New Orleans
When I left Jackson, Mississippi last Wednesday, I headed immediately to the Big Easy. If I had to do it over again, I probably would just skip Jackson altogether and stayed two nights in New Orleans.
I got a hotel room in the French Quarter, which turned out to be a really good decision because driving in the French Quarter is confusing. Armed with recommendations from a friend who has frequented New Orleans previously, I explored.
Bourbon Street is as loud and in your face as I remembered. You would think, in the aftermath of St. Patrick's Day, that it might be quiet. You would be wrong. There were lots of people out, even though it was a Wednesday. The street performers were out in force. The last picture is of a band that set up in the middle of the street to perform. They had fiddles, cellos, and guitars. They were really good, although I wasn't able to get a picture from the front of the crowd.
I ended up at a bar named the Erin Rose (Yes, it's an Irish bar), and met some English professors in town for a conference. We had a great discussion about Renaissance literature, and medieval literature. Apparently, I'm now eligible to join the New Orleans Philosopher's Salon these professors want to set up. Who would have thought?
I also made my way to the Mississippi River and the Holocaust Memorial.
As everyone knows, New Orleans has great food and music. I was able to sample both during the short time I was there. I had Crawfish Etouffee (I'm missing the accent marks) on a restaurant balcony overlooking Bourbon Street. I tried to get everything in the picture below.
I only stayed one night, but I would definitely go back. I got up early the next morning to wander the Quarter when it was less busy.
What's your favorite thing to do in New Orleans?
Houston
I don't have a lot to say about Houston other than it's big. I mean, really big. However, it was just a stopover for me on my way to ...
Austin
I went to Austin to visit my old roommate Brandon on Friday. By chance, South by Southwest ("SXSW") was going on at the same time. Thanks to Brandon's generosity, I had a place to stay in Austin while this was going on. Obviously, we ended up going to SXSW and had a great time. We met a great couple, Laura and Jeff, in an Irish bar. We ended up going to the various music venues and clubs with them. It was late before we got home, exhausted.
I stayed for a couple more days, seeing more of SXSW and Austin in general. All in all, a great city, and one I'd definitely like to visit again.
This morning, I left Austin, not entirely sure where I would go. I started driving west, and decided to go all the way to New Mexico to see the Carlsbad Caverns. It's a longer drive than I normally take, but there was nothing in West Texas I felt compelled to see.
Ironically, driving through West Texas on I-10 was a lot of fun. The speed limit is 80! 80! I enjoyed the novelty of being able to legally go that fast. As I went further west, I got to see a more picturesque landscape. The mesas and plateaus look just like they do in movies. It was great. Also, during one fairly long stretch of highway, the windmills for alternative energy stretched from horizon to horizon. It was quite a sight.
Eventually, I had to turn off of I-10, and take a back road to Carlsbad, New Mexico. The landscape was desolate and dusty, with oil derricks along the side of the road, and dust blowing across the highway. However, it was all worth it once I got to the Carlsbad Caverns National Park.
Carlsbad Caverns
This park is not easy to get to. I had to take several back roads to get there. I swear, for a while, I thought I might be starring in the beginning of a horror movie. There were no other cars or people around, and the road was winding. It had all the hallmarks of a misadventure.
Thankfully, I made it to the park without mishap. As I said above, the hassle of getting to the park was more than worth it.
Driving up to the caverns is an experience all by itself. Picture, if you will, a stretch of roadway winding through a canyon. There are no other cars, and the walls of the canyon tower over you. You get out to look around, and a struck by the quiet. As you stand there, listening to the wind, you realize that there is not another human being around for miles. You are all alone. Actually, you don't have to just imagine. I took pictures.
I got to the visitor center in the park just in time to take the elevator down to "The Big Room". When they call this the "Big Room", they are not exaggerating it. The cavern is humongous. You should know that elevators stop taking people down at 3:30 p.m., and that, if you can get there before 2:00 p.m., you'll be able to walk down to the caverns from a natural cave. I did not make it by 2:00 p.m.
Words escape me in trying to describe the caverns themselves. Again, I took pictures, but they don't do the caverns justice. The Big Room is huge.
I walked for a couple miles around it. Darkness settles over you, with only small lights to illuminate outcroppings that need to be seen. Otherwise, it's black. Also, although there are other people present, it's very quiet. You can hear the drips of water into small pools. Your footsteps echo loudly off the cavern walls. It's like walking in a foreign world. 750 feet of rock press down above you. It's Gaia's cathedral, and it is beautiful. Seriously, go. This is something you need to see.
Roswell
Eventually, I had to leave the Carlsbad Caverns. I had originally planned on staying in Carlsbad, which is 20-30 miles away, but when I saw how outrageous the prices for rooms were, I changed my mind. Roswell was only 2 hours away, and the prices were much more reasonable. So, I drove more. I'm in Roswell now, and will be going to look around in the morning.
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