post starting with Day 3.
Wrong Turns: 2
Miles Traveled: 236.9
Overall Average: 58.9MPH
Moving Average: 63.0MPH
Total Time Spent Driving 4h and 1m
Total Moving Time: 3h and 45m
Time Stopped: 15m 37sec
Amount of Gas Used: 1 1/2 tanks from Boston to NJ
Experienced: 7% of the US
Next Stop: Maryland (See Day 4 post for details on that!)
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Quick Note on Creative Commons
This is a quick note to everyone that this blog is now licensed under an Attribution Non-Commercial Creative Commons License. That means that you can take anything Alie or I post here and use it anywhere you like and change it however you like as long as you cite the back to here and do not make money from our words. If you have any questions feel free to ask in the comments section, but most answers can be found in the page you get when you click on the grey CC image on the right side of this page down near the bottom.
Note: The photos posted on this blog do not fall under the license discussed above. Instead each have their own license. to view please head to the photo page on Flick and look for the copy right symbol found on the right hand side of the page.
Note: The photos posted on this blog do not fall under the license discussed above. Instead each have their own license. to view please head to the photo page on Flick and look for the copy right symbol found on the right hand side of the page.
Day 1: Very Rocky Start But There is a Red Sky Tonight!
9:30am going to pack the car but realized there was too much stuff to move out Alie completely and bring some of my bigger things home. So we had to go back and drop some of my stuff off and some of Alie's bigger stuff. While loading Alie's bigger stuff we notice that the back passenger side triangular window is smashed. This is unfortunate because we have parked near Alie's countless times and never had a problem. We find its ironic that some act of vandalism would happen on our last true night in Boston. So we only partially load and then vacuum out the large pieces of glass, having to go to two seperate gas stations to find a working vacuum. (THANKS HESS!) So after the car is vacuumed we load it at Alie's and then unloaded at my house. It is about 10:30-10:45am.
!0:45am We go back to Alie's to pick up the keys and do a bunch of small chores around the apartment like clean it, take out the trash, empty the fridge, close all the windows, take out the recycling, etc, because it needed to get done and no one else was going to do it.
11:15 we go back to my house to return the parking permit.
11:30am We give the keys of Alie's apartment away.
11:45am-12:00pm We head to Comcast to drop of the cable equipment this takes us until about 12:30ish because we waited in line while and older women asked the same questions over and over again to the service rep. Thats done and we start out on the road.
12:30pm We pull over at the Natick rest stop because I think I left my camera in Boston. I tear apart the car and its not there. Alie and I realize that the smashed window wasn't an act of vandalism but in fact robbery or what the police report calls Minor Larceny. They took my nice digital camera. What is frustrating for me is that 1. I had left the camera there in the car the past few nights and it was fine. 2. I am usually very careful with things like that. I took in a lot of other expensive equipment except for the camera. I slip up one time and its gone. 3. If it was just a few inches towards the center they wouldn't have reached it.
12:50pm Head back to Boston to file a police report.
Arrive in Allston at 1:20 or so call the police drive to the District D14 station and file a report.
At 3:00pm this point it starts to rain while we are in the police station!
So we finish the report and decide to try to patch the window with plastic and ducktape, but the rain stops and we just head to CT around 4pm.
Arrive at 5:30 in CT. And the good news begins to trickle in.
So that covers today pretty well for us. I'll give the good news tomorrow once its more solidified.
What I learned: NEVER leave ANYTHING in a car in plain sight. I know this should be a given but after 3 years in the same area you let your guard down a bit and I like to think that people are inherently good.
Been to 3% of the US
Miles Traveled: 95.8
Total Travel Time: 1h 55m
Average Speed: 54.1MPH
Gas Used: Didn't think to look (less than 1/4 of a tank)
Wrong Turns: Depends how you count it
Distance to Go: More then there should be
Whats keeping us going? It can only get better from here on out and we've solidified some of our plans.
Next Stop: NJ
PS would've posted a picture of the damage but Alie's camera is broken and mine is gone. Maybe I'll post a broken window from Flickr and say it was ours.
Monday, June 19, 2006
Where We've Been So Far
Here is a Map of the United States.
As Alie and I travel across the country we will post an updated map along with a few stats;
How long it took us to get there.
How much gas we used.
How many wrong turns we made.
Distance to go.
And any other Items that come to mind.
So far we have been to 1% of the USA.
Spent NO gas.
Have made 0 wrong turns.
and
Have a long long way to go. ;)
I think this will be a really cool feature. Let me know what else you might be interested in seeing.
As Alie and I travel across the country we will post an updated map along with a few stats;
How long it took us to get there.
How much gas we used.
How many wrong turns we made.
Distance to go.
And any other Items that come to mind.
So far we have been to 1% of the USA.
Spent NO gas.
Have made 0 wrong turns.
and
Have a long long way to go. ;)
I think this will be a really cool feature. Let me know what else you might be interested in seeing.
Canon National Park Contest
As I was exploring the National Park Groups (here and here) I found a link to this contest that ends Sept. 30 2006. The grand prize winner gets a trip to a National Park. The next three winners get a Canon SLR Camera. I rather get the camera personally. As I go on I'm going to take pictures of national parks, tag the best with "contest" and put them all in one set in my slice of Flickr. So if you see one or a few you like let me know. I'll tally all the votes and submit the best one.
Introducing a Travel Log
Many people write a travel diary to look back at and reminisce. So instead of it being simply something for Us to look back on. I've decided to post it to the web and let our family and friends to follow the journey along with us and discuss it with us via comments and email.
Either Alie or I will try to as often as we can. Hopefully this will be when we reach a destination or the end of the day in a certain place. But if we do not post for a while its either due to lack of internet access or too tight of a schedule.
What you will see here is stories of our trip. Photos of people and places and other fun things we like to talk about.
So add this site or feed to your bookmarks and stand by for awesome content heading your way.
Either Alie or I will try to as often as we can. Hopefully this will be when we reach a destination or the end of the day in a certain place. But if we do not post for a while its either due to lack of internet access or too tight of a schedule.
What you will see here is stories of our trip. Photos of people and places and other fun things we like to talk about.
So add this site or feed to your bookmarks and stand by for awesome content heading your way.
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